Jesus' prayer found in chapter 17 is a prayer for his disciples/followers and followers to come. He opens this prayer with a prayer for unity and ends this prayer with a prayer for unity. Unity is definitely a major theme. As I look over this prayer I find three additional requests made. I believe these requests have to do with the major request of unity.

In this verse we find Jesus asking that his followers be sanctified. In other words, set a part to serve. This "sanctification" comes through the word of truth. I believe that one of the things that gets in the way of unity is when followers of Christ do not know what the "word of truth" says. In other words, there are Christians who say they believe God's Word (the Bible) is true, but in reality they do nothing with it. They don't read it, they don't study it, they don't memorize it and they don't apply it to their lives.

God's Word, with the Holy Spirit, is the motivating factor to do what God has called every Christian to do. Every Christian is to be a witness to the world. Part of a Christian's witness involves people seeing the continually changing life. Paul says in Romans 12 that we should be going through a transformation that comes from a renewing of the mind (this is an ongoing process). Where does the info for a renewed mind come from? It comes from God's Word. Jesus says that part of the Holy Spirit's job is to remind us of what His Word says.

If we want to be unified as a body of Christ, doing more for advancing the kingdom of God then what any one individual can do, then we must be in His Word daily. Developing the same love, purpose and mission comes through studying and living by the same book.