The reason that I have been deeply moved upon to write a book on this part of our Lord's Prayer is because of what is transpiring in this latter day outpouring of the Spirit of God.
The present truth of this hour is the coming together of the Body of Christ. The very atmosphere is pregnant with this truth.
Having traveled in many countries in the world, having met many missionaries and workers and having come in contact with various situations and conditions, I know that one of our greatest needs in the Church is unity. Let me illustrate by giving you one example. While I was in missionary work in Tokyo, Japan, we used to hold open air meetings. The city authorities designated a certain location where we could have these street services. Each missionary group took advantage of this opportunity to hold its meetings, sometimes several times a day. This puzzled the Japanese people and they invariably asked the question, "Are not all Christians one?"
They could not understand why there should be so many denominations if we claim to be Bible Christians. To our embarrassment we had to answer, "In the beginning it was not so in the Church, but man's traditions have divided the Body of Christ. We go to evangelize the heathen and yet in this particular respect, they are closer to the truth in their belief that all believers should be one, than we are. This is an indictment on our attitudes and actions. We have our advanced theology and enlightenment, and our seminaries of higher Christian training, and yet with all of this, we have been blinded to this important truth that even the heathen mind can see clearly. Let me say before we go farther in this book that it is not my desire to do battle with denominationalism, only to point out existing facts and to endeavor to unify the Body of Christ, so that we may better reach the lost. It is with these things in mind, together with the overall condition of the Church, that I am prompted to write this book. The truth that God is emphasizing today above all others, is the importance that all Christians be one.
