Unity, God, and You/id - Revision history

JoyaTeemer at 16:49, 1 May 2009

JoyaTeemer — Fri, 01 May 2009 16:49:40 GMT

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:49, 1 May 2009
Line 1:		Line 1:
-	{{~~InProcess~~\|~~user=Kurniawana\|date=}}~~	+	{{info\|Kesatuan, Tuhan, dan Anda}}
-		+
-	~~<br>~~	+
-		+
-	== Kesatuan, Tuhan, dan Anda ==	+

	''Dan bukan untuk mereka ini saja Aku berdoa, tetapi juga untuk orang-orang, yang percaya kepada-Ku oleh pemberitaan mereka; supaya mereka semua menjadi satu, sama seperti Engkau, ya Bapa, di dalam Aku dan Aku di dalam Engkau, agar mereka juga di dalam Kita, supaya dunia percaya, bahwa Engkaulah yang telah mengutus Aku. Dan Aku telah memberikan kepada mereka kemuliaan, yang Engkau berikan kepada-Ku, supaya mereka menjadi satu, sama seperti Kita adalah satu: Aku di dalam mereka dan Engkau di dalam Aku supaya mereka sempurna menjadi satu, agar dunia tahu, bahwa Engkau yang telah mengutus Aku dan bahwa Engkau mengasihi mereka, sama seperti Engkau mengasihi Aku (Yoh. 17:20-23).''		''Dan bukan untuk mereka ini saja Aku berdoa, tetapi juga untuk orang-orang, yang percaya kepada-Ku oleh pemberitaan mereka; supaya mereka semua menjadi satu, sama seperti Engkau, ya Bapa, di dalam Aku dan Aku di dalam Engkau, agar mereka juga di dalam Kita, supaya dunia percaya, bahwa Engkaulah yang telah mengutus Aku. Dan Aku telah memberikan kepada mereka kemuliaan, yang Engkau berikan kepada-Ku, supaya mereka menjadi satu, sama seperti Kita adalah satu: Aku di dalam mereka dan Engkau di dalam Aku supaya mereka sempurna menjadi satu, agar dunia tahu, bahwa Engkau yang telah mengutus Aku dan bahwa Engkau mengasihi mereka, sama seperti Engkau mengasihi Aku (Yoh. 17:20-23).''

Kurniawana at 12:15, 1 May 2009

Kurniawana — Fri, 01 May 2009 12:15:53 GMT

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:15, 1 May 2009
Line 13:		Line 13:
	<br> Dan menurut Yesus, kesatuan gereja-gereja kita juga merupakan alat penginjilan terbaik yang kita miliki. Ia ingin kita "sempurna [atau dewasa] menjadi satu, ''agar dunia tahu'', bahwa Engkau yang telah mengutus Aku dan bahwa Engkau mengasihi mereka, sama seperti Engkau mengasihi Aku." Allah telah merancang kesatuan dalam gereja lokal untuk berfungsi seperti magnet yang menarik baik orang percaya maupun yang tidak percaya. Saat kita bersatu sebagai gereja lokal, relasi kita dengan satu sama lain mulai berbicara banyak kepada dunia yang menyaksikan. Kasih dan pengorbanan dan kerendahan hati dan kesabaran yang menjadi ciri relasi yang besatu mulai memberi tahu dunia bahwa Allah mengirim Yesus, dan bahwa Allah mengasihi kita, Mempelai-Nya. Sebaliknya, ketika kita mulai membiarkan perpecahan di antara kita, kita tidak lagi efektif dalam penginjilian karena kesaksian gereja secara bersama mengatakan kebohongan mengenai Allah. Kesatuan gereja lokal merupakan program penginjilan Allah. Jika kita ingin melihat Roh Kudus memakai gereja-gereja lokal kita menghasilkan petobat-petobat, kita harus bekerja keras dan bersama-sama untuk mendorong dan memelihara kesatuan dalam gereja kita.		<br> Dan menurut Yesus, kesatuan gereja-gereja kita juga merupakan alat penginjilan terbaik yang kita miliki. Ia ingin kita "sempurna [atau dewasa] menjadi satu, ''agar dunia tahu'', bahwa Engkau yang telah mengutus Aku dan bahwa Engkau mengasihi mereka, sama seperti Engkau mengasihi Aku." Allah telah merancang kesatuan dalam gereja lokal untuk berfungsi seperti magnet yang menarik baik orang percaya maupun yang tidak percaya. Saat kita bersatu sebagai gereja lokal, relasi kita dengan satu sama lain mulai berbicara banyak kepada dunia yang menyaksikan. Kasih dan pengorbanan dan kerendahan hati dan kesabaran yang menjadi ciri relasi yang besatu mulai memberi tahu dunia bahwa Allah mengirim Yesus, dan bahwa Allah mengasihi kita, Mempelai-Nya. Sebaliknya, ketika kita mulai membiarkan perpecahan di antara kita, kita tidak lagi efektif dalam penginjilian karena kesaksian gereja secara bersama mengatakan kebohongan mengenai Allah. Kesatuan gereja lokal merupakan program penginjilan Allah. Jika kita ingin melihat Roh Kudus memakai gereja-gereja lokal kita menghasilkan petobat-petobat, kita harus bekerja keras dan bersama-sama untuk mendorong dan memelihara kesatuan dalam gereja kita.

-	<br> Yesus menunjukkan kita melalui contoh dalam Yohanes 17 bahwa kesatuan memerlukan doa. Kita tentu tidak dapat berharap menikmati kesatuan jika kita tidak berdoa untuk itu? Jika Yesus harus berdoa untuk itu, tentu kita harus melakukan hal yang sama. Sahabat, kapankah terakhir kali Anda berdoa untuk kesatuan gereja Anda? Saya menantang Anda untuk membuat permohonan tersebut setiap hari.~~ ~~	+	<br> Yesus menunjukkan kita melalui contoh dalam Yohanes 17 bahwa kesatuan memerlukan doa. Kita tentu tidak dapat berharap menikmati kesatuan jika kita tidak berdoa untuk itu? Jika Yesus harus berdoa untuk itu, tentu kita harus melakukan hal yang sama. Sahabat, kapankah terakhir kali Anda berdoa untuk kesatuan gereja Anda? Saya menantang Anda untuk membuat permohonan tersebut setiap hari. Berdoalah agar gereja Anda bersatu, dan berdoalah agar Allah menyatakan kepada Anda bagaimana Anda dapat lebih baik mendorong kesatuan dalam gereja lokal Anda melalui bagaimana Anda berpikir, berbicara, merasa, dan beraksi. Kita semua dapat bertemu dalam area ini. Semua kita bergumul dengan perasaan pahit terhadap sesama kita kadang-kadang, atau reaksi dengan kata-kata tajam, atau terlalu kritikal, atau keluhan, atau kesulitan mengakui kita salah. Kita semua orang berdosa yang perlu kasih karunia, belas kasihan, dan pengampunan - baik dari Allah dan dari satu sama lain.

-	<br> ~~Jesus shows us by example in John 17 that unity takes prayer~~. ~~We simply can’t expect to enjoy unity if we aren’t praying for it! If Jesus had to pray for it~~, ~~then surely we must do the same~~. Friend, when was the last time you prayed for the unity of your church? I’d challenge you to make that a daily prayer request. Pray that your church might be unified, and pray that God would reveal to you how you can better promote unity among your local church by how you think, speak, feel, and react. We can all grow in this area. All of us struggle with feeling bitter towards others sometimes, or reacting with sharp words, or being overly critical, or complaining, or being too prideful to admit we’re wrong. We’re all sinners in need of grace, mercy, and forgiveness – both from God and from each other.	+	<br> Akan tetapi kita tidak sendirian. Kita tidak hanya mewakili diri kita, atau opini dan keinginan kita. Yesus telah membeli kita dengan harga darah-Nya sendiri. Kita milik-Nya. Ia memiliki kita. Ia telah menciptakan kita bagi kemuliaan-Nya, dan Ia telah membeli kita dengan darah-Nya sehingga kita dapat mewakili-Nya dengan baik dalam dunia. Mari kita berketetapan bersama untuk memuliakan Allah dalam gereja lokal kita dengan berkata-kata, merasa, berpikir, dan bertindak dalam cara-cara yang mendorong kesatuan gereja; dan mari kita berdoa supaya ketika kita mengusahakan hal-hal ini, Allah berkenan menjadikan kesatuan kita alat yang efektif bagi pertobatan orang-orang yang belum percaya.
-		+
-	~~<br> But we are not our own. We do not just represent ourselves, or our own opinions and desires. Jesus has purchased us at the cost of His own blood~~. ~~We are His~~. ~~He owns us~~. ~~He has created us for His glory~~, ~~and He has bought us with His blood so that we might represent Him well in the world~~. ~~Let’s resolve together to glorify God in our local churches by speaking~~, ~~feeling~~, ~~thinking~~, ~~and acting in ways that promote the unity of the church~~; ~~and let’s pray that as we do~~, ~~God would be pleased to make our unity an effective tool for the conversion of unbelievers~~.	+

Kurniawana at 11:09, 1 May 2009

Kurniawana — Fri, 01 May 2009 11:09:20 GMT

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:09, 1 May 2009
Line 1:		Line 1:
	{{InProcess\|user=Kurniawana\|date=}}		{{InProcess\|user=Kurniawana\|date=}}
-		+
		+	<br>

	== Kesatuan, Tuhan, dan Anda ==		== Kesatuan, Tuhan, dan Anda ==

	''Dan bukan untuk mereka ini saja Aku berdoa, tetapi juga untuk orang-orang, yang percaya kepada-Ku oleh pemberitaan mereka; supaya mereka semua menjadi satu, sama seperti Engkau, ya Bapa, di dalam Aku dan Aku di dalam Engkau, agar mereka juga di dalam Kita, supaya dunia percaya, bahwa Engkaulah yang telah mengutus Aku. Dan Aku telah memberikan kepada mereka kemuliaan, yang Engkau berikan kepada-Ku, supaya mereka menjadi satu, sama seperti Kita adalah satu: Aku di dalam mereka dan Engkau di dalam Aku supaya mereka sempurna menjadi satu, agar dunia tahu, bahwa Engkau yang telah mengutus Aku dan bahwa Engkau mengasihi mereka, sama seperti Engkau mengasihi Aku (Yoh. 17:20-23).''		''Dan bukan untuk mereka ini saja Aku berdoa, tetapi juga untuk orang-orang, yang percaya kepada-Ku oleh pemberitaan mereka; supaya mereka semua menjadi satu, sama seperti Engkau, ya Bapa, di dalam Aku dan Aku di dalam Engkau, agar mereka juga di dalam Kita, supaya dunia percaya, bahwa Engkaulah yang telah mengutus Aku. Dan Aku telah memberikan kepada mereka kemuliaan, yang Engkau berikan kepada-Ku, supaya mereka menjadi satu, sama seperti Kita adalah satu: Aku di dalam mereka dan Engkau di dalam Aku supaya mereka sempurna menjadi satu, agar dunia tahu, bahwa Engkau yang telah mengutus Aku dan bahwa Engkau mengasihi mereka, sama seperti Engkau mengasihi Aku (Yoh. 17:20-23).''
-

-	Yesus telah berdoa bagi kesatuan gereja-Nya – dan syukurlah, Ia masih berdoa! Salah satu dari doa-doa dan kerinduan-Nya bagi gereja lokal manapun yaitu supaya ia menjadi satu. Tentu, kita semua setuju bahwa kita ingin menjadi satu. Tapi ''mengapa'' Yesus menginginkan kita menjadi satu? Apa ''motif'' Yesus dalam mencari kesatuan gereja lokal? Apakah hanya untuk kepentingan kita? Menurut ~~Johanes~~ 17, Yesus berdoa bagi kesatuan kita karena kesatuan gereja lokal kita dirancang untuk merefleksikan kesatuan yang dinikmati Tuhan di antara pribadi-pribadi yang berbeda dalam Tritunggal. Ia mau kita, satu tubuh orang-orang percaya yang bermacam-macam, untuk menjadi satu, seperti Dia, Tri-unitas yang beragam, satu. Yesus adalah kepala gereja, dan Ia menghendaki kita untuk memancarkan dan menikmati semacam kesatuan yang menyampaikan hal-hal yang benar dan indah tentang kesatuan Allah yang ~~kita~~ tiga-dalam-satu. Inilah sebagian besar bagaimana Yesus ingin gereja-gereja lokal kita mewakili Tuhan - dan kita tidak dapat tidak mewakili Dia. Jika kita adalah bagian sebuah gereja, maka kita adalah bagian tubuh Kristus. Gereja kita entah menyampaikan hal-hal yang benar tentang kesatuan Allah, atau kita salah mewakili Tuhan sebagai terpecah-pecah dalam diri-Nya.	+	<br> Yesus telah berdoa bagi kesatuan gereja-Nya – dan syukurlah, Ia masih berdoa! Salah satu dari doa-doa dan kerinduan-Nya bagi gereja lokal manapun yaitu supaya ia menjadi satu. Tentu, kita semua setuju bahwa kita ingin menjadi satu. Tapi ''mengapa'' Yesus menginginkan kita menjadi satu? Apa ''motif'' Yesus dalam mencari kesatuan gereja lokal? Apakah hanya untuk kepentingan kita? Menurut Yohanes 17, Yesus berdoa bagi kesatuan kita karena kesatuan gereja lokal kita dirancang untuk merefleksikan kesatuan yang dinikmati Tuhan di antara pribadi-pribadi yang berbeda dalam Tritunggal. Ia mau kita, satu tubuh orang-orang percaya yang bermacam-macam, untuk menjadi satu, seperti Dia, Tri-unitas yang beragam, satu. Yesus adalah kepala gereja, dan Ia menghendaki kita untuk memancarkan dan menikmati semacam kesatuan yang menyampaikan hal-hal yang benar dan indah tentang kesatuan Allah yang tiga-dalam-satu. Inilah sebagian besar bagaimana Yesus ingin gereja-gereja lokal kita mewakili Tuhan - dan kita tidak dapat tidak mewakili Dia. Jika kita adalah bagian sebuah gereja, maka kita adalah bagian tubuh Kristus. Gereja kita entah menyampaikan hal-hal yang benar tentang kesatuan Allah, atau kita salah mewakili Tuhan sebagai terpecah-pecah dalam diri-Nya.
-		+

-	Kita semua berbagian atas entah semangat kesatuan atau perpecahan. Perilaku, kata-kata, prioritas, sikap, respon emosional, bahkan pikiran dan motivasi kita, semuanya berbagian atas bagaimana gereja kita mewakili kesatuan Tuhan. Betapa seriusnya hal ini! Setiap kali saya bereaksi dalam kemarahan atau frustrasi yang berdosa, setiap kali saya berespon dengan sarkasme dalam kata-kata saya atau memendam kepahitan dalam hati saya, setiap kali saya menggosip, setiap kali saya termotivasi oleh keegoisan atau kesombongan, saya bukan hanya mempengaruhi kesaksian saya. Saya mempengaruhi kesatuan dan kesaksian gereja, yang secara langsung mempengaruhi kesaksian Tuhan sendiri. Sama halnya dengan pernikahan. Pernikahan merupakan lukisan relasi Kristus dan gereja-Nya (Ef. 5:22-29). Kasih saya bagi istri saya dirancang untuk mencerminkan kasih Kristus yang memberi kekuatan, memelihara, dan mengorbankan diri bagi gereja-Nya. Jadi apakah saya mau mengakuinya atau tidak, semua perilaku, pikiran, sikap, afeksi, kata-kata, motif, dan reaksi saya terhadap istri saya mengatakan sesuatu tentang relasi Kristus dengan gereja. Saya entah mengatakan sesuatu yang benar atau sesuatu yang salah. Dan setiap kali saya berdosa terhadap istri saya dalam salah satu dari hal-hal tersebut, saya telah menyampaikan sesuatu yang salah tentang bagaimana Kristus mengasihi dan memperlakukan pengantin-Nya yang berharga. Ketika kita disatukan sebagai suatu gereja lokal, kita menyampaikan hal-hal benar mengenai relasi antara Bapa, Anak, dan Roh. Ketika kita berpikir, merasakan, bertindak, dan bereaksi dengan cara-cara yang mendukung kesatuan, kita menyampaikan hal-hal yang benar mengenai kesatuan Allah.	+	<br> Kita semua berbagian atas entah semangat kesatuan atau perpecahan. Perilaku, kata-kata, prioritas, sikap, respon emosional, bahkan pikiran dan motivasi kita, semuanya berbagian atas bagaimana gereja kita mewakili kesatuan Tuhan. Betapa seriusnya hal ini! Setiap kali saya bereaksi dalam kemarahan atau frustrasi yang berdosa, setiap kali saya berespon dengan sarkasme dalam kata-kata saya atau memendam kepahitan dalam hati saya, setiap kali saya menggosip, setiap kali saya termotivasi oleh keegoisan atau kesombongan, saya bukan hanya mempengaruhi kesaksian saya. Saya mempengaruhi kesatuan dan kesaksian gereja, yang secara langsung mempengaruhi kesaksian Tuhan sendiri. Sama halnya dengan pernikahan. Pernikahan merupakan lukisan relasi Kristus dan gereja-Nya (Ef. 5:22-29). Kasih saya bagi istri saya dirancang untuk mencerminkan kasih Kristus yang memberi kekuatan, memelihara, dan mengorbankan diri bagi gereja-Nya. Jadi apakah saya mau mengakuinya atau tidak, semua perilaku, pikiran, sikap, afeksi, kata-kata, motif, dan reaksi saya terhadap istri saya mengatakan sesuatu tentang relasi Kristus dengan gereja. Saya entah mengatakan sesuatu yang benar atau sesuatu yang salah. Dan setiap kali saya berdosa terhadap istri saya dalam salah satu dari hal-hal tersebut, saya telah menyampaikan sesuatu yang salah tentang bagaimana Kristus mengasihi dan memperlakukan pengantin-Nya yang berharga. Ketika kita disatukan sebagai suatu gereja lokal, kita menyampaikan hal-hal benar mengenai relasi antara Bapa, Anak, dan Roh. Ketika kita berpikir, merasakan, bertindak, dan bereaksi dengan cara-cara yang mendukung kesatuan, kita menyampaikan hal-hal yang benar mengenai kesatuan Allah.
-		+

-	Dan menurut Yesus, kesatuan gereja-gereja kita juga merupakan alat penginjilan terbaik yang kita miliki. Ia ingin kita "	+	<br> Dan menurut Yesus, kesatuan gereja-gereja kita juga merupakan alat penginjilan terbaik yang kita miliki. Ia ingin kita "sempurna [atau dewasa] menjadi satu, ''agar dunia tahu'', bahwa Engkau yang telah mengutus Aku dan bahwa Engkau mengasihi mereka, sama seperti Engkau mengasihi Aku." Allah telah merancang kesatuan dalam gereja lokal untuk berfungsi seperti magnet yang menarik baik orang percaya maupun yang tidak percaya. Saat kita bersatu sebagai gereja lokal, relasi kita dengan satu sama lain mulai berbicara banyak kepada dunia yang menyaksikan. Kasih dan pengorbanan dan kerendahan hati dan kesabaran yang menjadi ciri relasi yang besatu mulai memberi tahu dunia bahwa Allah mengirim Yesus, dan bahwa Allah mengasihi kita, Mempelai-Nya. Sebaliknya, ketika kita mulai membiarkan perpecahan di antara kita, kita tidak lagi efektif dalam penginjilian karena kesaksian gereja secara bersama mengatakan kebohongan mengenai Allah. Kesatuan gereja lokal merupakan program penginjilan Allah. Jika kita ingin melihat Roh Kudus memakai gereja-gereja lokal kita menghasilkan petobat-petobat, kita harus bekerja keras dan bersama-sama untuk mendorong dan memelihara kesatuan dalam gereja kita.
-		+

-	~~And according to Jesus, the unity of our churches is also the best evangelistic tool we have~~. ~~He wants us to be "perfected [or mature] in unity~~, ''so that the world may know'' that You sent Me, and loved them, even as you have loved me." God has designed unity in the local church to function like a magnet to attract both believers and unbelievers. When we are united as a local church, our relationships with one another begin to speak volumes to a watching world. The love and selflessness and humility and patience that characterize united relationships begin to tell the world that God sent Jesus, and that God loves us, His Bride. Conversely, when we allow petty divisions to prevail among us, we become evangelistically ineffective because the corporate testimony of our church is saying false things about God. The unity of the local church is God’s evangelism program. ~~If we want to see the Holy Spirit use our local churches to produce converts~~, ~~then we must all work hard and work together to promote and preserve unity in our church~~.	+	<br> Yesus menunjukkan kita melalui contoh dalam Yohanes 17 bahwa kesatuan memerlukan doa. Kita tentu tidak dapat berharap menikmati kesatuan jika kita tidak berdoa untuk itu? Jika Yesus harus berdoa untuk itu, tentu kita harus melakukan hal yang sama. Sahabat, kapankah terakhir kali Anda berdoa untuk kesatuan gereja Anda? Saya menantang Anda untuk membuat permohonan tersebut setiap hari.
-		+

-	Jesus shows us by example in John 17 that unity takes prayer. We simply can’t expect to enjoy unity if we aren’t praying for it! If Jesus had to pray for it, then surely we must do the same. Friend, when was the last time you prayed for the unity of your church? I’d challenge you to make that a daily prayer request. Pray that your church might be unified, and pray that God would reveal to you how you can better promote unity among your local church by how you think, speak, feel, and react. We can all grow in this area. All of us struggle with feeling bitter towards others sometimes, or reacting with sharp words, or being overly critical, or complaining, or being too prideful to admit we’re wrong. We’re all sinners in need of grace, mercy, and forgiveness – both from God and from each other.	+	<br> Jesus shows us by example in John 17 that unity takes prayer. We simply can’t expect to enjoy unity if we aren’t praying for it! If Jesus had to pray for it, then surely we must do the same. Friend, when was the last time you prayed for the unity of your church? I’d challenge you to make that a daily prayer request. Pray that your church might be unified, and pray that God would reveal to you how you can better promote unity among your local church by how you think, speak, feel, and react. We can all grow in this area. All of us struggle with feeling bitter towards others sometimes, or reacting with sharp words, or being overly critical, or complaining, or being too prideful to admit we’re wrong. We’re all sinners in need of grace, mercy, and forgiveness – both from God and from each other.
-		+

-	But we are not our own. We do not just represent ourselves, or our own opinions and desires. Jesus has purchased us at the cost of His own blood. We are His. He owns us. He has created us for His glory, and He has bought us with His blood so that we might represent Him well in the world. Let’s resolve together to glorify God in our local churches by speaking, feeling, thinking, and acting in ways that promote the unity of the church; and let’s pray that as we do, God would be pleased to make our unity an effective tool for the conversion of unbelievers.	+	<br> But we are not our own. We do not just represent ourselves, or our own opinions and desires. Jesus has purchased us at the cost of His own blood. We are His. He owns us. He has created us for His glory, and He has bought us with His blood so that we might represent Him well in the world. Let’s resolve together to glorify God in our local churches by speaking, feeling, thinking, and acting in ways that promote the unity of the church; and let’s pray that as we do, God would be pleased to make our unity an effective tool for the conversion of unbelievers.

Kurniawana at 11:46, 14 August 2008

Kurniawana — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 11:46:42 GMT

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:46, 14 August 2008
Line 1:		Line 1:
	{{InProcess\|user=Kurniawana\|date=}}		{{InProcess\|user=Kurniawana\|date=}}
		+

	== Kesatuan, Tuhan, dan Anda ==		== Kesatuan, Tuhan, dan Anda ==

	''Dan bukan untuk mereka ini saja Aku berdoa, tetapi juga untuk orang-orang, yang percaya kepada-Ku oleh pemberitaan mereka; supaya mereka semua menjadi satu, sama seperti Engkau, ya Bapa, di dalam Aku dan Aku di dalam Engkau, agar mereka juga di dalam Kita, supaya dunia percaya, bahwa Engkaulah yang telah mengutus Aku. Dan Aku telah memberikan kepada mereka kemuliaan, yang Engkau berikan kepada-Ku, supaya mereka menjadi satu, sama seperti Kita adalah satu: Aku di dalam mereka dan Engkau di dalam Aku supaya mereka sempurna menjadi satu, agar dunia tahu, bahwa Engkau yang telah mengutus Aku dan bahwa Engkau mengasihi mereka, sama seperti Engkau mengasihi Aku (Yoh. 17:20-23).''		''Dan bukan untuk mereka ini saja Aku berdoa, tetapi juga untuk orang-orang, yang percaya kepada-Ku oleh pemberitaan mereka; supaya mereka semua menjadi satu, sama seperti Engkau, ya Bapa, di dalam Aku dan Aku di dalam Engkau, agar mereka juga di dalam Kita, supaya dunia percaya, bahwa Engkaulah yang telah mengutus Aku. Dan Aku telah memberikan kepada mereka kemuliaan, yang Engkau berikan kepada-Ku, supaya mereka menjadi satu, sama seperti Kita adalah satu: Aku di dalam mereka dan Engkau di dalam Aku supaya mereka sempurna menjadi satu, agar dunia tahu, bahwa Engkau yang telah mengutus Aku dan bahwa Engkau mengasihi mereka, sama seperti Engkau mengasihi Aku (Yoh. 17:20-23).''
		+

-	Yesus telah berdoa bagi kesatuan gereja-Nya – dan syukurlah, Ia masih berdoa!	+	Yesus telah berdoa bagi kesatuan gereja-Nya – dan syukurlah, Ia masih berdoa! Salah satu dari doa-doa dan kerinduan-Nya bagi gereja lokal manapun yaitu supaya ia menjadi satu. Tentu, kita semua setuju bahwa kita ingin menjadi satu. Tapi ''mengapa'' Yesus menginginkan kita menjadi satu? Apa ''motif'' Yesus dalam mencari kesatuan gereja lokal? Apakah hanya untuk kepentingan kita? Menurut Johanes 17, Yesus berdoa bagi kesatuan kita karena kesatuan gereja lokal kita dirancang untuk merefleksikan kesatuan yang dinikmati Tuhan di antara pribadi-pribadi yang berbeda dalam Tritunggal. Ia mau kita, satu tubuh orang-orang percaya yang bermacam-macam, untuk menjadi satu, seperti Dia, Tri-unitas yang beragam, satu. Yesus adalah kepala gereja, dan Ia menghendaki kita untuk memancarkan dan menikmati semacam kesatuan yang menyampaikan hal-hal yang benar dan indah tentang kesatuan Allah yang kita tiga-dalam-satu. Inilah sebagian besar bagaimana Yesus ingin gereja-gereja lokal kita mewakili Tuhan - dan kita tidak dapat tidak mewakili Dia. Jika kita adalah bagian sebuah gereja, maka kita adalah bagian tubuh Kristus. Gereja kita entah menyampaikan hal-hal yang benar tentang kesatuan Allah, atau kita salah mewakili Tuhan sebagai terpecah-pecah dalam diri-Nya.
		+

-	~~Jesus has prayed for the unity of His church – and thankfully~~, ~~He is still praying~~! ~~One of His earnest prayers and desires for any local church is that it be unified~~. ~~Of course~~, ~~we would all agree that we want to be one~~. ~~But ''why'' does Jesus want us to be united? What is Jesus’ ''motive'' in seeking the unity of the local church? Is it just for our benefit? According to John 17~~, ~~Jesus prays for our unity because the unity of our local church is designed to reflect the unity that God enjoys among the different persons in the Trinity~~. ~~He wants us~~, ~~a diverse body of believers~~, ~~to be one~~, ~~even as He~~, ~~a diverse Tri~~-~~unity~~, ~~is one~~. ~~Jesus is the head of the church, and He intends us to display and enjoy a kind of unity that says true and beautiful things about the unity of our three~~-in-~~one God~~. ~~This is in large part how Jesus wants our local churches to represent God – and we can’t avoid representing Him. If we’re part of a church~~, ~~then we are part of Christ’s body~~. ~~Our church is either saying true things about the unity of the Godhead~~, ~~or we are misrepresenting God as somehow divided within Himself~~.	+	Kita semua berbagian atas entah semangat kesatuan atau perpecahan. Perilaku, kata-kata, prioritas, sikap, respon emosional, bahkan pikiran dan motivasi kita, semuanya berbagian atas bagaimana gereja kita mewakili kesatuan Tuhan. Betapa seriusnya hal ini! Setiap kali saya bereaksi dalam kemarahan atau frustrasi yang berdosa, setiap kali saya berespon dengan sarkasme dalam kata-kata saya atau memendam kepahitan dalam hati saya, setiap kali saya menggosip, setiap kali saya termotivasi oleh keegoisan atau kesombongan, saya bukan hanya mempengaruhi kesaksian saya. Saya mempengaruhi kesatuan dan kesaksian gereja, yang secara langsung mempengaruhi kesaksian Tuhan sendiri. Sama halnya dengan pernikahan. Pernikahan merupakan lukisan relasi Kristus dan gereja-Nya (Ef. 5:22-29). Kasih saya bagi istri saya dirancang untuk mencerminkan kasih Kristus yang memberi kekuatan, memelihara, dan mengorbankan diri bagi gereja-Nya. Jadi apakah saya mau mengakuinya atau tidak, semua perilaku, pikiran, sikap, afeksi, kata-kata, motif, dan reaksi saya terhadap istri saya mengatakan sesuatu tentang relasi Kristus dengan gereja. Saya entah mengatakan sesuatu yang benar atau sesuatu yang salah. Dan setiap kali saya berdosa terhadap istri saya dalam salah satu dari hal-hal tersebut, saya telah menyampaikan sesuatu yang salah tentang bagaimana Kristus mengasihi dan memperlakukan pengantin-Nya yang berharga. Ketika kita disatukan sebagai suatu gereja lokal, kita menyampaikan hal-hal benar mengenai relasi antara Bapa, Anak, dan Roh. Ketika kita berpikir, merasakan, bertindak, dan bereaksi dengan cara-cara yang mendukung kesatuan, kita menyampaikan hal-hal yang benar mengenai kesatuan Allah.
		+

-	~~We all contribute to either a spirit of unity or of division. Our behavior~~, our words, our priorities, our attitudes, our emotional responses, even our thoughts and motives, all contribute to our church’s representation of God’s unity. What a convicting thought! Every time I react in anger or sinful frustration, every time I respond with sarcasm in my words or harbor bitterness in my heart, every time I gossip, every time I am motivated by selfishness or pride, I’m not just affecting my own testimony. I’m affecting the unity and testimony of the church, which directly affects the testimony of God Himself. The same is true in marriage. Marriage is a picture of the relationship between Christ and His church (Eph 5:22-29). My love for my wife is designed to reflect the nourishing, cherishing, self-sacrificing love of Christ for His church. So whether I want to admit it or not, all of my behavior, thoughts, attitudes, affections, words, motives, and reactions towards my wife are saying something about Christ’s relationship with the church. I’m either saying something true, or something false. And each time I sin against my wife in any one of those ways, I’ve said something false about how Christ loves and treats His precious Bride. When we are united as a local church, we are saying true things about the relationships among the Father, Son, and Spirit. When we think, feel, act, and react in ways that promote oneness, we say true things about the oneness of God.	+	Dan menurut Yesus, kesatuan gereja-gereja kita juga merupakan alat penginjilan terbaik yang kita miliki. Ia ingin kita "
		+

	And according to Jesus, the unity of our churches is also the best evangelistic tool we have. He wants us to be "perfected [or mature] in unity, ''so that the world may know'' that You sent Me, and loved them, even as you have loved me." God has designed unity in the local church to function like a magnet to attract both believers and unbelievers. When we are united as a local church, our relationships with one another begin to speak volumes to a watching world. The love and selflessness and humility and patience that characterize united relationships begin to tell the world that God sent Jesus, and that God loves us, His Bride. Conversely, when we allow petty divisions to prevail among us, we become evangelistically ineffective because the corporate testimony of our church is saying false things about God. The unity of the local church is God’s evangelism program. If we want to see the Holy Spirit use our local churches to produce converts, then we must all work hard and work together to promote and preserve unity in our church.		And according to Jesus, the unity of our churches is also the best evangelistic tool we have. He wants us to be "perfected [or mature] in unity, ''so that the world may know'' that You sent Me, and loved them, even as you have loved me." God has designed unity in the local church to function like a magnet to attract both believers and unbelievers. When we are united as a local church, our relationships with one another begin to speak volumes to a watching world. The love and selflessness and humility and patience that characterize united relationships begin to tell the world that God sent Jesus, and that God loves us, His Bride. Conversely, when we allow petty divisions to prevail among us, we become evangelistically ineffective because the corporate testimony of our church is saying false things about God. The unity of the local church is God’s evangelism program. If we want to see the Holy Spirit use our local churches to produce converts, then we must all work hard and work together to promote and preserve unity in our church.
		+

	Jesus shows us by example in John 17 that unity takes prayer. We simply can’t expect to enjoy unity if we aren’t praying for it! If Jesus had to pray for it, then surely we must do the same. Friend, when was the last time you prayed for the unity of your church? I’d challenge you to make that a daily prayer request. Pray that your church might be unified, and pray that God would reveal to you how you can better promote unity among your local church by how you think, speak, feel, and react. We can all grow in this area. All of us struggle with feeling bitter towards others sometimes, or reacting with sharp words, or being overly critical, or complaining, or being too prideful to admit we’re wrong. We’re all sinners in need of grace, mercy, and forgiveness – both from God and from each other.		Jesus shows us by example in John 17 that unity takes prayer. We simply can’t expect to enjoy unity if we aren’t praying for it! If Jesus had to pray for it, then surely we must do the same. Friend, when was the last time you prayed for the unity of your church? I’d challenge you to make that a daily prayer request. Pray that your church might be unified, and pray that God would reveal to you how you can better promote unity among your local church by how you think, speak, feel, and react. We can all grow in this area. All of us struggle with feeling bitter towards others sometimes, or reacting with sharp words, or being overly critical, or complaining, or being too prideful to admit we’re wrong. We’re all sinners in need of grace, mercy, and forgiveness – both from God and from each other.
		+

	But we are not our own. We do not just represent ourselves, or our own opinions and desires. Jesus has purchased us at the cost of His own blood. We are His. He owns us. He has created us for His glory, and He has bought us with His blood so that we might represent Him well in the world. Let’s resolve together to glorify God in our local churches by speaking, feeling, thinking, and acting in ways that promote the unity of the church; and let’s pray that as we do, God would be pleased to make our unity an effective tool for the conversion of unbelievers.		But we are not our own. We do not just represent ourselves, or our own opinions and desires. Jesus has purchased us at the cost of His own blood. We are His. He owns us. He has created us for His glory, and He has bought us with His blood so that we might represent Him well in the world. Let’s resolve together to glorify God in our local churches by speaking, feeling, thinking, and acting in ways that promote the unity of the church; and let’s pray that as we do, God would be pleased to make our unity an effective tool for the conversion of unbelievers.

CharisGalbraith at 16:04, 20 May 2008

CharisGalbraith — Tue, 20 May 2008 16:04:30 GMT

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:04, 20 May 2008
Line 1:		Line 1:
-	{{~~MasterHeader~~ \|~~author~~= ~~Paul Alexander \|partnerurl= http://www.9Marks.org \|partner= 9Marks~~ \|date= ~~\|other= \|categorytopic= Theology \|mediatype= Article \|lang= English \|editor= n/a \|translator= Adi Kurniawan \|levels= 0~~ }}	+	{{InProcess\|user=Kurniawana\|date=}}

-	== Kesatuan, Tuhan, dan Anda ==	+	== Kesatuan, Tuhan, dan Anda ==

	''Dan bukan untuk mereka ini saja Aku berdoa, tetapi juga untuk orang-orang, yang percaya kepada-Ku oleh pemberitaan mereka; supaya mereka semua menjadi satu, sama seperti Engkau, ya Bapa, di dalam Aku dan Aku di dalam Engkau, agar mereka juga di dalam Kita, supaya dunia percaya, bahwa Engkaulah yang telah mengutus Aku. Dan Aku telah memberikan kepada mereka kemuliaan, yang Engkau berikan kepada-Ku, supaya mereka menjadi satu, sama seperti Kita adalah satu: Aku di dalam mereka dan Engkau di dalam Aku supaya mereka sempurna menjadi satu, agar dunia tahu, bahwa Engkau yang telah mengutus Aku dan bahwa Engkau mengasihi mereka, sama seperti Engkau mengasihi Aku (Yoh. 17:20-23).''		''Dan bukan untuk mereka ini saja Aku berdoa, tetapi juga untuk orang-orang, yang percaya kepada-Ku oleh pemberitaan mereka; supaya mereka semua menjadi satu, sama seperti Engkau, ya Bapa, di dalam Aku dan Aku di dalam Engkau, agar mereka juga di dalam Kita, supaya dunia percaya, bahwa Engkaulah yang telah mengutus Aku. Dan Aku telah memberikan kepada mereka kemuliaan, yang Engkau berikan kepada-Ku, supaya mereka menjadi satu, sama seperti Kita adalah satu: Aku di dalam mereka dan Engkau di dalam Aku supaya mereka sempurna menjadi satu, agar dunia tahu, bahwa Engkau yang telah mengutus Aku dan bahwa Engkau mengasihi mereka, sama seperti Engkau mengasihi Aku (Yoh. 17:20-23).''
Line 7:		Line 7:
	Yesus telah berdoa bagi kesatuan gereja-Nya – dan syukurlah, Ia masih berdoa!		Yesus telah berdoa bagi kesatuan gereja-Nya – dan syukurlah, Ia masih berdoa!

-	Jesus has prayed for the unity of His church – and thankfully, He is still praying! One of His earnest prayers and desires for any local church is that it be unified. Of course, we would all agree that we want to be one. But ''why'' does Jesus want us to be united? What is Jesus’ ''motive'' in seeking the unity of the local church? Is it just for our benefit? According to John 17, Jesus prays for our unity because the unity of our local church is designed to reflect the unity that God enjoys among the different persons in the Trinity. He wants us, a diverse body of believers, to be one, even as He, a diverse Tri-unity, is one. Jesus is the head of the church, and He intends us to display and enjoy a kind of unity that says true and beautiful things about the unity of our three-in-one God. This is in large part how Jesus wants our local churches to represent God – and we can’t avoid representing Him. If we’re part of a church, then we are part of Christ’s body. Our church is either saying true things about the unity of the Godhead, or we are misrepresenting God as somehow divided within Himself.	+	Jesus has prayed for the unity of His church – and thankfully, He is still praying! One of His earnest prayers and desires for any local church is that it be unified. Of course, we would all agree that we want to be one. But ''why'' does Jesus want us to be united? What is Jesus’ ''motive'' in seeking the unity of the local church? Is it just for our benefit? According to John 17, Jesus prays for our unity because the unity of our local church is designed to reflect the unity that God enjoys among the different persons in the Trinity. He wants us, a diverse body of believers, to be one, even as He, a diverse Tri-unity, is one. Jesus is the head of the church, and He intends us to display and enjoy a kind of unity that says true and beautiful things about the unity of our three-in-one God. This is in large part how Jesus wants our local churches to represent God – and we can’t avoid representing Him. If we’re part of a church, then we are part of Christ’s body. Our church is either saying true things about the unity of the Godhead, or we are misrepresenting God as somehow divided within Himself.

-	We all contribute to either a spirit of unity or of division. Our behavior, our words, our priorities, our attitudes, our emotional responses, even our thoughts and motives, all contribute to our church’s representation of God’s unity. What a convicting thought! Every time I react in anger or sinful frustration, every time I respond with sarcasm in my words or harbor bitterness in my heart, every time I gossip, every time I am motivated by selfishness or pride, I’m not just affecting my own testimony. I’m affecting the unity and testimony of the church, which directly affects the testimony of God Himself. The same is true in marriage. Marriage is a picture of the relationship between Christ and His church (Eph 5:22-29). My love for my wife is designed to reflect the nourishing, cherishing, self-sacrificing love of Christ for His church. So whether I want to admit it or not, all of my behavior, thoughts, attitudes, affections, words, motives, and reactions towards my wife are saying something about Christ’s relationship with the church. I’m either saying something true, or something false. And each time I sin against my wife in any one of those ways, I’ve said something false about how Christ loves and treats His precious Bride. When we are united as a local church, we are saying true things about the relationships among the Father, Son, and Spirit. When we think, feel, act, and react in ways that promote oneness, we say true things about the oneness of God.	+	We all contribute to either a spirit of unity or of division. Our behavior, our words, our priorities, our attitudes, our emotional responses, even our thoughts and motives, all contribute to our church’s representation of God’s unity. What a convicting thought! Every time I react in anger or sinful frustration, every time I respond with sarcasm in my words or harbor bitterness in my heart, every time I gossip, every time I am motivated by selfishness or pride, I’m not just affecting my own testimony. I’m affecting the unity and testimony of the church, which directly affects the testimony of God Himself. The same is true in marriage. Marriage is a picture of the relationship between Christ and His church (Eph 5:22-29). My love for my wife is designed to reflect the nourishing, cherishing, self-sacrificing love of Christ for His church. So whether I want to admit it or not, all of my behavior, thoughts, attitudes, affections, words, motives, and reactions towards my wife are saying something about Christ’s relationship with the church. I’m either saying something true, or something false. And each time I sin against my wife in any one of those ways, I’ve said something false about how Christ loves and treats His precious Bride. When we are united as a local church, we are saying true things about the relationships among the Father, Son, and Spirit. When we think, feel, act, and react in ways that promote oneness, we say true things about the oneness of God.

-	And according to Jesus, the unity of our churches is also the best evangelistic tool we have. He wants us to be "perfected [or mature] in unity, ''so that the world may know'' that You sent Me, and loved them, even as you have loved me." God has designed unity in the local church to function like a magnet to attract both believers and unbelievers. When we are united as a local church, our relationships with one another begin to speak volumes to a watching world. The love and selflessness and humility and patience that characterize united relationships begin to tell the world that God sent Jesus, and that God loves us, His Bride. Conversely, when we allow petty divisions to prevail among us, we become evangelistically ineffective because the corporate testimony of our church is saying false things about God. The unity of the local church is God’s evangelism program. If we want to see the Holy Spirit use our local churches to produce converts, then we must all work hard and work together to promote and preserve unity in our church.	+	And according to Jesus, the unity of our churches is also the best evangelistic tool we have. He wants us to be "perfected [or mature] in unity, ''so that the world may know'' that You sent Me, and loved them, even as you have loved me." God has designed unity in the local church to function like a magnet to attract both believers and unbelievers. When we are united as a local church, our relationships with one another begin to speak volumes to a watching world. The love and selflessness and humility and patience that characterize united relationships begin to tell the world that God sent Jesus, and that God loves us, His Bride. Conversely, when we allow petty divisions to prevail among us, we become evangelistically ineffective because the corporate testimony of our church is saying false things about God. The unity of the local church is God’s evangelism program. If we want to see the Holy Spirit use our local churches to produce converts, then we must all work hard and work together to promote and preserve unity in our church.

-	Jesus shows us by example in John 17 that unity takes prayer. We simply can’t expect to enjoy unity if we aren’t praying for it! If Jesus had to pray for it, then surely we must do the same. Friend, when was the last time you prayed for the unity of your church? I’d challenge you to make that a daily prayer request. Pray that your church might be unified, and pray that God would reveal to you how you can better promote unity among your local church by how you think, speak, feel, and react. We can all grow in this area. All of us struggle with feeling bitter towards others sometimes, or reacting with sharp words, or being overly critical, or complaining, or being too prideful to admit we’re wrong. We’re all sinners in need of grace, mercy, and forgiveness – both from God and from each other.	+	Jesus shows us by example in John 17 that unity takes prayer. We simply can’t expect to enjoy unity if we aren’t praying for it! If Jesus had to pray for it, then surely we must do the same. Friend, when was the last time you prayed for the unity of your church? I’d challenge you to make that a daily prayer request. Pray that your church might be unified, and pray that God would reveal to you how you can better promote unity among your local church by how you think, speak, feel, and react. We can all grow in this area. All of us struggle with feeling bitter towards others sometimes, or reacting with sharp words, or being overly critical, or complaining, or being too prideful to admit we’re wrong. We’re all sinners in need of grace, mercy, and forgiveness – both from God and from each other.

	But we are not our own. We do not just represent ourselves, or our own opinions and desires. Jesus has purchased us at the cost of His own blood. We are His. He owns us. He has created us for His glory, and He has bought us with His blood so that we might represent Him well in the world. Let’s resolve together to glorify God in our local churches by speaking, feeling, thinking, and acting in ways that promote the unity of the church; and let’s pray that as we do, God would be pleased to make our unity an effective tool for the conversion of unbelievers.		But we are not our own. We do not just represent ourselves, or our own opinions and desires. Jesus has purchased us at the cost of His own blood. We are His. He owns us. He has created us for His glory, and He has bought us with His blood so that we might represent Him well in the world. Let’s resolve together to glorify God in our local churches by speaking, feeling, thinking, and acting in ways that promote the unity of the church; and let’s pray that as we do, God would be pleased to make our unity an effective tool for the conversion of unbelievers.

Kurniawana: New page: {{MasterHeader |author= Paul Alexander |partnerurl= http://www.9Marks.org |partner= 9Marks |date= |other= |categorytopic= Theology |mediatype= Article |lang= English |editor= n/a |translat...

Kurniawana — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 14:41:02 GMT

New page: {{MasterHeader |author= Paul Alexander |partnerurl= http://www.9Marks.org |partner= 9Marks |date= |other= |categorytopic= Theology |mediatype= Article |lang= English |editor= n/a |translat...

New page

{{MasterHeader |author= Paul Alexander |partnerurl= http://www.9Marks.org |partner= 9Marks |date= |other= |categorytopic= Theology |mediatype= Article |lang= English |editor= n/a |translator= Adi Kurniawan |levels= 0 }}

== Kesatuan, Tuhan, dan Anda ==

''Dan bukan untuk mereka ini saja Aku berdoa, tetapi juga untuk orang-orang, yang percaya kepada-Ku oleh pemberitaan mereka; supaya mereka semua menjadi satu, sama seperti Engkau, ya Bapa, di dalam Aku dan Aku di dalam Engkau, agar mereka juga di dalam Kita, supaya dunia percaya, bahwa Engkaulah yang telah mengutus Aku. Dan Aku telah memberikan kepada mereka kemuliaan, yang Engkau berikan kepada-Ku, supaya mereka menjadi satu, sama seperti Kita adalah satu: Aku di dalam mereka dan Engkau di dalam Aku supaya mereka sempurna menjadi satu, agar dunia tahu, bahwa Engkau yang telah mengutus Aku dan bahwa Engkau mengasihi mereka, sama seperti Engkau mengasihi Aku (Yoh. 17:20-23).''

Yesus telah berdoa bagi kesatuan gereja-Nya – dan syukurlah, Ia masih berdoa!

Jesus has prayed for the unity of His church – and thankfully, He is still praying! One of His earnest prayers and desires for any local church is that it be unified. Of course, we would all agree that we want to be one. But ''why'' does Jesus want us to be united? What is Jesus’ ''motive'' in seeking the unity of the local church? Is it just for our benefit? According to John 17, Jesus prays for our unity because the unity of our local church is designed to reflect the unity that God enjoys among the different persons in the Trinity. He wants us, a diverse body of believers, to be one, even as He, a diverse Tri-unity, is one. Jesus is the head of the church, and He intends us to display and enjoy a kind of unity that says true and beautiful things about the unity of our three-in-one God. This is in large part how Jesus wants our local churches to represent God – and we can’t avoid representing Him. If we’re part of a church, then we are part of Christ’s body. Our church is either saying true things about the unity of the Godhead, or we are misrepresenting God as somehow divided within Himself.

We all contribute to either a spirit of unity or of division. Our behavior, our words, our priorities, our attitudes, our emotional responses, even our thoughts and motives, all contribute to our church’s representation of God’s unity. What a convicting thought! Every time I react in anger or sinful frustration, every time I respond with sarcasm in my words or harbor bitterness in my heart, every time I gossip, every time I am motivated by selfishness or pride, I’m not just affecting my own testimony. I’m affecting the unity and testimony of the church, which directly affects the testimony of God Himself. The same is true in marriage. Marriage is a picture of the relationship between Christ and His church (Eph 5:22-29). My love for my wife is designed to reflect the nourishing, cherishing, self-sacrificing love of Christ for His church. So whether I want to admit it or not, all of my behavior, thoughts, attitudes, affections, words, motives, and reactions towards my wife are saying something about Christ’s relationship with the church. I’m either saying something true, or something false. And each time I sin against my wife in any one of those ways, I’ve said something false about how Christ loves and treats His precious Bride. When we are united as a local church, we are saying true things about the relationships among the Father, Son, and Spirit. When we think, feel, act, and react in ways that promote oneness, we say true things about the oneness of God.

And according to Jesus, the unity of our churches is also the best evangelistic tool we have. He wants us to be "perfected [or mature] in unity, ''so that the world may know'' that You sent Me, and loved them, even as you have loved me." God has designed unity in the local church to function like a magnet to attract both believers and unbelievers. When we are united as a local church, our relationships with one another begin to speak volumes to a watching world. The love and selflessness and humility and patience that characterize united relationships begin to tell the world that God sent Jesus, and that God loves us, His Bride. Conversely, when we allow petty divisions to prevail among us, we become evangelistically ineffective because the corporate testimony of our church is saying false things about God. The unity of the local church is God’s evangelism program. If we want to see the Holy Spirit use our local churches to produce converts, then we must all work hard and work together to promote and preserve unity in our church.

Jesus shows us by example in John 17 that unity takes prayer. We simply can’t expect to enjoy unity if we aren’t praying for it! If Jesus had to pray for it, then surely we must do the same. Friend, when was the last time you prayed for the unity of your church? I’d challenge you to make that a daily prayer request. Pray that your church might be unified, and pray that God would reveal to you how you can better promote unity among your local church by how you think, speak, feel, and react. We can all grow in this area. All of us struggle with feeling bitter towards others sometimes, or reacting with sharp words, or being overly critical, or complaining, or being too prideful to admit we’re wrong. We’re all sinners in need of grace, mercy, and forgiveness – both from God and from each other.

But we are not our own. We do not just represent ourselves, or our own opinions and desires. Jesus has purchased us at the cost of His own blood. We are His. He owns us. He has created us for His glory, and He has bought us with His blood so that we might represent Him well in the world. Let’s resolve together to glorify God in our local churches by speaking, feeling, thinking, and acting in ways that promote the unity of the church; and let’s pray that as we do, God would be pleased to make our unity an effective tool for the conversion of unbelievers.