George Wright, pastor of Shades Mountain Baptist Church in Birmingham, challenged students to ponder the impact of Jesus’ prayer for His followers to walk in unity — and the devastating path of division when led astray by the schemes of the enemy. Wright shared his message during a Sept. 17 chapel service at the University of Mobile.
“There is something that can cause this move of God in your generation to come to a screeching halt,” Wright cautioned students. “As Jesus is facing the cross, it was recorded for us in John 17 that Jesus begins to pray over His disciples, His followers that would become His church and would spread to the ends of the earth. As He prays, we see His heart but we also see a danger that could prevent us from experiencing what He desires for us to experience as the church.”
Subscribe to The Alabama Baptist today!
SIGN UP for our weekly Highlights emails.
Wright invited students to stand for the reading of God’s Word.
“Here’s why I’m asking you to stand,” explained Wright. “The Word of God is the foundation by which the people of God stand. It is the unchanging, immovable, solid rock foundation that is the same yesterday, today and forevermore on which the people of God have stood for generations.
“We live in a world by which there’s a lot of people fighting for our attention, and there’s a lot of things they think we need to believe or they want us to believe, but we need to see and hear what the Word of God says. In a world with a ton of noise, the Word of God lays before us what is right, good and true. We live in world that is tremendously divided, and we’ve seen this in horrible ways. The church is not immune to that.”
Wright reminded students that Jesus knew how difficult the times would be for His followers to navigate as He approached the cross, poured out His heart and prayed for the church.
“This is the heart of Jesus — that the people of God would operate together, even in the midst of misunderstandings and disagreements, with a spirit of unity for the sake of the gospel on display in and through our lives,” Wright said.
“Many of us know that unity in the church can be very difficult. Unity is hard because people are involved, and where people are involved what joins them in the conversation? Sin, brokenness and pain. When we get together, there will be temptations to fight over things that actually don’t matter to God at all, and I would say if we could really press into every situation of division that’s ever happened within the church, if you press in far enough, you will find an example of someone who is putting their passions and their preferences ahead of the gospel and living for the glory of God. When people are involved, unity is hard.”
An enemy seeking to divide, destroy
Wright further emphasized to students that the enemy seeks to divide and destroy the church.
“We need to be aware that there is a very real enemy, and this is a spiritual battle,” Wright said. “He hates what God loves, and you better believe that if Jesus is praying for it, the enemy is scheming with all that he has against Him. If the heart of Jesus is for unity among His followers, you better believe the enemy is doing everything he can to disrupt and divide Jesus’ followers.
Full armor of God
Wright emphasized Ephesians 6:10–12 “to put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.”
“Unity in the church is very difficult to come by, but unity of the people of God is the very heart of our Savior,” Wright noted. “Jesus desires that we be one so that the world can see a true picture of the One who has come to set us free. A simple definition of unity is a common purpose that flows out of a common belief.”
Wright encouraged students that the church must be united in pointing people to Jesus.
“If the world is looking at the church, then what are they seeing?” Wright asked. “Jesus is praying that we are reminded that we are a part of of a global, multi-generational, multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, eternal, family of God. That is better than anything this world has to offer. As people who have been forgiven and covered by the grace of God, we are a people who have been invited to be a living picture of God’s love to the world.”
Share with others: