Unite Church Nashville is a local church that has a specific call to intentionally pursue JOHN 17 UNITY.  

John 17:20-23

20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 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. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— 23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

Jesus had just spent 3 years calling and teaching His disciples; doing miracles; and speaking to various groups and crowds. He had one final meal and time of teaching with His disciples before he was arrested and crucified.  In this final time, (John 13-17), Jesus paints a picture of four things that help us understand the call to John 17 Unity:

1. The interwoven connection of God the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit as a model of being one.

2. The mystery of believers in Jesus joining into this oneness with God through the Holy Spirit. 

3. A prayer and call for believers TO BE ONE and TO BE BROUGHT TO COMPLETE UNITY with each other.

4. And all this, “that the WORLD MAY” believe Jesus and his message, and know the Love of the Father.

Thus, the call to John 17 Unity is this:

UNITY AND ONENESS WITH GOD &  

UNITY AND ONENESS WITH EACH OTHER through Unity with God. 

SO THAT THE WORLD MAY KNOW JESUS, HIS MESSAGE, and THE LOVE OF THE FATHER. 

Unity is a popular word in today’s society.  So, what does biblical unity mean? 

In order to understand biblical unity, we need to see the contrast between a oneness that is going against the purposes of God and the oneness that is completely surrendered to God’s purposes. This can be understood in the comparison of two distinct points of unity in the Bible.  

In the Old Testament, in Genesis 11, we see God divide people into different peoples and languages and spread them across the earth at the tower of Babel.  Why? They were supposed to be missional, and they decided to build unto themselves - to make a name for themselves.  With one language and in unity, they followed their own plan instead of God’s. But it was unity that would have ultimately led to spiritual death and destruction. 

In contrast, in Acts 2, after the resurrection of Christ from the dead, we see the newly born “Church” – believers/followers of Jesus -  empowered by the Holy Spirit.  For a short time, we saw what it looked like for the Church to dwell together in complete unity. They were missional, sharing the truth and message of Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit to be understood across language barriers, sharing everything together,  and working in harmony for the mission of Christ.   

This was possible, because the “dividing wall of hostility” (Ephesians 2:14-16) had been broken by the death and resurrection of Jesus and the two had been made one.  Together, as one, they had been given the ministry of reconciliation – reconciling mankind to God and thus to one another in oneness with Christ, through the Holy Spirit.  

We as the Body of Christ, have been given the ministry of reconciliation. But the perfect unity of the early Church did not last very long before people chose the dividing wall of hostility and chose their own plans and desires over God’s. How can we be ministers of reconciliation when the world around us is set towards division?  How can we be ministers of reconciliation when we find even ourselves within the Church taking up “hostility” and division and offense against one another in the Body of Christ?  

We carry the Holy Spirit that carries this reconciliation. 14 For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; 15 and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.” 2 Corinth 5: 14-15 ESV.  This is what we said yes to, “NO LONGER I WHO LIVE BUT CHRIST WHO LIVES WITHIN ME”. THIS IS GOOD NEWS FOR EVERYONE!!!!

Jesus prayed in John 17 that we would be one as He and the Father are one.  This is more than just saying “We are one.” 

It means, by the power of the Holy Spirit, being surrendered to the mind of Christ and the heart and plan of God.  

It means going wherever He is leading - no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me.  

It is letting go of our plans and motivations and preferences. 

It is choosing forgiveness, receiving loving correction in repentance, and giving preference to others. 

It is choosing to go out of our comfort zone to be a minister of reconciliation, across divides, both within and outside of the Body of Christ. 

It is listening to the Lord and acting in obedience to take up the role the Lord is calling you to take in the Body of Christ.  

All this, in order to refuse to take up the dividing wall of hostility and choosing again and again oneness in Christ.  It always comes back to being one IN CHRIST JESUS, IN THE HOLY SPIRIT.  Psalm 127:1 says, “Unless the Lord builds the house, the people labor in vain.”  It is God the Father’s plan and our “yes” to follow in obedience, guided and empowered by the Holy Spirit, and spurred on by the Love of Christ. 

Unite Church Nashville is called to John 17 Unity in two primary ways. 

1. We are called to help individuals (and families) find a relationship with Jesus and be discipled in pursuing ever greater oneness with the Lord so that they can walk in full freedom, peace, love and joy, and take their God given place in THE BODY – under the one head Jesus Christ.

2. We are called to intentionally partner with other churches and ministries to be Jesus to the world around us. Sometimes this may be for a single event, and other times it may be a continual partnership.

Unity with each other is dependent on unity with God, so you will see that we place a strong priority on helping people move into greater oneness with the Lord - both individually and in community and connection.  

This may look different in various settings, but some of the key elements that you will see regularly are:

WORSHIP & PRAYER in the relational presence of God

GROWING IN THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD through both head and heart knowledge of the Word of God and Experiencing who God is as we live out the Word of God. 

DISCIPLING AND BEING DISCIPLED as we gather together with other believers. We model to one another what it looks like to follow Jesus and do what the Father is doing by the power of the Holy Spirit even in our imperfect journeys.  Of course, this also means modeling the journey into unity and oneness with each other which often means dealing with hard things together and with humility.

Unity with God and each other is a call to a hard, but beautiful journey.  We invite you to lay down the dividing wall of hostility and join us as we pursue unity SO THAT THE WORLD MAY KNOW JESUS, HIS MESSAGE, and THE LOVE OF THE FATHER.