The recent sermon series on the book of John have all made reference to prayer. Jesus repeatedly reminded his disciples before enduring the cross that prayer is necessary and is a source of strength in the face of persecution for Christians. Prayer opens the door for us to draw closer to God. Through prayer, God assures us of His promises, and by relying on Him, we can experience joy and peace in the midst of suffering. Suffering does not vanish when we pray, but having God with us when we go through trials, there will surely be joy in the midst of tribulations.
Jesus not only taught His disciples to pray, but also prayed for them. The ultimate focus of Jesus’ prayer is to bring glory to the Heavenly Father, and in turn, the Father glorifies Christ. In a similar manner, Jesus prayed for the disciples so that they could glorify the Heavenly Father and live according to His Father’s will. Jesus' prayer for the disciples enabled them to be united as one. Unity is “oneness”, just as Jesus Christ, God the Father and the Holy Spirit are one. The unity of the Triune God, as expounded in the Bible, is a mystery beyond human understanding. However, Jesus reminded his disciples that in prayer, there could be ‘oneness’ in the spirit. Becoming one in spirit and in truth is the will of God and doing so glorifies Him.
Furthermore, Christ prayed for the disciples to experience joy. The disciples could have joy in the midst of suffering by following God's will and abiding in Him. Christ prays to the Father to protect His people from Satan's attacks. As long as we trust in God, He will surely shield us from harm.
Christ also prayed for the disciples to “be sanctified”; that is, to be holy and spiritually mature, not by their own works but by the grace of the Heavenly Father and their faith and trust in God. Thanks be to Jesus Christ for His prayers, that we can trust in the Heavenly Father, become one in Christ, experience God’s joy and protection, be sanctified and manifest God's glory in this world as witnesses for Him.
最近講道的信息，在約翰福音，都是提到禱告。耶穌在上十字架前，都不斷提醒門徒，禱告是必須的，是可得到力量，面對當時，基督徒的被迫害。禱告，可以讓我們更親近神。禱告，神給我們應許，靠著神，在苦難中有喜樂，有平安。雖然苦難仍然存在，但神與我們同在，便一定在苦難中，有喜樂。而且，耶穌不單教導門徒禱告，而且，耶穌也為門徒禱告，耶穌向天父禱告，是為了讓，耶穌基督能夠榮耀天父，天父也榮耀基督。而且，耶穌為門徒禱告，門徒也能榮耀天父。按照天父的旨意生活。耶穌為門徒禱告，讓門徒可以合一，合一是“oneness”, 好像耶穌基督與天父，與聖靈一樣的合一，“成為一”。三一神的契合，在聖經裡說，是一個奧秘，是在人有限的理解範圍以外。但耶穌提醒門徒，在禱告中，在靈裡，是可以有oneness，“成為一”的合一。合一，是神的心意，可以榮耀神。另外，基督也為門徒有喜樂禱告，門徒在苦難中有喜樂，按照神的旨意，順服神，便會有從神而來的喜歡。基督為門徒求天父，天父保護衪的子民，遠離撒旦的攻擊。只要我們信靠神，神一定是保護我們的。
基督也為門徒祈求“成聖”。也就是說，門徒成聖，越來越成長，靈裡成熟，不可以靠自己的努力，而且靠天父的恩典，我們對神的信心，和對神信靠。感謝耶穌基督為衪的子民禱告，感恩我們可以信靠天父，可以在基督裡“成為一”，可以在喜樂，可以被神保護，可以成聖，完成神在我們身上的旨意，我們可以把神的榮耀，彰顯在世上，為神作見證。
