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Before His death, Jesus prayed for Himself and His disciples, and then He prayed for those who would believe:
My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. - John 17:20-23
The end of Jesus’ prayer can seem rather foreign in today’s ever-individualized society, even amongst the Body of Christ. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. Jesus said that unity in the Body of Christ would communicate to the world why He came to this earth and died on the cross, and that there is a God who cares about and loves every person.
Is the Body of Christ effectively communicating unity today?
One way that EQUIP seeks to bring unity to the Body of Christ is through our strategic partnerships. EQUIP is now working together with over 90 strategic partners around the world to train effective Christian leaders in Biblical servant leadership. Of course this looks a little different in each partnership, but the important thing is that leaders are being trained and the Great Commission is being fulfilled.
Tom Atema, EQUIP’s Vice President of International Ministries and Strategic Partnerships, says it this way, “Partnerships take place when we drop our egos and logos and just do what God has called us to do with someone else—perhaps another church or para-church ministry—who has the same vision.”
One of our partners is taking the Million Leaders Mandate (MLM) training into factories in China, and others are training church leaders. Our partnership with BEE World is making the materials accessible through the internet to limited access countries. The Centre for Leadership Wisdom is planning and facilitating penetration of the Caribbean with MLM training, while others are planning for training in Taiwan and Australia. Our newest partner, Pastor Nasser, will be training Iranians in Canada with the EQUIP materials. These are exciting times! As ministries and churches are partnering together to fulfill the Great Commission, the Gospel is being advanced and God is getting the glory.
We are thankful for ways that you have partnered with EQUIP, and we encourage you to keep bringing unity to the Body of Christ through partnering with others. As Paul prayed for the church in Rome, "We pray for you: May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." Romans 15:5-6
Megan Laird
Partnerships Coordinator
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