May We Be One

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This morning Cheryl and I prayed together and listened to Philip Anthony Mitchell's sermon, May We Be One. One thing stood out to me more than anything else. Before Jesus went to the cross, He prayed one final prayer for all those who would believe in Him.
"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. 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 and have loved them even as you have loved me." — John 17:20–23 (NIV)

Think about that.
Jesus' final prayer wasn't that we would become famous, wealthy, or build the biggest ministries. His prayer was that we would be one—united in Him. Why? So that the world would believe the Father sent Him.
A few chapters earlier, Jesus told His disciples:
"By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." — John 13:35 (NIV)

The greatest evidence that Jesus is real is not just our words—it's our lives.
Yes, there is a place for preaching the gospel. There is a place for teaching and sharing our faith. But every single day, people should experience Christ through us. At the grocery store. In traffic. At work. In our homes. Online. In every conversation.
Everything we have—our marriage, our family, our finances, our time, our attitudes, and our gifts—should point people toward the Kingdom of God.
Yesterday I was thinking about the fruit of the Spirit. If we want love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control to grow in our lives, then the soil has to be right. God first softens our hearts. Good fruit grows from a heart that has been transformed by Him.
Today I was also reading about sheep and goats because Jesus uses that picture in Matthew 25. One interesting observation is that sheep generally graze by clipping the tops of plants, allowing the pasture to recover, while goats tend to browse more aggressively and can strip leaves and bark from shrubs. Their feeding habits affect the land differently. Whether or not that is the point Jesus intended, it reminded me of something.
Followers of Christ should leave life behind them.
Wherever we go, we should leave peace instead of conflict, encouragement instead of discouragement, generosity instead of selfishness, healing instead of division.
Too often we get caught up in endless commentary, debates, and theological gymnastics. Instead of asking what everyone else says, maybe we should start with a much simpler question:
What did Jesus actually say?
Jesus consistently called His followers to love God, love their neighbor, forgive, serve, remain humble, and obey the Father.
In Matthew 25, Jesus separates the sheep from the goats. The sheep are surprised because they weren't trying to impress anyone.
"The King will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.'" — Matthew 25:40 (NIV)

The goats are surprised too because they thought they had done enough.
Then Jesus gives one of the most sobering warnings in all of Scripture:
"Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?'

Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'" — Matthew 7:22–23 (NIV)

That passage humbles me.
It's possible to be busy doing religious things while missing the heart of Christ. God is not only interested in what we do publicly. He cares about who we are privately.
Who are we when no one is watching?
How do we treat our spouse?
How do we treat our children?
How do we speak to strangers?
What fills our thoughts when no one else can hear them?
Our goal is not simply to know more about Jesus. Our goal is to become more like Him.
If the world is going to believe that the Father sent His Son, it won't just be because of the sermons we preach. It will be because people encounter the love of Christ when they encounter us.
May we be one.
May we love one another.
And may our lives become the testimony that points the world to Jesus.