The Gospel of John, 5/9/15
John 8:31-59. Many put their faith in Him after He spoke. That sounds good, in fact, it's great, but then we learn something very important about our evangelism. New converts need to be transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit and develop a loving knowledge of the Word of God. They need to be directed to follow and uphold Jesus' teachings to prove their are real disciples. Too often we quickly gain a decision by a new convert, but then leave them alone without this development. It is like planting a seed in the ground, but then not ever watering it or feeding a child once, then never again. Again, we see the mentioning of obedience to the word of God leading to more knowledge and freedom. But they had no room for His word in their hearts. What about us? Will we allow room for His word in us? Will we have a teachable heart that is willing to allow change even when we are set in our ways? They didn't love Him because God wasn't their Father. What about us? Will we love Jesus? Will we choose God to be our Father? What is the alternative? We must contrast Satan as the other choice.
There are four kinds of spiritual children: 1. children of wrath- as we were bon in sin. 2. children of disobedience- as we reach the age of accountability and deliberately sin. 3. children of God- as we put our faith in Christ. 4. children of the devil- as we reject Jesus and become self-righteous, sometimes as counterfeit Christians who think they are the chosen ones going to heaven.
Faith in Jesus brings fruit. The proof of faith in Jesus is your continuing with Jesus. If God is your Father, you will love Jesus. You will want to hear the truth from His word rather than entertain someone who lies. You belong to God now, so there is no going back to that old lifestyle of sin. You are free from that. The Holy Spirit now lives inside you. You will want to hold to His teachings and be His disciple. You will never see death because Jesus is your life and your eternity is set. You choose to glorify Jesus instead of yourself. This is how the Holy Spirit is empowered to reign freely, have His way in your life, bring fruits of the Spirit, such as more faith...
Interesting quote from Jon Courson: "If the Holy Spirit completely disappeared off the face of the earth, 95% of the church work would continue just as it does today." This is what has been concerning me lately. Seems I know how to play the Christian part and go through the motions, but it becomes fake at some point. I want to truly be led by the Holy Spirit that lives inside of me. I want all that that entails and looks like. I want Him to bring me life and light. I want to live for His glory, not mine. I want to really love Jesus. Do I really? These are big, dreamy words. This is my response to what Jesus first asked His disciples in John 1, "what do you want?" Father, help me to accomplish this lofty goal and fulfill Your purpose for my life. I cannot do it without You and You know that. That is the way You designed this thing so we might want/need to participate in a real relationship with You. Stay with Him. Don't give up and turn back. We are going to do great things together. Just wait and see. Meanwhile, there's grace. So, let's go! There's a blind man waiting for us in Chapter 9. (He's me, by the way...)
