1. The "How" of Unity

Do you love God’s Church? If you love the Church, you will want it to be brought to complete unity, right? We know that Jesus longs for the unity of the Church. If that’s what he wants, it’s what we should want too.

Jesus in his glorious resurrection body

[Jesus said] I pray… for those who will believe in me through their [the Apostles’] message, that all of them may be one, Father…

I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one… that they may be brought to complete unity (John 17:20-23).

According to what Jesus says here, to be brought to complete unity, we need one primary thing: glory. What glory do we need? Jesus said it was the glory God gave to Jesus, and the same glory Jesus has given us--the glory of eternal life. God promised Jesus the glory of the Kingdom, and Jesus has promised us the same thing. He calls it "Eternal Life." It entails getting a divine nature, ruling over the Earth, and many other things!

... everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit Eternal Life (Matthew 19:29).

The people who glory in the Kingdom believe with all their hearts that it’s coming. Do you believe? If you have the hope of the Resurrection, you have the glory of the Kingdom even now. With that glory, you have what it takes to contribute to the unity of the Church.

It’s one thing to believe in unity, but it’s quite another thing to actually accomplish it. God’s way of accomplishing unity in his Church is giving us glory! You either have it or you don’t have it. You have either been sealed as an heir of the Kingdom, or you haven’t.