Weekly Ministry Tip #5 Fall 2013
He Already Knows You
John the Baptist was standing with two of his disciples when he says, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” This raised the curiosity of these disciples so they followed Him. As we look at John 1:35-40, these two disciples spent the day with Jesus after 4:00pm (the tenth hour). We know that one of the two disciples of John the Baptist, who stayed with Jesus, was Andrew and we think the other disciple might have been the Apostle John but we’re not totally sure.
What happened in those hours that Andrew and the other disciple saw and heard from Jesus? Somehow we can only guess that the teaching might have been so gripping that we find this exchange in verses 41-42. Andrew went and found his brother Simon Peter and said, “We have found the Messiah (which means Christ).” which also means one who has been anointed.
There was probably nothing normal about Jesus’ teaching. It had power, conviction, wisdom, and brought about life change in many who heard. There was no one like Jesus. Somehow, Jesus may have met Peter or simply the fact that He was God in the flesh and had knowledge of the future, that He was able to tell Simon Peter, “You are Simon son of John, you shall be called Cephas (which means Peter).” Jesus already knew his life story.
In verses 43-49 we see another example of Jesus ministry and characteristics. We read that Philip was called by Jesus to follow Him. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” But Nathanael’s response to Philip was, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Jesus tells Nathanael “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit…Before Philip called you, you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”
There was probably no way that He could have seen him when he was under the fig tree. Apparently, Jesus had supernatural knowledge. Nathanael knew that he was completely alone, and that no one (except God) could have seen him when he was under the fig tree. Nathanael’s response was, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”
What do we understand about Jesus in this brief passage? Jesus had knowledge of the future, He knew who would become His disciples, He was called the Messiah, the Son of God, the King of Israel. We don’t believe that the early disciples fully understood the full ramifications of these descriptive words for Jesus, but they knew something out of the ordinary was happening and that this Jesus was like no one they had ever encountered before. We know today that He was God, the Savior who died for the sins of the world – they would understand this fully in time.
What does Jesus know about you? Everything! You should follow Him by faith just like the early disciples. Following Christ is an adventure that you will never recover from when you are filled with the Spirit and commit your life into His hands. Trust Him this week and throughout the rest of the fall with your ministry in helping to fulfill His kingdom right where you are.
Discipling Others – A Tall Order
As you continue in your ministry, do all you can to help new believers grow in Christ. This will help you with the mission of reaching your campus or ministry situation with the gospel message. A lot goes into discipling others. Learn all you can so that you can have a lasting impact on your campus or location.
Go to this web site and discover what it means to model, train, and encourage others in Spiritual Multiplication: http://crupressgreen.com/spiritual-multiplication/
Your Fall Retreat – Take Some Big Steps Forward
Now is a good time to connect with a campus ministry near you, or ask your staff coach for the information about the nearest fall retreat. This is also a great time to help your disciples take a significant leap forward in their walk with God and in motivation for ministry. Don’t miss out. Check out this web site if you need to find out where your nearest campus is: http://www.cru.org/ministries-and-locations/find-local-ministries-us/campus-locator/index.htm
Talk to you next week,
Ben with Cru
Orlando, FL