One of the prime reasons why the world does not believe in Christ is the division they see in the church. Marketing the church won’t work. When I served in college ministry, many students said the multitude of denominations confused them. It prevented them from seeing Christ. In John 17, Jesus prayed that believers would be unified so the world would believe in Him. In this way, the world will stand up and take notice.
Jesus asked the Father to glorify His Son so He could glorify Him and accomplish the work God gave Him to do. God’s authority enabled Jesus to chose those to know Him for eternal life. Jesus revealed His name to ones He took out of the world who kept His word. God was glorified when they believed His words and that He sent Jesus. Jesus prayed the Father would guard and protect them in His name so they could be one like the Son and God (John 17:1-12). God glorified His Son so He could glorify believers to be one like them.
Jesus spoke these things in the world so they could have full joy through His word. The world hates believers because they are not of the world like Jesus. Staying in the world, they will be protected from Satan’s power by being sanctified in truth through God’s word. God sent both Jesus and believers into the world. He prayed that every believer and those believing in Him through their word would be sanctified in truth and become one. The Father, Son and believers are one so the world may believe that God sent Jesus (John 17:13-21). God sanctifies believers through His word so the world could believe in Him.
Jesus gave God’s glory to them so they could be perfected in unity as the Father and Son are one. In this way, the world could experience His love, behold His glory and be filled with God (John 17:22-26). God perfects unity in believers so the world could experience His love and glory.
We ought “with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing forbearance to one another in love, be diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” since their is one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism and one God and Father of all (Eph. 4:2-6).
