Jesus' Last Word on Peace

"White House mulls special forces in Iraq crisis"

"Palestinians celebrate Hamas kidnappings of three Israeli children"

"DHS adviser says Caliphate’s return inevitable"

"US adds firepower in Persian Gulf"

"US forces nab suspect in Benghazi terror attack"

This sampling of today’s headlines doesn’t give us much hope for peace. The Middle East has been a bubbling cauldron for years; a boil over of hostilities is inevitable. Unfortunately, that boil over will have worldwide implications. I don’t base that statement on the vast amounts of oil in the region, the possibility of other nation’s troops joining the fight, or conflict between political parties.

The boil over of hostilities in the Middle East will have worldwide implications because of the surety of the prophecy of Scripture. “You are going to hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, because these things must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these events are the beginning of birth pains” (Matthew 24:6-8).

And yet, God calls us to peace. We pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6). Blessed are the peacemakers (Matthew 5:9). The fruit of the Spirit is peace (Galatians 5:22). As much as possible, we are to live at peace with everyone (Romans 12:18). God is not a God of disorder but of peace (1Corinthians 14:33).

How do we find peace in a world that’s boiling over?

Jesus gave us some last minute instructions during His last Passover meal with His disciples, a meal we also know as the Last Supper. In those parting words just hours before His crucifixion, Jesus gave us some help for how to live at peace.

These two passages line up side by side to give us three key points on peace. We need to remember these as hostilities boil over around the world.

Peace is from Jesus

Jesus is the source of peace that surpasses our understanding (Philippians 4:7). As He told His disciples at the Last Supper and He tells us today, He left that peace here! He gave it to us. He reminded us that in Him we have peace. He alone can give you peace at all times and in all ways (2 Thessalonians 3:16).

Jesus’ peace is nothing like the world’s peace

The world wants you to suffer. The world loves darkness and delights in evil (John 3:19). The world can’t accept Jesus or His message (John 14:17). The world hates you (John 15:19) and it's corrupt (2 Peter 1:4). But that’s not what Jesus wants to give you. He wants to pull you away from that and toward Himself.

Jesus has it under control

Jesus wants to give you peace. The world wants you to suffer. It’s easy to be afraid or worry because we experience the world all around us. It presses in everyday. As hard as it might seem, we need to let go of the fear and worry, though. We can let go not because of our own strength or because of some false premise of peace in the world. We let go of fear and worry because Jesus has conquered the world. That victory is our source of courage!

My Picture of Freedom

Live free. It's no surprise that as Grow Barefoot developed, this powerful phrase became a tenet of our ministry. This aspect of the Christian life has always been important to me.

My grandpa did incredible leather work. When I received a new Bible as a teenager, he offered to make a leather Bible cover for it. I sorted through all of his patterns to select a design for the cover. I knew the right one as soon as I saw it; a horse running at full speed with his mane and tail blowing in the wind. The addition of my initials at the bottom completed the design. My grandpa and mom both seemed surprised. My mom asked, "Why did you choose that instead of a cross or something religious?" 

I answered, “Because it’s a picture of freedom and that’s what this book is all about.”

For those of us in America, this time of year reinforces our foundation of national freedom as we celebrate our independence. On July 4, 2010, I wrote that the fibers of American's national freedom and Christianity's spiritual freedom were once wound tightly together. (Click here to read that brief article.) However, that rope was unraveling then and the strands are looser now than even three years ago.

For our many readers outside of America, national freedom may be an unimaginable concept. Some Grow Barefoot readers live in places of tyranny and dictatorships. Civil rights are unheard of as oppression based on gender, religion, and social class abound.
The freedom offered through Christ surpasses all man-made situations, however. Freedom in Christ is available for those in America and nations that will never taste national freedom. Freedom in Christ abounds for men and women, poor and wealthy. He patiently waits to pour His freedom out on those with a history of Islam, atheism, or any other religion - including nominal Christianity.

Freedom in Christ goes much further than a promise of eternal life. Freedom in Christ transforms how we live right here and now during our life on earth. It helps us relinquish our control issues, overcome our fears, prioritize our lives, and even extend grace and freedom to others. (Click here for more on any of these areas.)

God's Word Awakens Reality

Grow Barefoot's May focus is the Word of God. We've been talking about the unity of the Word in articles on here, Facebook posts, and Tweets. I'm excited this week to have guest blogger Mitzi Smith join us. Mitzi has a heart to search God's Word, realign her truth with God's Truth, and then write what she learns to change the world. If you know me and Grow Barefoot at all, you'll know this is the kind of ministry that is very dear to our own hearts! As we continue to look at the Word of God this month, I hope you're blessed by her writing.

God’s Word was not my answer.

For most of my life I’ve upheld God’s Word as a holy book. I valued its sacred text and read its words as the ultimate guide for the highest standard of living. But God’s Word was never the answer. And though I searched the scripture and marked its pages, it was only a book of rigid rules or impossible boundaries.

To me, the words only amplified my weaknesses. I felt like a failure with never enough faith or never enough goodness to follow His plan. It wasn’t a lack of biblical teaching. I memorized plenty of verses. From Adam in the Garden to John on the Isle of Patmos, I knew the basic storyline and understood its message of redemption and grace.

But it wasn’t until I was completely crushed of myself that I experienced God and His presence. I was alone, desperate, and trapped within my own darkness when God pulled me from my pit and lifted the veil to reveal Himself.

God revealed Himself.

Now God’s Word was no longer historical, but eternal. I held God’s breath within its pages and now my senses were awakened so that I could know Him—not as a vague idea but rather a reality.

I could taste and see His goodness (Psalm 34:8). I inhaled His fragrance (Psalm 45:8) and heard His voice (John 10:4). More than anything, I felt His presence and became aware of His movement within my life.

That’s when I moved. The more I discovered, the more I pursued. The more I chased Him, the closer He became. Rather than rules, His Word was a haven. Rather than failure, I was free.

"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14 NKJV).

Jesus came to bear witness to the truth (John 18:37) so that we could live it out.

God’s Word awakens reality.

It lives and actively works to transform our hearts and minds from a mere existence to an abundant life.

His book is holy. It’s where we have the opportunity to discover who He is—a holy righteous God who gives us life within His truth.

God’s Word is our filter for all other sources of information. It’s our standard in which we base all things. But more than that, God’s Word is His Life on the page to liberate, to change, and move us forward in His reality.

Mitzi is a writer, speaker, and Bible teacher with a passion for helping others discover the revealing Truth of God’s Word. You can visit her at www.writtenreality.com or follow her tweets through her Twitter page @MitziCSmith.

The Word of God

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1).

So, “in the beginning,” when “God created the heavens and the earth,” the Word was with God and was God. The fullness of the Word of God already existed at the creation of the universe. Mind-blowing.

If you’re Jewish, when you hear the phrase “the Word of God” you probably think of the Torah or the Tanakh. If you’re Christian, you probably think of the Holy Bible. The Old Testament - or the Tanakh in Judaism – is the oldest part of the Bible; but it wasn’t yet written at the time of creation. Indeed, Job, the oldest book of the Old Testament, wasn’t written until around 1500 BC – long after the time of creation.

All of this brings me to something that has built in my mind for years – something I have started calling the unity of the Word. Here it is – don’t limit the Word of God to a book you take to church or that sits on your bookshelf. The Word of God is that book but it is so much more.

Jesus

John 1:1 says the Word was with God and was God in the beginning. John also wrote a few verses later that “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (John 1:14).

Only One person in all of humanity’s history fits that account – Jesus Christ.

Power

Power is part of the unity of the Word of God. Jesus’ words were directly from the Father (John 14:10). As He spoke the Word of God to the people, “they were amazed at his teaching, because his words had authority” (Luke 4:32) or had “power” in the King James Version.

The Word of God is power to create. The Creation story is in Genesis 1 and 2. The words “God said” appear ten times in those chapters; each word of God created another aspect of our world and the universe. Galaxies, planets, soil, oceans, animals, plants, and even people all exist because God spoke them into existence. The Word of God created.

The Word of God is also power to destroy. The book of Revelation frequently refers to the words of Christ as a sword reserved for those who reject and rebel against Him. “Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. ‘He will rule them with an iron scepter.’ He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty” (Revelation 19:15).

Truth

Many times the Word of God is referred to as the truth but perhaps the simplest example is, “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth” (John 17:17). Jesus also is the truth. He left no doubt on this issue when He declared, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).

Our secular mindset has moved so far away from the possibility of one Truth that we have lost the importance of this reality. Here’s the thing about truth, though. What we may or may not believe about truth doesn’t change the fact that it is the truth. Truth is truth regardless of whether we choose to accept it.

What does this mean for me?

First, it’s a package deal. We can’t separate Jesus and the Bible from power and truth. We can’t accept the truth of the New Testament and Jesus’ life while we deny the truth of the Old Testament. We can’t say the Bible is truth and yet deny the power inherent in it. We can’t say Jesus was only a man and not God as that would deny the truth, God’s power, and the Bible. If you claim to believe any one of these things, then you have to believe all of them.

Second, it’s all about Jesus – in ways I can’t even begin to wrap my mind around. It’s not all about me. Or you. But you know what? Even though it’s all about Him, He loves YOU, He wants YOU for His own. He who is “far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way” (Ephesians 1:21-23).

My Peace I Give You

I don’t know about you, but I’m still coming down from the high of celebrating Jesus’ resurrection this past weekend. I know I’m not the only one based on some comments I read on an internet article today.

My focus this particular spring holiday season seemed to have a different dimension. I’ve been an eschatology (study of the end times) fan for several years. I won’t get into all the particular instances but every observance of Jesus’ resurrection this year also reinforced in me the certain hope of His Second Coming.

Combine that with the high level of turmoil in our world right now. Some days I think I’m about ready to cancel my Facebook account because it’s often heart-wrenching to read through my newsfeed. Let me go check my feed right now and I’ll let you know what I see…

• Threat of North Korea attack
• Another shooting on an army base
• Death of a 17 year old kid
• Death of a legendary music composer
• Israel launches airstrike on Gaza
• West Coast newborns face thyroid problems due to Fukushima nuclear disaster
• The impact of media deception on our culture

That was in my first 30 news items. Yes, good stories mixed in with the bad; friends’ vacations, adorable pictures of little ones all dressed up for Easter, a Chick-fil-a picture, and high school kids having fun together. But I don’t think my point here is lost – we are in need of comfort and peace.

I pondered and prayed about these things earlier tonight; God reminded me of this passage. 

Let me give you a little context first; it’s so appropriate for this week. John chapters 14-17 are the most detailed account of Jesus’ Last Supper with His disciples. If you took all of my Bible and I could keep only a few chapters – these are the ones I would keep.

Here’s the thing – we are living in this passage. We are living in the time between His first coming and His second coming. Jesus left these final words for us - you and me.

He gave us His peace.

He left it here. He left us the peace of God that passes all understanding. He left it via the Holy Spirit that dwells within each and every believer. If I’m not at peace, something is wrong. Something in my life is squelching the peace available through the Spirit.

God’s peace isn’t like the world’s peace. 

God gives us peace “at all times and in every way” (2 Thessalonians 3:16). Any source of peace offered by the world will come and go. The world’s peace may be here today but it won’t last. It’ll be gone tomorrow.

Don’t be troubled. 

Don’t be agitated or stirred up. I wrote about this before in We've Got Troubles.

Don’t be afraid.

Don’t be timid. The same Spirit that gives you peace also gives you power. “For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7).

He’s coming back. 

My list from my Facebook news feed reminds me that someday Jesus will abolish death, war, disease, and lies. That’s all I need to know. That’s enough to get me through.

Part of the Team: Being recognized as a follower of Christ

My daughter finished her spring soccer season this past weekend. Soccer is a popular activity for many of the young families in this community of 90,000 people. If you visit a local store or restaurant on any given Saturday throughout the season, you are bound to see a child in a soccer t-shirt. You recognize them by their jersey number in a distinctive font on the back of their shirt. Quite often, one of their parents is wearing a matching shirt distinguished by the word “COACH” above their number.

This last weekend was the tournament. Many families were out and about as they waited between the games of the different rounds. My husband – always friendly and talkative – struck up conversations with some of them. At lunch on Saturday, he asked some people how they did in the first round; he encouraged them as they started round two. On the second day, many families were waiting out a thunderstorm at a local pizza restaurant. My husband asked around to see if anyone had heard yet if the league was going to cancel or postpone the games. He then passed the information along to other families.

As Christians, we don’t have distinctive numbers on our back to let others know we are part of the team. Instead, Jesus left us with some qualities and behaviors that should be evident in our lives. “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35). Our love is the mark of His presence within us; it is the distinctive emblem showing we are part of the team. How we treat others displays how we love them. Our actions toward others are evidence of our faith and membership in the kingdom. (Read James 2:14-26; Matthew 25:34-46; and John 14:8-14.)

Returning to the soccer story, my husband is one of those parents with the word “COACH” on his back. As part of that role, he stands on the side lines of the field and instructs the girls. He tells them when and where they need to be on the field, how to play the game, and cheers them on when they make a goal. This weekend, though, he took the coaching role off the field and out into the world. He encouraged kids whom he recognized as players, even though they weren’t on his team. He passed along information to other families because he knew it would help them.

In our Christian lives, being a “coach” is also evidence of our relationship with Christ. As we grow in our understanding of Him, our responsibility is to teach and encourage others who are spiritually younger. We help them grow in their knowledge of God and know how to live a lifestyle honoring to God. We cheer them on in the process. Like my husband displayed this weekend, this doesn’t just apply for those on our personal team. All believers, the world-wide body of Christ, are all playing the same game. We all need to learn, grow, and be encouraged together as we wait for the return of Christ, “and all the more as we see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:25).

Handling Discouragement

I have been somewhat discouraged the last few days. No specific reason for my melancholy spirit; although a lack of spiritual food is usually an accomplice to the problem. With that said, as I recognized the onset yesterday, I immediately shifted my thoughts to God. I prayed for encouragement and focus. I immediately remembered a message I gave a few weeks ago at a women’s conference at a local seminary. The breakout sessions of this particular conference focused on pouring ourselves out into the lives of others…praying for others, women’s ministries, girls’ ministries, teaching others, reaching different generations, etc. I was asked, however, to speak on inpouring; specifically, ways we can fill ourselves up so we are then able to pour into others.

My points from that message were what God brought to mind when I found myself in need of a little inpouring. John 13-17 tells the story of Jesus' last moments with His disciples before His crucifixion. The words He spoke in those hours are the ultimate inpouring; they had to sustain the disciples through what may have been the hardest three days of their lives and even more so after Jesus ascended into heaven.

Jesus never intended for the disciples to keep His words to themselves. The disciples knew the power and importance of the message they received; they spent the rest of their lives pouring that message into those with whom they came into contact. The message has trickled down now for two thousand years. In light of that plan, I want to pass on some of the key points to each of you as well…

TRUST ME – John 14:1

KNOW ME – John 14:6-10

BELIEVE ME – John 14:11-14

LOVE ME – John 14:15, 21-24

BE HATED FOR ME – John 15:18-25

REMAIN IN ME – John 15:1-8

TESTIFY OF ME – John 15:26-27

Hover your cursor over each Scripture reference and you will be able to read the passage. I could write so much about each one of these but there isn’t room for that here. Don't worry, though, a book is in the works to learn more. For now, take a moment, read the verses, and let God speak to you through His Word. Hopefully you’ll be encouraged and empowered to keep on serving Him.

Worship Jesus: Remembering the Mount of Olives and the Garden Tomb

Isn't it amazing how a certain physical location can affect you spiritually, even years later? While traveling through Israel in 2008 I had not one, but two, such experiences. This weekend we celebrate Passover and Jesus' resurrection; and the holidays remind me once again of that trip. 

I remember standing on the Mount of Olives and becoming too emotional to continue singing praise songs with our group.

Notice my clenched lips (trying not to cry)
and the Temple Mount in the background.

Throughout our trip, we visited many locations which were probably where a biblical event happened. "We think this is where the angel visited Mary.” Or, "This might be where Jesus taught the Sermon on the Mount."

However, when we stood on the Mount of Olives, I had no doubt in my mind that Jesus had spent some of the last hours of His life in that location. Jesus spent the night before His crucifixion eating the Passover meal with His disciples. Scripture tells us that after the meal was finished, "When they had sung a hymn they went out to the Mount of Olives" (Matthew 26:30). It was there that He said, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death" (Matthew 26:38). In those hours He prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as You will" (Matthew 26:39). It was on that ground that He knelt "and being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground" (Luke 22:44).

On that mount, He fought and won the spiritual battle to bring salvation to mankind. From this point forward, Jesus fought the physical battle - His death on the cross - with resolve and focus. 

Standing in the location of those moments should have been enough to bring me to tears. Indeed, recognizing my own sinful state before Holy God and the gravity of His sacrifice has brought me to tears many times. However, on that chilly, windy day, my reflection on the history of that location didn't bring me to tears. It was the location's future. "On that day [the day of the Lord], his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south" (Zechariah 14:4).

I was standing in a spot where Jesus fulfilled prophecy; even more, He is going to do it again in that same spot. For me, I became part of the plan in a very real way. I was standing between two defining moments of history.

I saw that I have a part to play in the here and now, in the gap between His sacrifice two thousand years ago and His return sometime yet future.

The second physical location of spiritual impact was the Garden Tomb. I've had four years to mentally process that moment and, even as a writer, I have yet to think of words to describe it. I walked through the stone opening with a high level of cynicism. Cynicism grown from the high number of religious sites we had visited thus far. As I entered the natural sanctuary, though, my heart was hushed and my spirit humbled. Someday, perhaps God will grant me words to describe it but for now it was a holy moment between him and me.

Despite their differences, these two locations had a common outcome. God never called me to worship the places; He used them to draw me closer to Him. They became a pathway to worship, not the object of worship. They were a sign of our relationship; not a source of relationship.

I'm sharing them with you today because both places are part of the reason we celebrate this weekend. Jesus spent the hours before His crucifixion on the Mount of Olives and the days between His crucifixion and resurrection in the tomb. Not just history but all of eternity changed in those days. God had denied us access to heaven from the time Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden. Jesus’ death restored access. The vile and wicked can be pure and righteous. The condemned were set free. Life conquered death.
 

Trusting God For...

Those who know me well know I'm a list-maker. Grocery lists. Errand lists. Long-term project lists. To-do lists for each of my girls, my ministry, our home school, and housecleaning. Sometimes I even make a honey-do list for, well, my honey.

Since my recent trip to Haiti, however, I have been living a different life. I haven’t made a single to-do list since I’ve been home. I've tried to trust God in all things for several months. I realize now that I had trusted Him for most things, but not all things. Conviction started surfacing regarding my schedule and how I spend my time. List-making was a way of controlling my time, my stress level, and my fear of forgetting something. List-making was a way of not trusting God.

So now, I’m trusting God for every…

• Breath I take
• Dollar I spend
• Bite I eat
• Step I take
• Task I do
• Word I speak
• Moment I live

Knowing each was given to me for a reason and a purpose.

Talk to me: What is God calling you to trust Him for today?

This is a follow-up to an article I wrote a few weeks ago, Get the Work Done.

Jesus' Claims: How will you respond to John 14?

I've been studying John 8-16 and noticed something...

Jesus repeatedly makes claims regarding Himself and the hearers have different responses. Simply, non-believers reject His claims whereas the disciples accept His claims. Their unique responses dictate their eternal destinations.

JESUS’ CLAIM: I am the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6).

Perhaps one of Jesus most well-known declarations, this statement is a foundational part of Christianity. When Jesus told the disciples they already knew the way to where He was going, again He was referring back to His teachings throughout John 8-12 that explained the way, the truth, and the life.

The response of THE PHARISEES:

They rejected Jesus’ message as truth that had been received from the Father. According to Christ, their rejection revealed them to be children of Satan, the father of lies, rather than children of Abraham (John 8:39-47).

The response of JOHN:

John may have been a little awe-struck and dumbfounded during the Last Supper, as were the rest of the disciples. He eventually figured this all out though because the very first chapter of his later book, First John, outlines that Jesus is the life (1 John 1:1-4), the truth (1 John 1:5-8), and the way (1 John 1:7-10), albeit in reverse order of Jesus declaration.

JESUS’ CLAIM: Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father (John 14:9).

The fact that Jesus is the Son of God and one with God the Father is another foundation of the Christian faith. It is also unique to Christianity.

The response of THE PHARISEES:

As you’ve already seen, the Pharisees’ responses to the claims of Christ are found in John 8-12. The story of Jesus healing a blind man in chapter nine is seemingly out of place in the midst of these chapters. However, at the end of the story, Jesus says, “You have now seen him [the Son of Man]; in fact, he is the one speaking with you…For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind” (John 9:37, 39). The Pharisees defensive response shows they knew His comment was directed towards them. He went on to say, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains” (John 9:41).

The response of PHILIP:

Jesus made this claim in response to Philip’s statement, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us” (John 14:8). Like John, we don’t know how Philip responded to Jesus’ answer at that time but we do know through his later ministry that he did come to know Jesus was the Son of God and one with the Father. Much of Philip’s ministry is recorded in Acts, chapter eight.

• He proclaimed the Christ in Samaria (Acts 8:5).
• He performed miraculous signs, including casting out demons and healing people (Acts 8:6-7, 13).
• He preached the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 8:12, 40).
• He traveled where God said to travel (Acts 8:26).
• He witnessed to a stranger(Acts 8:27-38).
• He accurately taught the entire Word of God (Acts 8:31-35).
• He baptized believers (Acts 8:36-38).
• He was miraculously transported to a new place(Acts 8:39-40).
• He is next mentioned 20-25 years later, still faithfully preaching the Word of God (Acts 21:8).

What about you? What do you do with these claims of Jesus? Do you, like John, recognize Him as the way, the truth, and the life? Do you, like Philip, see the Father when you see Jesus and accomplish great things for the kingdom? Or, like the Pharisees, are you spiritually blind to the truth of Jesus’ message? The fact that Jesus took on human flesh and came to earth to die and resurrect, thereby conquering death, is the distinguishing fact between Christianity and all other religions. Whatcha gonna do about it?

Jesus' Claims: How will you respond to John 13?, the sister article to this one, focuses on similar claims by Jesus in John, chapter 13.

Jesus' Claims: How will you respond to John 13?

I've been studying John 8-16 and noticed something...

Jesus repeatedly makes claims regarding Himself and the hearers have different responses. Simply, non-believers reject His claims whereas the disciples accept His claims. Their unique responses dictate their eternal destinations.

JESUS’ CLAIM: He gave up His place in heaven, died, and rose again (John 13:3-17).

Our first example isn’t a verbal claim made by Jesus; rather, it is a claim made by His actions. As seen through the acted parable of washing the disciples’ feet, Jesus gave up His position in heaven, came to earth, died, resurrected, and ascended into heaven. My article, “So What?”, speaks more of this event; it is one of the most widely read articles on this blog.

The response of JUDAS ISCARIOT:

Although Jesus’ sacrifice was made for all, Judas chose to reject it. He subsequently left the Passover meal (aka Last Supper) and went to the Jewish leaders in order to betray Jesus (John 13:2, 20-21, 30 et al).

The response of PETER: 

Although Peter found Jesus’ act hard to accept at first (John 13:6, 9), he eventually accepted it and went on to become one of the church’s greatest preachers. He would later write in 1 Peter 5:5, “All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’” The cloth in Peter’s verse refers to the white scarf or apron of a slave. It would have been reminiscent of the cloth that Jesus wrapped around Himself while washing Peter’s feet.

JESUS’ CLAIM: Where I am going you cannot come (John 8:21 & 13:33).

The response of THE PHARISEES:

In John 8:21-24 Jesus told the Jewish leaders they would die in their sins because they did not believe that He was I AM. In other words, they didn’t believe that He was God in the flesh.

The response of THE DISCIPLES:

In John 13:36, after telling the disciples they could not go where Jesus was going, He promised them they would follow later. In chapter 14, He proceeds to tell them He will return and take them to be with Him forever. To this day, we still await that second appearing.

To answer the title question for myself, I chose to accept His words as truth. You can read my story of salvation here and here. 

What about you? Have you made that decision in your life? I'd love to read your response to the claims of Jesus in the comments below or answer any questions you may have.

Jesus Claims: How will you respond to John 14? - the sister article to this one - deals with similar claims by Jesus in John 14.

Find Power in the Name

Everyone likes a good story. My stories come from my own experiences; something in each experience reveals a truth about God that I decide to write about.

With this article, though, I’m led to write about a study I did with my Sunday morning class. The urgency of the times is prompting my spirit to get out as much information as possible about the truth of God’s Word.

If you are a long time reader of my blog, you may remember that I am teaching through John 13-17 on Sunday mornings. You can read some of the articles about that study here. Jesus refers to His Name ten times in these chapters. However, when we got to John 15:21, I sensed the need to stop and do an intermissive study on the name of Jesus. Listed below are things we learned that believers could do in the name of Jesus. 

SALVATION is offered through His name and only through His name

• Baptism (Matthew 28:19, Acts 2:38, 10:48, 19:5, 22:16)
• Confession, repentance & forgiveness of sins (Luke 24:47; Acts 10:43, 22:16; 2 Timothy 2:19; 1 John 2:12)
• Become children of God (John 1:12)
• Believe (John 2:23; 1 John 3:23, 5:13)
• Not condemned (John 3:18)
• Spirit indwells & teaches (John 14:26; Acts 2:38)
• Salvation (Acts 2:21, 4:12; Romans 10:13; 1 Corinthians 6:11)
• Extended to the Gentiles (Acts 9:14-16, 10:48, 15:14-18; Romans 1:5, 15:9)
• Grace & apostleship (Romans 1:5)

The Believer can PERFORM POWERFUL ACTS through His name

• Prophesy (Matthew 7:22, James 5:10)
• Drive out demons (Matthew 7:22; Mark 9:38, 16:17; Luke 9:49, 10:17; Acts 16:18)
• Miracles (Matthew 7:22; John 10:25; Acts 3:6, 4:30)
• Speak in new tongues (Mark 16:17)
• Have power through prayer (John 14:13-14, 15:16, 16:23-26; 1 Corinthians 5:4)
• Faith in His name enables powerful acts (Acts 3:16)
• Do everything in His name (Colossians 3:17)
• Speak the Word & prophesy (James 5:10)
• Pray for & anoint the sick (James 5:14)

The Believer can REACH OUT TO OTHERS in His name

• Give a cup of cold water to a little one (Matthew 10:42; Mark 9:41)
• Welcome a little child (Matthew 18:5; Mark 9:37; Luke 9:48)
• Two or three come together (Matthew 18:20)
• Unity (1 Corinthians 1:2, 1:10, 5:4)
• Go out into the world (3 John 1:7)

We have ABUNDANT LIFE through His name

• Hope (Matthew 12:21)
• Blessed (Matthew 21:9, 23:39; Mark 11:9; Luke 13:35, 19:38; John 12:13)
• Protected (John 17:11-12)
• Life (John 20:31)
• Stengthened (Acts 4:7-10)
• Confident, bold, and lack fear (Acts 9:27-28)
• Thankful in everything (Ephesians 5:20)

Believers will endure PERSECUTION because of His name

• People will leave homes & families (Matthew 19:29)
• Counted worthy to suffer for Him (Acts 5:40-41)
• Risk our lives (Acts 15:26)
• Persevere & endure hardships (Revelation 2:3)
• Remain true & don’t renounce our faith (Revelation 2:13)
• Keep the word and not denied His name (Revelation 3:8)

How Believers VIEW HIS NAME

• Fear & honor (Acts 19:17)
• Praise & glorify (Romans 15:9; 2 Thessalonians 1:12; Hebrews 13:15; Revelation 15:4)
• Bow before Him (Philippians 2:9-11)

The name of Jesus is power - the power of salvation, miraculous acts, outreach, abundant life, and endurance. Why? Because He humbled Himself to leave the glory of heaven, to live as a man, to die for our sins, and because He resurrected to eternal life three days later. "For this reason God highly exalted Him and gave Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow - of those who are in heaven and on the earth and under the earth - and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Philippians 2:9-11).

You...Complete...Me

The title may be a little misleading but I can’t help but think of the movie “Jerry Maguire” as I work on this part of my current series on John 13-17. After a tumultuous relationship threatens divorce, Jerry (Tom Cruise) bursts into the home he shared with his wife, Dorothy (Renee Zellweger), and Dorothy’s sister. Jerry arrives during the ladies’ divorce support group meeting; despite the setting, he declares his love for Dorothy by saying, “You…complete…me.”

My Sunday morning class continues to study through John 13-17. This week we studied John 15:11, “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete” (NIV). This verse got me to wondering what it means for our joy to be complete. As I dug into the concordances and Bible dictionaries, I found that in this context, for something to be complete, means not only to make perfect but also something predicted has come to pass.

If the idea of completed joy was predicted, or prophesied as one might say in Christian speak, I wondered where. I found my answer in Psalm 16:11. At the end of a prophecy of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, this verse prophesies we will be filled with joy in His presence.

So there is our Old Testament prophecy; where is the New Testament fulfillment? In the NT, ten aspects of our Christian life complete our joy; I think these are a mere sampling of the ultimate fulfillment which will take place when we are united with Christ for eternity.

Joy is completed when…

• The bridegroom announces His arrival (John 3:29).
• We remain, or dwell, in the love of Jesus (John 15:11).
• Jesus rose from the grave. We can now have a relationship with Him and God the Father (John 16:19-24).
• We follow the teachings of Jesus (John 17:13).
• We follow the call of Christ even if it leads to persecution (Acts 13:49-52).
• We trust God (Romans 15:13).
• We extend encouragement, comfort, relationship, tenderness, compassion, and unity to one another because Christ extends those things to us (Philippians 2:1-2).
• We unite with someone else who is faithfully serving Christ (2 Timothy 1:3-4).
• We proclaim the message of Christ (1 John 1:3-4).
• We come together in person, a rare thing in our technological day, to mutually edify and encourage one another in the Lord (2 John 1:12).

A lot of things are stressful in my life right now and my joy seems low.

Finances

Relationships

Work

Parenting

Ministry

As I sit and look over my messed up areas, I realize the list of times when God completes our joy speaks to all of these messes in one way or another.

Trust God

Live at peace with one another

Proclaim His message

Remain in His love

Let Him...Complete...His joy...in Me.

Look back over the list of ten areas where God completes His joy in us. Which one might help relieve some of the stress in your life right now? I'd love to read your thoughts in the comments below...