Day 18: Praying For Unity

A thriving church had two great initiatives underway. First, the congregation had become outwardly focused. They were “praying and going” much like you did on Day 15. Second, they were remodeling major portions of their church facilities. They knew the old buildings were not adequate for the post-pandemic world.

There was a lot of excitement. Participation was high. Growth was occurring every week.

Then it stopped.

The pastors and elders called our team for a consultation. They were almost desperate to find out what had happened. How could something so positive stop dead in its tracks? It didn’t take our team long to discover the problem.

The church was reconfiguring its worship center and foyer. They needed a larger welcome center, so they reduced the worship seating capacity from five hundred to four hundred. It was a needed change. The church’s average attendance was up to three hundred, but they were in two services. They had plenty of space. As the church continued to grow, they could add more services. The larger foyer or welcome center was the priority.

In our interviews with church members, we heard a lot of excitement about the Pray & Go initiative. But for those more involved in the renovation project, the attitude was almost the opposite. Those members were discouraged. A few were even angry.

The main sticking point was the remodeling of the worship center. The old pews had been removed. The church was meeting in the family life center during the construction. But a decision had to be made for the renovated worship center: pews or chairs?

No one anticipated the strong emotions that resulted. In fact, the controversy became known as “the pews versus chairs” argument. There were members with strong feelings on both sides.

In the meantime, the growth of the church came to a standstill. The steady flow of guests stopped almost completely. The feeling of unity had been replaced by an atmosphere of contention. One church member said it succinctly: “The change in the attitude seemed like it happened overnight. We went from a growing church to a fighting church.”

JESUS ON UNITY: FIGHTING THE EVIL ONE

On the night that he was betrayed, Jesus prayed a powerful prayer of unity to the Father. It was obviously heard by his followers, because John recorded his words. As Jesus prayed, he uttered these telling words: “I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one” (John 17:15).

In the context in which Jesus prayed these words, he was praying for unity among his followers. He was praying that they would all be singularly focused on the mission he had given them. But he knew that Satan, called the evil one, would do everything in his power to distract the followers of Christ and destroy their unity.

Before “the pews versus chairs” argument erupted, the congregation had been on mission for Christ. They were going into neighborhoods and praying for the families in their homes. Many of those families had started visiting the church. Some had become followers of Christ. The energy in the church was palpable. But then the spiritual momentum stopped.

The evil one will try to stop Great Commission obedience and activity. For a season, he succeeded. The people started fighting over pews and chairs. Their spiritual and emotional energy became focused on an incredibly trivial matter. Church members were more concerned about their seating arrangement than seeing people become followers of Christ.

I’m sure you get the point by now. As you pray for unity in the church, pray for protection from the enemy. Jesus specifically prayed that his followers would be kept safe from Satan.

That should be our prayer as well. That should be your prayer right now.

JESUS ON UNITY: THE SPECIFIC PRAYER

Jesus continued his prayer to the Father, this time with a specific emphasis on unity: “I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me” (John 17:20-21).

A fascinating aspect of this passage is that Jesus prays for his immediate disciples, who were there with him in the upper room. But he also prays for all future believers—“for all who will ever believe in me through their message.”

That part of the prayer is breathtaking. Jesus is praying for our unity right now. He is praying for our churches to be unified today. He looked across time and space and saw us in our churches right now. And he prayed that we would be one, that we would be unified.

JESUS ON UNITY: THE REASON FOR THE PRAYER

Though it may seem self-evident why Jesus prayed this prayer for unity, he wants us to be certain we understand the importance of the matter. Read his words closely: “I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me” (John 17:23).

Did you get that? When Christians and churches are unified, unbelievers in the world will see the gospel in that unity. The world will know that God sent Jesus. The world will know that Jesus came to die for our sins. The world will know that God loves them so much that he sent his one and only Son to be a sacrifice for us.

You cannot be a Great Commission Christian and be at odds with other believers. You cannot be a Great Commission church and have infighting in the church.

Unity is imperative for the Great Commission.

YOUR PRAYER FOR UNITY

Today, you are asked to pray for unity for your church. I encourage you to begin by praying for your own attitude. Are you at odds with anyone else? Are you seeking to get your own way in the church rather than yielding to the preferences of others?

Then, pray for your entire church. If there are particular areas of disunity, pray for those needs with great specificity. If you don’t know of any areas of disunity in your church, rejoice in the peace and joy that is present. And specifically pray that you and your fellow members will be protected from the wiles of the evil one. You can be certain that Satan will do anything and everything in his power to destroy the unity in your church.

This prayer may indeed be one of the most important prayers you pray during this thirty-day challenge. A church without unity is a church without the power of the Great Commission.

By the way, sometimes disunity happens more subtly than an overt conflict. In fact, Satan may be more successful at whispering distractions in our ears than precipitating arguments and overt conflict in the church. So pray for focus, for protection from distractions. Pray specifically that you and your fellow church members will not be drawn away from obedience to the Great Commission; that you will remain faithful to this thirty-day challenge.

Your involvement in this challenge is a form of spiritual warfare, taking the fight to the enemy. And one of the enemy’s greatest countertactics is to try to distract or disunify your church.

Such is the reason you are praying for unity in your church right now.