John’s Testimony

Posted by The Bible In Your Hand on June 19, 2018
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John_1_279115047_stdJohn’s Testimony

22 After these things Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea, and there He remained with them and baptized. 23 Now John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there. And they came and were baptized. 24 For John had not yet been thrown into prison.

John 2:13 – 3:21 happened during or near the time of the Passover in the spring of CE (AD) 28. Jesus had as disciples, John, Andrew, Peter, Philip, Nathanael and perhaps James the brother of John the beloved. As Christ instructed his disciples to do after his resurrection, he put into practice before his resurrection by starting His earthly ministry in Jerusalem and Judea. You shall be a witness to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth (Acts 1:8).

Strangely, (John 3:22-36 speaks of the Judean ministry) yet little is known of this phase of His earthly ministry. How many miracles took place, what was his message to the people, the record is strangely quiet. But it is significant that John the Baptizer and his disciples resurface again in the book of John.

You see, John was sent to bear witness of Christ’s coming. But he was also sent to give testimony to the fact that Christ did minister to others, even early in his ministry.

So why did Jesus concentrate his early work in Jerusalem and Judea? He wanted to give the religious leaders the opportunity to witness the evidence of His divine mission and to accept Him as the Messiah. As He had talked with Nicodemus, Christ endeavored to speak with all the religious leaders. He wanted them to see who He really was, and that He was the messiah. It was His desire to lead the nation forward to the accomplishment of its divinely appointed task of spreading the good news of Christ coming to the nations around them.

But despite seeming success the early Judean ministry was largely unsuccessful. In fact, more true conversions occurred on the day of Pentecost than throughout the entirety of Christ earthly ministry.

Instead of creating interest it created jealousy between the disciples of Jesus and the disciples of John. They were Jealous for their master John. They failed to fully grasp the true nature of John’s ministry of pointing others to Christ.

25 Then there arose a dispute between some of John’s disciples and the Jews about purification. 26 And they came to John and said to him, Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified behold, He is baptizing, and all are coming to Him!”

27 John answered and said, “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven. 28 You yourselves bear me witness that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before Him.”

John by talking to his disciples bore witness to the fact that Jesus was the messiah and that the Messiah’s influence should increase while his own influence should decrease. As was stated in the first chapter of John, John the Baptizer came calling the people to repentance and to prepare the way for the coming messiah.

Yet I can understand the jealousy for those that continued to be disciples of John. They truly didn’t understand the nature of Jesus mission on earth and even John did not fully comprehend it. They wanted John to be a great leader among the people, but John said no, that is not my position. My position is to point others to the messiah, and that messiah is none other than the Lamb of God, whom I baptized with water. But, He will not only baptize with water, but will baptize with the Holy Spirit as He Himself was baptized with water and the Holy Spirit on the day that I baptized Him.

As John said in verse 28, “I am not Christ, But I have been sent before Him.”

This should be the attitude of all Christian leaders and true followers of Christ. It is not about self and our own ministries, it is about pointing others to the coming Messiah. John pointed to Christ who was to be our sacrifice for our sins. Today as Christians we should be pointing others to repentance and the soon coming of our Lord and Saviour in the clouds of Glory.

The Light of Truth

Posted by The Bible In Your Hand on June 18, 2018
Posted in: Christian, Christianity, Religion, Spirituality, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a comment

The Light of Truth

14 “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 18 He who believes in Him is not condemned but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. 22 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”

John, in his gospel, in chapter one shows us the contrast between light and darkness. The world being dark because of sin, and Christ who has come to shed light upon that darkness. To every person, there is ample light that is presented to them that they should have enough evidence to make an informed decision concerning God and Christ. To accept salvation or reject it.

But as so often happens, light is given and the heart rejects it because the heart loves darkness or the things of this world more than they love Christ. The power of sin on the heart is hard to break. In and of ourselves, we are powerless to resist sin, and it is only through the power of God through the Holy Spirit that sin can be resisted.

Only one who hates the light of truth will be blinded by the evil one. He avoids the light for the same reason that a thief avoids a policeman. Yet to him who believes and earnestly longs for the principles of truth to become more fully operative in his life, truth and life are given.

Paul acknowledged that in him dwelleth no good thing (Romans 7:18) and that the credit for a victorious life did not come from within himself, but was a gift that belonged to God, who has made it possible through Jesus Christ to become a part of him (see Romans 8:1-4; I Corinthians 15:57; Galatians 2:20 and see Matthew 5:48).

Christ was telling Nicodemus from the moment that they started talking that relying upon self, the sacrificial service and all the traditions and regulations that they thought they had to keep in order to attain everlasting life, was of no purpose. The only way was to submit himself to Christ, and become as a new born baby, teachable with a humble spirit.

It is in this way that the Holy Spirit can have a powerful influence upon the lives of all that seek Christ. It is when we put away self, accept Christ as our saviour and invite the Holy Spirit into our life, that the gift of salvation is imparted to us through the righteousness of Christ.

It is nothing that we do of ourselves except to have an active faith, a faith that has grabbed ahold of Christ as our saviour and that we will never let go of.

When Christ is lifted up, Christ who was made in the likeness of sinful man is lifted up before us, then the light of his atoning sacrifice is brought fully before mankind. When fully seen and comprehended as the selfless gift of Christ that He gave of Himself freely that we through Him might be saved and receive everlasting life, that our heart should see the rays of light pouring from the cross to illuminate our path on the way to heaven.

It is by the power of the Holy Spirit, working in our lives, that we can achieve the goal of someday walking on streets made of gold, and visiting with our God and Father, Who loved us so much that He gave his only Son that we might by believing in his atoning sacrifice gain life with God that was lost when Eve and Adam, and through them that all mankind sinned.

To no other besides the woman at the well, did Christ so fully show His true identity and what was necessary to achieve salvation and life with Him.

So now, the decision is yours and yours alone, will you accept Christ and grab ahold of him and by faith accept the atoning sacrifice of His spilt blood for the remission of your sins and mine.

Christ and His heavenly Father long to have a relationship with you. But, ultimately the decision is yours and yours alone.

The hour was late, Nicodemus departed for his home. He had many things to ponder. Would he accept Christ as the Messiah? Perhaps an even better question is, will you?

 

You Are My Portion

Posted by The Bible In Your Hand on June 16, 2018
Posted in: Christian, Christianity, Religion, Spirituality, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , . Leave a comment

My PortionYou Are My Portion

                                                    ת  Heth

57 You are my portion, O LORD; I have said I would keep Your words.

58 I entreated Your favor with my whole heart; Be merciful to me according to Your word.

59 I thought about my ways, And turned my feet to Your testimonies.

60 I made haste, and did not delay to keep Your commandments.

61 The cords of the wicked have bound me, But I have not forgotten Your law.

62 At midnight I will rise to give thanks to You, Because of Your righteous judgments.

63 I am a companion of all who fear You, and of those who keep Your precepts.

64 The earth, O LORD, is full of Your mercy; Teach me Your statues

Psalm 119:57-64

The Psalmist is inviting God to fill him, to become a part of him. By keeping Your words and Your commandments, I am asking you to become a part of my life, to fill that portion which I have set aside for you.

Although Christ longs to fill all of us, often we have set aside a small space for the presence of God in our life. Many believe that by keeping God’s law and commandments, we are making room for Him, the keeping of His law and commandments does not come from wanting Him to come into our life, but by having Him already in our life.

Therefore, the Psalmist says, “I entreated your favor with my whole heart.” When we open our whole heart and life to God, honoring him with our thoughts and actions, then the mercies of God lie before us, within our grasp, not because of what we have done, but because Christ has bridged the gap between us and God’s mercy. The gap was created when sin separated us from God.

God, makes himself known to us through nature, the sacred writings of the Holy Scripture and through the Holy Spirit working upon our heart. When we look upon God through these different means he has presented before us, then self-examination will show us where we fail to live our life in accordance with God’s will. This is essential for spiritual growth and the formation of a noble Christian character. It is not an easy matter that happens overnight but is the process that will last a life time. God desires to take away all unfavorable trait, so that He is truly reflected in our character. He desires that His character become our character.

When we closely examine our past, and the many times we have fallen short of God’s glory and desires for our lives, then we will hasten, delaying not to keep Your commandments which You have given for our benefit so that we may see our need for You in our lives.

By delaying, by not turning my focus upon God, I am robbing myself of time spent with God. For procrastination is not only the thief of time, but also of eternity.

Yet all around me, the wicked seek to bind me within their web of treachery. They seek to rob me of the blessing and mercy that you freely give to all those that seek you and desire to keep your laws and statutes.

Although they tempt me and seek to ensnare me, they could not keep me away from God, nor God away from me. The consciousness of his fidelity to the law has given me courage to face the foes who are around me.

It is in the quiet hours of the darkness while other sleep that I choose to spend time in praise and devotion to the one that assures me of my salvation.

Though I have the companionship of friends and family, they pale when compared to the dearest friend of all and that is Christ Jesus. Because of Christ, I will then be a companion of all who diligently seek Christ and keep Your precepts.

Therefore teach me and fill me full of Your mercy and teach me Your statutes placing them deep within my heart.