“I pray also for those who will believe in Me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as You are in Me and I am in You. May they also be in Us so that the world may believe that You have sent Me.” John 17:20-21, NIV
Great amounts of time, resources and energy can go into marketing campaigns for the gospel. We praise God for these efforts as no message is more powerful and no time is more urgent than now.
In John 17, Jesus gave us the blueprint for the ultimate gospel marketing campaign: oneness amongst His people. Just as He and the Father are one, Jesus prayed that His followers would all be one…”so that the world may believe.”
The sobering fact we face today is that disunity among Christ-followers breeds atheism in the culture.
We see the theme of oneness of the body throughout scripture. In Revelation, Jesus wrote letters to the angels over the Church of each city, not separate congregations or missions organizations. In Ephesians, Paul admonishes us to “[m]ake every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” He goes on to say “there is one body.” (emphasis mine Ephesians 4:3-4)
Despite much fragmentation in the body of Christ today, praise God that there are many efforts towards unity among Christ-followers in our city. You can even read in the Columbus Dispatch some of the ways the Church of Columbus has been coming together here and here. Non-profit leaders, Pastors, business owners and civic leaders are beginning to forge friendships and work towards advancing the gospel together in our city.
One of the first concrete steps towards this movement has been the creation of a Spirit of Agreement document for Columbus. Rooted in scripture, this living text was crafted by input from hundreds of pastors and leaders all across our city over a period of several years. Read more here. This statement of vision provides a way for diverse Christian fellowships and organizations to live out Jesus’ prayer and function in unity.
Another initiative towards oneness in our city are the unified prayer efforts that have been taking place for decades. As Pray for Columbus continues to encourage united, city-focused prayer, many organizations, houses of prayer and intercessors have been faithfully tilling the soil well in advance. Our city’s rich tradition of Concerts of Prayer, ONE NIGHT gatherings, Prayer Summits and more have planted seeds of unity that are bearing fruit today.
We invite you to celebrate with us these steps towards unity and continue to pray for God to make us one.
Let’s pray together for the Church of Columbus to be one just as Jesus and the Father are one. Pray against division, competition and covetousness. Pray for humility, grace and patience with each other as we seek to advance the gospel together in our city as one Church!
Click the button for our "Make us One" prayer guide below:
