Together - Part 1 (LIVE)

What if the most powerful evangelism strategy is the one Jesus already prayed for? We open John 17 and sit in the quiet space where the Son talks to the Father, then realize His words reach across centuries to include us. From the cross to Pentecost, the church is born with a shared identity—people who know God, walk in joy, and live set apart—and a shared calling to become visibly one so the world believes the Father sent the Son.

We unpack what real Christian unity is and isn’t. It’s not compromise, not soft on sin, and not a lowest-common-denominator truce. It’s a Spirit-forged bond among distinct people who share one Lord, one faith, one baptism. Jesus gives His church glory—the weight of God’s presence and purpose—so we can pray boldly, worship freely, bear one another’s burdens, and grow up together into maturity. Over time, a family resemblance emerges: hope in grief, joy in hardship, kindness that doesn’t keep score. That oneness is not a private feeling; it’s a public sign that makes neighbors curious and opens doors for the gospel.

We speak candidly about counterfeits that trade truth for comfort and about the simple, brave steps that build authentic unity: visiting the church across the street, sharing prayer meetings, serving side by side, and letting love lead without losing conviction. Fear fades when we remember who prays for us. Jesus thinks the world of those He redeemed, and He’s still interceding for our oneness. Join us as we lean into that prayer, test the spirits, and watch how cooperation, charity, and holiness become a credible witness in a divided world. If this resonates, subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review telling us one step you’ll take toward unity this week.

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome And Global Greetings
• 3:08 Setting The Stage: John 17
• 6:45 Eternal Life And Joy Defined
• 11:10 Jesus Prays For Future Believers
• 15:55 What Real Christian Unity Means
• 22:25 The Glory Given To The Church
• 28:55 Made Perfect In One
• 35:35 Unity As Evangelism’s Engine
• 43:40 Counterfeits Versus Holy Unity

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:34

Glory to God. Good to be gathered into his house this night. Um, where to begin? Um, welcome to uh the new listeners in Africa. Um really, really glad to I was really glad to hear about you this morning. And so hallelujah and amen. Uh we're glad you're with us. And um glad that um the podcast and um the video messages just continue to grow and expand and and to reach new people. And um that's that's a glorious thing. I believe it's 83 total nations now. And so welcome to all of you as well. And uh this will uh be a little bit of a different if you've been following the podcast. Um I used to do this all the time. And um look forward to getting back to that one day. Um I used to have like part one, part two, and part three. Uh tonight ended up being a part one. And so uh glory to God. Um uh if you're listening about uh to the Philemon message before this message, go back and switch them, amen. Um but uh we'll be in John chapter 17 tonight, um, because we've got to really lay some groundwork, um, especially for the churches, uh, not only the the folks sitting right in front of me, um, but all of you around the world uh who are listening as well. Uh because the Lord really, really has something for you. And if you walk in this, you will see the number of people you reach with the gospel explode. Uh I'm absolutely convinced you will. Um why do I say that? Because the Lord says it himself, amen. And so John chapter 17. Um, we're gonna eventually be in verse 20, but to set the stage, this is a really, really, really close, personal, intimate moment between the Father and Jesus. And it starts out, uh, Jesus is lifting his eyes to heaven. And he starts, he says, Father, the hour is come. Glorify thy son, that thy son also may glorify him thee, as thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. Jesus is going to the cross. He would be hanging on the cross not long after he finishes his prayer. That precious holy hour had finally come for him. Um he even counts it later on in the prayer. He said, I I've finished the work that you've given me to do. He's he's looking forward to the cross, and we're gonna see in the message tonight, he's looking beyond the cross at the same time. And the church is in view here between the Father and Jesus, and between Jesus and the Father. The Holy Ghost, hallelujah, he's waiting in the wings. But it's not going to stop there. Not long after this, the cross would happen, not long after that, the resurrection would happen, not long after that, Pentecost would happen, and this thing called the church would be born into the world. What would the church have? The church would have eternal life. The church would be a group of people set apart for the Lord, set apart in the Lord. The church would know the Lord. He says that's what eternal life is. That you know God, that you know Jesus, that you know the Holy Spirit. That is eternal life. The church would be in the world, but not of it. The church would have a fullness of joy. This is all just in John 17, a fullness of joy. So this is beginning to characterize who we are. We know the Father, we know Jesus, we know the Spirit, we are kept from the evil that is in the world. We are in the world, but yet we are not of the world, and we are characterized by joy. We're characterized by a fullness of joy. Why do I say all of these things? Why does it seem strange to you if it does tonight? Why is this not your daily experience with the Lord? Well, that's where the Lord is beginning to call you up this very night. Jesus is praying specifically for you. This happens generations upon generations upon generations ago in a in a far-off land from America. And yet, we come down to verse 20. And this is where we encourage, this is where we can shout, this is where we rejoice, this is where we glory. Neither pray I for these alone. This was not just for the disciples who Jesus had at the time. One of them was the devil, he's out doing his work while this is going on. But the other eleven would carry through and sort of become foundations of the church. Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also. This is you. This is you, spirit-filled, bloodwashed, born-again Christian. This is you. For them also which shall believe on me through their word. Bless God, you can trace your heritage in the Lord back to one of these eleven guys. You can trace the heritage. Uh bless God, I'd love to be able to do that. I'd love to be able to go to the guy who preached the gospel. You know, I know that. Um, who he heard from. Well, who did he hear from? Who did he hear from? Who did he from? Who witnessed to them? Who preached, you know, who's who was preaching that meeting? Who was praying for them? Who went up to the altar for them? Who met them on the street? Who met them in the workplace? On and on and on and on and on and back. Have you ever done that? Have you ever tried to trace your heritage back to this? And have you ever been comforted and encouraged and amazed that Jesus was personally praying for you? Personally praying for you. And what did he pray? No, church, receive this back tonight. If you're not walking in this already, receive it back. That they all may be one. That they all may be one. Then he goes on. Gives us an example. What's he talking about? As thou father art in me, and I in thee, that they also. So so we're going, Jesus and the Father. We'll start there. Jesus said things like, I and my father are one. And yet the father is not Jesus, and Jesus is not the father. They're distinct. And yet, at the same time, they are one through the Holy Ghost. That they also may be one in us. Every single person who would believe. Every single church today is made of individuals. I go around here, I know everybody's name. You're individuals. You've got different bodies, you've got different personalities, you've got different giftings, you've got different callings, um, you've got different situations that you go to bed in and you wake up in, and yet we are the same. And yet we are one. Church is made of many members, distinct people, yet one. Church is united with Jesus and with the Father by means of the Spirit. What does this mean? We all have a deep internal personal unity of affection, a deep internal personal unity of purpose, a deep internal personal unity of origin, a deep bond, not only with Jesus, not only with the Father, not only with the Holy Ghost, but and this is what you need to get back with each other. With one another. Me with you and you with me, and then we're gonna go out of this room with it. Our new listeners in Africa, I've never met you. Our listeners in Mexico, I've never met you. Our listeners in Germany, never met you. Our listeners in South America, never met you. Our listeners in Japan never met you. Our listeners in Australia, never met you. But if you're filled with the same Holy Ghost I am, if you're under the same blood I am, if you love and follow the same Jesus that I do, we are inseparably, inescapably, and unbreakably bonded. You can't separate the the church. This has happened. This prayer has been answered for generations. And I got people squinting at me right now. In America, I I have never. I very rare I can count on the number of times on one hand that Christian unity has been positively spoken of. I can count that number of times on one hand. But God has it for us. God has this for us. And it's not a unity that excuses sin. That's usually how I hear it spoken of. Oh, if you're if you're you're one of those unity preachers, you're one of those, you know, we're all brothers and we're all sisters. Oh, do you sing kumbayatu around campfires? You know, they start to make fun of you, and then they start to say, okay, what sin are you compromising on? That's the demonic counterfeit. This is the real. I'm talking about that kind of unity. Are you? Are you? As believers, we're presently unified. That the world may believe that thou hast sent me. Mark that, we'll come right back to it. Because we gotta go on about this unity thing, the glory. Do you realize that you have a glory? The glory which you have given me. Christian, you gotta see yourself in this. My brother and my sister, you've got to see yourself in this. God the Father gave Jesus a glory. God the Father on separate occasions said, This is my beloved Son. Listen to him. He lifted up Jesus, he glorified Jesus, he gave Jesus a glory, he gave Jesus a ministry, he gave Jesus a life. Every single miracle, every single healing, every single message that the Lord gave, whether that was to a huge crowd or whether that was just to a small group of people, or even if that was just to one person, you go through the New Testament. Every single thing, the Father was glorifying Jesus. The Father was glorifying Jesus. Every single thing, Jesus is glorifying the Father. You have a glory. The glory which you gave us me, I have given them. Oh, church, we gotta come up. Everyone's silent, staring at me, like you know, half the room saying, I you don't know what y'all talking about. You know, and what's this have to do with anything? It has everything to do with everything. Hallelujah. God has given you a glory that they may be one. This is how the unity happens. So that you have the glory of God and I have the glory of God. So that, oh, we sang it earlier, magnify the Lord with me, so that you and I can get together and magnify the Lord at any given point at any given time. So that you and I can magnify the Lord, so that you and I can worship the Lord, so that you and I can pray together, so that you and I can lift one another up, encourage one another, so that you and I can sharpen one another as iron sharpens iron, so that you can bear my needs and you and I can bear your needs, so we can bear each other's burdens. This is how it happens. We have the glory of God, we have the spirit of God, we have the promises of God too, we've got a standing before God, before the throne, so that at any given time, any given time, you go before the throne and you're welcomed. You go before the throne and God hears you. You go before the throne, you speak to God, you ask God, God answers you. Jesus said several times in the book of John, if you ask it in my name, I will do it. Why? That the Father may be glorified. That's not back then, that's 2025. That's you tonight. That's you right now. Not just you. You look around this room and you see born-again people. Not just, you know, bless God. Look around yourself. No matter where you're listening to this, no matter when you're listening to this, no matter how you're listening to this, if you're born again, you've got the glory of God. That they may be one, even as we are one. And then he continues on, because my friend, this is only possible in God. Even Jesus Himself, hallelujah, he's praying. He takes some time here. I in them and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one. Made perfect in one. Now, how does that work? Hallelujah. There's one Holy Spirit who raised up Jesus from the dead. There's one Lord, there's one faith, there's one baptism, and one God and Father and all, above all and through all and in you all. There's one author and finisher of our faith. There's one shepherd and bishop of our souls, there's one great high priest who is presently over the household of God. The church has only one husband, there's one head of the church, and his name is Jesus, and in him all things consist. There's one God, one faith, one baptism, and hallelujah and amen. If we are all following the same God, if we are all loving the same God, if we are all pursuing the same God, if we're all trusting the same God, if we are all in the same Christ and filled with the same spirit, eventually we are going to start to look alike. Eventually, God is going to mature me and mature you. Where are we going? The full stature and measure of Christ. We are all going in the same place. Eventually, hallelujah. There's going to start to be a family resemblance. You're going to look at yourself and you say, I know that joy that's on you. I hear what you're saying. Times are hard right now, but you're happy. Times are hard right now, but you're joyful. Times are hard right now. Now you're you're mourning. I've mourned before. You're mourning in the same way that I mourned. How did I I I didn't mourn like I didn't have any hope. You've got a living hope too. Where'd you get that? Oh, you got that from Jesus too. You got that from the Word of God. You're getting that from the Holy Ghost. We're all going to start to look alike. And the unity starts to become more and more obvious. Starts to become more and more apparent. Starts you start to actually experience it with other people. You start to actually connect. That's a word we have to get back. You actually start to connect with other people. Not around music, not around TV, not around sports teams, not not around jobs, not around books, not about not around anything of culture, not around politics. You don't start to connect around that. Fundamentally, you start to connect because we got the same Holy Ghost. We all got different backgrounds. We've all got different cultures. We've all got different life experiences. But if you're born again and I'm born again, we all ended up at the same cross. We all ended up at the cross. We all called upon the same Jesus. We all received the same forgiveness. We all received the same Holy Spirit. We all received the same baptism. We all received the same faith. We all are under the same shepherd. We all are in the same household of God. We are all related in that way. What your personality is, no matter what your skin color is, no matter what your politics are, no matter what your culture is, no matter what language you speak, no matter what you've seen and what you've heard, no matter what you've done, no matter what you haven't done, no matter what your economics are, no matter what, no matter what. It all comes down to this. Do you have the Spirit of Christ? Hallelujah. Do you have the Spirit of Christ? Then we have fellowship one with another. And then this idea of being made perfect in one. It's it's a completion. That's what it is. It's not sinless perfectionism from the get-go, it's a completion. It's that you are set apart in Christ and for Christ and unto Christ all at the same time. And he starts lifting you up. He starts maturing you. He starts, you know, hallelujah, he'll lead you through the fire sometimes. But then you come out on the other side of that fire. And my friend, you've grown. You look back, you know. I've said it before from this pulpit. You know, you should have a different pastor evangelist talking to you in six months. I should be different in six months. You should be different in six months. And we should be able to get together and testify of what the Lord has done today, of what the Lord has done today, of what the Lord has done in the last six months, twelve months, eighteen months, of what the Lord has done in me and what the Lord has done in you. And we edify each other and we encourage each other and we build each other up. Hallelujah and amen. And now, you gotta get to the part I get very excited about as an evangelist. This starts to go on. You and I start to realize this together, but the world is watching. Go back up to verse 21. That the world may believe that you, Father, have sent Jesus the Son. That the world you gotta see the connection. I'm praying for that Holy Ghost light bulb to go on. That they all, that's you, may be as one as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they may also be one in us, so that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. That's what's missing. That is what will ignite your church, that is what will ignite evangelism, that is what will open the door. So many people we're praying for doors to be opened. So many people were praying for opportunities, so many people were looking for opportunities. This generates the opportunity. The world sees this, and the world, you know, we know from scripture, cannot receive the things of the spirit. But you can, because you've got the Holy Ghost. The world watches you and watches the church interact. And all all the world might know, and hallelujah, if this is all they know, it's enough. There's something different going on. Hey, they're not complaining. Hey, they're happy. Hey, they're they're they're peaceful. Hey, they always seem to know just what to do. Hey, that family actually wants to be around each other. Hey, those parents, they actually want to be they they don't just drop their kids off at the sports and then just go somewhere. They actually want to stay, they actually want to watch, they actually want to be involved. What's we don't know what to do with that. Nobody does that. They do, they they they do, you know, and the world starts to see you walking with Jesus, walking in the Holy Spirit, putting yes, putting off the old and letting, you know, mortifying the old in the spirit. Yes, all that personal individual stuff that's all in play. But y'all are doing it together. We're all doing it together. There's a together involved in this that's not like anything that the world's ever seen before. And, you know, the old evangelist you used to say um, you know, B.R. Lake, and you can try to look him up on YouTube too, you know, amen. See if there's anything still out there. But but hallelujah. He said, uh, you know, you walk down the street, you know, and bump into somebody in the shoulder. Um, you should turn around and, you know, and you know, it tastes like honey. I ran into that Christian and it was sweet. I ran into that Christian and and it was good. I don't have it, but I can't deny that something else is going on here. Do you begin to see, especially in America, where this has been stolen. And I gotta say it was some sobriety here. The fact that I never saw this kept me out of the faith for years. The fact that I went to Christian campuses and all I saw was fighting. All I saw was the Catholics over here, Presbyterians are over here, um, and they're they just I used to call it the Holy Wars. I would just kind of go and try to get my education and block it all out. Because I didn't want to be bothered with it, you know, quite frankly. And you know, they they seem to have one book and all they do is fight with each other. Wants to really be a part of that. Do you see how critical this is? Because the world is watching you and me. And I don't want you to hear that like it's pressure. It's not. The good news is that this type of oneness. Is only possible in the Lord. It's only possible in the Lord because we seem to be geared toward pride. We in our flesh, it's pride. In our flesh, we'll divide over anything. In our flesh, we are driven to form camps. We are driven to form tribes. We are driven to, you know, how does our you know our pastor say it? Driven to other people, to make them make ourselves the good ones and make it make them the bad ones. And what I'm talking about, what the Lord's talking about, what the Holy Ghost is giving you tonight, is something utterly different from that. Charity. Have fervent charity among yourselves. And don't expect anything in return. Wait a minute, you gave that person all that. And what are they gonna give you? What are you gonna get out of it? That's the way the world works. Well, my Lord said, hallelujah and amen. He just said, have fervent charity among yourselves. He said, bear one another's burden. He said, forgive one another and forbear one another. He said, encourage one another and lift one another up. And it's if you want to know what I get out of it, that's that's the reward. I'm following my Lord. I'm loving my Lord. He said that he said things like this. This does not happen in the world. But it happens here, and it's the norm. Get back to that. This is not an exceptional situation. This is the Lord's prayer for the normal day-to-day operation of any given church. Any given church. So the unity is not only possible, it's guaranteed. The unity is not only guaranteed, it's the Lord's will. It's the Lord's prayer. And my friends, the Father has been honoring this prayer every day, day in and day out, since it was given. Day in and day out. The Spirit is moving toward the unity of the church. The unity in Him. Very, very critical. This is a unity that lifts up Jesus. This is a unity in Christ. This is a unity that covers sin. This is a unity that destroys the works of the devil. This is a unity that is strength. This is a unity of worship. This is a unity in prayer. This is a unity and bless God, get back to this. This is a unity when churches work together. Churches and and bless God, just in the city of King alone. If one church walked across the street to the other church, oh my. And said, We love you in the Lord. And we love the Lord. We want to know you. See, that would be a great place to start. We want to know you. Hallelujah. We want to sit down with you. We want to visit your services. To see what you're about. We want you to know us too. Test the spirit, my friend. Because you know, I understand this would be very, very strange if this were to be walked out. And so I invite you, along with the Holy Ghost himself, to try this, to see if it really be of the Lord. Try this. And watch what the Holy Ghost starts to do. Because my friend, there's there's so much of a false unity being preached. A unity that says that, hey, we should never say another word about sin. That's we should we should never, you know, um we should never make people feel uncomfortable. Uh there's a unity that says, you know, what's what's the middle ground between all the different worldviews? There the the Antichrist will have a sort of unity. But it's the Antichrist's unity. It's not God's. You know, the devil never created anything. God Himself is one. Three and one, one and three. But the devil can short pervert it, and the devil can short twist it. And my friends, not only between you and the Lord, do this, but understand that the world is watching. Look in the mirror of the Word of God. Put yourself in someone else's shoes for one moment. What does that person see? What does that person see of your church? What does that person see of you? What are you showing that other person? Because at least in America, at least you know, here where I am, doesn't mean much to say, well, come to church with me. Um, you know, we we should do that again. You know, type in the zip code that we're in and see how many churches are in that same zip code. It's well over a hundred for a good old 27021. It is well over 100. It means nothing anymore. But what I'm saying is that well over a hundred churches out there. If we got together in the Holy Spirit, that alone, if we had well over a hundred churches worth of people unified in the Holy Ghost right now, how many souls would be one to the kingdom of God? How many people would see something so precious, so unusual, so unheard of that they would want to see more? And then you and I have the glory of introducing these people to Jesus. Oh, my friends, what will it take for you to walk in that unity? I understand it may take a lot. But again, I pray that you've heard me. I'm talking about unity in nothing and nobody else than the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. So, hallelujah. If our musicians will be coming forward, um, my friend, this is all sort of a setup for the message next week. Amen. Hallelujah. Uh, there will be a part two. Now, my friend uh Lord kind of showed me, you know, a little while ago, if you don't give this, the part two won't mean near as much. Um, but my friends, hear this. You know, just start out with just you and the Lord during this invitation. Is this this is something that Jesus has prayed for? Is this something that you experience and that you want? Because, my friend, it'll change the way churches interact with churches, it'll change the way that people interact even within this church. It will change much. And the church will start actually functioning as the church. And so, what fear is holding you back from this? What fear? Because, my friend, if it's a fear of what other people will think of you, oh my friend, you need not worry. God, I hope you've heard that tonight. Jesus Himself thinks the world of you. Jesus Himself loves you passionately. Jesus Himself went to a cross and he died for your sin. Jesus himself, um, he can, that's how he showed his love for you. He loves you when you're at your at your worst. And he still went to the cross for you. And my friend, you may have trusted him, but been so bound up on what are other people going to think. My friend, I'll tell you what this church will think. This church will love you. Just solely on the basis that Jesus loves you. Solely on the basis that you're a brother and you're a sister. Uh, my friend, if you give this church an opportunity to share your burdens, give this church an opportunity to help you, give this church an opportunity to embrace you as a brother and as a sister. My friends, I've said it before, you'll find grace and you'll find truth. You'll find the people who want to bring you closer to the Lord and not drive you further from the Lord. As my friends, have no fear to let other people know your burdens. Those other people have burdens themselves. As my friends, um who are any of us to say? You may share your burden with me, and hallelujah. I help you with it, and at the same time, you help me with mine. And the church starts to function. So hallelujah and amen. Um, my friend, just respond to the Lord in this tonight, and the altar is open for you. And my friend, if there be a testimony, feel free to share it tonight. Hallelujah and amen. And um, my friends who are listening abroad, um, so many different nations around the world, 83. And I know for a certain fact that Jesus had every single one of us in mind when he was praying for this. And so, my friends, um, we want to know you and we want you to know us. And so get in touch with us, email us, call us, visit our services. Um, yeah, we'll feel welcomed and encouraged to do that, and also feel encouraged. And as you walk this out, I guarantee you, you'll reach people. And so, amen, and glory to God. Uh, thank you for listening, thank you for being here, thank you for being a part of this, and may the Lord continue to richly bless us. Amen. Amen.