The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, "what do you seek?" They said to Him, "Rabbi" (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), "where are you staying?" He said to them, "come and see." They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour).
John 1: 37 - 39 NKJV
I was thinking this week of a few of the effective ways of ministry. It is common knowledge among Christians that one of the last commands given by Jesus before His ascension into heaven was to, "Go and make disciples of all the nations" {Matthew 28:19}. If we look closely, that word disciple can be translated to mean "follower." Therefore, we as believers are to make followers of Christ Jesus of all the nations of the earth. How do we go about doing that? How do we go about making followers of Jesus in a world that has become increasingly anti Christian? Everywhere we look, we see people vilifying the Christian religion as either a cult or a danger to society as we know it. This past week, much of the nations attention has been caught up in the confirmation hearings of supreme court nominee Amy Coney Barret. Not surprisingly, those on the democrat side of the aisle have attempted to use her catholic faith against her. To hear them tell it, the confirmation of judge Barret would bring about the end of all that is good in our country. A few years ago, California senator Diane Feinstein referred to judge Barret's faith as "That dogma that lives in you." Now, I happen to like judge Barret, and I think that she would be a good choice for our nations highest court. I abhor the activist judges of the left and long for justices who will base their decisions by the rule of law as it was written. Amy Coney Barret strikes me as just such a judge. So, what possibly could these conformation hearings of a catholic judge have to do with making followers of Jesus? Simple, the faith of judge Barret has been on full display since she arrived on the scene. What the American public has seen is a woman who is strong, caring and family oriented. What they have not seen in a woman who is wicked and hateful. Perhaps this is why her recent approval ratings rose to nearly 56%. This tells me that not only do they approve of her as a person, but that they look favorably on her beliefs and values as well. This is encouraging in a nation which has become, in recent years, hostile to Christianity.
So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more then these?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love You." He said to him, "Feed my lambs." He said to him again a second time, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him, "Tend My sheep." He said to him a third time, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me?" Peter was grieved because He said to him a third time, "Do you love Me?" And he said to Him, "Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You." Jesus said to him, "Feed My sheep."
John 21: 15 - 17 NKJV
What was the response of Jesus when He asked of the two disciples of John why they were following Him? Well, in His response we can see a most effective ministry. Come and see for yourselves what you have heard about. Come and see He whom John spoke of. How would I introduce someone to the Jesus I know (which, is different in some ways from the Jesus you may have heard of and been taught)? Well, one thing I wouldn't do is toss a whole lot of scripture at them and give them a reading assignment. That isn't who Jesus is. Yes, the scripture is valuable in telling us a lot about Jesus, but how do we come to know Him? Come and see. In my introduction to Jesus I would include but one verse of scripture, which by the way is often a verse many find difficult to comprehend. This verse comes from the apostle Paul and is the perfect description of who Jesus truly is. Jesus is not simply a belief. He is also not so far removed from Gods children that He is not a intimate part of our own identity. As Paul tells us, it is Christ Jesus who lives through us {Galatians 2:20}. It is Jesus who is very much a part of who we are. In fact, if you want to get down to brass tacks, we ARE Jesus. If Christ lives in us, how can we not be Him? But, this might be a bit too much for baby Christians to comprehend. So, we'll just stick with Galatians 2:20 for now. My good friend, as he introduced me to the truth of Christ in me, did not lecture me with scripture as he explained this new Jesus to me. He simply invited me...come and see. What I saw was not the Jesus I had been taught. This Jesus was real. This Jesus is...like me. Are you at all curious about who Jesus is? Have you ever wondered of the Man about whom so much is written? Well, do what I did. Come and see.
~Scott~
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