“My prayer is not for them alone. 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.” (John 17:20-21)

 When your heart is as much for my church as mine is for yours, then I believe we will see a greater outpouring of God’s Spirit upon the churches.

I remember one time meeting a young man in one of my meetings many years ago in Korea.  This young man had a great talent for music ministry.  I said to him that he would be a great asset to the man that I was working with in Korea, but then this great pride came over him as he began to state that he wouldn’t work with this man because his own church was the greatest church in all Korea.

This kind of pride is not of God.  When we put pride in our church and our ministry above our God, we are actually living in idolatry, because the Kingdom of God is greater than any one person’s church.

The building up of our own church should not be our main goal in ministry.  That is small thinking.  We need to be ambassadors of the Kingdom pointing people to Jesus Christ every day of our lives.  We should not be worried about where they go to church. 

I have led people to Christ who decided that my church was not the place for them.  I have learned to be fine with this.  Perhaps another church is the place where they will blossom and grow in their lives.

In fact it is impossible for me to actually pastor everybody that I have led to Christ.  I cannot counsel all of them.  There are too many of them.  I have to trust that the Holy Spirit is able to keep them and sanctify them and train them.

It is going to take every church working together to bring in the harvest that is coming.  My church and your church are the same church.  We are all a part of the bride of Christ.  We must walk in unity.

One of the words that comes often in this hour is how God is forming a net to bring in the fishes.  I don’t know if you have ever seen fishing nets.  I am from Newfoundland where fishing was a big part of our culture.  Fishing nets are made up of many little squares that are knotted together.  Fishing nets may have as many as a thousand knots, but each knot is important.  If one knot breaks some fish might get away.  If many knots break the entire harvest might be lost.

Each church is a knot in the net and each church is important.  We cannot give up on one church but we must pray that they will become one like Jesus and the Father are one.  As we become one with each other and care for each other and prefer one another this harvest will come in and each church will experience salvations and movements of the Holy Spirit.

I can see it in my heart–thousands of churches worshipping at the same time in different locations and each one worshipping in their own way Jesus Christ as Lord.  They may not sound the same or look the same.  It doesn’t matter.  What matters is that Jesus is lifted high.

I pray that you will receive this vision today and that you will begin to pray for the great outpouring of God’s Holy Spirit upon all the churches.