Blueprint for Revival: Community

John 17:20–26

In John 17, Jesus prays for unity among all Christians. Unity isn’t about being exactly the same, but about deep love and friendship. It’s important to celebrate what makes us different within the church. The church sometimes struggles with things like lack of structure or communication problems. These issues can be overcome if we share a common goal, work together in different roles, and communicate effectively.

1. Sharing a bond with Christ

Being a Christian means experiencing a powerful change through Christ. We come together as a community, each of us knowing what it’s like to feel sorry for our mistakes but also secure in the knowledge that we are loved despite our flaws. This shared experience creates a special bond and a common goal among us. However, we have to work hard to keep this bond strong and prevent it from weakening.

2. Working together for the same goal

As Christians, we each have spiritual gifts given to us by the Holy Spirit. These gifts aren’t about personal virtues, but are tools for serving Christ. Jesus gave his followers these gifts so they could spread His word. For the church to work well, we need to make sure all these gifts are used together. Each person should discover and use their gift, which helps make decisions in the church fair to everyone.

3. Communicating in a loving and honest way

Love is the most important thing in the church. It’s through love that people see God’s work through Jesus Christ. Stories like that of Lazarus and the rich man show us how important it is to believe in Scripture. God’s rules for how we should treat each other include being honest, encouraging each other, admitting our mistakes, helping each other with problems, accepting one another, serving others, and seeking to make up and forgive. Admitting our wrongs and forgiving others is very important. This means being open to criticism, taking time for self-reflection, and building a strong community in small groups.