Monthly Archives: December 2025

HELP ME TO ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS – 2

Prayer, ,

To continue our  question…”What is prayer?”

Since Jesus was in constant contact with His Heavenly Father through prayer, of all people, He is most qualified to teach us about prayer. 

First, He is our teacher by example. 

When we work our way through John’s gospel, Jesus and the Father surface in such close partnership that Jesus said or did nothing without first hearing from the Father. 

“For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken.”

‭‭John‬ ‭12‬:‭49‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Does this mean that even every word He uttered was the word of the Father? Was He relaying the Father’s words from heaven to earth to bring about God’s will on earth? By being in constant contact with the Father in prayer, He was staying connected to “headquarters” from where He received His instructions. 

Jesus taught His disciples to pray…

“…Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭10‬ ‭NIV‬‬

How do we apply this example to our praying? I think the answer is simple. Let’s connect the dots. God has equipped us with a plethora of promises that express His intention. Whatever the need, there is either an equivalent promise or a pattern that expresses God’s will. 

Two Scriptures clearly declare this truth. 

“His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these, he has given us his very great and precious promises so that, through them, you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.”

‭‭2 Peter‬ ‭1‬:‭3‬-‭4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

So, first, God’s promises are His provision for our daily walk which clarify His will in detail, and were given to empower us to overcome our old sinful nature so that we became ever increasingly conformed to the image of His Son. 

“For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.”

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭1‬:‭20‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Second, Jesus has endorsed every promise for us. We, therefore, in partnership with Him, affirm His promises as and where they apply, so that earth joins heaven in bringing about God’s intention. 

“We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.”

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭6‬:‭12‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Third, the two ingredients in this process of bringing God’s will to earth are faith and patience. The first of these two requirements take up part of the answer to my next question… “What is faith?”

Let’s fast forward to my encounter with “authority” that will shed light on “faith”. 

To be concluded…

HELP ME TO ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS -3

The story that follows Jesus’ transfiguration, the disciples’ failure to dislodge a demon, poses the question, “What is authority”? 

“After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” He replied, “This kind can come out only by prayer.””

‭‭Mark‬ ‭9‬:‭28‬-‭29‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Jesus had just had an altercation with His disciples. While He and His three closest companions were up the mountain, the other nine were tussling with a stubborn and rather nasty demon. On His return, He soundly rebuked the nine disciples for their unbelief. 

In a quieter moment, they asked Jesus why they had failed to budge the demon. His reply was mystifying unless we begin to dig deeper. 

In our modern context, I think the “deliverance ministry” is badly misunderstood. It is, therefore, misapplied, by “taking authority” over demons and ordering them to go, even if they are not demons but manifestations of “the flesh”, such as anger, rage, jealousy, etc. 

Jesus did not tell us to take authority over anything simply by speaking it. Demons take no notice of such foolishness. Having authority comes from something far deeper. 

Jesus claimed to have authority but how and where did He derive it? He said, “By prayer!”

Now let’s check out a story that clearly teaches us the source of authority and by association, the meaning of faith. 

“When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly.” Jesus said to him, “Shall I come and heal him?” The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭8‬:‭5‬-‭10‬ ‭NIV‬‬

This story is loaded with information about authority and faith. Did you notice how Jesus connected the centurion’s source of authority with his faith? Let’s unpack it. 

“For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 

The centurion’s authority was derived from his submission to higher authority. This kind of authority demands humility. His role was never to act presumptuously or independently of his superior authority. His role was simply to relay instructions, trusting that his word would be obeyed because of the authority under which he spoke. If his underlings trusted the source of his authority, they would obey him. 

The centurion recognised Jesus’ authority under God by the results of His words. So, he declared his faith by saying, “Just say the word…”

What a simple explanation of the meaning and purpose of prayer! Prayer is first, settling the issue of authority. Who is in charge? When I, in prayer, surrender myself to the absolute authority of Jesus, when I listen to Him instead of babbling about myself, I recognise and authenticate my partnership with Him. 

An incident in King David’s life perfectly illustrates this principle. David was determined to build a temple for God. He expressed his desire to the prophet Nathan who encouraged him to carry out his plan. That night, God spoke to Nathan. David was a man of war. God did not assign to him the task of building the temple. His son, Solomon, would have that honour.

Instead, God made David a promise…He would build a house for him, a dynasty that would never end. Unlike the kings of the northern kingdom of Israel, who were wicked and whose dynasties were repeatedly cut off,  David’s descendants would reign in one continuous dynasty that would culminate in the eternal reign of Messiah…the son of David. 

David was overwhelmed by this promise. He went into his sanctuary to commune with God,  first expressing his unworthiness for such a great destiny and then worshiping the Lord. 

“ ‘The Lord declares to you that the Lord himself will establish a house for you: Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.’ ” Nathan reported to David all the words of this entire revelation. Then King David went in and sat before the Lord, and he said: “Who am I, Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? ….“And now, Lord God, keep forever the promise you have made concerning your servant and his house. Do as you promised, so that your name will be great forever. Then people will say, ‘The Lord Almighty is God over Israel!’ And the house of your servant David will be established in your sight.”

‭‭2 Samuel‬ ‭7‬:‭11‬, ‭16‬-‭18‬, ‭25‬-‭26‬ ‭NIV‬‬

In his words, “Do as you have promised”, David relayed to earth what God had spoken in heaven. 

The Apostle Paul also reiterated the same thought…

“It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.” Since we have that same spirit of faith, we also believe and therefore speak,”

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭4‬:‭13‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Now let’s connect all the dots, the process of prayer as Jesus lived it and taught His disciples…

  1. Listen to Him. Jesus takes centre stage in everything. 
  2. Through prayer, we establish and affirm our submission to Jesus as Lord, our Supreme Authority. 
  3. When He gives an appropriate promise or instruction regarding an issue in earth, we are to relay heaven’s will to earth by speaking His word by faith. 
  4. By His authority through us, His will is carried out on earth as it is done in heaven. 
  5. God’s word guarantees that the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. 

Finally, the guarantee…

“As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭55‬:‭10‬-‭11‬ ‭NIV‬‬

God will always do what He says!

HELP ME TO ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS – 1

Christian Life, ,

I remember reading, in my all-time favourite book, “Mister God, this is Anna”, the riveting account of one of Anna’s prayers. One night, Fynn, the author, awoke to the sound of Anna, his little “fellow traveller”, praying. Standing up on her makeshift bed, tears streaming down her face, Anna pleaded with Mister God, “Please help me to ask the right questions!”

It’s the right questions that produce profound answers. 

So, I have found, at a much greater age, that “Mister God”loves to answer questions, especially the questions that only He can answer. Of course, He has provided a book filled with answers but often His wisdom remains hidden in plain sight until the Holy Spirit, the supreme teacher, unlocks the truth to those who “ask the right questions.”

I have, for many years, loved, studied, and practised prayer, slowly progressing from my pathetic, childish understanding to writing a book on prayer that I considered to be “quite profound.” How wrong I have been! O, there’s nothing wrong with my book, as far as I understood prayer then but, after asking what I think might be “the right questions”, more truth has come to light that has profoundly influenced my understanding of this mystical subject. 

I don’t think, for one moment, that our loving Father rejects our bungling efforts to commune with Him but, at the same time, Jesus has given us pointers to aspects of prayer that we need to heed. For example, we must not follow the bad examples of hypocrites and pagans who either use prayer to impress people or babble to be heard. 

We must also remember that prayer is not primarily the way to get our needs met. Our Father, who knows our needs before we ask Him, wants us to concern ourselves with His business first, His kingdom and His righteousness, and He will take care of our material and temporal needs. 

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭33‬ ‭NIV‬‬

True prayer is the way we make contact with our Heavenly Father in the secret place where He knows us, where we have nothing to hide and can be completely open with Him. In the intimacy of prayer, the Father plants the seeds of His word into the “womb” of our spirits where it grows until the time of its birth. 

So, let me get straight into my “questions” and the revelations that have deeply challenged my heart. 

I have recently been working my way through Mark’s gospel, daily blogging on thoughts and ideas that have caught my attention. Then, the story of Jesus’ transfiguration came up. To me, the central focus of this explosive incident, for the disciples, was the Father’s words, interrupting Peter’s foolish suggestion to memorialise this event with three structures. The Father had to set the record straight, once and for all, that Moses and Elijah, as great as they were in the Old Testament dispensation, no longer featured in the New Covenant. 

“Then a cloud appeared and covered them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!”

‭‭Mark‬ ‭9‬:‭7‬ ‭NIV

The impact of the Father’s words is quite clear. “Moses and Elijah have done their work. Now Jesus must take centre stage.”

This instruction was not only for them then but also for us now. “Listen to Him!” Jesus has much to tell us, and especially about prayer and in prayer. 

The first question, then, is…”What  is prayer?”

Let’s ask Jesus!

To be continued…

HELP ME TO ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS – 2

To continue our  question…”What did Jesus say about prayer?”

Since Jesus was in constant contact with His Heavenly Father through prayer, of all people, He is most qualified to teach us about prayer. 

First, He is our teacher by example. 

When we work our way through John’s gospel, Jesus and the Father surface in such close partnership that Jesus said or did nothing without first hearing from the Father. 

“For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken.”

‭‭John‬ ‭12‬:‭49‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Does this mean that even every word He uttered was the word of the Father? Was He relaying the Father’s words from heaven to earth to bring about God’s will on earth? By being in constant contact with the Father in prayer, He was staying connected to “headquarters” from where He received His instructions. 

Jesus taught His disciples to pray…

“…Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭10‬ ‭NIV‬‬

How do we apply this example to our praying? I think the answer is simple. Let’s connect the dots. God has equipped us with a plethora of promises that express His intention. Whatever the need, there is either an equivalent promise or a pattern that expresses God’s will. 

Two Scriptures clearly declare this truth. 

“His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these, he has given us his very great and precious promises so that, through them, you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.”

‭‭2 Peter‬ ‭1‬:‭3‬-‭4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

So, first, God’s promises are His provision for our daily walk which clarify His will in detail, and were given to empower us to overcome our old sinful nature so that we became ever increasingly conformed to the image of His Son. 

“For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.”

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭1‬:‭20‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Second, Jesus has endorsed every promise for us. We, therefore, in partnership with Him, affirm His promises as and where they apply, so that earth joins heaven in bringing about God’s intention. 

“We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.”

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭6‬:‭12‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Third, the two ingredients in this process of bringing God’s will to earth are faith and patience. The first of these two requirements take up part of the answer to my next question… “What is faith?”

Let’s fast forward to my encounter with “authority” that will shed light on “faith”. 

To be continued…

HELP ME TO ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS

The story that follows Jesus’ transfiguration poses the question, “What is authority”? 

“After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” He replied, “This kind can come out only by prayer.””

‭‭Mark‬ ‭9‬:‭28‬-‭29‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Jesus had just had an altercation with His disciples. While He and His three closest companions were up the mountain, the other nine were tussling with a stubborn and rather nasty demon. On His return, He soundly rebuked the nine disciples for their unbelief. 

In a quieter moment, they asked Jesus why they had failed to budge the demon. His reply was mystifying unless we begin to dig deeper. 

In our modern context, I think the “deliverance ministry” is badly misunderstood. It is, therefore, misapplied, by “taking authority” over demons and ordering them to go, even if they are not demons but manifestations of “the flesh”, such as anger, rage, jealousy, etc. 

Jesus did not tell us to take authority over anything simply by speaking it. Demons take no notice of such foolishness. Having authority comes from something far deeper. 

Jesus claimed to have authority but how and where did He derive it? He said, “By prayer!”

Now let’s check out a story that clearly teaches us the source of authority and by association, the meaning of faith. 

“When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly.” Jesus said to him, “Shall I come and heal him?” The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭8‬:‭5‬-‭10‬ ‭NIV‬‬

This story is loaded with information about authority and faith. Did you notice how Jesus connected the centurion’s explanation of his source of authority with his faith? Let’s unpack it. 

“For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 

The centurion’s authority was derived from his submission to higher authority. This kind of authority demands humility, not presumption. His role was never to act presumptuously or independently of his superior authority. His role was simply to relay instructions, trusting that his word would achieve obedience because of the authority under which he spoke. The reality of his authority lay in the trust of his inferiors in him because he was relaying the will of his superior. 

The centurion recognised Jesus’ authority under God by the results of His words. So, he declared his faith by saying, “Just say the word…”

What a simple explanation of the meaning and purpose of prayer! Prayer is first, settling the issue of authority. Who is in charge? When I, in prayer, surrender myself to the absolute authority of Jesus, when I listen to Him instead of babbling about myself, I recognise and authenticate my partnership with Him. 

An incident in King David’s life perfectly illustrates this principle. David was determined to build a temple for God. He expressed his desire to the prophet Nathan who encouraged him to carry out his plan. That night, God spoke to Nathan. David was a man of war. God did not assign to him the task of building the temple. His son, Solomon, would have that honour.

Instead, God made David a promise…He would build a house for him, a dynasty that would never end. Unlike the kings of the northern kingdom of Israel, who were wicked and whose dynasties were repeatedly cut off,  David’s descendants would reign in one continuous dynasty that would culminate in the eternal reign of Messiah…the son of David. 

David was overwhelmed by this promise. He went into his sanctuary to commune with God,  first expressing his unworthiness for such a great destiny and then worshiping the Lord. 

“ ‘The Lord declares to you that the Lord himself will establish a house for you: Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.’ ” Nathan reported to David all the words of this entire revelation. Then King David went in and sat before the Lord, and he said: “Who am I, Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? ….“And now, Lord God, keep forever the promise you have made concerning your servant and his house. Do as you promised, so that your name will be great forever. Then people will say, ‘The Lord Almighty is God over Israel!’ And the house of your servant David will be established in your sight.”

‭‭2 Samuel‬ ‭7‬:‭11‬, ‭16‬-‭18‬, ‭25‬-‭26‬ ‭NIV‬‬

In his words, “Do as you have promised”, David relayed to earth what God had spoken in heaven. 

The Apostle Paul also reiterated the same thought…

“It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.” Since we have that same spirit of faith, we also believe and therefore speak,”

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭4‬:‭13‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Now let’s connect all the dots, the process of prayer as Jesus lived it and taught His disciples…

  1. Listen to Him. Jesus takes centre stage in everything. 
  2. Through prayer, we establish and affirm our submission to Jesus as Lord, our Supreme Authority. 
  3. When He gives an appropriate promise or instruction regarding an issue in earth, we are to relay heaven’s will to earth by speaking His word by faith. 
  4. By His authority through us, His will is carried out on earth as it is done in heaven. 
  5. God’s word guarantees that the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. 

Finally, the guarantee…

“As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭55‬:‭10‬-‭11‬ ‭NIV‬‬

MOLLY AND ME – PRESENCE

Christian Life, ,

Molly and I are aging! You can see it by the whitening of our hair, Molly on her muzzle and paws and me on my head. However, with aging comes new experiences of togetherness and closeness. We’ve been together for almost nine years. 

Molly loves my presence. She doesn’t fuss when I leave her for a while but her “welcome home” greeting is extravagant to the extreme, no matter how long or short my time away might be. Time has no significance for her. She measures her desire for my return by the level of her delight, expressed in squeals and wriggles. 

Sometimes, in the evening, when I am in the shower and she is resting on her bed in the lounge, I hear her call…not in words but in her special bark, “Where are you?” or, “Please fetch me,” if she is in the garden. I answer with reassuring calls of my own…”I’m in the shower, baby,” or “I’m coming!” if I’m inside. She stops barking, and is content to wait for me knowing that I’m nearby. 

She likes to feel my closeness at night by resting her head on my leg or lying against my body. No matter how hot the night, my warmth, my presence comforts her. To her, sleeping in her own bed is a sign of my displeasure to which she reacts by sulking! 

Molly submits to the many times she needs treatment for one or other ailment. Her periodic ear infections are a particular trial to both of us, for me because I must treat her ear with drops, and for Molly because she hates the long nozzle and the cold stuff I must squirt into her ears. We have finally reached a truce because she trusts me. 

Sometimes, before it’s time for a bath, I rub her tummy with hand cream or sprinkle baby powder of her to mask her doggy smell. She lies in my arms like a small baby and submits to Mama’s “whims”with silent resignation. 

All these actions and gestures are part of the “presence” that is so special to both of us, even those things I do for her good if not for her pleasure. 

In the Word, I read of my Lord’s assured presence, of even greater significance than my presence in Molly’s life.  

“Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?”

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭13‬:‭5‬-‭6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

How often, in times of crisis, have I looked for reassurance in the amount of money I have rather than in my God. How foolish is that! 

There is something about God’s promise that has recently become more real to me than ever before. Having watched, on YouTube, some of the the many stories of ex-Muslims who, in their crisis time of need, have met Jesus in person, I have realised that He didn’t just “show up” when they called on Him. He was there, with them until they called, but He only revealed Himself in their realm when they called. 

This truth has changed the way I respond to His promise…

 “…And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭28‬:‭20‬b NIV‬‬

I don’t need to ask Him to come when I call. He is already here, unseen, but with me, every moment, day or night. In fact, in the person of His Spirit, Jesus is in me! Get that! When Molly needs me, I must go to her. When I need Jesus, He is not even a heartbeat away. 

“Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.”…

How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand— when I awake, I am still with you.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭139‬:‭7‬-12, 17‬-‭18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Not even sleep can separate me from His presence. Amazing as it seems, I’m always on His mind… and so are you. 

JOHN’S GOSPEL…THE ECHO – 28

Bible Study, ,

“Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Galilee. It happened this way: Simon Peter, Thomas (also known as Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. “I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?” “No,” they answered. He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.”

‭‭John‬ ‭21‬:‭1‬-‭6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Jesus had already appeared to His disciples after the resurrection, twice, in a startlingly convincing way. He appeared through a locked door. Only ghosts could do that! Was He a ghost? No! He ate fish. Ghosts don’t eat! He showed them the signs of His recent crucifixion. Again, ghosts don’t have physical bodies with the visible scars of their humanity. 

So, the disciples, even Thomas the skeptic, were convinced that the Jesus who appeared to them in the upper room was really their Jesus, but in a form they found difficult to understand.

It happened this way. 

He told them to meet Him in Galilee. Why?

Apparently, the disciples forgot His instruction. They went back to the lake to fish, the old occupation that had provided for them before they met Jesus. Did they think that He was finished with them? He still came and went in a mysterious way but He was no longer permanently with them, leading and teaching them as He had done before his death. 

What were they supposed to do? They couldn’t just sit around aimlessly waiting for something to happen. They had no permanent home or occupation in Jerusalem. It made sense to them to go back to Galilee to pick up the threads of their lives. 

And so, they were in the right place at the right time when it happened all over again! They had fished all night! They caught nothing! Morning came and they were empty-handed.  

Tired and disappointed, they were about to pack up and go home when they saw a figure on the beach. They couldn’t make out who it was in the early morning mist. Who would be out so early in the morning…standing on the beach…watching them bring in the empty boat? 

As the boat neared the shore, a strangely familiar voice called out, “Caught anything?”

“No,” they replied, in unison. 

“Try the right side of the boat,” called the stranger. Tired and disillusioned as they were, there was an authority in the voice that they chose to obey. When they did, the result was outrageous. So many fish in the net that the boat began to sink as they hauled in the catch!

Recognition dawned. Memories came flooding back. Of course, it must be Jesus. Hadn’t the same thing happened on the fateful day when He had called some of them  from fishing for fish to fishing for people? 

Everything began to fall into place. He hadn’t abandoned them. Didn’t this gesture mean that His call was still real to them? After all, there was nothing in their failure to disqualify them from a lifelong call to follow Him. They had not renounced their faith in Him.

He had promised them, only hours before His death, that He would send His Spirit to be with them forever. He was leaving in body but would still be with them in the Spirit, accompanying and guiding them throughout their lifetime of following Him. 

How joyfully they welcomed Him, ate breakfast with Him as His gesture of forgiveness, reconciliation, and oneness with Him. Best of all, they heard His loving words to Peter, the ringleader in their failure, restoring the fellowship of love and trust, the bond that would see him through many trials until he suffered the same fate as his beloved Master. 

What better way to cement the union of these weathered disciples with Jesus than to trigger the memories of their first encounter and the call that bound them to Him forever! He had displayed His sovereignty in the miraculous catch of fish…then and now…to convince them that He was still Jesus, the son of God, who had called them then and still called them now.  

So, John concludes his story…with Jesus’ characteristic refusal to allow human failure to derail His plan. He had worked with these men for years. He would not allow their lapse to throw him off course. They were His choice. He had entrusted to them His mission on His return to glory. The Holy Spirit in them was His legacy and His guarantee that they would not fail.

They were the bridge between Him and every future generation to record His story and to pass it on intact. All who believe in Him through their witness, in person and on record, would receive their testimony and the gift of eternal life provided by the One who gave His life for us. 

“Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”

‭‭John‬ ‭20‬:‭30‬-‭31‬ ‭NIV‬‬

JOHN’S GOSPEL…HE BELIEVED – 27

Bible Study, ,

“Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!” So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) Then the disciples went back to where they were staying.”

‭‭John‬ ‭20‬:‭1‬-‭10‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Woven into John’s story of Jesus, not only fact but interpretation, since John’s gospel became known as “the spiritual gospel”, is John’s own journey to faith. After all, if he were to convince his readers that Jesus is the Son of God and that salvation lies in believing in His name, then his story must bear witness to his own faith. 

John did not easily identify his role in the story by name. He liked to call himself ”the disciple whom Jesus loved”. John was ever conscious of the dramatic change in him through his association with Jesus. 

He began his career as a disciple as a young Jewish hothead, together with his brother, James. Jesus nicknamed them “Boanerges” 

“Boanerges means “sons of thunder” and was a surname Jesus gave to the apostles James and John, the sons of Zebedee. This nickname was likely given due to their passionate and fiery temperaments, and it is recorded in the New Testament gospels of Mark and Matthew.” (Source: Google)

Perhaps Jesus saw in John a potentially good quality, passion, but that needed taming and refining. John’s zeal needed a worthy and divinely-directed purpose only possible through the power of a love greater than any earthly-initiated energy. 

Slowly, as days turned into months and then years, John’s association with Jesus bore fruit. This young hothead eventually morphed into a mature disciple who became known as “the apostle of love.”

John wrote more about love than any of the other New Testament writers, linking God’s love for us to our love for Him in a symphony expressing our union with Him. His writings are an expansion of that union expressed by Jesus in His Upper Room discourse before the cross (John 14-16). 

“Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”

‭‭John‬ ‭14‬:‭21‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“John was originally known as one of the “Sons of Thunder,” a name suggesting an impetuous and fiery nature. A key example of this is when he and his brother wanted to call down fire from heaven on a Samaritan village that rejected Jesus. His eventual transformation into a compassionate, loving leader shows a profound change, moving from harsh zeal to a balanced, mature faith guided by Christ’s example.” (Source: Google)

What transformed John from “a son of thunder” to “the apostle of love”? Perhaps, in that riveting moment, when John saw the grave clothes, and especially the head cloth on the stone shelf as though the body had simple vanished, leaving the form of Jesus vaguely outlined in the burial cloths, everything fell into place. 

Jesus’ words, His miracles, His actions, His prophecies, His very presence, all came alive in that “lightbulb” moment. John believed!

Apart from Paul, the apostles did not record their own conversion experience. Only John knew the exact second when his heart caved in to the truth he had lived with from the instant when Jesus called him, “Follow me!” By faith through the Holy Spirit, he came alive by the truth. The final impact awaited Pentecost, when the full force of the Holy Spirit’s coming cemented his transformation. 

“This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”

‭‭1 John‬ ‭4‬:‭10‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The power of this love, a force so great that it changed John’s nature forever, became the motivation and the energy of his life. 

“We love because he first loved us.”

‭‭1 John‬ ‭4‬:‭19‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.”

‭‭1 John‬ ‭4‬:‭11‬-‭12‬ ‭NIV‬‬

So perfect is this love to which he responded that there was nothing left inside of him but to reciprocate with a love that reflected Jesus’ own love for him. Not to love like this would be  evidence that no transaction had ever taken place in his spirit that replaced his natural fire with holy fire. 

John concludes…

“Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.”

‭‭1 John‬ ‭4‬:‭20‬-‭21‬ ‭NIV‬‬

So it all came together when John saw…the empty tomb… the empty stone shelf… and the empty grave cloths!

“He (Peter) saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. Finally the other disciple, (John), who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed.”

To be concluded…