Scripture reading:
18Then the Jews demanded of him, "What miraculous sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?"
19Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days." 20The Jews replied, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?" 21But the temple he had spoken of was his body. 22After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the Scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.
Observations:
(1) Jesus claims, he delivers.
In the preceding verses, Jesus made a fairly significant claim. He said “How dare you turn my father’s house into a market.”
By referring to god as ‘my father,’ he was essentially claiming to be the son of god – a rather audacious claim. Accordingly, the response of the Jews, to demand a sign to prove his authority, is hardly surprising. Jesus was making a big claim.
They wanted to see proof of authority to make such a claim.
In response to this, Jesus made a big promise.
I feel that this promise was given for the benefit of the disciples, not for the purpose of immediately appeasing the Jews. It certainly was not what the Jews were expecting, or demanding. It is almost certain that many of the Jews would have been immediately satisfied by this response, particularly given that the promise was not fulfilled until several years later.
But the response was not made in the presence of Jews only. It was also made in the presence of the disciples, who were later to put their full trust and belief in him after the promise was fulfilled. It was them who saw the fulfillment of the promise.
Regardless of whoever the promise was primarily made for, the promise was fulfilled in completion. It may not have been fulfilled in the way expected by many, but it was fulfilled in completion. The body of Jesus, the temple of god, (see below) was raised three days after his death – exactly as promised.
Jesus promises, he delivers - a true sign of the pure integrity of our great lord.
(2) The church is not just a building.
What images enter your mind at the mention of the word ‘church?’
When I was a young kid, the word ‘church’ represented a place that I did not find particularly exciting. Sitting through long services with many old people was not much fun for a kid.
The common world view of the church relates to a building. The world see the church as a place that people (usually old) go to on a Sunday, as well as being where you go for baptisms, confirmations, marriages or funerals. They see it a place that you go to.
In the same way, the Jews at the time of Jesus saw the temple as a physical place.
Yes, it was a place of worship, but a physical place nonetheless.
Coming from this perspective, it was little wonder that the Jews could not understand the promise of Jesus. After all, a temple, in the literal sense, is a physical place. It’s where they went to worship god.
But Jesus was talking figuratively, not literally. Figuratively speaking, the body of Jesus Christ is the temple of god. Jesus, as part of the holy trinity, was god in the flesh – in the form of a man.
Therefore, the body of Christ was indeed the body of god.
Secondly, and most importantly, it was Christ’s body that was sacrificed on the cross and raised again. It was the body of Christ which took the entire punishment for the sin of man. Without this action, our relationship with Christ could not have been healed. Without this action, we not be reconciled to god, we would have no reason to worship god and physical temples would not serve a worthwhile purpose.
The body of Christ represents, in figurative terms, the true temple of god, the centerpiece of the kingdom of heaven.
Yes we go to physical buildings in order to worship. But the act of worship is not about buildings – it’s about Christ, and his death and resurrection. That’s what we celebrate. A temple is where we worship. Jesus is why we worship.
Prayer:
Dear heavenly father,
Lord, I thank you that you didn’t stay dead on that cross, that the promise was fulfilled and you raised the holy temple of your own body.
Lord, we know we can have full confidence in your word. We know that you are a god of integrity, that when you promise that something will happen, it does.
Lord, we go to physical buildings to worship you. But let us not forget that the building is simply a venue, and what matters is why we worship, lord. And the reason why we worship is because of your great sacrifice on the cross – the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus.
That is why we are there, lord. It’s because of who you are. It’s because of your wonderful name.
It’s because of the amazing justice and love that you showed for us on the cross.
And in that, lord, we can only look at you in awe of your greatness.
In the name of Jesus Christ, our lord.
Amen.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Profiting from the kingdom of god? (John 2:12-17)
Scripture reading:
12After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother and brothers and his disciples. There they stayed for a few days.
13When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. 15So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16To those who sold doves he said, "Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father's house into a market!"
17His disciples remembered that it is written: "Zeal for your house will consume me."
Background:
For those who are unaware, a little background into the concept of a ‘Passover’ may help in understanding this passage.
The ‘Passover’ feast originated during the time of Moses. Shortly before leading the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt, god had inflicted a range of plagues on the Egyptians. During the final such plague, god struck down and killed the firstborn of every Egyptian household.
Israelite households were spared these calamities. On the night in question the Israelites were instructed to sacrifice a lamb. The doors on their households were to be marked with the blood.
In addition, they were to roast and eat the lamb for supper.
The blood on the doorway distinguished Israelite households from the Egyptians.
Egyptian households bore the full force of the plague, but Israelite-marked households were spared any impact. The plague literally ‘passed over’ Israelite households in a completely discriminate fashion.
The Passover was a demonstration that god had set the Israelites apart. They were chosen to be his people – part of the kingdom of god – separate from the Egyptians.
Subsequently, according to the lord’s decree, a Passover feast was to be celebrated by the Israelites as a lasting ordinance. At such feasts, the Israelites were required to bring an animal, which was to be sacrificed (killed) in honor of the lord’s act of mercy at the original Passover.
Observations:
I think there are three key observations that we can make:
(1) God must not be used for profit.
When the time for the festival came, the Israelites needed animals for sacrifice in order to correctly fulfill the requirements of the celebration (refer ‘background’ above). Accordingly, those who did not have a suitable animal had no choice but to purchase one.
This created a market for traders who, with little care about the meaning of the festival, were able to exploit the needs of god’s chosen people for their own profit.
This practice was an insult to god, as are all forms of viewing Christianity as a means to profit.
I am not saying here that Christians should never gain financially from service to the god’s kingdom. Pastors, church leaders or others who work in a church related role are entitled to have their material needs met.
The key factor here is motivation. In the case of those who work in church related roles, their primary motivation (usually) is furthering the kingdom of the lord. There is no problem with them receiving some form of financial reward. God looks into their hearts. If their hearts are set on honoring the kingdom of heaven, then he will be pleased.
Nor is it a problem for business to profit from religion in cases where such a profit is merely incidental to their regular business operations. For example, there is nothing wrong with a book publisher who profits from the sale of Christian books in addition to other books.
What is a problem, however, is the practice of viewing god simply as a means of profit, as in the case of the traders above. They did not care about the Passover festival, or about what its meaning. They cared only about the prospect of financial gain.
The disgust of Jesus demonstrates how god feels about such practices.
Men led by Satan ask how they can profit from the lord. Men led by the lord ask how they can serve, honor and glorify their magnificent creator.
(2) Jesus is not just a gentleman often imagined.
When you picture Jesus, how do you imagine him? What images spring to your mind?
Before I came to Christ, the image I used to have was that of a kind, serving gentleman - a good man, who would never hurt a fly. I pictured Jesus as being gentle and caring – always peaceful, never aggressive. A truly nice guy.
That picture is partially misleading.
True, Jesus had a pure servant heart. He was caring and he was a gentleman. But he was not always simply a ‘nice guy.’ He did not beat around the bush, nor was he afraid to rock the boat.
Jesus did not politely ask the men to kindly fold up their tables. He flew into a rage, and left no doubt whatsoever that their actions were completely unacceptable.
An interesting parallel may be drawn with the actions of god the father. The original Passover came about because the Egyptians persecuted the Israelites. God the father responded with a brutal act of destruction.
At this particular Passover festival, the sellers were exploiting god’s people. Jesus the son did not responded with an act of brutality. Not destruction, this time – but brutality none the less.
This demonstrates an important point about god’s character – he does not tolerate acts against himself or his people.
To be sure, god is full of mercy. He provided his son as a sacrifice for our sins.
But, for those who mock, exploit or persecute god or his people, his patience will run out.
And you don’t want to be on his wrong side when that happens.
(3) Jesus has extreme passion for the house of god.
The last part of the passage reads “Zeal for your house will consume me.”
Why did Jesus fly into a rage? What was it about this action in particular which set Jesus off?
The response of Jesus demonstrates his pure passion for the house of god. Jesus is part of the holy trinity. As such, the kingdom of god is like his family home or household. It’s his home. It’s where he belongs – a sacred place. There is nothing he cares about more.
It is worth noting here that the house of god is not a physical building on earth. Maybe, there is a physical house in heaven, I don’t know. But the ‘house’ of god here refers to the kingdom of god, which in a spiritual sense, consists of the holy trinity and all of god’s chosen people.
When the traders used the festival for profit, figuratively speaking, they ransacked its entire meaning. It was like vandals coming in and destroying a holy place.The magnitude of Jesus response shows just how much the house of god means to him.
Prayer:
Dear heavenly father,
Lord, let us never view any part of you or your kingdom as a source of profit.
The day we see your kingdom as a means for profit, is the day we insult you. Your kingdom is so much more. Your kingdom is about life – it is the source of life.
Let us serve and honor you and only you. Let our hearts be set only upon your kingdom. Rather than devising profit schemes, let us meditate upon your great mercy - the mercy in which you have shown fully to us through the death of your son on the cross.
Lord, you show us a great example of your passion for your kingdom. Let us worship your great kingdom with reverence. Let us love the great kingdom you have created.
And let us worship and adore you who made that great kingdom.
In the name of Jesus Christ, our lord.
Amen.
12After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother and brothers and his disciples. There they stayed for a few days.
13When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. 15So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16To those who sold doves he said, "Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father's house into a market!"
17His disciples remembered that it is written: "Zeal for your house will consume me."
Background:
For those who are unaware, a little background into the concept of a ‘Passover’ may help in understanding this passage.
The ‘Passover’ feast originated during the time of Moses. Shortly before leading the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt, god had inflicted a range of plagues on the Egyptians. During the final such plague, god struck down and killed the firstborn of every Egyptian household.
Israelite households were spared these calamities. On the night in question the Israelites were instructed to sacrifice a lamb. The doors on their households were to be marked with the blood.
In addition, they were to roast and eat the lamb for supper.
The blood on the doorway distinguished Israelite households from the Egyptians.
Egyptian households bore the full force of the plague, but Israelite-marked households were spared any impact. The plague literally ‘passed over’ Israelite households in a completely discriminate fashion.
The Passover was a demonstration that god had set the Israelites apart. They were chosen to be his people – part of the kingdom of god – separate from the Egyptians.
Subsequently, according to the lord’s decree, a Passover feast was to be celebrated by the Israelites as a lasting ordinance. At such feasts, the Israelites were required to bring an animal, which was to be sacrificed (killed) in honor of the lord’s act of mercy at the original Passover.
Observations:
I think there are three key observations that we can make:
(1) God must not be used for profit.
When the time for the festival came, the Israelites needed animals for sacrifice in order to correctly fulfill the requirements of the celebration (refer ‘background’ above). Accordingly, those who did not have a suitable animal had no choice but to purchase one.
This created a market for traders who, with little care about the meaning of the festival, were able to exploit the needs of god’s chosen people for their own profit.
This practice was an insult to god, as are all forms of viewing Christianity as a means to profit.
I am not saying here that Christians should never gain financially from service to the god’s kingdom. Pastors, church leaders or others who work in a church related role are entitled to have their material needs met.
The key factor here is motivation. In the case of those who work in church related roles, their primary motivation (usually) is furthering the kingdom of the lord. There is no problem with them receiving some form of financial reward. God looks into their hearts. If their hearts are set on honoring the kingdom of heaven, then he will be pleased.
Nor is it a problem for business to profit from religion in cases where such a profit is merely incidental to their regular business operations. For example, there is nothing wrong with a book publisher who profits from the sale of Christian books in addition to other books.
What is a problem, however, is the practice of viewing god simply as a means of profit, as in the case of the traders above. They did not care about the Passover festival, or about what its meaning. They cared only about the prospect of financial gain.
The disgust of Jesus demonstrates how god feels about such practices.
Men led by Satan ask how they can profit from the lord. Men led by the lord ask how they can serve, honor and glorify their magnificent creator.
(2) Jesus is not just a gentleman often imagined.
When you picture Jesus, how do you imagine him? What images spring to your mind?
Before I came to Christ, the image I used to have was that of a kind, serving gentleman - a good man, who would never hurt a fly. I pictured Jesus as being gentle and caring – always peaceful, never aggressive. A truly nice guy.
That picture is partially misleading.
True, Jesus had a pure servant heart. He was caring and he was a gentleman. But he was not always simply a ‘nice guy.’ He did not beat around the bush, nor was he afraid to rock the boat.
Jesus did not politely ask the men to kindly fold up their tables. He flew into a rage, and left no doubt whatsoever that their actions were completely unacceptable.
An interesting parallel may be drawn with the actions of god the father. The original Passover came about because the Egyptians persecuted the Israelites. God the father responded with a brutal act of destruction.
At this particular Passover festival, the sellers were exploiting god’s people. Jesus the son did not responded with an act of brutality. Not destruction, this time – but brutality none the less.
This demonstrates an important point about god’s character – he does not tolerate acts against himself or his people.
To be sure, god is full of mercy. He provided his son as a sacrifice for our sins.
But, for those who mock, exploit or persecute god or his people, his patience will run out.
And you don’t want to be on his wrong side when that happens.
(3) Jesus has extreme passion for the house of god.
The last part of the passage reads “Zeal for your house will consume me.”
Why did Jesus fly into a rage? What was it about this action in particular which set Jesus off?
The response of Jesus demonstrates his pure passion for the house of god. Jesus is part of the holy trinity. As such, the kingdom of god is like his family home or household. It’s his home. It’s where he belongs – a sacred place. There is nothing he cares about more.
It is worth noting here that the house of god is not a physical building on earth. Maybe, there is a physical house in heaven, I don’t know. But the ‘house’ of god here refers to the kingdom of god, which in a spiritual sense, consists of the holy trinity and all of god’s chosen people.
When the traders used the festival for profit, figuratively speaking, they ransacked its entire meaning. It was like vandals coming in and destroying a holy place.The magnitude of Jesus response shows just how much the house of god means to him.
Prayer:
Dear heavenly father,
Lord, let us never view any part of you or your kingdom as a source of profit.
The day we see your kingdom as a means for profit, is the day we insult you. Your kingdom is so much more. Your kingdom is about life – it is the source of life.
Let us serve and honor you and only you. Let our hearts be set only upon your kingdom. Rather than devising profit schemes, let us meditate upon your great mercy - the mercy in which you have shown fully to us through the death of your son on the cross.
Lord, you show us a great example of your passion for your kingdom. Let us worship your great kingdom with reverence. Let us love the great kingdom you have created.
And let us worship and adore you who made that great kingdom.
In the name of Jesus Christ, our lord.
Amen.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
The first miracle (John 2:1-11)
Scripture reading:
(1) On the third day, a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, (2) and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. (3) When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him “They have no more wine.”
(4) Dear woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My time has not yet come.”
(5) His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
(6) Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding twenty to thirty gallons.
(7) Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” So they filled them to the brim.
(8) Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”
They did so, (9) and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine.
He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew.
Then he called the bridegroom aside (10) and said “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink, but you have saved the best till now.”
(11) This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed at Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him.
Observations:
(1) Jesus lived the way he promised.
Back in John 1:50-51, we saw Jesus put his reputation on the line by promising Nathanael that he would see great miracles.
In this passage, Jesus commences action upon his promise. The act – turning water into wine – was the first of many miracles Jesus performed. In doing so, he started delivering on what he had promised to Nathanael.
This is just one of many examples throughout the bible which attests to both the character of Jesus the son and that of god the father – he doesn’t make bold promises lightly – what he says he will do – he does.
(2) God is not a ‘kill joy.’
A common perception of god in the world is that he is a kill joy. Some have the idea that being a Christian means locking yourself away in a cupboard and never enjoying the fruits of life – something like what we see in the movie “Flowers in the Attic.”
This is a misconception. To be sure, Christians are called to abstain from certain activities, such as sexual promiscuity or alcohol abuse. But at the same time, god created many wonderful things for us to celebrate and enjoy.
The gift of marriage is one such wonderful occasion. Far from abstaining from the celebration, we see that Jesus joined in. Not only did he personally join in, but when tragedy almost struck and the wine ran out, Jesus saved the day and allowed the celebration to continue.
God has given us many wonderful things in life to celebrate and enjoy. We should not hold back in enjoying the lord’s great gifts, but should take an attitude of enormous gratitude to our maker.
(3) Sensible enjoyment of alcohol is Ok.
This is not the main point of the passage and I do not wish to labor upon this point.
Some Christians abstain from alcohol by choice, others believe that drinking alcohol is a sin.
However, we can clearly see here that god is not opposed to enjoyment of alcohol per see. We see here Jesus turning water into wine. Later we see Jesus giving wine to his disciples during their final feast together.
It seems clear to me that sensible enjoyment of wine is OK. Abuse of alcohol, or getting drunk, is not behavior which honors the gospel. But sensible enjoyment is not a problem.
(4) Jesus does not refer to Mary as his mother. (v4)
The manner in which Jesus addresses Mary in this case demonstrates not only an important aspect of the relationship between Jesus and Mary, but also of the character of Jesus himself.
Jesus addresses Mary as “Dear woman,” – not as his mother.
Why didn’t Jesus address Mary as his mother? I believe the reason for this is that from a spiritual viewpoint, Jesus had no mother, nor did he need one.
John chapter 1 describes how Jesus, from a spiritual viewpoint, has always existed. The existence of Jesus in physical form commenced after he was born to the virgin Mary. However, the spiritual existence of Jesus had no commencement.
Physically, he was born to Mary. Spiritually, he has always existed.
For this reason, from a spiritual viewpoint, he had no mother. Nor did he need one.
It should be noted, however, that whist the manner which Jesus adopts toward Mary does not indicate an intimate relationship, nor does it indicate rudeness or disrespect. According to one of my former pastors in Australia, the expression “Dear woman,” was not, in this context, a patronizing expression.
Jesus did not address Mary as his mother, but nor does he address her in an insulting manner.
(6) God does not act according to our time schedule.
Not only does Jesus not address Mary as mother, but he also made it clear that he would reveal his glory when the time was right, and not when Mary asked.
In this case, Jesus performed the miracle nevertheless. But he also made it clear that neither the problems faced by the wedding party, or Mary’s wishes, would dictate when the time was right for him to reveal his glory.
Often times, we think feel that god should do what we want and act according to our plans and schedules. Perhaps this is a product of the consumer oriented societies of the western world - where we are encouraged to think of ourselves, as individual consumers, as being the centre of the world.
But god will not simply conform to our desires. He is the creator of the world, we are his creation.
We are accountable to him, not the other way around. He will carry out everything according to his perfect plan in his own time. Sometimes, this will conform neatly into what works conveniently for us. Other times, it will not.
But he does things according to his plan and schedule, not ours.
Prayer:
Lord, I thank you that you fulfill your promises.
When I look at your word, it reveals a maker who does not make empty promises, but rather a maker who can be totally and completely trusted.
Lord, I thank you that you gave us many wonderful things to celebrate and enjoy. The gift of marriage, where you join two people in lifetime partnership, is simply a marvelous gift.
Lord, so many times, we think you should do things our way and conform to our plans and schedules. Remind us in those times, Lord, that we are under your authority, not the other way around. Humble our hearts to accept your plans.
In these things I pray. In your great name.
Amen
(1) On the third day, a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, (2) and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. (3) When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him “They have no more wine.”
(4) Dear woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My time has not yet come.”
(5) His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
(6) Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding twenty to thirty gallons.
(7) Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” So they filled them to the brim.
(8) Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”
They did so, (9) and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine.
He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew.
Then he called the bridegroom aside (10) and said “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink, but you have saved the best till now.”
(11) This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed at Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him.
Observations:
(1) Jesus lived the way he promised.
Back in John 1:50-51, we saw Jesus put his reputation on the line by promising Nathanael that he would see great miracles.
In this passage, Jesus commences action upon his promise. The act – turning water into wine – was the first of many miracles Jesus performed. In doing so, he started delivering on what he had promised to Nathanael.
This is just one of many examples throughout the bible which attests to both the character of Jesus the son and that of god the father – he doesn’t make bold promises lightly – what he says he will do – he does.
(2) God is not a ‘kill joy.’
A common perception of god in the world is that he is a kill joy. Some have the idea that being a Christian means locking yourself away in a cupboard and never enjoying the fruits of life – something like what we see in the movie “Flowers in the Attic.”
This is a misconception. To be sure, Christians are called to abstain from certain activities, such as sexual promiscuity or alcohol abuse. But at the same time, god created many wonderful things for us to celebrate and enjoy.
The gift of marriage is one such wonderful occasion. Far from abstaining from the celebration, we see that Jesus joined in. Not only did he personally join in, but when tragedy almost struck and the wine ran out, Jesus saved the day and allowed the celebration to continue.
God has given us many wonderful things in life to celebrate and enjoy. We should not hold back in enjoying the lord’s great gifts, but should take an attitude of enormous gratitude to our maker.
(3) Sensible enjoyment of alcohol is Ok.
This is not the main point of the passage and I do not wish to labor upon this point.
Some Christians abstain from alcohol by choice, others believe that drinking alcohol is a sin.
However, we can clearly see here that god is not opposed to enjoyment of alcohol per see. We see here Jesus turning water into wine. Later we see Jesus giving wine to his disciples during their final feast together.
It seems clear to me that sensible enjoyment of wine is OK. Abuse of alcohol, or getting drunk, is not behavior which honors the gospel. But sensible enjoyment is not a problem.
(4) Jesus does not refer to Mary as his mother. (v4)
The manner in which Jesus addresses Mary in this case demonstrates not only an important aspect of the relationship between Jesus and Mary, but also of the character of Jesus himself.
Jesus addresses Mary as “Dear woman,” – not as his mother.
Why didn’t Jesus address Mary as his mother? I believe the reason for this is that from a spiritual viewpoint, Jesus had no mother, nor did he need one.
John chapter 1 describes how Jesus, from a spiritual viewpoint, has always existed. The existence of Jesus in physical form commenced after he was born to the virgin Mary. However, the spiritual existence of Jesus had no commencement.
Physically, he was born to Mary. Spiritually, he has always existed.
For this reason, from a spiritual viewpoint, he had no mother. Nor did he need one.
It should be noted, however, that whist the manner which Jesus adopts toward Mary does not indicate an intimate relationship, nor does it indicate rudeness or disrespect. According to one of my former pastors in Australia, the expression “Dear woman,” was not, in this context, a patronizing expression.
Jesus did not address Mary as his mother, but nor does he address her in an insulting manner.
(6) God does not act according to our time schedule.
Not only does Jesus not address Mary as mother, but he also made it clear that he would reveal his glory when the time was right, and not when Mary asked.
In this case, Jesus performed the miracle nevertheless. But he also made it clear that neither the problems faced by the wedding party, or Mary’s wishes, would dictate when the time was right for him to reveal his glory.
Often times, we think feel that god should do what we want and act according to our plans and schedules. Perhaps this is a product of the consumer oriented societies of the western world - where we are encouraged to think of ourselves, as individual consumers, as being the centre of the world.
But god will not simply conform to our desires. He is the creator of the world, we are his creation.
We are accountable to him, not the other way around. He will carry out everything according to his perfect plan in his own time. Sometimes, this will conform neatly into what works conveniently for us. Other times, it will not.
But he does things according to his plan and schedule, not ours.
Prayer:
Lord, I thank you that you fulfill your promises.
When I look at your word, it reveals a maker who does not make empty promises, but rather a maker who can be totally and completely trusted.
Lord, I thank you that you gave us many wonderful things to celebrate and enjoy. The gift of marriage, where you join two people in lifetime partnership, is simply a marvelous gift.
Lord, so many times, we think you should do things our way and conform to our plans and schedules. Remind us in those times, Lord, that we are under your authority, not the other way around. Humble our hearts to accept your plans.
In these things I pray. In your great name.
Amen
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Jesus knows who you are (John 1:43-50)
Scripture reading:
43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, "Follow me."
44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, "We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."
46 "Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?" Nathanael asked. "Come and see," said Philip.
47 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, "Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit."
48 "How do you know me?" Nathanael asked.
Jesus answered, "I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you."
49 Then Nathanael declared, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel."
50 Jesus said, "You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that." 51 He then added, "Very truly I tell you, you will see 'heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man."
Observations:
(1) God is not always who we expect.
I personally became a Christian and put my faith in Christ nine years ago.
However, I have often found that I have held ideas about god which I later found to be completely unsubstantiated by what the bible says.
Our natural tendency is to view god as how we think he should be – not how the bible says that he is. It can be difficult to cast aside pre-conceived notions about how we think the lord should be like and how we think he should act.
But god will not be confined to who we think that he should be. He acts the way he is.
We can see a good example here. Both Phillip and Nathanael had a were well-versed in the Old Testament – a fact that we can see from Philip’s reference to the law of Moses. Both were familiar with the concept of the messiah. Both had their own ideas about what the messiah should be like.
Nathanael’s idea was completely misplaced.We are not told what Nathanael expected. Perhaps, he expected the messiah to come in some form of grandeur and splendor. Maybe, he would descend from the clouds. At the very least, the messiah would come from a more dignified region or town.
Clearly, he did not expect the messiah to come from a modest region.
In Nathanael’s case, his pre-conceived notion of the messiah was blown apart by a physical encounter with Jesus. But I think we can learn an important lesson. Too often, we approach god with pre-conceived notions. This could lead to disappointment when god does not do what we think that he ought to.
God will not simply do what we think he should do. He rules over us, not the other way around.
(2) God knows your name.
Have you ever felt small and insignificant? Ever felt that that huge guy in heaven is too big to care about us or any of our daily lives?
Good news – god does not view us that way. God cares enough to know everything there is to know about us.
In the previous passage (John 1:42), when Peter was bought before Jesus, Jesus looked straight at him and said “You are Simon, son of John. You will be called Cephras (which, when translated, is Peter).”
Jesus knew Peter by name. Not only that, he knew about Peter’s family background. Peter was not some unimportant part of the masses of unknown. He meant enough to Jesus that Jesus already knew him by name.
Moreover, consider verse 47, when Jesus saw Nathanael approaching. Jesus already knew everything about his character, and confidently stated that there was nothing false about him.
That much, Jesus could not have known from simply being told by others. In order to be able to make that much of a statement about someone, you have to know their character inside out.
God is not distant. He does not consider us as unimportant. He knows each of us by name, family background and character. He knows everything that there is to know about us
(3) Jesus put his reputation on the line.
If someone came up and told you that you were going to see “heavens open and the angels of God ascending and descending on the son of man,” what would you think? Would you think those claims might be a little extravagant?
By promising this, Jesus was putting himself on the line. If he had delivered something less, his credibility would have been shot to pieces and he would have been exposed as a fake. He could not, after making such elaborate promises, afford to come up short.
Prayer:
Dear heavenly father,
Lord I thank you that you are not distant. You do not sit up in heaven and take no interest in our lives. You are not some distant creator who doesn’t really know us.
You know us by name. You know what is happening in each of our lives.
Lord, so many times, we see you as we think you should be, not as your great word says that you are. Lord, help open our hearts and minds to learning more about your character. Let us dwell upon your great character every day.
Lord, you made great promises about what you would do through your son, Jesus Christ. Thank you lord, that throughout his life, your son fulfilled what was promised and your glory was on full display for us to see.
In these things, I pray and thank you for.
Amen.
43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, "Follow me."
44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, "We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."
46 "Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?" Nathanael asked. "Come and see," said Philip.
47 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, "Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit."
48 "How do you know me?" Nathanael asked.
Jesus answered, "I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you."
49 Then Nathanael declared, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel."
50 Jesus said, "You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that." 51 He then added, "Very truly I tell you, you will see 'heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man."
Observations:
(1) God is not always who we expect.
I personally became a Christian and put my faith in Christ nine years ago.
However, I have often found that I have held ideas about god which I later found to be completely unsubstantiated by what the bible says.
Our natural tendency is to view god as how we think he should be – not how the bible says that he is. It can be difficult to cast aside pre-conceived notions about how we think the lord should be like and how we think he should act.
But god will not be confined to who we think that he should be. He acts the way he is.
We can see a good example here. Both Phillip and Nathanael had a were well-versed in the Old Testament – a fact that we can see from Philip’s reference to the law of Moses. Both were familiar with the concept of the messiah. Both had their own ideas about what the messiah should be like.
Nathanael’s idea was completely misplaced.We are not told what Nathanael expected. Perhaps, he expected the messiah to come in some form of grandeur and splendor. Maybe, he would descend from the clouds. At the very least, the messiah would come from a more dignified region or town.
Clearly, he did not expect the messiah to come from a modest region.
In Nathanael’s case, his pre-conceived notion of the messiah was blown apart by a physical encounter with Jesus. But I think we can learn an important lesson. Too often, we approach god with pre-conceived notions. This could lead to disappointment when god does not do what we think that he ought to.
God will not simply do what we think he should do. He rules over us, not the other way around.
(2) God knows your name.
Have you ever felt small and insignificant? Ever felt that that huge guy in heaven is too big to care about us or any of our daily lives?
Good news – god does not view us that way. God cares enough to know everything there is to know about us.
In the previous passage (John 1:42), when Peter was bought before Jesus, Jesus looked straight at him and said “You are Simon, son of John. You will be called Cephras (which, when translated, is Peter).”
Jesus knew Peter by name. Not only that, he knew about Peter’s family background. Peter was not some unimportant part of the masses of unknown. He meant enough to Jesus that Jesus already knew him by name.
Moreover, consider verse 47, when Jesus saw Nathanael approaching. Jesus already knew everything about his character, and confidently stated that there was nothing false about him.
That much, Jesus could not have known from simply being told by others. In order to be able to make that much of a statement about someone, you have to know their character inside out.
God is not distant. He does not consider us as unimportant. He knows each of us by name, family background and character. He knows everything that there is to know about us
(3) Jesus put his reputation on the line.
If someone came up and told you that you were going to see “heavens open and the angels of God ascending and descending on the son of man,” what would you think? Would you think those claims might be a little extravagant?
By promising this, Jesus was putting himself on the line. If he had delivered something less, his credibility would have been shot to pieces and he would have been exposed as a fake. He could not, after making such elaborate promises, afford to come up short.
Prayer:
Dear heavenly father,
Lord I thank you that you are not distant. You do not sit up in heaven and take no interest in our lives. You are not some distant creator who doesn’t really know us.
You know us by name. You know what is happening in each of our lives.
Lord, so many times, we see you as we think you should be, not as your great word says that you are. Lord, help open our hearts and minds to learning more about your character. Let us dwell upon your great character every day.
Lord, you made great promises about what you would do through your son, Jesus Christ. Thank you lord, that throughout his life, your son fulfilled what was promised and your glory was on full display for us to see.
In these things, I pray and thank you for.
Amen.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Boldness and Humility (John 1:19-28)
Scripture reading:
(19)Now this was John’s testimony given when the Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. (20)He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Christ.”
They asked him, “Then, who are you. Are you Elijah?”
He said, “I am not.”
“Are you the Phrophet?
He answered, “No.”
(22)Finally, they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”
(23)John replied in the words of Isaiah, the prophet. “I am the voice of one calling in the desert, “Make straight the way for the lord.”
(24)Now some Pharisees who had been sent (25)questioned him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ?”
(26)“I baptize with water,” John replied. “But among you stands one you do not know. (27)He is the one who comes after me, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.
(28)This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
Observations:
I have written in earlier posts how I feel that we can learn a lot from the attitude of John the Baptist.
Here, John states his identity and place before god in a clear and unambiguous fashion.
John shows true humility in his responses to the questions. He does not try to pretend he is something he is not. Nor does he overstate his significance. John states clearly that he is not the Christ and acknowledges that compared with Christ he is nothing.
But whilst his responses show a truly humble attitude before god, there is no sign of false humility. Nor was he in any way apologetic. John clearly knew and unambiguously stated his role and identity before god.
God gave John a mission and he boldly fulfilled that mission. He did so with no regard to either what others may think or any personal cost to himself. God gave him a role, John fulfilled that role. God gave him an identity and a place, John assumed his identity and place assigned by god – no questions asked, end of story.
John never shied away from being who god made him to be or doing the work god had assigned him. Nor should any Christian. Whatever god has called us to do in life, we should do boldly and without hesitation. Whoever god has called us to be, we must assume our place and live out god’s plan to the full.
Like John, we too must understand our place before Jesus. Compared to Christ, we are nothing.
As we have discussed previously, Jesus is the author and source of all life. He came from heaven to earth, lived a sinless life and laid down his life so that our sins could be forgiven.
We, sinful man, pale in comparison. We must never forget that.
At the same time, god has a specific plan the lives of every believer. All believers in Christ have a specific place in his kingdom. We must summon courage and fully carry out god’s plan in full.
How do we know what god’s plan for our life is?
God may or may not choose to tell us his plan in advance. One good idea is to pray for God’s continued guidance, that he may guide us through life and in making decisions according to his will.
Prayer:
Dear heavenly father,
Lord, you are everything. We are nothing.
Lord Jesus, you, who were before all things, the creator and source of all life, came down from heaven to earth. You lived a perfect, sinless life and sacrificed yourself on the cross so that we could have life.
Your greatness, your power and your love are beyond comparison. We, sinful men and women, do not even deserve the right to be able to speak your name. We are not worthy to be part of your family.
But thanks to your great sacrifice on the cross, we, all believers, can be take up a place in your family. And lord, let us assume our place in your family with boldness and courage as well as graciousness and thankfulness.
Guide us lord, in our decisions. Guide us into the fulfillment of your plan for our lives. Give us courage and strength to stand out from the world and assume firmly the role you have allocated to each of us.
In these things I pray,
In your great name,
Amen.
(19)Now this was John’s testimony given when the Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. (20)He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Christ.”
They asked him, “Then, who are you. Are you Elijah?”
He said, “I am not.”
“Are you the Phrophet?
He answered, “No.”
(22)Finally, they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”
(23)John replied in the words of Isaiah, the prophet. “I am the voice of one calling in the desert, “Make straight the way for the lord.”
(24)Now some Pharisees who had been sent (25)questioned him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ?”
(26)“I baptize with water,” John replied. “But among you stands one you do not know. (27)He is the one who comes after me, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.
(28)This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
Observations:
I have written in earlier posts how I feel that we can learn a lot from the attitude of John the Baptist.
Here, John states his identity and place before god in a clear and unambiguous fashion.
John shows true humility in his responses to the questions. He does not try to pretend he is something he is not. Nor does he overstate his significance. John states clearly that he is not the Christ and acknowledges that compared with Christ he is nothing.
But whilst his responses show a truly humble attitude before god, there is no sign of false humility. Nor was he in any way apologetic. John clearly knew and unambiguously stated his role and identity before god.
God gave John a mission and he boldly fulfilled that mission. He did so with no regard to either what others may think or any personal cost to himself. God gave him a role, John fulfilled that role. God gave him an identity and a place, John assumed his identity and place assigned by god – no questions asked, end of story.
John never shied away from being who god made him to be or doing the work god had assigned him. Nor should any Christian. Whatever god has called us to do in life, we should do boldly and without hesitation. Whoever god has called us to be, we must assume our place and live out god’s plan to the full.
Like John, we too must understand our place before Jesus. Compared to Christ, we are nothing.
As we have discussed previously, Jesus is the author and source of all life. He came from heaven to earth, lived a sinless life and laid down his life so that our sins could be forgiven.
We, sinful man, pale in comparison. We must never forget that.
At the same time, god has a specific plan the lives of every believer. All believers in Christ have a specific place in his kingdom. We must summon courage and fully carry out god’s plan in full.
How do we know what god’s plan for our life is?
God may or may not choose to tell us his plan in advance. One good idea is to pray for God’s continued guidance, that he may guide us through life and in making decisions according to his will.
Prayer:
Dear heavenly father,
Lord, you are everything. We are nothing.
Lord Jesus, you, who were before all things, the creator and source of all life, came down from heaven to earth. You lived a perfect, sinless life and sacrificed yourself on the cross so that we could have life.
Your greatness, your power and your love are beyond comparison. We, sinful men and women, do not even deserve the right to be able to speak your name. We are not worthy to be part of your family.
But thanks to your great sacrifice on the cross, we, all believers, can be take up a place in your family. And lord, let us assume our place in your family with boldness and courage as well as graciousness and thankfulness.
Guide us lord, in our decisions. Guide us into the fulfillment of your plan for our lives. Give us courage and strength to stand out from the world and assume firmly the role you have allocated to each of us.
In these things I pray,
In your great name,
Amen.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Our part as witnesses to the kingdom of god (John 1:35-42)
Scripture reading:
(35) The next day, John was there again with two of his disciples. (36) When he saw Jesus standing by, he said “Look, the lamb of god!”
(37) When the two disciples heard him say this, they turned around and followed Jesus. (38) Turning around, Jesus saw them and asked, “What do you want?”
They said “Rabbi” (which means ‘teacher’) “Where are you staying?”
(39) “Come,” he replied, “and you will see. So they went and saw where he was staying and spent the day with him. It was about the tenth hour.
(40) Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. (41) The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him. “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). (42) And he bought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon, son of John. You will be called Cephras” (which, when translated, is Peter).
Observations:
I’d like to make some observations here about witnessing to the gospel.
(1) Witnesses to the gospel play an integral part of building the kingdom of god.
There are two paths via which people come to know god. Firstly, the bible records some people who came to god through either direct contact with Jesus or divine revelation. Whilst Jesus walked the earth, many came to know him through direct contact. And the bible records some examples (e.g. Paul) of people who received to gospel through divine revelation.
Yes, god can work divine miracles. However, in the majority of cases, people receive the gospel via other believers. This is what we see here – John witnessing to two of his own disciples (more on that in a later post) and Andrew, in turn, witnessing to Peter - witnesses witnessing about the gospel to others, who, in turn, become witnesses and witness about the gospel to yet others still.
God is not in any way reliant upon this method, but it seems to be the most common way for the kingdom of god to expand most of the time.
I believe that all who know Christ as their savior are given an active role in the growth of the kingdom of god. God, as we see in the book of Genesis (the first book in the bible), is an active god. He believes in activity, not passivity, and I believe that he has an active role for every believer.
True, I believe that god chooses to give special spiritual gifts to special people for specific purposes. But no matter what, every single follower of Jesus can (and should) be a witness for Jesus. There are no special qualifications.
Every believer, I feel, should seek to be active in two ways – knowing Christ themselves (usually through reading the bible) and making him known by being a witness to others.
(2) Being an effective witness to the gospel does not require education or talent. (v41)
Do you know your bible inside out? Are you particularly talented at speaking or presenting new ideas in a persuasive manner?
If the answer to one or both of these questions is yes, then I have good news. If the answer is no, I have the same good news:
You can be an effective witness to the gospel.
In verse 41, Andrew has only just heard the news about Jesus. Now it does appear that Andrew previously had a reasonable background knowledge of the old testament - after all, he was one of John’s disciples. But, this was Andrew’s first encounter with Jesus.
How did Andrew approach the task of making Jesus known to others?
Did he go away and study for six months to refine his knowledge of the OT and write a carefully scripted answer to every possible question about Jesus? No.
Did he follow Jesus for a while to undertake a detailed study of him? No.
Did he ‘brush up’ on his techniques at people persuasion? No.
He went straight into action. Immediately after meeting Jesus himself, he found his brother and shared his good news. Instinctively and instantaneously, Andrew found himself being an effective witness for the gospel. He did not need special skills or training - he simply went into action.
I’m certainly not saying that we should not undertake diligent study of the bible. Nor am I saying that careful preparation for sharing the gospel is a bad thing. Objections to the gospel must be expected, and in dealing with these, it does help, I think, to be battle ready.
What I am saying, is that we should not put off the task of sharing the gospel with others.
Start today.
(3) First, you must encounter Jesus
So, then. What does it take to be an effective witness to the gospel?
When we look at the story of Andrew, we can see, I think, three key aspects of Andrew witnessing to Peter.
First, Andrew had a personal encounter with Jesus. Before Andrew could tell Peter about Jesus, he had to know Jesus himself.
So must we. Before we go out and tell others about Jesus, we must first come to the point where we ourselves know Christ as our savior.
We can only share with others what we know ourselves.
Now, we will not, like Andrew, have a physical encounter with Jesus. Our encounter with Jesus will be spiritual. The point which we need to come to is where we can confidently affirm Jesus as our savior, where we have absolute faith that all of our sins have been covered by the death of Jesus on the cross.
If you have come to that position already, you are ready to be a witness to the gospel.
If not, I do not believe that you are ready to be a witness to the gospel at this point.
(4) Second, you must follow Jesus:
There was one thing Andrew, as well as the other disciple of Jesus, did betwee the point of encountering Jesus and the point of Andrew becoming a witness to Peter:
Andrew followed Jesus.
Andrew, and the other disciple, literally turned and followed Jesus. They turned around, giving up whatever else they were doing in their lives, and followed their messiah.
We, too, must follow Jesus in our own lives. For us, following Jesus will not be a physical act, as with Andrew, but a spiritual act. It’s turning around our lives and following a life worthy of the gospel. It’s turning from any areas of sin in our lives and instead following the ways of righteousness.
If we truly know Jesus, we will follow him. We won’t do it perfectly, and some of us will still fall back into sinful ways, but we will be drawn naturally to following the ways of Jesus – if we truly know him.
It’s all well and good to go out and share the gospel with others. But our sharing of the gospel will be much more effective if we, ourselves are living the gospel. We cannot share what we don’t follow. The people whom we share the gospel with must be able to see the grace of god in how we live, as well as what we say.
(5) We must bring people to jesus
In verse 42, the bible says that Andrew brought Peter to Jesus.
That’s exactly what sharing the gospel is about – bringing people to Jesus. In the same way that Andrew bought Peter to Jesus, we, too, must try to bring those with whom we share the gospel to Jesus.
In the case of Andrew, his act of bringing Peter to Jesus is a physical and literal act. In our case, bringing people to Jesus is a figurative act, not a literal one. We might choose to take them along to church or to a home bible study group. We might introduce them to online bible study groups.
Whatever we do, I think that we need to bring people to a place where they can meet other believers, learn about Jesus and experience some form of worship.
There, they will be able to experience Jesus for themselves. Whether or not they accept Jesus into their lives will depend on them and god. But we must bring them to a place where they can experience the saving grace of Christ.
Prayer:
Lord, I pray for two things.
First, for us to know you. Lord, we cannot witness effectively to others until we actually know you ourselves. So lord, ever so much more, please shower upon us more and more understanding of your perfect justice, power, mercy and love, so that we may know you more fully every day.
Second, I pray that you equip us with the courage and wisdom to follow you and to share the news of your great mercy and love to others. Lord, how often I fail in this simple task!
Lord, let others look upon us and not only hear about you from our mouths, but see your work and your grace in our lives. Let our words and our lives be a witness to your glory.
In the name of Jesus Christ our Lord,
Amen.
(35) The next day, John was there again with two of his disciples. (36) When he saw Jesus standing by, he said “Look, the lamb of god!”
(37) When the two disciples heard him say this, they turned around and followed Jesus. (38) Turning around, Jesus saw them and asked, “What do you want?”
They said “Rabbi” (which means ‘teacher’) “Where are you staying?”
(39) “Come,” he replied, “and you will see. So they went and saw where he was staying and spent the day with him. It was about the tenth hour.
(40) Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. (41) The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him. “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). (42) And he bought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon, son of John. You will be called Cephras” (which, when translated, is Peter).
Observations:
I’d like to make some observations here about witnessing to the gospel.
(1) Witnesses to the gospel play an integral part of building the kingdom of god.
There are two paths via which people come to know god. Firstly, the bible records some people who came to god through either direct contact with Jesus or divine revelation. Whilst Jesus walked the earth, many came to know him through direct contact. And the bible records some examples (e.g. Paul) of people who received to gospel through divine revelation.
Yes, god can work divine miracles. However, in the majority of cases, people receive the gospel via other believers. This is what we see here – John witnessing to two of his own disciples (more on that in a later post) and Andrew, in turn, witnessing to Peter - witnesses witnessing about the gospel to others, who, in turn, become witnesses and witness about the gospel to yet others still.
God is not in any way reliant upon this method, but it seems to be the most common way for the kingdom of god to expand most of the time.
I believe that all who know Christ as their savior are given an active role in the growth of the kingdom of god. God, as we see in the book of Genesis (the first book in the bible), is an active god. He believes in activity, not passivity, and I believe that he has an active role for every believer.
True, I believe that god chooses to give special spiritual gifts to special people for specific purposes. But no matter what, every single follower of Jesus can (and should) be a witness for Jesus. There are no special qualifications.
Every believer, I feel, should seek to be active in two ways – knowing Christ themselves (usually through reading the bible) and making him known by being a witness to others.
(2) Being an effective witness to the gospel does not require education or talent. (v41)
Do you know your bible inside out? Are you particularly talented at speaking or presenting new ideas in a persuasive manner?
If the answer to one or both of these questions is yes, then I have good news. If the answer is no, I have the same good news:
You can be an effective witness to the gospel.
In verse 41, Andrew has only just heard the news about Jesus. Now it does appear that Andrew previously had a reasonable background knowledge of the old testament - after all, he was one of John’s disciples. But, this was Andrew’s first encounter with Jesus.
How did Andrew approach the task of making Jesus known to others?
Did he go away and study for six months to refine his knowledge of the OT and write a carefully scripted answer to every possible question about Jesus? No.
Did he follow Jesus for a while to undertake a detailed study of him? No.
Did he ‘brush up’ on his techniques at people persuasion? No.
He went straight into action. Immediately after meeting Jesus himself, he found his brother and shared his good news. Instinctively and instantaneously, Andrew found himself being an effective witness for the gospel. He did not need special skills or training - he simply went into action.
I’m certainly not saying that we should not undertake diligent study of the bible. Nor am I saying that careful preparation for sharing the gospel is a bad thing. Objections to the gospel must be expected, and in dealing with these, it does help, I think, to be battle ready.
What I am saying, is that we should not put off the task of sharing the gospel with others.
Start today.
(3) First, you must encounter Jesus
So, then. What does it take to be an effective witness to the gospel?
When we look at the story of Andrew, we can see, I think, three key aspects of Andrew witnessing to Peter.
First, Andrew had a personal encounter with Jesus. Before Andrew could tell Peter about Jesus, he had to know Jesus himself.
So must we. Before we go out and tell others about Jesus, we must first come to the point where we ourselves know Christ as our savior.
We can only share with others what we know ourselves.
Now, we will not, like Andrew, have a physical encounter with Jesus. Our encounter with Jesus will be spiritual. The point which we need to come to is where we can confidently affirm Jesus as our savior, where we have absolute faith that all of our sins have been covered by the death of Jesus on the cross.
If you have come to that position already, you are ready to be a witness to the gospel.
If not, I do not believe that you are ready to be a witness to the gospel at this point.
(4) Second, you must follow Jesus:
There was one thing Andrew, as well as the other disciple of Jesus, did betwee the point of encountering Jesus and the point of Andrew becoming a witness to Peter:
Andrew followed Jesus.
Andrew, and the other disciple, literally turned and followed Jesus. They turned around, giving up whatever else they were doing in their lives, and followed their messiah.
We, too, must follow Jesus in our own lives. For us, following Jesus will not be a physical act, as with Andrew, but a spiritual act. It’s turning around our lives and following a life worthy of the gospel. It’s turning from any areas of sin in our lives and instead following the ways of righteousness.
If we truly know Jesus, we will follow him. We won’t do it perfectly, and some of us will still fall back into sinful ways, but we will be drawn naturally to following the ways of Jesus – if we truly know him.
It’s all well and good to go out and share the gospel with others. But our sharing of the gospel will be much more effective if we, ourselves are living the gospel. We cannot share what we don’t follow. The people whom we share the gospel with must be able to see the grace of god in how we live, as well as what we say.
(5) We must bring people to jesus
In verse 42, the bible says that Andrew brought Peter to Jesus.
That’s exactly what sharing the gospel is about – bringing people to Jesus. In the same way that Andrew bought Peter to Jesus, we, too, must try to bring those with whom we share the gospel to Jesus.
In the case of Andrew, his act of bringing Peter to Jesus is a physical and literal act. In our case, bringing people to Jesus is a figurative act, not a literal one. We might choose to take them along to church or to a home bible study group. We might introduce them to online bible study groups.
Whatever we do, I think that we need to bring people to a place where they can meet other believers, learn about Jesus and experience some form of worship.
There, they will be able to experience Jesus for themselves. Whether or not they accept Jesus into their lives will depend on them and god. But we must bring them to a place where they can experience the saving grace of Christ.
Prayer:
Lord, I pray for two things.
First, for us to know you. Lord, we cannot witness effectively to others until we actually know you ourselves. So lord, ever so much more, please shower upon us more and more understanding of your perfect justice, power, mercy and love, so that we may know you more fully every day.
Second, I pray that you equip us with the courage and wisdom to follow you and to share the news of your great mercy and love to others. Lord, how often I fail in this simple task!
Lord, let others look upon us and not only hear about you from our mouths, but see your work and your grace in our lives. Let our words and our lives be a witness to your glory.
In the name of Jesus Christ our Lord,
Amen.
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