John 1: Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael

John 1:43-51 says,

The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, "Follow me."
Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. Philip found Nathanael and told him, "We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote-Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."
"Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?" Nathanael asked.
"Come and see," said Philip.
When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, "Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false."
"How do you know me?" Nathanael asked.
Jesus answered, "I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you."
Then Nathanael declared, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel."
Jesus said, "You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You shall see greater things than that." He then added, "I tell you the truth, you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man."

So there is a lot within this small passage. First there is Philip. The second Jesus told Philip to follow Him, Philip went and grabbed Nathanael and told him about Jesus. This was before he had really seen or learned about what Jesus was doing, or going to do. Yet still, with full faith, he grabbed the person he was closest to and told him to come with him and Jesus. I want to have that same feeling when I think of Jesus, and the people around me who don't know Him. We should all actually feel even stronger than Philip because we know what Jesus ultimately did. Jesus sacrificed himself to save us from our sins. Knowing that, we should be running after everyone.

Now for Nathanael. When Philip found him he told Nathanael that Jesus was not only the one Moses wrote about, but a Nazarite. Nathanael responded in shock with "Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?" Even so, he followed Philip. When Jesus and Nathanael met, Jesus said two things to him. The first was, "Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false." Jesus' way of telling Nathanael that He knew him. But Jesus didn't stop there. When Nathanael asked Jesus how He know him, Jesus said, "I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you." With just those two sentences, Nathanael threw away any his doubts along with his dislike for Nazarites. He declared Jesus as the Son of God and the King of Israel. Jesus acknowledged this saying, "You believe because I saw you under the fig tree. You shall see greater things than that. I tell you the truth, you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man."
So Nathanael met this guy he doesn't know and who he already doesn't like. And in two sentences, Nathanael is Worshiping Jesus as the Son of God. Honestly, it took more than two sentences for me to believe in Jesus. And I grew up in the church of God. I knew everything Jesus had done for me already too. We all need to strive for the doubtless faith of Nathanael and trust in God with our lives.

Jesus is the King of kings and the Lord of lords. Faith and Trust are the foundations of this religion. Do we have the excitement of Philip and the faith and trust of Nathanael? "This is a lifestyle, no it's not a religion." -Lecrae

Thank You For Reading
Long Live Jesus Christ
Amen

John 1: Jesus' First Disciples

John 1:35-37 says,

The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, "Look, the Lamb of God!"
When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus.

John's disciples were his devoted students who had been following him. They were loyal to John, and John to them. The moment John announced that he saw Jesus, John's disciples left to follow Jesus. Andrew and Simon Peter had devoted their lives to John and his teachings. And because they had followed John, they knew he spoke the truth about Jesus. And so they left to follow the person they knew would be the greatest Teacher to ever walk the earth. And was John angry or disappointed about his disciples leaving him for another teacher in an instant? No. He did not stop them. He let his disciples move on to learn what he could never hope to teach.

We can take both John and his disciples, Andrew and Simon Peter, as examples for ourselves. We can be like Andrew and Simon Peter. We need to realize when we need to stop following the earthly teachings we are relying on. It does not matter whether the earthy "teacher," I use this term loosely (pastor, radio, TV, friends, internet, etc), is good or bad. An earthly "teacher" is barely qualified to teach how to live on earth. And when you get on the subjects of "eternal life" and "life after death" that earthly teacher won't have very good answers for you. Which is why we must turn to God and His teachings. Only God has complete guidance for this life and the next.

John himself can also be an example for us to follow. If you are a teacher of the Word, push your pupils to read God's Word for themselves. God wants to teach them something too. And He knows them better than you, so He knows what they need to learn. But the example can be taken another way. That we can't take the place of God for anyone we know. John saw that God wanted Andrew and Simon Peter, so he let God have them. John refused to stand in the way of God's working through his disciples. If we see that we might get in the way of God's work, we need to step aside. That sounds a lot easier in words. But it can mean sacrificing something you really want. Say you are dating someone you really care about. But you notice that they are relying on you as their main source of strength, love, etc. You love them, but you know that if you stay together, the other person will drift away from God. It can be hard to let go, but if God wants that person, He has a reason.

Taking in all of this, it's clear that the best thing to do is to have God become the biggest part of our lives. If we make God the biggest part of our lives and focus on our relationship with Him, He becomes the focus within our other relationships. From experience, I can honestly say that with God at the center, your relationships with everyone in your life are made stronger and more Love based. It is a gain to let God control you relationships, not a loss. After all, God loves us more than we can ever know; He knows more about relationships than anyone on earth.

Thank You For Reading
Long Live Jesus Christ
Amen

John 1: Jesus the Lamb of God

John 1:29-34 says,

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is the one I meant when I said, 'A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.' I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel."
Then John gave this testimony: "I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, 'The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.' I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God."

John gave himself to God's orders to be a baptist for His name. In exchange, God showed John His Will. "His good, pleasing, and perfect Will." Romans 12:2 I know that most of the time God doesn't give us visions, but we have something most people did not have back then. We have God's complete written Word. It tells us exactly what God wants. Through listening to what God says, we live a completely different lifestyle. But because we are all unique, even following the same commands of the Bible look different in our lives. They cause us to have unique gifts that God gives to us and calls us to use in order to spread His name and Glorify Him. God has a unique Will for each of us.

It's up to each of us to do what God calls us to do. So that He reveals His Will for us to follow as well. And before you say anything about following rules to get more rules. It's not what you think. "For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Matthew 11:29-30 So what's stopping us from doing what God says?

Thank You For Reading
Long Live Jesus Christ
Amen

John 1: John the Baptist Denies Being the Christ

John 1:19-23 says,

Now this was John's testimony when the Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, "I am not the Christ."
They asked him, "Then who are you? Are you Elijah?"
He said, "I am not."
"Are you the Prophet?"
He answered, "No."
Finally they said, "Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?"
John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, "I am the voice of one calling in the desert, 'Make straight the way for the Lord.' "

John was not Jesus, he was not Elijah, and he wasn't the Prophet. So who was he? The Jews all wanted to know who this man was. "Who is this man that is preaching and baptizing all these people?" The answer is that he was a man. An ordinary human being that God commanded to preach and baptize. John 1:6-9 says,

There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.

John was a normal person like you and me. The Pharisees saw this and questioned him. John 1:24-28 says,

Now some Pharisees who had been sent questioned him, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?"
"I baptize with water," John replied, "but among you stands one you do not know. He is the one who comes after me, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie."
This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

When John was questioned about the commands God had given him, he gave an answer. He told them about Jesus, and how Jesus was so amazing, that he was unworthy to untie the straps of His sandals. (By the way, shoes and feet back then were known to be dirty and nasty due to traveling long distances without washing) I'm saying all this because we are just like John. We are people sent by God with a command to Love others. To tell them about Jesus and make a way for Him to come into their hearts.

God has given us a direct command to Love everyone. Yes I know that commands are rules, something that current society looks down on. But we're not part of this society. "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." Romans 12:2 We're different because we know God's Will. So we all need to reach out to the rest of the world and let God's Love pour out of us. "I know it's not very comfortable talking to people about God, but do you think Jesus was "comfortable" on the cross?"

Thank You For Reading
Long Live Jesus Christ
Amen

John 1: The Word Became Flesh

Verses 1-18 of John 1 act as a sort of introduction that is meant to grab your attention. It proves the Bible's reputation as one of the greatest pieces of literature to ever exist. The introduction is meant to tell us about a God of Power, Wisdom, Knowledge, and most of all Love. John 1:1-5 says,

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.
Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood (a) it.

(a) Or darkness, and the darkness has not overcome

A God of Life, who is meant to make a great Light in a world of darkness. Even if the world that He had made did not recognize or receive Him. John 1:10-14 says,

He was in the world, and even though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God- children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

God came down in human form to save those He gladly, and Lovingly calls His children. He brought Grace and Truth to a world that had been broken, ruined, and scarred by sin and darkness. Sin and darkness that were revealed by the Law of Moses. John, a disciple of Jesus and the author of the book itself, testifies about Jesus and who He is and what He has done. John 1:15-18 says,

John testifies concerning him. He cries out, saying, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.'" From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known.

First John cried out saying this. When was the last time you were that pumped for God. If you pay attention as we go through John, you'll notice that when he sees Jesus he gets pumped up and excited. We can't let ourselves be shamed out of doing that. It's Jesus! There is no such thing as shame when it comes to Him. Scream it out!
Jesus Christ blessed us beyond our wildest dreams and beliefs. He came into the world of darkness that ridiculed Him and disowned Him, not only once, but multiple times. Why? Well the only answer I have is that He Loves us. Guess that's why they call it Crazy Love.

Jesus came down, and not only completed this 66 book Love letter, but gave the reason behind its creation. Jesus came down and lived as a teacher, a servant, and most of all our Savior. Now if you still don't want to read the greatest Love letter you will ever receive, I'm praying that you'll change your mind like I did. Because there is no greater Joy than knowing your personal Savior, Jesus Christ.

Thank You For Reading
Long Live Jesus Christ
Amen

John: Introduction

John 1:1-2

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.

God is His Word. If we wish to know God, the best way is through His Word. I have honestly never read through the book of John. But I am going through it now in detailed study while blogging on what God teaches me as I read it. 1 John 4:16 says,

And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.

God is Love, God is the Word, God's Word is Love. Or as the Bible is more aptly named, God's 66 book Love letter. Written by God, for us to read and study so we can see what God has done for us. The least we can do, the least I can do, is read it and hear what God wants to say. After all, how many times has God listened to us talk? Only difference with listening to what God has to say is that what God says is to help us. So I ask you to go through the book of John with me. Section by section.