Being Used by God
It’s not every day that you can be the answer to someone else’s prayers. Being used by God to bring into reality something someone has been seeking and hoping for is both exciting and humbling.
Maybe, this has happened to you before. You called and someone said, “I was just thinking about you.” Of you sent someone a verse or a card or a text, and they said, “That is exactly what I needed today.” Or maybe you gave someone a gift and they replied, “How did you know I needed this?” It is exciting to see God work in this way through you.
How about if you could be the answer to a prayer that Jesus prayed? Wouldn’t that be amazing?
Well, we can, but we can’t do it on our own.
On the last night Jesus had with His followers before facing the cross, He gathered them all together to share the Passover meal and then He prayed with them.
This is part of what He prayed….
“I pray not only for these followers but also for those who will believe in me because of their teaching. Father,
I pray that all who believe in me can be one. You are in me, and I am in you. I pray that they can also be one in us. Then the world will believe that you sent me.” - John 17:20-21
Jesus prayed that we would be one – one in the same way He and the Father are one. One in purpose and mind. One in soul and spirit. One in action and love. Simply one.
When the followers of Jesus are one, then He said people will believe that the Father sent the Son. They will see God at work, and then be drawn to Him and believe.
That is a beautiful picture. All the followers of Jesus as one.
Being one is so refreshing and life giving in a broken and divided world.
This week we will be doing a couple of things to see this become even more of a reality at Bridges.
- We will begin this Sunday praying for other churches in our community during our worship services. This is the first step in becoming more “one” with other followers of Jesus in our community. We are praying to see all of us work together for the kingdom of God in our community, all of us together in seeing people come to Christ and being salt and light right here where we live.
- This Sunday is our 1 Service Sunday, getting everyone together in 1 room to worship and grow together. Then we’ll share a meal together as one body in Christ, just as they did in the first church in Acts 2. God used that church to reach a city. That is what we want to see in our greater Winston Salem area – including Forsyth County, Stokes County and all the surrounding area people finding and following Jesus through a life changing faith in Him.
Jesus wants us to be one. To put aside our own wants and focus on what He wants.
This was His prayer. This is His heart. This is His desire.
Our prayer is that we are part of the answer to Jesus’ prayer. That we are all one just as He and the Father are one.
See you Sunday as we take some big steps in being one.