Fishing

In John 21:1-9 we see a story that demonstrates the command of the commission.  We see a picture of how ministry should be and since our life is to be a ministry, we see how life should be.  We are to be fishers – fishers of men.  In this story we see Peter leading his group fishing.  They are doing the job that God has called them to do.  Interesting that they don’t catch any fish.  Then Jesus shows up and tells them to fish on the other side of the boat.  There is no magic on the other side of the boat – there is nothing about the technical aspects of fishing such that fishing off one side of the boat versus another should yield fish.  So, for the men to listen to Jesus they had to turn away from their own pride and rational thinking and trust Jesus.  Now they catch tons of fish.  When Jesus is followed and trusted and honored – there is abundance.  When Jesus is present in the work and leading the work, there are unimaginable results.  In contrast, when we do a work by ourselves, in our own power – nothing.  In other words, it is really God doing the work. 

Notice that the net was full but did not break.  God will enable what God will perform.  God will take care of what He calls you to do.  Don’t sweat the small stuff. 

In the rest of John 21 Jesus gives  a specific commission to Peter. 

That concludes our study of John - I hope that you enjoyed it and learned a lot.  Love to you all.

Doubting?

Look at the rest of chapter 20 today. 

I like the interaction between Thomas and Jesus.  I love that Jesus meets Thomas where he is and gives him what he needs to believe.  I love Thomas’ reactions, “My Lord and my God.”  Everyone has to make a personal decision about how they respond to the news of the resurrection.  We should come to Jesus with our doubts and ask Him to reveal Himself to us.  Hopefully our response is as Thomas’ was, “my Lord, my God.”  Is Jesus your Lord and your God? 

John 20:30-31 is written for each one of us.  The book of John was written “that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of God; AND that believing you may have life in His name.”  I hope that through our study you have grown in your belief and understanding that Jesus is Christ, the son of God.  Think about what you have learned.  Think about how this can help you have LIFE – life now and life eternal. 

"Go"

Today look at John 20:19-23.  Here we see the commission.  The end of each gospel is not the resurrection of Jesus but the commission by Jesus.  Jesus didn’t just die to save us, He died to use us.  Here we see what God intends to happen after a person believes.   At the start of these verses we see the disciples scared and hidden indoors (in contrast to the women who are out trying to find Jesus J).  You wouldn’t think these cowardly men would be the ones to start the Christian church but then we see Jesus enter and do several things.  First He tells them to have Peace.  Then He says, “I send you.” There is a purpose for these disciples and this purpose is to tell the message of God – of the forgiveness of sins.  That is the ultimate purpose of all believers – to witness to the reality of Christ and His work on the cross.  Lastly, Jesus gives the Holy Spirit – the source in which to fulfill this commission.  Have you considered not just that Jesus died to save you but that He also died to use you?  Do you realize that the Holy Spirit has enabled you for a purpose?  Do you believe that “God’s will for your life” is really to declare Him and His message? 

Mary at the Tomb

Today look at John 20:1-18 and focus on Mary.   Mary is the first one to see the risen Christ.  In these verses we see that Mary Magdalene had several misconceptions.  She thought Jesus was still in the tomb.  Then when she found the tomb empty, she thought Jesus’ body was stolen.  Then when she sees Jesus, she thinks He must be a gardener.  She was taking the logic of her mind and coming to wrong conclusions.  We need to remember that it is easy to come to wrong conclusions about what Jesus is doing - especially when we use our human logic.  God may be doing something too big for us to imagine – just as Jesus was doing something so big that Mary couldn’t imagine. 

In Mary we can also see a beautiful picture of our relationship to God.  Mary was confused.  Mary had some errors in her thinking.  Mary was unhappy.  However, all of this dissipates when Jesus calls her name.  When Jesus calls her name, her eyes are opened and understanding is given her.  When Jesus calls her she responds.  When Jesus calls her she is overjoyed.  Think of how this parallels God calling us into a relationship with Him.  Think of how when Mary thought things were one way she weeps but when she sees the truth she rejoices.  Could you be “weeping” because you can’t see the truth? 

Last Week

Thanks Tammy.  Happy Spring Break to some of you.  I am sending this from Washington DC.  I agree about the “Passion of Christ” being a very difficult movie to watch but every few years I force myself to watch it so that I can be reminded of just how much Jesus endured for me.  Last year we even watched it with our children – I think it made a significant impact on them – they actually loved it and I think it brought them to a true understanding of salvation.  I encourage you to watch it if you haven't. 

I think the three words of “It is finished” encompass a great deal of theology.  What was finished?  Of course, Jesus’ life on earth was finished which meant that many other things were finished or brought to completion at the same time.  The wrath of God was satisfied.  The law was satisfied (the Old Testament was fulfilled, the penalty for all sin was paid through a blood sacrifice).  The distance between God and man that started with Adam’s sin was rectified.  Man was reconciled to God.  All of this was done through the love and obedience of a perfect and divine man.

This week we are going to finish John and I am going to do it a little differently.  For the next four days I will post some comments and questions on a part of John 20 or 21.  I encourage you to read those verses and reflect.  See if you can find a quiet time each day for those few verses and let God teach you through his Word.  Don’t stop with Jesus’ death last week – finish out with His resurrection and His commission.  Jesus’ death wasn’t an act of defeat, it was an act of victory.  Jesus wasn’t a victim, He was a savior.  He died, but then he rose again and after He rose, He gave the disciples and us some important instructions. 

John 19

The crucifixion is probably the hardest thing to read in the
Bible. I have never seen the entire movie "The Passion of Christ",
the sounds were enough to turn my stomach and make me stop watching. The
physical brutality is almost incomprehensible. In the chapter we read what
actually happened to Christ. He was totally innocent, but he did not argue,
debate, or fight the charges. He knew what he had to do to fulfill God's plan.
I also thought about the fear Pilate must of felt-he knew he was killing an
innocent man but he was afraid of the crowd and of what might happen to him if
he were branded an enemy of the emperor. I wonder what Pilate thought after he
heard about the Resurrection of Jesus.
I'm embarrassed to admit that until the past year or so, I didn't realize the
relationship between the Old and the New Testaments. When Jesus says "It
is finished" I'm assuming he is referring to the fulfillment of the Old
Testament scripture; the fulfillment of God's promise of salvation for us.
I also read this chapter thinking of what some of the witnesses must have felt.
My heart breaks for Mary. I cannot imagine watching my innocent son die in such
a horrible way. The soldiers-- especially when they realize what they have
done. His disciples--the despair they must have felt.
But as Christine wrote "Courage, power, love, obedience" was Jesus
reaction.

Week 8

Courage, power, love, obedience.  We don’t see a cowarding Christ, a running Christ, a hiding Christ.  We see a Christ who knows what is to come but moves toward it with courage.  Christ wasn’t tricked or fooled or trapped.  He could have escaped this end if He wanted – but He wanted to be obedient to God the Father and die for our sins.  His power was so strong that the soldiers and officials fell to the ground when He just spoke His name yet He set that power aside to be obedient and to love. 

This week we will focus on THE event in the bible – Jesus’ crucifixion as detailed in John chapter 19.  Read it several times and try to see it afresh.  What jumps out to you?  Maybe think of these things as you read.  1) Men do not suffer for what they do not believe.  2) Jesus was suffering for something He didn’t do – in fact, He had committed NO crime.  3) 2 Corinthians 5:21 “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”   Think of how people treated Jesus and look at how He responded – even in the midst of extreme suffering.  Also, think about what Jesus meant when He said, “It is finished.” 

John 18

Recently I have been exposed to a variety of methods of studying the Bible. One method involves picturing yourself in the story and looking at the different people and how they must have felt at the time. So.... as I look at this chapter I'm thinking how the arresting soldiers must have felt. No doubt they knew there was something different about this man but they didn't feel they had a choice but to follow instructions. The High Priest and Pilate really didn't want anything to do with this situation. They knew Jesus was not a criminal. The guilt and confusion Peter must have experienced. The Jewish people-at one time they were followers of Jesus and now they were calling for his death. And lastly Judas-once he actually witnessed what he had done, I'm imagining the horrible feeling in his stomach. The reality of what he had done tha eventually caused him to take his own life.
As Christine wrote... lots of confusion, unease, disruption, conflict, and emotion. And at the center of it all was Jesus. However, he is the most calm and logical person in the story. And what I find even more amazing is ... he was the only one who actually knew everything that was going to happen!
I'm trying to apply this someway to my life. I think my goal this week is to stay calm, try to find peace, keep things in perspective and realize if Christ can maintain his composure in this situation surely I can handle the minor things that disrupt my life.

Week 7

Thanks Tammy, Julie and Erin - great thoughts. 

I think we often think of uniformity when we hear unity – we think unity means we are the same but that is not the case.  Unity means we are united – “to bring or come together in a single unit, to join in a common goal.”  We can be different and unified at the same time.   In unity our differences don’t keep us apart – or don’t affect our relationship.  Unity infers a common bond that is stronger than any difference.  As Christians, we have a common bond that should be stronger than any difference we may have.  God loves us equally.  We each have equal glory because of our position in Christ (verse 22). We each have equal responsibility and ability. We each are equally sinful and “all fall short of the glory of God.”  How can the world believe that God loves us when we can’t love each other – if we really believed that God loved the other person as much as He loves us would we treat them differently?  We don’t have to be unified in thought (other than the few absolute truths of the gospel) – we have to be unified in love – love for God and love for each other. 

This week we will do John chapter 18.  Here we see Jesus being arrested.  As I read this it seems that everyone is in turmoil – except for Jesus.  Look at the responses of the people around Jesus.  Judas.  The detachment of soldiers and officials (verse 6).  Peter.  Pilate.  Then look at Jesus and His response to what should have been a humiliating, degrading, scary experience. 

John 17

Two things that I touched me in this chapter are: 1) how much Jesus loved his disciples and how he prayed for their safety. He refers to "keeping them safe" and "guarding" them. 2) the call for unity not just from the disciples but from all of us. My church is going through a difficult time and there have been things said and done that have hurt people. Jesus calls for unity among his followers. Verses 21, 22, 23, 26 and the verses Christine referred to in Philippians. He tells us to "live in harmony by showing love for each other. Be united in what you think, as if you were one person." So many times I wonder if this is possible. It's discouraging to see so much dissention in the world, in our communities, in our families and even in our churches. This will only be possible through the Holy Spirit. It's difficult for human beings to avoid jealousy and pride. Why is that? Why can't we be more humble and considerate? I don't mean this in a judgemental way. I fall short of this myself. These verses give me a lot to think about and work on. The more like Christ I become then I think this will be easier and more natural for me. It's a goal : )