Congratulations to those of you who have been journeying along with us on the 21 Days of At.One.Ment Fast since Sept. 22! We have completed 14 full days and are now entering the home stretch. I trust it has been a blessing to you so far.

For the first seven days, we focused on experiencing more At.One.Ment with God, as we addressed several factors that stand in the way. For the past week, we have been getting rid of any offense we may have allowed to enter into our spirit, so that we could be more at one with one another than ever before.

This week, we single out at.one.ment within the Body of Christ, even though it would fit under the broader category of at.one.ment with one another.

Why? Because Jesus was so concerned about it that he made it a major focus of his longest recorded prayer in John 17. It was also one of the very last prayers he offered while he walked this earth as one of us. Listen to these words:

“I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me.” (vs. 20-23)

Notice how much Jesus stresses unity within the Body! It is Jesus’ desire that His body reflect the unity that exists between Him and His Father.

Please pay attention also to why Jesus deems this a necessity for the Church. “So that the world may believe…then the world will know…that you have sent me.” (v. 21, 23)

In other words, unity within the Body is essential for the world to know that Jesus is who we say that He really is! Wow!

Sad to say, when we stay divided and fail to mirror the unity between Jesus and the Father, then we become a stumbling block for the world. Our disunity can actually prevent the world from believing in Jesus by diminishing our witness. Ouch!

You do not need me to point out that this is indeed the case. Every time there is a church split, every time there is a quarrel within a church, every time leaders within the Body take pot shots at each other, every time there is competition among congregations, every time………………………………………………(fill in the blanks with what you have experienced), we could be standing in the way of the world coming to know Christ.

That is why we are taking seven full days to pray for At.One.Ment within the Body. Is it fair to say that His heart is saddened by the sight of a dysfunctional, diseased body whose members are at war with one another?

Wouldn’t you love to be part of a concerted effort to fulfil Jesus’ desire for At.One.Ment within the Church?

So, dear friend, I invite you to begin today by asking Jesus to reveal His heart for His Church to you. Would you please share any revelations you receive with the rest of us? Thanks in advance.