Temario Semana de Oración JA - Ingles Asociación General

That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is
spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ (John 3:6-7)
In the text above we see Jesus telling Nicodemus that he had to be born again. The Holy Spirit
is the agent of this new birth. Without the Holy Spirit you cannot belong to Christ (see
Romans 8:9). It is the call of God that unites us into the one body through the one Spirit.
The church is the place where we can sense in a special way that Jesus is right here with us.
I'm sure you’ve also experienced how your heart was deeply moved by a song, a sermon, a
Sabbath School discussion, or simply by the fellowship with other church members. In those
moments it feels like Jesus is right there with you. That was precisely what he intended when
he founded the church. His disciples had the same experience back then.
But now you might say: that’s what I dream of, but what I experience in the church is very
different. There is strife and struggles for influence, power and official positions. I have the
feeling that people don’t take me and my questions seriously. I want so badly to experience
fellowship with Jesus, but I sense so little of his love in the church. Unfortunately, this is
indeed sometimes true. And then it's like driving a car with the parking brake on. If you
haven't already experienced it, you can try it out for yourself. If the parking brake hasn’t been
released, it's hard to get anywhere. You can feel there's something holding you back. At some
point, smoke starts coming from the wheels and you sense a pungent odor. What do you
suppose the problem is? The wheels couldn’t turn freely, and as a result, a perfectly
functioning car became practically nothing more than one big paperweight.
So what’s the solution? It's to learn the first lesson that the gospel teaches us! We are all united
as one in the love of God and the grace that he freely gives to all who believe. Unity among
believers is an important issue in the Bible. It was so important for Jesus that he prayed for it
right before He went to the cross.
Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: “Father, the hour
has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, 2 as You have
given Him authority over all flesh, that He should[a] give eternal life to as many as
You have given Him. 3 And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only
true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent … I do not pray for these alone,
but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; 21 that they all may
be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us,
that the world may believe that You sent Me.” (John 17:1-3, 21-22)
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