Category Archives: Christ
On Call
John 1:29 “The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (NRSV).
Please read John 1:29-34 (NRSV). John the Baptist says, “He that sent me told me what to look out for” [paraphrased] and this is the first thing that jumps out at us. Meaning that John the Baptist was not just some eccentric man who went about baptizing people with water. Read the rest of this entry
Hesed
John 1:14 “And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.” (NRSV, emphasis added)
Jesus is full of grace and full of truth. Jesus is not half or fifty percent (50%) grace and half or fifty percent (50%) truth. Jesus is full of grace and full of truth. Jesus is hundred percent (100%) grace and hundred percent (100%) truth. Read the rest of this entry
True Focus
John 1:26-27 “John answered them, “I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not know, the one who is coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandal.” (NRSV, emphasis added)
John in reference to Jesus said, “I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandal.” What did he mean? At that time, what is called the “Rabbinic Movement” was very strong. The Rabbis are the teachers and each Rabbi will have students. Read the rest of this entry
The Witness
John 1:6-7 “There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him.” (NRSV, emphasis added)
The story is told about a young man who told his Pastor that he had consecrated his life to Jesus. The Pastor looked at him intently and said, “We are going for evangelism tomorrow and we will need your car tomorrow morning.” Read the rest of this entry
Word & Deed!
Ps. 33:6 & 9 “The Lord merely spoke, and the heavens were created. He breathed the word, and all the stars were born… For when he spoke, the world began! It appeared at his command.”
Heb.4:12 (AMPC) “For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power [making it active, operative, energizing, and effective]; it is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating to the dividing line of the breath of life (soul) and [the immortal] spirit, and of joints and marrow [of the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart.” The Word of God has everything in it to bring it to pass. Once spoken, it goes out and executes what has been spoken. In John 9:7, all Jesus needed to say was, “go” and that Word opened the eyes of a blind man. In John 11:43, Jesus said, “Lazarus, come forth…” and that Word brought Lazarus out from the grave. The Bible says that, “he that was dead came back alive”. Every Word God has spoken to You will come to pass. I have heard it said a couple of times and I think I agree that, if all Jesus said when He stood by that graveyard was, “come forth”, everybody that had been buried in that graveyard would come out – everybody!’ Think about it, word and deed. So, Jesus had to choose His words carefully, “Lazarus, come forth!”
Begin to experience and relate to God and His Word not according to the English meaning [word] but according to the Hebrew meaning [dabar]. When we see and receive God’s Word [dabar], we do not struggle to believe it or try to make it work by ourselves because sometimes that is what we do. We get God’s Word and say, “I believe it, I confess it, I receive it.” Read the rest of this entry
This John, III
1Jn.1:1 “We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning, whom we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is the Word of life.” (emphasis added).
We are still on the question, who is John? Bible scholars believe, in comparing John 19:25 and Mark 15:40 [please read] and other historical facts, that Salome is the third sister of Mary the mother of Jesus, which makes Jesus and John cousins. Salome herself was a follower of Jesus [please read Matt.27:56]. Read the rest of this entry
Appetizer
2 Tim. 2:15 “Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth.”
John is one of the four Books in the New Testament [Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John] called the Gospels of the Lord Jesus Christ. The first three [Matthew, Mark, and Luke] are known as the synoptic Gospels because they are similar in reference. Read the rest of this entry
Fruiting
Matt.7:20 “Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.”
Gal. 5:22-23 “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!” (emphasis added). Just like the growing fruit on a natural tree is visible to everyone, when the fruit of the Spirit is growing in us, it is also visible to everyone. Read the rest of this entry
