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Be One, As Christ And The Father Are One, November 16
Now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to
thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast
given me, that they may be one, as we are.
John 17:11
.
Where shall we find the purity, goodness, and holiness where we shall be
secure? Where is the fold where no wolves will enter? I tell you ... the Lord has
an organized body through whom He will work. There may be more than a score
of Judases among them; there may be a rash Peter who will under circumstances
of trial deny his Lord; there may be persons represented by John whom Jesus
loved, but he may have a zeal that would destroy men’s lives by calling down fire
from heaven upon them to revenge an insult to Christ and to the truth. But the
great Teacher seeks to give lessons of instruction to correct these existing evils.
He is doing the same today with His church. He is pointing out their dangers. He
is presenting before them the Laodicean message.
He shows them that all selfishness, all pride, all self-exaltation, all unbelief and
prejudice, which lead to resistance of the truth and turn away from the true light,
are dangerous, and unless repented of, those who cherish these things will be left
in darkness as was the Jewish nation. Let every soul now seek to answer the prayer
of Christ. Let every soul echo that prayer in mind, in petitions, in exhortations,
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that they all may be one even as Christ is one with the Father, and work to this
end. In the place of turning the weapons of warfare within our own ranks, let them
be turned against the enemies of God and the truth. Echo the prayer of Christ with
your whole heart: “Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou
hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.... I pray not that thou shouldest
take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil” (
John
17:11-15
)....
The door of the heart must be opened to the Holy Spirit, for this is the sanctifier,
and the truth is the medium. There must be an acceptance of the truth as it is in
Jesus. This is the only genuine sanctification: “Thy word is truth.” Oh, read the
prayer of Christ for unity, “Keep through thine own name those whom thou hast
given me, that they may be one as we are.” The prayer of Christ is not only for
those who are now His disciples, but for all those who shall believe on Christ
through the words of His disciples, even to the end of the world....
The Lord has had a church from that day, through all the changing scenes of
time to the present period.... The Bible sets before us a model church. They are to
be in unity with each other, and with God. When believers are united in Christ
the living vine, the result is that they are one with Christ, full of sympathy and
tenderness and love.
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