Week 2

Two weeks and one book of the bible down! How's it going for everybody? There's a lot to cover in these chapters. A few things that stuck out to me this week was:

Unity. Jesus was very concerned with his disciples being one. In Chapter 13, after washing his disciples feet he gives them a new commandment.
³⁴ So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. ³⁵ Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.
The world will know that we are Christians by the love we have for each other. Did you ever think that the way you associate with your Christian friends could impact your non-Christian friends? Now that you know this, will it change the way you treat your Christian friends?
This was extremely important to Jesus. In chapter 17 Jesus prays to the father for the unity of His followers.
²⁰ “I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. ²¹ 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.
It's through our unity with one another and Christ that the world will believe in Jesus. There's a lot to be said about this. We can tell people about Jesus and the great gift he has given us, but the message won't carry much weight if our lives don't reflect the truth we're sharing. Especially in our culture where most people know about Jesus and what he did. This is what James was talking about when he wrote that faith without works is dead. Living the gospel out as we share Jesus with others however will show the world that Jesus does save and change lives. Changed life is the result of having faith in Jesus, and unity, or love for each other is part of the changed life.


Joel