Holy Father, keep them in Your name, which You have given to Me, that they may be one even as We are.
— John 17:11b
The hardest thing for a Christian to do is to simply keep the Lord’s name. Why? This is because it is so easy to attach ourselves to a pastor, to a leading brother, etc. to whom we look for help. Yet all the brothers, no matter how gifted they may be, are only persons following Christ. The Lord is the only One we should constantly look to. Otherwise, if we rely on other human beings, we will discover lots of problems. Some may cause us to be for this or for that. We may follow what one brother or another says and forget to keep the Lord’s name.
We must remember these four things: to not love the world, to be filled in spirit, to be sanctified by the word, and to keep His name, that is, to insist on and only declare the name of Jesus Christ. This is the way to practice the local church life.
Adapted from Oneness and the One Accord, pages 26-27.
Tomorrow: “Showing Others Love”