In the shadow of the cross, Jesus prayed, “I do not ask on behalf of these alone<\/em> (the apostles – jhd), but for those also who believe in Me through their word<\/em> (me and you – jhd); that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me<\/em>” (John 17:20-21). Our Savior left little doubt that He wanted believers to be united. Unity is a living testimony to the world of the deity of Jesus.<\/p>\n The unity Jesus taught was a unity based upon truth. “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth<\/em>” (John 17:17). The foundation of this unity is laid out in the seven “ones” of Ephesians 4:4-6. There is one God, one Lord, one Spirit, one faith, one baptism, one body, and one hope. Paul told the divided church\u00a0in Corinth to remember that “no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ<\/em>” (I Corinthians 3:11). It is with that foundation in mind that he urged “that you all agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment<\/em>” (I Corinthians 1:10).<\/p>\n How, then, can this unity be attained? By “being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace<\/em>” (Ephesians 4:3). This is a unity based upon revelation from God, written in human language whereby when we read, we can understand what God wants us to be and do (Ephesians 3:3-5). Any other “unity” is not unity at all but merely union, and it is based upon compromise, not conviction of truth.<\/p>\n One of the most often overlooked qualifications of elders, those most responsible for shepherding the souls of men to unity, is that they must\u00a0be “able<\/em> (skillful) to teach<\/em>” (I Timothy 3:2). Titus adds that he must “be able both to exhort in sound doctrine\u00a0and to refute those who contradict<\/em>” (Titus 1:9). In the context of the role of the evangelist, Paul said that he must be “able to teach<\/em>” (I Timothy 2:24). He gave specific charge to Timothy urging him to “preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine…<\/em>” (II Timothy 4:2-3). According to Paul, the work of both elders and evangelists involves the presentation of truth both in its positive and negative forms.<\/p>\n It is easy to preach on the grand themes of God’s love, grace, and mercy. Forgiveness offered “at the cross” is a powerful and needed message. But it is not sometimes so palatable to your audience to teach on subjects such as immodesty, misplaced priorities, divorce and remarriage, submission, social drinking, dancing, women’s role\u00a0in the church, giving, and even the work of evangelism (these sermons hit too close to home). Sermons on institutionalism and the various false doctrines of denominationalism are not very popular.<\/p>\n Still, the role of the teacher is to hold back nothing profitable but to teach the whole purpose of God (Acts 20:20, 27). And I suppose that is the key to faithfully fulfilling the work\u00a0of an elder or evangelist, i.e., that we hold back nothing profitable to the people. Preaching on the love of God will not help the young women of the congregation when they fail to hear a sermon directed toward their immodesty. Preaching on grace is good, but not if you fail\u00a0to preach on how folks frequently absent themselves from worship\u00a0in favor of their favorite sports or recreational activity. Preaching on mercy is wonderful, but sometimes people need to hear a lesson on\u00a0social drinking or dancing (prom). Forgiveness is a grand theme, but sometimes, brethren need to be warned of encroaching false doctrines and practices. I believe there is a justifiable cause for concern today, not just because of what is preached from some pulpits, but even more because of what is not being preached! (One of my heroes in the faith once observed, “If we don’t preach on certain\u00a0subjects, it won’t be long before we can’t preach on those subjects because people will not put up with it.” He\u00a0was right, and in my opinion, we see the fruit of that in our time). Again, the key to faithfully fulfilling the work of an elder or evangelist is to hold back nothing profitable. It is not always easy to properly assess and preach to the needs of the people, but by all means, do it!<\/p>\n The “ole Jerusalem gospel” has\u00a0a distinctive ring about it. It is a message flooded with Scripture and practical application. It is not always popular, but it is always right when presented with the best interest of the hearers in your heart and on your lips (Ephesians 4:15).<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Jim Deason Biblical Insights, September 2014 In the shadow of the cross, Jesus prayed, “I do not ask on behalf of these alone (the apostles – jhd), but for those also who believe in Me through their word (me and you – jhd); that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[1059,536,451],"class_list":["post-66937","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-edification","tag-preaching","tag-teaching"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":88477,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/vital-starting-points-for-unity\/","url_meta":{"origin":66937,"position":0},"title":"Vital Starting Points for Unity","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 7, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Doy Moyer All believers should, at the least, accept that Jesus wants His followers to be united together. He prayed \"for those who will believe in me through their (the apostles') word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":28710,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/could-jesus-prayer-for-unity-be-about-the-jews-and-gentiles-and-not-about-doctrine\/","url_meta":{"origin":66937,"position":1},"title":"Could Jesus’ prayer for unity be about the Jews and Gentiles and not about doctrine?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 1, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: My question is about the Lord's prayer for unity in John 17. We generally view that as being a unity of doctrine but what in that passage determines that? Could the prayer for unity be for unity between the Jews and Gentiles and of heart and spirit (Acts 4:32)\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":49719,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/non-participation-in-sin-is-not-enough\/","url_meta":{"origin":66937,"position":2},"title":"Non-Participation in Sin Is Not Enough","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 7, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"by Edward O. Bragwell \"And do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them\" (Ephesians 5:11). Christians and local churches, when questioned about their silence concerning various popular sins, often defend and console themselves by answering, \"But, I (or we) do not participate in such\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":37807,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/christs-prayer-for-unity\/","url_meta":{"origin":66937,"position":3},"title":"Christ’s Prayer for Unity","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 15, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jefferson David Tant In Christ's final hours before his crucifixion, we find him in the garden in earnest prayer to the Father. Much of his prayer expressed his concern for his disciples who would be left behind to carry on the mission that Christ had been sent to accomplish.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":52330,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/perfected-in-unity\/","url_meta":{"origin":66937,"position":4},"title":"Perfected in Unity","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 7, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: John 17:13-26 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0In Jesus\u2019 final prayer to the Father before his arrest, Jesus expressed his desire that his followers be united, just as he and the Father were one - John 17:22-23 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0That \u201cone\u201d is not numerical, but a unity in purpose and action.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":33463,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/there-must-needs-be-heresies\/","url_meta":{"origin":66937,"position":5},"title":"There Must Needs be Heresies","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 20, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"by David Edwin Harrell, Jr. Vanguard, Volume 1, #1 January 1975, pp. 21-22 After a few weeks of study at St. John's University and Abbey, I am impressed by the perceptive Roman Catholic analysis of the weaknesses of Protestantism. They insist that Protestants are pressed between two unacceptable extremes. One\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66937","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=66937"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66937\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=66937"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=66937"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=66937"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}