Supernatural Togetherness + Key Midweek Updates!
Good morning Immanuel. Jesus is promising that his Spirit will reside in his church and be our unifying, defining reality.
“I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just 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 have sent me.” (John 17:21)
In John 17, Jesus prays what is often known as the “High Priestly Prayer,” in which he speaks to his Father on behalf of his disciples and the church through the ages—all those who would one day believe in him through the preaching of the gospel. (That’s right, Jesus prayed for you!)…He wants us to be one—that is, unified in him in the same way that he is unified with his Father. This isn’t something we can just commit to and make happen by best intentions and good hustle. But Jesus wouldn’t desire a thing for us that he doesn’t also make available to us. So there is a built-in promise here. This is a supernatural kind of togetherness, given to believers by the Holy Spirit. It is the kind of togetherness that isn’t defined by how we are similar to one another but rather that overcomes differences the world around us might see as insurmountable barriers. (Ephesians 2:11-22 explains and portrays this magnificently.) Jesus is promising that his Spirit will reside in his church and be our unifying, defining reality.
Jesus also makes clear that he wants us to know and show his love; he wants us to be with him. He is offering and promising a context of absolute, unhindered belonging in and through himself. And it is not the kind of belonging that is self-serving and exists solely so that we as individuals can have our needs met and find a place of comfort. Yes, the church is to be that, but it is to be that “so the world may know that [God] sent [Jesus].” Our togetherness, our belonging, is to be a public evidence and invitation to the transforming, freeing, life-giving, comforting presence of Jesus Christ.
Barnabas Piper, Belong: Loving Your Church by Reflecting Christ to One Another (The Good Book Company, 2023). Used with permission by the author.
February 15, 2023 - Immanuel At a Glance
Sunday Resources
Things To Know
WEDNESDAY NIGHT - Join us tonight as Pastor Barnabas continues our study time in Acts!
WOMEN’S RETREAT DEADLINE 2/20 - The Immanuel Women’s Retreat is coming soon (March 3rd to 4th).
Over 120 women are signed up so far
The deadline to sign up is this Monday (February 20, 2023)
Sign up and learn more here
ONLINE PRAYER - Every week, Jenn Ross, one of our Discipleship Groups leaders, facilitates two online prayer meetings that everyone is welcome to join. The Zoom meeting times and links are below:
Every Thursday afternoon from 12:00-12:45 pm
Every Sunday morning from 7:30-8:00 am
CHRIST CHURCH WORSHIP NIGHT - Our friends at Christ Church invite you to attend a Night of Worship!
The event will be held on February 23, from 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM at Christ Church located at 1287 Old Hickory Blvd, Nashville, TN 37207. For your convenience, Christ Church will also provide childcare for children under 5, so feel free to bring the whole family along! For more info, contact Christ Church.
Black History Month Resources
Isaac Adams, Talking about Race: Gospel Hope for Hard Conversations (Zondervan, 2022)
Frederick Douglas, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass (Dover Publications, Incorporated; 1st Edition, August 1, 2016)
Carl F. Ellis Jr., Free at Last?: The Gospel in the African-American Experience (IVP Books, 1995)
John M. Perkins, One Blood: Parting Words to the Church on Race and Love (Moody Publishers, 2020)
Thank you for these resources! 🙌👏
Wonderful!