Come together as one so as the world will believe.

1 Corinthians 1:10
10 I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought.

We read that Jesus commanded his disciples to go to Jerusalem and wait. Why would we study a text about them waiting? Today, we will study a text that we might consider unnecessary. This text falls between promises being made and promises being fulfilled. Isn't it something that we should skip over?

We will look at it because this text teaches us about unity. What is it about unity that is so hard or allusive to us? We live in the denominational age. Everyone goes their way and tries to establish their own version of the truth. But even among people who have similar understandings of the truth, there's no real cohesive unity. We all act like the disciples acted before Jesus died, but look at these disciples now.

Jesus prays for the unity of Christians. If we are not unified, we hinder the spread of the gospel. Because we have heard the word of Jesus through the testimony of disciples, the testimony of followers of his who have gone before us. So Jesus is praying for us.

Unity is a common topic in the Bible, promoting the peacefulness of living unified in harmony. We are called by the Bible to be in unity within ourselves (1 Peter 3:8), in unity with all followers of Jesus (1 Corinthians 1:10), and maintain the unity of the Spirit (Ephesians 4:3).

Jesus just before He goes to Gethsemane, where He will be captured by His enemies. His prayer has included requests on behalf of Himself and His closest disciples. Now, Christ begins to pray for those who will come to faith in Him through the writings and teachings of those apostles. A major theme of this prayer is for love and unity.

In this passage, known as the High Priestly Prayer, Jesus speaks to God about three main topics. First is Christ Himself, asking God the Father to glorify Him so He can glorify the Father. Next, Jesus prays for the faith and courage in His closest disciples. Finally, He prays for those who will come to faith because of the apostles' writing and teaching. This moment occurs before Jesus enters Gethsemane, where the other Gospels will record His final anguished prayers before being arrested (Matthew 26:36–46; Mark 14:32–42; Luke 22:39–46).

Scripture often emphasizes how unity and love reflect a person's commitment to Christ (John 13:34–35; 1 John 4:20). It's noteworthy that when Jesus transitions from praying for Himself (John 17:1–5), to praying for the disciples (John 17:6–19), to praying for all Christians (John 17:20), the first thing He refers to is unity (Psalm 133:1).

Christian "love" is meant to distinguish believers from non-believers. The unbelieving world cannot see or experience the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:14). All they can see is how self-professed believers speak and act (Matthew 5:13–16). In this verse, Jesus points out this is how "the world" (John 17:16–18) is meant to be introduced to faith in Christ.

This is why those who say they are Christians must behave accordingly (1 Peter 2:12) and held accountable by other Christians (1 Corinthians 5:11). The need for unity does not mean tolerating blatant sin or false teaching (Galatians 1:8–9; 2 Timothy 3:16). However, the Bible is clear that those who love God will obey God (John 14:15), and the primary demonstration of that is a unifying love for other believers (John 17:23).

Jesus makes other comments implying that He is God and shares the divine nature with God the Father (John 5:22; 10:30; 14:9). In this specific context, His reference is to unity of purpose and intent. Jesus' actions, consistent with the words of God and the will of God, were proof that He was sent by God (John 14:11, 31). The same is meant to be true of Christian believers: that their actions and attitudes reflect a commitment to their Creator (Colossians 3:14).

Submission is the foundational element of unity. How can we have unity if we aren't submitting to the Lord together? If you are here today and you aren't submitting to the Lord, how can you be unified with those who are? There is a break in unity. I see a breakdown in unity here and in other places around us, and it all begins with this foundational principle. We must submit our hearts to the Lord. That means that we must submit our time and resources to the Lord.

I know that there are many here who give your resources abundantly. It's incredible how sacrificial many of you are with your money. You know that this world is not your home, and you are laying up treasures in heaven.

But unity cannot happen without complete submission. So what would that look like for us? Think about what it looked like for the disciples. They submitted to the work Jesus had given them to do. They devoted themselves to prayer with one accord. Are we submitting to the church's work as the apostles submit to the work Jesus has given them? Are we harmoniously doing the work God has given us to do?

Notice that none of them were upset and fighting about anything. They have the same mind, which means that the mission is more important than my opinion. We should be praying and discussing scripture with one accord like them. The battle for who will be the greatest in the kingdom is over. Will we wait patiently until the Lord provides his blessing?