Devotional - Henry Tan

If you were to give your children one last message before you died, what would you tell them?

The Kingdom of God is here and now.

God has a great plan for your life, find it out and live it out.

God is faithful.

Nothing will satisfy you like pursuing God.

Read John Piper.

Believe in Jesus

Become the person God created you do be.

In the recent mining accident, miners wrote last messages to their families.

John 17 is Jesus last public prayer: Be one. Why was that so important to Jesus.

John 17:20-26 20 "I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, 23 I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. 24 Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. 25 O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. 26 I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them."

Genesis 1:26 26 Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."

Genesis 2:24 24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

Oneness is a recurring theme. Reflecting the oneness of God. If oneness is the key thing that God has then the marriage unit that is unified becomes a powerful weapon against the enemy.

Philippians 2:1-2 Philippians 2:1 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.

Oneness again.

Colossians 1:17 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

Ephesians 4:3 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Matthew 28:18-20 18 And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

Genesis 11:6 6 And the LORD said, "Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them.

Disunity is the enemies primary goal. Division of churches and marriages are common. The enemy has succeeded in breaking us apart.

As we think about oneness and it's critical importance, what do you think Jesus is saying in John 17:

Oneness is the original purpose of creation and relationship.

When you go to battle you use your most potent weapon: oneness.

We treat this to lightly. We give lip service to this but neglect it in practice.

The greatest commandment is to love God and love one another. How do we really love God? Are we authentic in loving God? Or are we playing at loving God?

We all know what fakes are. We prefer the authentic article to fakes. What is the authentic Christian? What does that look like?

Body language never lies. Doesn't pretend to be something he is not. Authentic is being who you are in Christ.

How do we love one another authentically? Do you feel guarded when you speak? Are you authentic with others? Is the environment that you are in safe? Are people honest with you or do they withhold or talk around you? Do you have a safe environment to be who you are in Christ.

This authenticity requires courage and humility. If you try to live authentically you will risk being hurt. But if God is sovereign then you can risk being hurt and being hurt again. It is hard to be hurt but there may be a reason for our hurt. Jesus did nothing wrong but was gravely hurt. Being authentic means sharing in the fellowship of our Lord's suffering.

Community has the word unity in it. Can we trust one enough to reveal who we are to each other. If we are authentic then we can hold one another accountable. This is the function of a body.

We are not dependent or dominant. We should be mutually dependent, interdependent.

Thoughts from all:

City reaching is not a momentary process but requires a deep commitment to unity and authenticity.

Coming together is not just to meet my needs but to bear each others burdens.

To create a safe environment we can say nothing or risk being vulnerable to find safety.

John 17:22 Jesus give the means to unity "I give them my glory". The end is unity the means is the glory of God.

Gal. 5 the Spirit brings unity.

Unity is a key to spiritual battle. Ephesians talks about unity for many chapters before talking about putting on armor for battle.

Ephesus was a launching pad for the church and they could/should pass on the DNA of unity.

As we think about city reaching, unity is a great tool.

We must be honest with ourselves and each other.