John 17: The Heart of Jesus
The prayer Jesus taught his disciples to pray, in Matthew 6, is often called "The Lord's Prayer." That is our prayer, a model prayer for us to pattern our prayer lives after. It is John 17 that is truly the Lord's Prayer, the one that shows the heart of our Savior. In it, he pours out his soul to the Father the night before his death and shows us that which he cares most about.Do you have a prayer list, a guide to those requests you make regularly to God? In this chapter, we see Jesus' prayer list, what was on his heart, what he prayed for regularly.
Why is the evangelism of the American church so ineffective?
It is recommended that you read the entire prayer each day this week. We will examine a highlight each day.
Today's Reading: John 17 (Focus - John 17:20-23)
John 17:20-23 “I pray not only for these, but also for those who believe in me through their word. May they all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us, so that the world may believe you sent me. 22 I have given them the glory you have given me, so that they may be one as we are one. 23 I am in them and you are in me, so that they may be made completely one, that the world may know you have sent me and have loved them as you have loved me.
Through the Bible Readings: Isaiah 7-8, 1 Corinthians 1:18–31, Psalm102:24–28, Proverbs 21:19–20
If you wish to read through the Bible in a year, follow these readings.
Devotional: Why Evangelism Fails
Why is the evangelism of the American church so ineffective?
No, we do not need to argue whether that question is founded on fact or not. The evangelistic efforts of the evangelical churches in the USA are generally ineffective - so much so that we've coined a phrase to justify our efforts. We put on massive shows and programs and say, "if just one person was reached, it is all worth it."
Jesus said that in the kingdom, a seed brings forth fruit, 30-fold, 60-fold, or a hundredfold. In our evangelical church kingdoms, thousands of man-hours are considered profitable if they produce ONE-fold.
Three things are easily demonstrated in Christianity today. Most Christians rarely if ever share their faith with a lost person. Many (perhaps most) churches spend little time actually proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ. Even many of our "outreach" events are little more than social gatherings in which someone gives a vague mention of Jesus but little real gospel truth. Finally, when we do share the gospel, the response is often disappointing - the harvest is not what we'd hope for or expected.
Again I ask, why is this?
There can be many reasons for this, of course, but in verses 20-21 Jesus prayed about one of the major reasons. In recent devotionals we have seen the heart of Jesus for the unity of the Body of Christ and his assertion that the unity of the church ought to reflect the unity in the essence of Father and Son in the Trinity. Now, Jesus prays that his followers would be one so that "the world may believe that you sent me."
The world will believe that God sent Jesus Christ when it sees a united church. Hmmm. We can deduce from that that a divided church hinders evangelism and prevents the sinful world from seeing Jesus in us. We are the light of the world, sent to shine the light of Jesus in this world. If we are divided, fighting, bickering, struggling for power. we cannot shine the light.
A divided church will never accomplish the mission of God. It will never be effective in evangelism. Every time you are tempted to speak in anger at a fellow believer, to cause division in a church, to fight with another believer, you must ask yourself this, "Is it worth the damage it will do to the work of Christ in the Body of Christ?"
Father, may I not be a hindrance to your work by being divisive, by seeking my own and causing pain in the Body of Christ.
Think and Pray:
Are you an agent of division or of disunity in the Body of Christ?
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