October 31 - John 1-3
The book of John is all about the need for people to "believe" in Jesus. It speaks often about the need to "receive" Him and the testimony about Him. Even though John starts off by referring to Jesus as the "Word", which refers to the philosophical thought of the day about what is the ultimate reality in the world, he quickly speaks of Jesus as the Life and the Light. The key is not to understand Jesus, but to realize that we need life and light for the journey of life and accept Him by believing Him. It is really that simple, once we get our pride out of the way. Once we accept Him by faith we can begin to understand more and more.
The book of John is also about the signs He worked to show people He was the Messiah. He did not want there to be any room for an argument. Even Nicodemus in chapter 3 knew that Jesus was special because of the signs. However, there was not just a need to be convinced by the signs. There was the need to accept and believe. Therefore, when Jesus spoke to Nicodemus, He got right to the point, when He said "You must be born again." A person is not born again by seeing a miracle and understanding that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. A person is born again by trusting Him to forgive his sins and to be Lord of his life. Do you see the difference? In chapter 2 when Jesus turned the water to wine that was a great miracle, but no one was saved by seeing that miracle. Each one had to surrender his or her life to Jesus by faith. It is the same way today. People want to be convinced, but that is not enough. Even if a person is convinced of who Jesus is, he or she must repent of his sin and trust Christ.
Why am I going on and on about this? I am afraid, we miss the point of witnessing sometimes. It is not to try to answer everyone's questions, so they can believe. It is to present Jesus as Lord and Savior. Then, the Holy Spirit can use that witness to convict them of their need. Yes, we should answer questions, but we should realize that is not what is keeping someone from Christ. It is something in their hearts that won't let go and trust Jesus as Savior and Lord. Jesus gives light to all who come into this world. (1:9) They know there is a God, and they need to believe. The key is how they respond to the light they are given. If they respond in faith, Jesus will give them more and more light, until they come to know Him. It is not a lack of knowledge as much as a lack of searching and a lack of desire to respond to what God is saying. Yes, we need to know the basics of the Gospel to be saved, but what can we know without a Bible. I believe we can know a lot, because God reveals Himself to us. (Romans 1:18-20) Are we listening? Most people don't listen, because of a hard heart. Let's tell them about Jesus, so the Spirit can work on them to accept Jesus by faith.
Tomorrow, I intend to read John 4-6.
The book of John is also about the signs He worked to show people He was the Messiah. He did not want there to be any room for an argument. Even Nicodemus in chapter 3 knew that Jesus was special because of the signs. However, there was not just a need to be convinced by the signs. There was the need to accept and believe. Therefore, when Jesus spoke to Nicodemus, He got right to the point, when He said "You must be born again." A person is not born again by seeing a miracle and understanding that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. A person is born again by trusting Him to forgive his sins and to be Lord of his life. Do you see the difference? In chapter 2 when Jesus turned the water to wine that was a great miracle, but no one was saved by seeing that miracle. Each one had to surrender his or her life to Jesus by faith. It is the same way today. People want to be convinced, but that is not enough. Even if a person is convinced of who Jesus is, he or she must repent of his sin and trust Christ.
Why am I going on and on about this? I am afraid, we miss the point of witnessing sometimes. It is not to try to answer everyone's questions, so they can believe. It is to present Jesus as Lord and Savior. Then, the Holy Spirit can use that witness to convict them of their need. Yes, we should answer questions, but we should realize that is not what is keeping someone from Christ. It is something in their hearts that won't let go and trust Jesus as Savior and Lord. Jesus gives light to all who come into this world. (1:9) They know there is a God, and they need to believe. The key is how they respond to the light they are given. If they respond in faith, Jesus will give them more and more light, until they come to know Him. It is not a lack of knowledge as much as a lack of searching and a lack of desire to respond to what God is saying. Yes, we need to know the basics of the Gospel to be saved, but what can we know without a Bible. I believe we can know a lot, because God reveals Himself to us. (Romans 1:18-20) Are we listening? Most people don't listen, because of a hard heart. Let's tell them about Jesus, so the Spirit can work on them to accept Jesus by faith.
Tomorrow, I intend to read John 4-6.