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NASB | John 17:11 "I am no longer in the world; and yet they themselves are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, that they may be one even as We are. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | John 17:11 "I am no longer in the world; yet they are still in the world, and I am coming to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, so that they may be one just as We are. |
Bible Question: Jesus prayed for unity. In His time there were Jewish parties, or sects -- Pharisees, Sadducees, Zealots, Herodians, Essenes -- but the vast majority of the people were not a member of any of these parties. Today Christianity is severed into hundreds of factions each claiming to be "the church" or a part of "the church" of the Lord Jesus Christ. How can this be? Why is "the church" so splintered? Are there any unifying principles that can bring God's people together in our time? |
Bible Answer: Selfcenteredness. The reason is that Satan knew what he had to do - get our focus off of God and our own selves. People may claim they are focused on God - but, I think they dupe themselves. It could of started in Acts 6:1ff, where the Greeks felt left out. I see that the divison was healed. But, in Acts 15:1ff there was a division of the non-Jewish Christians. The elements that divide were minor then ... and sometimes are minor now. There are the majors that need to divide. My pastor gathers with other evangelical pastors in the area every week for prayer. They set aside the differeces ... they are all minor. One day we will all be united. I am need to serve one another, even the Samaritan, Greek and the man who is in rags (as a Jew). Steve |