An Often Overlooked Mission Strategy | John 17:21

[00:00:00] Real Truth Daily. This is Daily Truths with Dave Ahlman. Hi everybody, welcome back to Daily Truths. When it comes to reaching people with the love of Jesus, we can talk about equipping individuals to share their faith. We can talk about dynamic preaching and wonderful music and all of those might be attractive to bring people into your church

[00:00:25] and thereby hopefully bring them to faith in Jesus Christ. We can talk about individual evangelism, we can talk about dialogue evangelism, evangelism programs, etc., etc. But what is an outreach principle in a church that oftentimes is overlooked? Jesus talks about that here in John chapter 17. We'll pick it up at verse 20. We talked about verse 20 yesterday, but I really want to emphasize verse 21.

[00:00:52] Verse 20 says, I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word. He's talking about people that come to faith through the proclamation of the word, which is rooted in the early church New Testament gospels, especially Matthew and John. Verse 21, that they may be one just as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us.

[00:01:19] Okay, he's talking about being one with God and being one with one another. He's talking about church unity, being in union, fellowship and communion with God through faith in Jesus, so that we have that oneness with God. But also he's talking about unity and oneness with one another. So here it is. Here's the principle I'm talking about. What helps people be more attracted to the gospel?

[00:01:45] Here it is in your church, a lack of division and overwhelming love, a lack of division within the body of Christ and overwhelming love. Let's say a person comes to your church and they recognize, wow, there's not a lot of conflict here. There's not a lot of gossip. I can tell that this church is pretty united in purpose and they love each other.

[00:02:11] I can sense it when I walk into that building. They love one another and they're united in purpose and there's very little conflict. I hear very little gossip. There's not much division. Can you imagine when a person has that impression, when they come to your church, the impact that that has on them, they're probably going to come back. Now, does Jesus talk about that in this text? He sure does. Listen to this verse 21 again,

[00:02:37] that they may be one just as you father are in me and I knew that they also may be in us. Listen to this so that the world may believe that you have sent me. You see, when there's a lack of division in the life of a church and an overwhelming love for one another, that attracts people to the church. It attracts people to Christ. And that's what Jesus is talking about here.

[00:03:04] He's talking about unity with God and unity with one another. So here's the issue that I want to share with you today. If there is division in your church, deal with it because it's a hindrance to your church growing as the Lord intends it to grow.

[00:03:21] So deal with that division, deal with that conflict and may the love of God permeate your church so much that it overflows and spills into and overwhelms other people with the love that God has given us in Christ. When there's a lack of division in Christ, when there's a lack of division in Christ, when there's a lack of division and a sense of love for one another that is overwhelming, that is powerful, that is incredibly sincere.

[00:03:46] When they see that, when people come to your church and they see a lack of division because you've dealt with it and an overwhelming love for one another. Yeah, that speaks volumes about them wanting to possibly join your church. So I hope this was helpful today. And if you can be a catalyst in your church, maybe you can talk to your pastor.

[00:04:09] Hey, let's deal with any divisions that there might be here so that we are perceived as a loving institution that has very little conflict. And when we do have conflict, we deal with it and we love one another from the heart. When you have that kind of congregation, Jesus says that attracts people to the church and in the process attracts people to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

[00:04:34] May it be that way in your church. Let it be so and let it be done to the glory of God's holy and saving name. And that is today's Daily Truth. Have a great day in Christ. Thank you for tuning in to Daily Truths with Dave Ahlman. If this ministry is blessing you, please consider supporting us by sharing this channel with a friend. You can also like, comment, subscribe or leave a review. This helps us tremendously. Come back tomorrow for your next Daily Truth.