The Church

John 17:20-22 I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one ~Jesus

Pastor Don addressed the congregation; “They recently did a survey and guess how many churches there are in our city?” There was a pause and then one said, “85!” “Nope” answered the pastor. “120?” said another. Wrong again. “200?” Not even close. “How many then?” came the request. Pastor Don quietly answered, “Only one.” That’s the way Jesus sees His Church, “Only one.” Currently there are approximately 4,000 churches in our state. We could never cause everyone to be of “one mind and one accord,” but God can. Jesus believed that and prayed His Father would accomplish it. That prayer will be answered. Our duty is to simply agree with that prayer, and pray it ourselves, until it comes to fruition. (Note – This paragraph can be about any city/state because “Only one” is the only number cited that has any meaning.)

Ephesians 4:1-4 “I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech [pray] you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling” ~Paul

PRAYER:
OUR THANKSGIVING: “Father God, we thank You for Your many blessings. We thank You for the things that we sometimes take for granted. Thank You for salvation, for the infilling of Your Spirit, and for the truth of Your Scriptures. Thank You for our Pioneer forefathers and mothers, that they came to this land and endured many hardships in order to bring the gospel to this region, and for our ongoing spiritual destiny as a State.

OUR REQUESTS: “Father in Heaven, we humbly ask You to make us one. Help us remember that with all our differences and various interpretations of scripture and mission, we will not always agree, but can be committed to love each other. Help us come together, not around our distinctives, but around Jesus, the Word made flesh, the Preeminent One. Teach us how to honor and serve one another in humility, just as You did while on the earth. Give us grace to take up our cross, lay down our lives, and be an example of Jesus to a world that is still looking for Him. In Jesus strong name, Amen.

OUR DECLARATION: “Father in heaven, we as committed disciples of Jesus, declare to You that the Church of Our State, the collective Body of Christ, will be one unified spiritual body, supplied by the Love of Jesus Christ, in order to witness the love, and power, and testimony of Jesus to a lost and dying world. This we confess by the Lordship of Jesus, to the glory of God the Father, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, Amen.”

• Pray for Pastors and Spiritual Leaders to embrace one another as friends.
• Pray for congregations to love and honor one another in spite of distinctives.
• Pray that Jesus will become the center of our worship and the reason for our unity.
• Pray that Churches will be strengthened and have renewed love for the Scriptures.
• Pray for a dramatic increase of His glory/presence among us when we gather together.

In Jesus Name we pray! Amen