Christian Unity: The Foundation For Unity (Part 1) - Kyle White

John 17.

I'm going to be guided by
my notes this morning.

I'm going somewhere with this -

three messages, the Lord willing,

on the subject of Christian unity.

I want to do some clarifying
hopefully this morning,

laying some foundation,

and then we'll get into some
more practical things

tonight and tomorrow.

And this is another one of those subjects

that can be difficult.

I don't claim to have all the answers.

I imagine that if you're like me,

if you have any age on you at all,

you've had to work through
some of these things

and try to come to conclusions.

And some of the conclusions you've come to

may not be exactly right.

You may continue to grow

and maybe shift some in your understanding

and the outworking of this.

That's kind of where I see myself.

I'm 59 and I still haven't arrived.

I'm still a work in progress.

(incomplete thought)

I don't think
fundamentally I've changed

from my younger years.

Fundamentally, I mean, the truths,

the doctrines of Scripture -

I'm fundamentally now where I was

twenty or thirty years ago.

But the working out of that doctrine

has definitely changed in my own life.

So I say all that at the outset.

I want this to be a help to you.

I'm going to John 17.
Did I tell you that already?

We're starting there.

Let me just read a couple of verses here

that we're going to be hopefully gleaning

our thoughts from.

I honestly feel when I
come to this chapter

that we're sort of
approaching holy ground.

And I know all of Scripture is holy.

It's the holy Scriptures, but there's
something about John 17.

We are actually being given the privilege

of listening in on a prayer of our Savior.

And that's an amazing thought.

And it's one of those
passages of Scripture

that you don't want to read quickly,

and I don't want to read quickly

the words that I'm going to read.

And I'm not going to
read all of the prayer.

I would encourage you to
take time to do that,

perhaps even later today.

But I'm just going to read verse 11,

and then 20 through 23.

We can speculate about
what all is going on

in the mind of Christ.

He's the Son of God. He's the Son of Man.

He is speaking as the Son of God.

This is a high priestly prayer,

but He's speaking also in the context

of His being as a man.

So He has thoughts going through His mind.

It wouldn't be exactly like
your thoughts or mine,

but they certainly are thoughts

of a man as He prays,

even as they are thoughts
of the very Son of God.

He's reflecting on the glory

that He had with the Father
before the world began.

He's reflecting on all that He left.

And all of that is in Him.

There's more in Him than any of us know.

There's great mystery in this prayer.

There's depths in this prayer

that I still am seeking to enter into.

I would encourage you that
you need the Holy Spirit

to enter into the depths of God.

Your own spirit is not capable.

That's what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 2.

It's the Spirit of God that
teaches us who God is

and leads us - I would encourage you

to ask God to lead you.

Ask the Spirit of God to teach you,

to show you more fully, more clearly

the things pertaining to God.

Jesus says, verse 11,

"And now, I am no more in the world."

Speaking prophetically -

it's speaking as if it is,

but this is what is coming.

And in His prayer, He's thinking of this.

(incomplete thought)

He's coming to the cross.

But He's seeing beyond that,

but He can't go beyond that

without going through the cross.

So that's where He is as He's praying.

"And now I am no more in the world,

but these are in the world."

His disciples.

"And I come to Thee, Holy Father.

Keep through Thine own name

those whom Thou has given Me,

that they may be one as We are."

That they may be one as We are.

Verse 20.

"Neither pray I for these alone..." -

the disciples, the apostles -

"...But for them also which
shall believe on Me

through their word,

that they all may be one,

as Thou Father art in Me,

and I in Thee,

that they also may be one in Us,

that the world may believe

that Thou hast sent Me,

and the glory which Thou hast given Me,

I have given them,

that they may be one,

even as We are one,

I in them, and Thou in Me,

that they may be made perfect in one

and that the world may know

that Thou hast sent Me and hast loved them

as Thou hast loved Me."

Amazing words.

Unity.

Unity among the saints

is an ultimate concern of the Triune God.

An ultimate - ultimate concern.

Jesus uses language in this portion

of His high priestly prayer

that I'm still seeking
to fully appreciate.

What is He saying?

I in them, and Thou in Me.

There's something about the relationship

with the Father and Son

that Jesus is praying that
we may experience,

we may enter into that unity.

It's the pattern of the unity

for which Jesus prays.

There is an expression called
"the community of properties."

I don't want to get too complicated here,

partly because I can't,

but I want to introduce this idea to you.

The community of properties.

And I think it's important to see

that when Jesus says,

as the Father is in Me -

"I in Thee, Thou in Me,"

what is He saying?

There is something about the Being of God

in the Person of the Father,
the Son, and the Holy Spirit,

that is essentially one.

Essentially, there is a sameness,

so that Jesus could say,

"if you've seen Me,

you have seen the Father."

There is something about Jesus Christ,

something about the Father,

something about the Holy Spirit

that is one.

There is something
that is distinct as well

so that the Son can be
praying to the Father,

so that the Father is not the Son.

Amazing - there are people who teach that,

that the Father is the Son,

and the Son is the Father.

The Father is not the Son.
The Son is not the Father.

But there is a community of properties

in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

so that They are one.

There's something that is the same,

and there is something that is distinct

so that They are three Persons

that function in three
different capacities

in absolute, total unity.

That's what we call the Trinity.

He says that they -
talking about the disciples

or those who will believe
the words of the apostles -

"they all may be one..." in Us.

That's what He says.

That's the prayer

that they all may be one in Us.

Every believer is brought

into a mystical, spiritual union

with the Triune God

as Jesus baptizes us with the Holy Spirit.

Did I just step onto some
controversial thought there?

I hope not.

Regardless of all of our fleshing out

of the baptism with the Holy Spirit,

we know that Jesus said He would do it.

He would baptize.

In fact, in Acts 1:5, He says not
many days from then,

He would baptize.

Then 1 Corinthians 12:13,

it's a past reference there -

something that has happened

that we participate in.

We drink of the same Spirit.

There is a sameness that exists

in every single believer.

Every believer possesses
the same Holy Spirit.

There is one body.

There is no longer Jew or Gentile.

There is no longer a division.

Ephesians 1-3 speak of this significantly.

Paul makes this point.

In Christ, we are one.

In Christ.

We have one Shepherd.

There is one fold.

Jesus does not view us -

and as He prays here,

there is a sense in which Jesus,

He told Peter, "I have prayed for you."

So there is a sense in which we can say

Christ prays for me,

but here Jesus is praying for us.

He's not viewing us as autonomous,

isolated believers.

But joined together by the Father and Son

through the Spirit as a spiritual temple,

living stones as Peter calls it,

who are joined together with all

who are believers in Heaven and in earth.

I think of this as the
eschatological church -

that glorious church
without spot or wrinkle,

which is the hope,
the ultimate culmination

of Jesus' prayer here, I believe.

In fact, He says in v. 24,

"Father, I will that they also

whom You have given Me

be with Me where I am

that they may behold My glory

which You've given Me, for Thou lovest Me

before the foundation of the world."

That's where it's all headed.

Ultimately, the glorious church.

But every New Testament church

is supposed to reflect
that glorious church

now in this age.

And that's really what I want
to ultimately focus on

as we proceed through our thoughts

this morning, tonight, and tomorrow.

But today, right now,

I want to establish this foundation

because the unity that we experience

doesn't happen in the energy of our flesh;

it doesn't come out of thin air -

it comes from a foundation,

and that foundation is
who we are in Christ.

In verse 22, Jesus says,

"And the glory which You gave Me,

I have given them,

that..." in order that -

and you'll see a number of those

in verses 20-23 - the word "that"

or "in order that" -

I don't know what your translation says.

It may say "in order that,"
but that's the idea.

In order that "they may be one,

even as We are one."

So here's another basis for
unity among His people.

A shared glory.

Jesus says, "And the
glory which You gave Me,

I have given them."

What's He talking about?

What is the glory that His Father

has given Him?

Because that's what Jesus says

has been given to believers,

which then results in essential unity

comparable to the Father and the Son.

So there's something about the Father -

the glory that the Father gave to the Son

that is comparable to the glory

that we are receiving
that then is the basis -

one of the bases for
our experience of unity.

So what is that?

What glory did the Father give to the Son

in His humiliation?

He honored His Son.

And He honored His Son as His Son.

He pronounced that.

He pronounced it at His baptism.

He pronounced it at the Transfiguration.

He pronounced it in the resurrection:

This is My beloved Son.

2 Peter 1:17,

Peter alludes to this

as he's referring to the Transfiguration.

And he says,

"For He received from God the Father

honor and glory."

The glory which the Father has given -

Father, the glory You've given to Me.

"For He received from God the Father

honor and glory when there came

such a voice to Him
from the excellent glory,

'This is My beloved Son

in whom I am well pleased.'"

You see, the Son did not glorify Himself.

And this was a major point that Jesus made

while He was upon the earth.

In John 8:54, Jesus answered,

"If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing.

It is My Father that honors Me,

of whom you say that He is your God."

It is My Father that honors Me.

The writer of Hebrews in Hebrews 5:5 says

that Christ did not bring the glory

of this high priestly
appointment upon Himself.

He didn't glorify Himself.
He didn't appoint Himself.

This came from His Father.

And then, in His resurrection,

what does Paul say in Romans 1:4?

"...And declared to be the Son of God

with power according
to the Spirit of holiness

by the resurrection from the dead."

And then in Acts 13:33,

that same concept -

in the resurrection of Jesus Christ

there is that declaration: This is My Son.

In Acts 13:33,

"God hath fulfilled the same
unto us their children

in that He hath raised up Jesus.

Again, as it is also written
in the second Psalm

"Thou art My Son. This day
have I begotten Thee.'"

You see, this is the glory

the Father gave to the Son.

He pronounced Him His Son.

He announced this relationship

with Jesus Christ His Son.

See, the point is that this glory

has been given to every believer.

This glory, this honor of sonship.

We are called the children of God.

We're adopted into His family.

"But as many as received Him,

to them gave He power (authority)

to become the sons of God,

even to them that believe on His name

which were born not of blood

nor of the will of the flesh

nor of the will of men, but of God."

We have been given the right to
be called the children of God.

He has pronounced us His children.

He has adopted us.

He's given us the Spirit of adoption.

I love Romans 8 - the whole chapter.

But Romans 8, the description that's given

here in verses 14-17.

We're thinking here of this glory.

Jesus prays, "Father, the glory

that You have given Me may be in them."

What is that glory?

We've been called sons - every believer.

We have a common bond here in this.

Romans 8:14, "For as many as are led

by the Spirit of God,
they are the sons of God,

for you have not received the
spirit of bondage again to fear,

but you have received
the Spirit of adoption

whereby we cry, 'Abba, Father.'"

We do.

Every child of God has
the same relationship.

The greatest saint in this room

has no greater privilege

than the least saint in this room.

We'll talk about that Saturday morning,

about what it is to be great.

It's a level playing field, we might say.

This is the glory that
has been placed upon us.

We're children. We're sons.
We have access.

"The Spirit Himself bears
witness with our spirit

that we are the children of God,

and if children, then heirs, heirs of God

and joint heirs with Christ."

This is what He's praying.

And then we share in the
resurrection glory don't we?

"That we may be also glorified together.

For I reckon that the sufferings
of this present time

are not worthy to be compared to the glory

which shall be revealed in us,

for the earnest expectation
of the creature

waits for the manifestation
of the sons of God."

That's us

who have been joined to Christ;

who are possessors
of the Spirit of Christ.

So we are now one with God.

Now. Right now. We are one with God.

And also one with every other believer

as the children of God
in the family of God

which does extend beyond
our own local churches.

It's every believer - we are
one with every believer -

whether we agree on everything or not.

And Jesus prays for this.

And then He died for it.

Then He rose again,

and then He ascended,

and then the Spirit came.

The Spirit was sent to unite us

in order to accomplish what He prays for.

So believer, I say, be
overwhelmed by this.

Be overwhelmed by what God has done.

Be overwhelmed as you
read Jesus' prayer here.

He's praying for you, not in isolation

from your brothers and sisters in Christ,

but as part of an incredibly
large family really.

Although sometimes it seems that
we're so small and isolated.

We're really not in the big picture.

The blessings that are
yours now and forever.

You are one.

You're one in God.

You are in God and God is in you.

Isn't that an amazing thought!

Eternal life is in you.

This is why you have the desires you have.

This is why you have the
longings that you have.

This is why you have relationships

that are not of this world;

relationships that go beyond this life.

You're part of a family that transcends

genealogical relationships.

One in Christ.

I dare say some of you have

closer relationships with
fellow blood-bought believers

than you do your own biological family.

Thankfully, some of us have

biological family members
who are in Christ as well,

so the bond is double.

The relationship is enhanced,

but it's a struggle having
biological family

that you must relate to.

Sometimes it's a spouse.

Sometimes it's children.
You must relate to them.

It's a godly thing, biblical thing.

You must relate to them,

but it comes with its difficulties.

Though when Christ comes

and you're made one in Christ,

everything changes.

But this is the essential unity

that Jesus has in view as He prays.

The essential unity.

This is really a unity that
doesn't depend on you.

This is a unity that depends upon Him.

He has established this unity.

It's the foundation

from which we are to experience unity

in this world with other believers.

And it's most clearly witnessed

in relationships formed in churches,

which is really what is unfolded

in the rest of the New Testament,

how this all fleshes out,
works out in our lives.

I was talking to a brother
this morning about this,

and as we can talk about our unity

with our brothers all over the world,

but the reality is it's where we live

that we experience this unity.

So it's one thing to talk
about the idea of unity;

it's another thing to work it out,

and that's where we need to be -

working out this unity,

in particular, those that we
are in relationship with

on a regular basis.

Now, let me give some
points of clarification here.

I think it's necessary.

This portion of Jesus' prayer

has been very misunderstood
and abused by many.

Unity for some has displaced truth

and the distinctives of
biblical Christianity

so that unity becomes -

or at least their concept of unity,

and oftentimes I think it's
more of a unity of humanity

than it is a unity in Christ.

And while I know it's
possible to ignore unity

as we fight and divide with everyone

who holds a different
point of view or practice -

maybe that's where we are.

Maybe that's where we need
to most guard ourselves,

but the greater danger I believe,

at least, on a larger scale
is to become all-inclusive.

All religions lead to God.

So that we're even coming to the table

to try to find out where
at least do we agree

with let's say Muslims,

so that we can at least live together

and work together, because after all,

there is only one God and they
believe there's only one God,

and so we're moving together
toward this one God.

They have a different path -
we have our path,

but you know, Christ
prayed that we'd be one.

So there is that ecumenical spirit

and movement that exists,

and sometimes we can be
pulled over into that

more than we should.

And I'll comment on this a little more

probably in the next message.

We cannot promote or participate

in a unity that is not based upon

the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

We just can't. Flat out can't.

Now there are other areas we have to

flesh out, work out, how far can we go,

how much can we join, etc.

I get that.

I still struggle with that.

But I know this for sure,

we cannot join together in fellowship

with those who are not agreed upon us

in the basic doctrine of
the Lord Jesus Christ;

the grace of God in the Lord Jesus Christ.

An attempt to experience unity

that ignores the essential unity

expressed by Jesus in this prayer

is dangerous and actually works against

the unity for which He prays.

So let's think for just a few moments

about what Jesus prays here.

In v. 20 in particular,

"...Neither pray I for these alone,

but for them also which shall
believe on Me through their word."

You see who He's praying for.

He's not praying for everybody.

He's already said earlier,

"I pray not for the world,
I pray for these,"

at that point focusing
in on His disciples.

Here, He expands it to those

who believe the words of the apostles.

It's a unity based upon
apostolic doctrine then.

It's a unity based upon the word

that comes to us through the apostles.

The Scriptures.

This is the Word that Jesus said in v. 6,

"they had kept."

He said to His father,
"They have kept Thy Word."

In v. 8, He says,

"They believed that You sent Me."

Others didn't, but these did.

Essential doctrine.

You see, Jesus spoke
that which was given to Him.

In John 12:49, He said, "I've spoken that

which the Father has given to Me."

I am speaking that which is in agreement

with My Father.

And the Jews of that day rejected Him.

They called Him a blasphemer,

but these believed that He came down.

These believed that He was sent.

They believed that He was the Son of God.

You remember, the Apostle Peter,

when Jesus says, "Will you also go away?"

said, "To whom shall we go?

You have the words of eternal life."

And though I understand that the apostles

were lacking in a full understanding

of Gospel truth,

they had the Gospel truth they had

and believed what Jesus said.

More was revealed and it's written to us

in the completed record of Scripture.

But what I am saying
here is that godly unity

cannot disregard the faith

once delivered to the saints.

You cannot lay the Scriptures aside

in favor of an experience called unity.

I like to get along with everybody.

I don't like to feel
that spirit of division,

that unwelcomed, unwelcoming spirit.

I don't like that.

But we can't be gullible.

The Bereans were not charged

with being disrupters of unity

when they searced the Scriptures

to see if the things that Paul
was preaching were so.

So don't think that you're fighting
against the prayer of Jesus

when you are seriously
searching the Scriptures

to see if what you're hearing - even
what you're hearing this morning -

is it really true? Is it really so?

Search it out.

I'm not going to call
you a disrupter of unity

if you're honestly searching
out the truth of God's Word.

And if you're asking honest questions,

I'm not going to say to you,

well, you're a disrupter of the unity.

You need to keep those
questions to yourself.

Why would I say that?

If I perceive that your spirit is right?

Teaching on the experience
of unity in Ephesians 4,

Paul pressed the church
toward unity of the faith

which would protect against
every wind of doctrine.

So it's important that
we grow in the faith.

It's important that this
unity is established

upon the truth that is
found in these Scriptures

properly understood.

As you know, the devils
know this book very well.

Godly unity in Christ is expressed

by mutual submission
to the authority of God

through His Word.

As I speak every week at the prison,

that's the one thing I tell those guys.

By the time I leave them -

they have a six month
rotation in that room -

by the time I leave them, I want them

to know that this is the authority.

And then I recently had
one of the prison guards

meet me out and he's interacting with me,

and he's challenging me on that.

And he's saying this can't
be the final authority.

I mean, don't you know

that when these words were given,

they had to carry them around

and they couldn't carry the whole binding

of these words.

So only a little bit was given then.

So over time, since the
book of Revelation,

over time, there's been more given.

Of course, he was Roman Catholic

and he was giving me the
Roman Catholic dogma

that the church has authority.

What the church says is authoritative.

And the Word of God is
not the final authority.

This is the final authority.

And so the unity must be based upon

the final authority.

And then, I want you to see that Christ -

what He says in v. 20, He says,

"For them also which
shall believe on Me..."

not only through their word,

but "believe on Me."

So He's talking about believers.

It's a unity of saints.

True believers.

It's a unity of eternal life believers.

Those who, as He prays in the beginning,

that You've given Him - Jesus has power,

authority over all flesh,

that He should give eternal life

to as many as You've given Him.

And this is life eternal,
that they might know

You, the only true God,

and Jesus Christ whom You've sent.

Eternal life believers.

Not those who simply believe the fact

that He's the Son of God,

like the demons in Luke 4,

being cast out, they cried out,

"We know who You are!

You are the Christ, the Son of God."

So just knowing that Jesus is the Messiah;

knowing that He's the Son of God

doesn't mean you have eternal life.

Jesus is not praying for unity

of a cultural or political nature;

those who just are
professing to be Christians.

We're a "Christian culture."

We're Christians. They're Jews.

They're Muslims. That sort of thing.

Or family - you know,
my family's Christian.

They've always been Christian.

I was born a Christian.

Well, that's just simply untrue.

That's a lie.

It's not possible to be born a Christian.

The eternal life believers are those

who have experienced union with God.

Have you experienced union with God?

Have you been a receiver

of the law of the Spirit
of life in Christ Jesus?

Is that the Spirit that's living in you?

That's working in you?

Jesus is not praying for unity

among those who believe

in a Jesus of their own making.

I don't want to spend
much time on that one

because I think you understand
what I'm saying there.

There is another Jesus.

Paul warned about that.

He was concerned about that

even with the Corinthians

and the Corinthian church
among the saints.

He was concerned about them

getting their eyes off of the true Jesus.

There are a lot of folks today

who are using the name Jesus

and it's another spirit.

Try the spirits whether they are of God.

He's not praying for unity among those

who are believing a message that is not

the apostolic Gospel of the Son of God.

Like Paul says in Galatians 1:6-9 -

is it another gospel?

Are you hearing another gospel?

As you listen to those who are saying

they believe in Jesus;

saying that they believe in salvation -

as you listen to them,

what are they really saying?

And you need to listen to them.

You don't just seek for unity

with those who say "Jesus"

or even use the word "gospel."

Is it truly a Gospel of grace?

Are you hearing additions?

Maybe even subtly or slightly.

Be careful.

We don't want to lay burdens on people

that God hasn't laid.

God has laid burdens upon His people

to seek to be justified
by their own works.

Why would we lay that burden on people?

We believe that we will all be justified

by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

Jew and Gentile - it makes no difference.

So we must stay clear of that spirit

which embraces everyone who simply says

they believe in God or believe in Jesus

or believes in a gospel.

Tim Challies said this,

"Ecumenism is not true unity.

It is a lie.

It is a lie agreed upon."

It is a lie agreed upon.

"One that inoculates lost souls

to the life-transforming
truth of the Gospel."

One that inoculates lost souls.

They're deceived.

"To the life-transforming
truth of the Gospel."

Thinking they are something they're not.

Thinking they have something they don't.

No, Jesus is praying for those

to whom He gives eternal life.

Eternal life believers.

These are the ones who believe on Him

because they know Him,

and because they want to know Him.

Christ is everything.

Take what you will from my life -

possessions, relationships,

whatever it may be, but Jesus Christ -

I must have You! I must have You!

These are the kinds of
believers Jesus is praying for.

These are the ones who possess

the transforming life of
God in their souls.

I'm not what I was,

and I'm still seeing things in my life

that disturb me because I see that they

disturb a holy God that I love and worship

and want to serve.

I'm mortifying, I'm putting to death.

This is an active thing in my life.

These are the kinds of believers

that Jesus is praying for.

These are the ones that
not only come to Christ

to meet their desperate
need of forgiveness of sins

to be one with God,

but ones who follow Him

because they are truly united with Him.

Forgiveness of our sins -
oh, don't underestimate that.

Don't belittle that.

Sometimes I hear people say,

oh, you just believe in the
forgiveness of sins.

Don't talk like that.

Are you kidding me?

Do you know what Jesus did

that our sins would be forgiven?

Huge! That's huge!

But the life of the believer doesn't stop

with that reality.

The life of the believer
goes on with Christ.

Follows Him.

Pursues Him.

Not in order to become more justified,

but in order to be more like Him.

That's our desire.

These are the ones for whom Jesus prays.

This is the unity that He's praying for.

These are the kinds of people

that we want to be with.

These are the kinds of people

that we want to join together with.

These are the kinds of people we want

to have fellowship with.

Eternal life believers

who are in the family of God.

We need to willingly and continually

confess Him in practical
ways in our lives.

We need to confess this
unity in practical ways,

like this weekend - these
few days right here.

Hey listen, if you and
I sat down long enough,

you know, we'd disagree somewhere, right?

Right? So, we could focus on that.

And it may be something serious enough

that needs to be focused upon.

But that's not where our
unity is grounded.

Our unity is not grounded

in our agreement or disagreement.

Our unity is grounded in
who we are in Christ

and do we have the same Spirit

working in us.

So we want to experience godly unity

on a true Gospel foundation.

I'm going to stop here.

I'm going to pick this
up in the next message

and kind of explore
this a little bit more -

the experience of unity

in the context of regular church life

in particular.

We confess our eternal union

with God in Christ by our experience.

It's kind of like
everything else we confess.

We confess to believe in Christ.

But do we really?

We confess to be one with Christ,

one in Christ, but are we really?

And one way we know that

is by it being worked out
in our lives experientially.

See, we are the visible
manifestation of Christ

now in this world. We are.

We're going to see that in that prayer,

"that the world may believe,"

"that the world may know..."

We are His manifestation.

So we must not underestimate

the significance of living out this unity

that we have together in Christ.

Sadly, there are a lot of folks

who have been steered away

from anything to do with the Gospel

because they've seen too much

within particular churches of people

who are hating on one another,

and they run from that

as if that's the true
representation of Christ.

We need to be careful.

May God help us.

Father, I pray that You would give us

eyes to see, understanding,

to be able to work these
truths out in our lives.

Oh, that we would contemplate more fully,

Lord Jesus, what You have done,

and hear the words of Your prayer

and how our Father, unity delights You.

We are one in You, with You,

and You with us.

I pray that You would bless us

in the meditations upon this truth

that is deeper than we
can fully comprehend.

Please help us.

Grant to us the ministry
of the Holy Spirit

as we not only think
through these matters.

We're not interested in simply having

a deeper academic understanding;

we want to know the reality

of what You have prayed.

Help us.

In Christ's name I pray, Amen.