Prayer for unity

What do you first think of when you think of Amarillo, TX? I expect it’s not global missions, but that’s what I thought of while I was in Amarillo on Martin Luther King, Jr weekend, listening to a pastor preach from his series on Ephesians.

Part of the sermon was about union in Christ and what believers enjoy because of that union. Usually people of the world think of culture, language, nationality, ethnicity, vocation, or education as the things that unite people. But the riches from God that all Christians share are beyond these externals. In Ephesians, Paul expounds on what all our Christian brothers and sisters enjoy, no matter where they live or what they look like. That gives us a unity that runs deeper than any other.

In Ephesians 3:8 we learn that we have the unsearchable riches of knowing Christ. As we learn more about Christ from the scriptures, our faith in Christ grows, and we increasingly realize that this faith is surpassing in value above anything on earth.

Ephesians 3:9 tells us that we have the light to understand the mystery hidden for ages in God, the news that the Son of God came and redeemed a people for himself.

Also, in Ephesians and in Philippians, we see that we have the knowledge of God’s multifaceted wisdom: our justification and sanctification (Ephesians 3:10, Philippians 3:9, 10). God planned exactly how it would be accomplished according to his wisdom.

In other places, Paul teaches that we have the hope of our eternal glorification (Philippians 3:11). Because of that hope, we can stand firm in our faith together with all the other Christians on earth.

These are the benefits in Christ that we share with our Christian brothers and sisters in Japan, South Sudan, and various countries in Asia, to name a few.

Our missionaries in these countries are working to offer the gift of knowing Christ to people who are in rebellion against God. They are working to shed the light of the Holy Spirit so that people living in the dark will understand the gospel. They are declaring God’s multifaceted wisdom so that people understand how to apply the truth of scripture to their own lives. Our field workers are describing the hope they have for eternal glorification, a sure hope that empowers them through the Holy Spirit to stand firm in their commitment to Christ.

These elements of our unity contribute to our preparation for heaven where we will gather around God’s throne with all sorts of people to worship Jesus face to face.

I pray for this kind of unity in churches all over the earth—a unity that reveals to the world that we are the people of God, a unity that will last for all eternity as we join the “great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.”  (Revelation 7:9).

Please join with me in praying for the unity of God’s people where we live and in every place where they are found.