Called

Good Wednesday to you!

Loving a fine piece of furniture and being able to make fine furniture are two different things. It takes a master builder to create a masterpiece. Similarly, people love Jesus, but have no idea how to help someone else understand and love Jesus. In order to make disciples (think the Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20), one must first be a disciple. This past Sunday we looked at the transformation of John the Baptizer's disciples becoming disciples of Jesus (John 1:29-34). The transformation came about as they accepted the invitation of Jesus to "come and see" where He was staying. Transformation comes from spending time with Jesus.

I talked about the difference between devotional reading of Scripture (reading a chapter or two in one setting, which helps us to love Jesus more) and studying Scripture (looking up words and names, and thinking deeply and meditating on what we are reading) which helps us grow in the knowledge of who Jesus is. What does it mean when we read that Jesus is "The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world," or "Rabbi," or "Messiah?" Do you remember the three ways Messiah is defined in the Old Testament? (Prophet, Priest, and King) Jesus is all three.

Taking the time to look and think deeply about Jesus is vital if we are going to have an answer to give to those who ask us for a reason for the hope that we have. We need to be able to do it with gentleness and respect. Our "deep dive" into John is designed to help us along that journey. When someone comes up and asks you about Jesus, you will have the tools to answer in ways that honor God.

Speaking of tools, here are a couple of websites you can use in your study time: Bible Gateway, Bible Study Tools, The Bible.

Of course, you are free to search the internet yourselves. There are abundant resources out there to assist you in your spiritual growth.

Next week the focus will shift from being a disciple to making disciples. The Scripture reading will be John 1:43-51.

I hope you are having a good day, and I hope to see you soon.

Grace and peace,
Pastor David

If you missed this Sunday’s sermon, click here to listen now!