A call to Christian unity among all denominations
Love, forgiveness, peace, unity and mercy are all common beliefs and teachings which set the Christian faith apart from other beliefs and religions. However, confined within the 30,000 different denominations of the Christian faith are small ‘civil wars’ which divide the believers in Jesus Christ as opposed to bringing them together in unity.
“I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me. And I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may be brought to perfection as one, that the world may know that you sent me, and that you loved them even as you loved me.” (John 17:20-23 NAB)
The prayer Jesus Christ prayed for unity among believers is a prayer which many religious leaders within the Christian faith are asking believers to take seriously, and act upon the call to unity.
“The Bible places an extraordinary emphasis on the value of unity. Let us not lose focus on the Word’s powerful calls to peace and unity. Jesus prayed for the ‘oneness’ of all those who profess to believe on him through the testimony of the apostles,” Max Lucado, author and pastor of Oak Hills Church in San Antonio, TX, said. “Those who take seriously their claim of faith in Christ will work conscientiously for unity among fellow believers. They will not celebrate differences that segment people into warring factions that disgrace the name of Christ and the oneness of the Christian cause. With all the calls for purity in the church, let us not lose the equally powerful calls to peace and unity.”
First Baptist Church of Atlanta pastor, and best-selling author, Charles Stanley reiterates the dangers of division among Christians.
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