XXI CHRISTIAN UNITY AND WORLD-WIDE EVANGELISM Neither for these only do I pray, but for them also that believe on Me through their word; that they all may be one; even as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be in us: that the world may believe that Thou didst send Me. And the glory which Thou hast given MeI have given unto them ; that they may be one, even as we are one; I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be perfected into one; that the world may know that Thou didst send Me, and lovedst them, even as Thou lovedst Me.-JOHN 17: 20-23. T HE only prayer of our Lord that is recorded at length is found in the seventeenth chapter of the gospel according to John. The unity of His followers is the central thing in that marvellous prayer. "Holy Father, keep them in Thy name which Thou hast given Me, that they may be one, even as we are." "Neither for these only do I pray, but for them also that believe on Me through their word; that they all may be one; even as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they may be in us; that the world may believe that Thou didst send Me." He had in mind the widest possible extension of His kingdom. He was thinking of the time when the gospel would be preached in all creation under heaven, and He prayed for the unity of those called out of every nation and tongue and tribe and people. It was through a united church that the world was to be won from sin to holiness. I am to speak of Christian unity in its relation to world-wide evangelism. I ask you to note: I. The emphasis placed on unity in the Scriptures. Our Lord said, "And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold them also I must bring, and they shall hear My voice; and they shall become one flock, one shepherd." As there is one and but one God and Father, and one Lord Jesus Christ, so there is to be one flock or one household of the faith. There is one divine Teacher, and all His pupils are brethren. The believers gathered out of all nations are to form one body, and of that one body Jesus Christ is the head. So it is said, "There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all." In this one sentence the thought of unity is presented seven times. Again, "For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of the body, being many, are one body; so also is Christ. For in one Spirit were we all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether bond or free; and all were made to drink of one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many." There are many members but one body. The same thought is found in Galatians. "For ye are all the sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ did put on Christ. There can be neither Greek nor Jew, there can be neither bond nor free, there can be no male or female; for ye are all one man in Christ Jesus." Race and national distinctions are done away. All are fellow members of the body, and fellow heirs, and fellow partakers of the promise of Christ in the gospel. Paul prayed thus for the Christians in Rome, "Now the God of patience and comfort grant you to be of the same mind one with another according to Jesus Christ; that with one accord ye may with one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." To the Philippians he said, "Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ; that whether I come and see you or be absent, I may hear of your state, that ye stand fast in one Spirit, with one soul striving for the faith of the gospel." He besought them that they fulfill His joy, "that they be of the same mind, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind; doing nothing through strife or vainglory, but in lowliness of mind, each counting the other better than himself; not looking each one to his own things, but each one also to the things of others." To the Corinthians he said, "Now I beseech you, brethren, through the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no division among you; but that ye be perfected together in the same mind and in the same judgment." In that time some were contentious. There were those who said, "I am of Paul"; and others who said, "I am of Apollos "; and others still who said, "And I am of Peter." The answer to these contentious ones was, "Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized into the name of Paul? Who is Paul? and who is Apollos? but ministers by whom ye believed." They were baptized into the name of Christ and in their baptism they accepted Him as their Saviour and their Lord. Baptism is a unifying ordinance; it brings the baptized into Christ, and not into Paul or Apollos or Peter. The Lord's Supper brings us to His table and thus unites us as one family. We being many are one body, one bread. Because of the natural tendencies towards division and strife the apostles urged the early Christians to endeavour to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bonds of peace. our Lord prayed that they might be one. For the same reason jects upon which so much is said in the upon unity. This subject bulks large in the thought of Christ and His apostles. The danger was great; so the note of warning rings out clear and strong from the very shadow of the cross. II. The nature of the unity for which our Lord prayed. This is set forth under various figures. It is like the union of the different members of the body in the body. These are pervaded with the same life; they constitute one organism. They are so adjusted in the body that there is no schism. Each is concerned about the welfare of all the others. If one member suffers all the members suffer with it; if one member is honoured all rejoice with it. It is like the union of the branches and the vine. Every branch shares in the common life of the vine. This union is a vital one, and not at all like the union of staves in a barrel or bricks in a wall. Christians are partakers of the Divine nature. They have a new heart and a new spirit. Believing in Christ they have life in His name. They are animated by the same Spirit of holiness. So it is said, "He that is joined to the Lord is one Spirit." The Christian can say, "I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live not of myself, but by the faith of Him that loved me and gave Himself up for me." Having Christ's life in him he resembles Christ in feeling, in purpose, in judgment, in aspiration, and in motive. He loves and hates the same things. He seeks the same ends. This union is similiar to that subsisting between the Father and the Son. "Even as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they may be in us.' "And the glory which Thou hast given Me I have given unto them; that they may be one, even as we are one; I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be perfected into one." This is a double unity; they are united in themselves and they are united in Christ. The Father is in the Son, as His organ of manifestation and the object of His affection; and the Son is in the Father abiding ever in the light of His glory and in the power of His name. "I and the Father are one." They are one in essence, one in aim, one in desire, and one in effort. The Father loves the Son and the Son loves and serves the Father. There can be no clash between them. It is desired that those who are born of God and know God should constitute a unity resembling that in its intimacy and harmony. So we are taught to cultivate whatever will strengthen the ties that bind us together. We are to follow peace with all men and the holiness without which no man shall see the Lord. Nothing is more common than for men to combine for different purposes. Thus they combine in business, in politics, and in sport. Very often the only thing in which they all agree is the end sought. Thus in business they seek for profits. In politics they seek the offices or the adoption of certain policies. In sport they seek amusement. There is no change in their natures or in their views when they enter into those combinations. They are precisely the same after that they were before. It is not so here. Those who constitute the body of Christ have been begotten from above. They have been washed, and justified and sanctified by the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the Spirit of our God. They have been renewed in mind after the image of their creator. And now with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord they are changed into the same image, from glory unto glory, even as by the Lord the Spirit. Again, we can form mechanical unions. iron and gold and silver together. combination retains all the qualities in such combinations but not unity. of the universe. It is the same in all ages and in all worlds. The same is true of all metals. The same is true of all Christians. They are begotten of God; they are possessed of His nature; they are one in mind and in heart. They are one in spite of the flight of time. Christians of the first century and of the last and of all intervening centuries form one community. They are one in spite of space. Christians in all parts of the world, those that speak different tongues and have different manners and customs are one flock, even as they are all tended by one Shepherd. They are one in spite of all differences, physical, mental, social, and spiritual. They are children of one Father and they constitute the one household of the faith. We can bind wood and Each object that enters the peculiar to it. There is union Gold is the same in all parts III. The basis of the unity for which Jesus prayed. Speaking through one of the Prophets the Lord said, “Behold, |