An everyday miracle

John 2

In today’s passage John gives us the first of seven proofs – or signs – of Jesus being the Messiah. He changed water into wine. Doesn’t seem like too big of a deal, does it? It’s not a case of Jesus healing the sick (although he would do that), raising the dead (he’d do that too), or casting out demons (again, he’d also do that), but it’s Jesus helping out someone in a time of need. I know there are times I’ve thought to myself that my problem was too small to take to Jesus. Does he really care about the small details of my life? Of course he does! In fact, in those small details of life he wants to do amazing miracles. But we must be willing to let him.

Come and see

John 1:18-51

When you look at Jesus’ disciples there were two dominant ways that they shared their faith. At times Jesus told them to “Go and tell.” Look at the Great Commission. Look at the sending out of the 70 disciples (see Luke 10). In both cases Jesus sent his disciples to tell others about him.

But there’s another mode of evangelism that happens among Jesus disciples — “Come and see.” You can call this the invitational method. You see it in today’s passage. Both Jesus and Phillip told people to come and see. Jesus told the first disciples to come and see what life was like following him. (OK, actually he told them to come and see where he lived, but I have to think there was more to there question than just asking about his home.) When Phillip was asked by Nathanael whether any good could come from someone from Galilee, Phillip told him: “come and see.”

There’s a parallel today. Most evangelism strategies can be divided into two paths. Either you go to where lost people are and tell them about Jesus or you invite them to some sort of event where they are told about Jesus (like a church service). Both strategies have a place in the work of God.

The important question is, are you using either strategy? Are you either active in telling people you know about Jesus or inviting them to church or another event so someone else can tell them about Christ?

The Word becomes flesh

John 1: 1-18

This has always been one of my favorite Scriptures in the Bible. Along with the Christ-centered songs in Philippians 2, Colossians 1, and Hebrews 1, it represents one of the most important biblical passages on the deity of Christ. John 1: 1-18 says that the Word (clearly the pre-existent Christ) became flesh and dwelt among us. God himself became flesh. When John tells us that Jesus is the Word, he’s reminding us of Jesus’ place in the creation of the universe. (Remember, Genesis 1 when God spoke the universe into existence. Jesus, that very Word, became human and dwelt among us.)

The passage reminds us that Jesus was God in the flesh. No doubt about it. There’s no confusion. The Bible is clear on this point. This should allow us to rest in confidence that the one we worship is the creator and ruler of the universe.

There’s a really important tension between the deity and the humanity of Jesus. We have to always stay in the midst of that tension and not attempt to sidestep it. To drift to one side or another is to deny what the Bible says about Jesus. It’s hard for us to fathom, but He really is noth human and divine. If He’s not both, then we could never have been saved. So we must rest in the assurance that he is. John 1: 1-18 is one of the classic texts to look at as we do so.

The choice of faith

Luke 24: 13-53

It’s easy to look at the disciples who came across Jesus in Luke 24 and kind of laugh at them. How can they not see Jesus when he is standing right in front of them? But don’t we do the same thing? God moves among us all the time, and we don’t see it. We chalk it up to coincidence or good fortune. Often it’s the movement of God though.

In many ways faith is how we choose to look at the world. We can either look at the world and assume everything good that happens to us just happens by chance or we can choose to see the hand of God at work.

The choice is ours.

The power of the ressurection

Luke 23: 1-12

It’s sad that the most pivotal moment in the history of our faith – the ressurection – is often one of the least thought about and most often ignored. Without the ressurection, nothing else about Christianity would make sense. Paul makes that clear in 1 Corinthians 15. If the ressurection we read about today had never happened, then our faith is in vain.

But it did happen. And it changed everything. Those of us who have accepted Christ’s death and ressurection have literally died to our old way of life and been raised again to a new kind of life. The power of the Christian life comes when we continually put to death the parts of our lives that don’t honor God so that we can truly live his way. The ressurection is the power source though. And it only comes through death.

Knowing the future

Luke 23: 13-32

Jesus’ words seem to be pretty abrasive in this passage. He tells the women of Jerusalem that they are the ones who need to be wept for — not Him. That prophecy was proved true less than 40 years later when Roman armies sieged the city. Men, women, and children were killed. Of course, everything Jesus promised came to pass. It’s comforting to know that Jesus knows the future. He doesn’t just know about the future of Jerusalem. He knows about our future as well. It’s hard to rest in that sometimes. Life looks unpredictable. And what we can’t predict is scary. But knowing the one in whom holds our future means everything. I don’t have to have confidence because I know everything. I just have to be confident that I know who does.

Jesus’ prayer

Luke 22: 24-53

Sorry it has been awhile since I have posted. I went out of town this week and had trouble posting.

Jesus’ prayer in the garden has to be one of highlights in the Passion narrative. “Not my will, but yours.” That’s the epitome of what God wants from us. We’re to give up our will for His. It’s hard though. I struggle with it everyday. I love to do things my own way. But when i committed my life to Christ, I committed myself to giving up what I want for what He wants.

Jesus was fully human. He didn’t want to endure the pain of the cross. But he was willing to do so because he knew it was what God wanted. What does God want you to do that you’ve been fighting?

Taking a stand

Luke 20:1-26

I like Jesus’ little trap in the part of this passage about His authority. When His authority is questioned, Jesus throws it back in the face asking about John the Baptist. Jesus asked, where was John’s authority from? Heaven or man. The poor scribes and Pharisees didn’t no what to say. It reminds me of people today that refuse to take a stand on who Jesus is. They want to have their bread buttered on both sides. When we try to do that though, it ends up like the Pharisees. We’re more in a mushy place in the middle. I don’t believe God wants us to be overbearing with our opinions. We’re still called on by Scripture to be humble in our presentation of truth. Yet we should never shy away from taking our stand on truth — just be nice about it!  

Do we recognize the work of God?

Luke 19: 28-48

There are several places in Scripture where Jesus displays His love for Jerusalem and His concern for its future. In this passage He says that the Jerusalem will be destroyed (which it was about four decades later), and it will be because of the fact the city didn’t recognize “the time of visitation.” They didn’t recognize that Jesus, God’s Son, had come. Do we recognize when Jesus visits us? He moved in our lives all of the time, but often we just chalk about His work as chance or coincidence. How sad. The very God of the universe – the Word of God – is among us and we ignore Him. Let’s not be like Jerusalem.

The graceful Jesus

Luke 19: 1-27

I can’t tell you how much it comforts me that Jesus had a place in his heart for someone like Zacchaeus. Although Zacchaeus was a tax collector and I wasn’t, I know I’ve made just as many mistakes. I know I was far from God. If Zacchaeus wasn’t welcomed into fellowship with God, I wasn’t either. But Zacchaeus was. For some reason, while we were yet enemies of God, He loved us. I don’t understand. I can be so unloveable. But I am so grateful that he is so graceful. Thank you, Jesus.