Have You Told Anyone?

Meditations for Seeking the Life in Christ

The Gospel of John 

July 9, 2024

Have You Told Anyone?

“Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did! Could he possibly be the Messiah?” So the people came streaming from the village to see him.

John 4: 29-30

If you have experienced a time in your life where you were so caught up in the joy of what you were doing that you had no sense of time or hunger, you are most blessed. Handel wrote The Messiah, perhaps one of the most loved pieces of music of all time, in just a few short weeks. He seldom stopped to sleep or eat, and after he completed his work, he described it as a heavenly vision. (Last year, when we were in Dublin, we visited the church where Handle practiced The Messiah before he first conducted it in Ireland. The church is now a restaurant, but the organ is still there on the balcony.)

I suspect the Samaritan woman had a similar heavenly vision when she shared her encounter with Jesus with her neighbors. For Jesus, what had been planned as a brief stop to purchase food turned into an extended stay where many more people received his Good News. Most often, in our hindsight, we can see over a long period of time where God has been shaping and molding people to conform them to His will. Occasionally, we may get to be a part of a great flood of God’s grace, saving, healing and redeeming His people. Interestingly, the people around us may not know what is happening; just as Jesus’ disciples that afternoon in Samaria didn’t realize the magnitude of the change that was coming to the Samaritan woman’s small village.

That Samaritan revival began so innocently. The woman simply told her neighbors and friends how she had experienced Jesus. She had no great theological insights or understanding. She had an encounter with Jesus and told others about her wonderful experience. Can starting revivals be so simple? What was your most recent encounter with God’s grace? Have you told anyone?

My Takeaway: “Let the redeemed of the Lord say so” (Psalm 107:2a NRSV). 

Sē’lah

 

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2024 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Jesus and the Samaritan Woman (Part 2)

Meditations for Seeking the Life in Christ

The Gospel of John 

July 8, 2024

Jesus and the Samaritan Woman (Part 2)

For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.”

John  4:24

At the time of the Gospel of John, the phrase ‘living water’ was a common way of referring to running water, as in a stream or river. Such water was considered to be pure and fresh as compared to standing water in a pond or well. Jesus was telling the woman that worshipping God in truth and spirit was not about on which mountain (church) you worshipped. It meant turning away from her present life, which was symbolized as stagnant water, and receiving God’s new life, which Jesus symbolized as living water.

Isn’t it interesting that two millennia later, people still grossly misunderstand Jesus’ simple teaching to the Samaritan woman. So many people love their local church or denomination (or non-denomination) more than they love the Kingdom of God. For these people, truth and spirit have been reduced to the doctrine and teaching of their local church. There are also many other people who think worshipping God in truth and spirit can be accomplished apart from God’s chosen means to build his Kingdom, which is through the local church. These people shun the local church in favor of their own spiritual experience.

Each group has the potential of an authentic encounter with God, and each group has the potential of being deaf to Jesus when he says, “I Am the Messiah!” (John 4:26). Next Sunday, if there are just two or three followers of Jesus, gathered in his name in your local church, God has promised to be present! I pray that you and I will be counted among those two or three, and that we will go expecting an encounter with the living Messiah.

My Takeaway: “True worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth” (John 4:23-24). 

Sē’lah

 

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2024 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Jesus and the Samaritan Woman (Part 1)

Meditations for Seeking the Life in Christ

The Gospel of John

July 5, 2024 

Jesus and the Samaritan Woman (Part 1)

“Please, sir,” the woman said, “give me this water! Then I’ll never be thirsty again, and I won’t have to come here to get water.”

John  4:15

Samaria is a region of land between Jerusalem and the Sea of Galilee. The inhabitants believed they could trace their ancestry all the way back to Abraham, just as the Jews did. However, the Samaritans did not practice their religious faith in the same manner as the Jews, and since the Jews had returned to Israel from exile in Babylon several centuries before, there had been enmity between the Jews and Samaritans.

In John 4: 1-15, Jesus encountered a Samaritan woman and ignored many of the social customs shared by the Jews and Samaritans.  Devout Jewish men did not have social interactions with women in a public setting, certainly not if they were alone, and most certainly not with a Samaritan. But Jesus was more interested in people than social customs. Jesus delivered his invitation to become his disciple to people as they were, and where they were. Our acceptance of Jesus’ invitation to enter the Kingdom of God, is a call to turn our life around and embrace the values of God’s Kingdom.

As I read this passage, one thing that stands out to me is how the woman strained to take everything Jesus said literally (as illustrated in verse 15 quoted above), while his spiritual truths just sailed over her head. We will see that she shares this attribute with the disciples and just about every person who interacts with Jesus in this Gospel.

My Takeaway: Back on July 1, we saw Jesus’ spiritual truths sail over the heads of the Temple Leaders. I wonder how many of Jesus’ spiritual truths sail over my head?

Sē’lah

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2024 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

I Am Filled with Joy at His Success

Meditations for Seeking the Life in Christ

The Gospel of John

 July 4, 2024

I Am Filled with Joy at His Success

 He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.

John 3:30

Our human nature invariably compares our lives with the lives of others. The world’s culture teaches people to determine their worth, their value, their success based on how well they compare to others. C.S. Lewis said that one of the challenges to the followers of Jesus is to learn to play great parts without pride, and small parts without shame. 

God is working His plan of redemption and has a part for every one of His children. From God’s perspective, each part is essential. As John the Baptist models for us, our response to God’s grace in assigning a part to us, is to accept the part, and do our very best to fulfill God’s role for us.

Our roles in God’s plan of redemption change over time. John the Baptist spent many years as a student, preparing for his role. The day came when he was the only voice for God in Israel. The scriptures tell of masses of people making pilgrimages out into the wilderness to hear John, and to be baptized by him. Then the day came when God revealed the Messiah to John, and John’s role changed as he passed the torch to Jesus. John’s message to Israel diminished, while Jesus became the voice for God in Israel.

I believe we all have similar experiences in life. For parents, there was a time when we were the voice of authority for our children. When our children became adults, our role changed to that of counselor or advisor – when asked. As a pastor, there was a time when I was casting God’s vision for the congregation, when I was God’s voice to the congregation. Then it was my time to retire, and my role diminished, and I passed the torch to the next pastor to carry on the work of God.

My Takeaway: Our passage today is an invitation to reflect on our lives. How well are we flowing with God’s plans for our lives? Are we following His plan, His agenda, or are we pushing forward with our own agenda?

Sē’lah

 

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2024 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Come to the Light

Meditations for Seeking the Life in Christ

The Gospel of John 

July 3, 2024

Come to the Light

But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.

John  3:21(NRSV)

In Numbers 21, Moses made a bronze image of a deadly serpent and placed it on a pole. In Moses’ hands, when the serpent, a symbol of evil and death, was lifted up and the people looked upon it, they were healed. John is saying that because Jesus was nailed to a cross and lifted up, the whole world can see the result of sin and evil, but in the hands of God, that cross turns into the pathway to our salvation. When Jesus is lifted high, we can come out of the darkness and live in the light of God’s eternal love.

Jesus was lifted high on the cross so that the world could see that “God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Jesus said that his followers can also be lifted up as a sign of God’s love: “But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God” (John 3:21 NRSV).

My Takeaway: This means that when we are living in God’s light, others will see and will have the opportunity to join us in God’s love. Does our lifestyle reveal we are living in God’s light?

Sē’lah

 

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2024 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

 

Spiritual Life

Meditations for Seeking the Life in Christ

The Gospel of John 

July 2, 2024

Spiritual Life

Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life

John 3:6

Sometimes people are tempted to put too much emphasis on Jesus’ statement, “You must be born again.” By too much, I mean their focus is on identifying a particular time and place where a person confessed faith in Jesus as though the whole point of Jesus’ statement was that we needed a once in a lifetime experience. Notice Jesus said we must be born of water and the Spirit. (John 3:5) Some people take his reference to water as our earthly birth because there is a discharge of water as a natural part of the birthing process. I believe this may also be a reference to our water baptism.

Water baptism marks our initiation into the Kingdom of God and into the church, through our confession of faith. The Apostle Paul expounds on our being born of the Spirit in Romans 6 where he discusses our being baptized by the Holy Spirit into the life of Jesus. When you bring these two together, baptized by water and the Spirit, you can see that the evidence we have been born again will be the life we are living, as opposed to only identifying a particular time and place where we made our confession of faith.

Jesus underscores this point by reminding Nicodemus that God’s ways are not the ways of humankind. When we are born into the Kingdom of God, we then begin the process of learning the ways of God. We learn how to come out of the darkness of sin and live in the light of God’s love. Jesus was also pointing to one of the distinguishing characteristics of living in God’s love: “the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life” (John 3:6).

Every day we are bombarded by so many different voices that try to influence the direction of our lives. Have we learned to listen for and distinguish the witness of the Holy Spirit in our lives? Later in this Gospel, Jesus will affirm that we can follow him because we can learn to distinguish his voice over and above all the voices that call out to us every day.

My Takeaway: Sometimes when we were coming out of a crowded stadium I would get separated from my children. When that happened, my daughter wouldn’t call out to “Dad”; she would call me by name, “Alex.’ That voice, saying my name, I could easily distinguish above the crowd noise.

Jesus, the one who loves you dearly, is calling your name. Can you hear him? 

Sē’lah

 

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2024 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

But Jesus Didn’t Trust Them

Meditations for Seeking the Life in Christ

The Gospel of John 

July 1, 2024

But Jesus Didn’t Trust Them

Because of the miraculous signs Jesus did in Jerusalem at the Passover celebration, many began to trust in him.

John 2:23

It is important to remember that John’s Gospel is not a travel log of all the places Jesus went, all the things he did, nor all the words he spoke. Neither is it a historical record of the life of Jesus. John’s Gospel is a theological interpretation of the life, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. It would be very confusing to compare the timeline in this Gospel with the other three Gospels. As an example, Matthew, Mark and Luke only have Jesus, as an adult, going to Jerusalem one time, at the end of his ministry. John will follow Jesus in and out of Jerusalem several times. The story of Jesus cleansing the Temple took place in the first of three Passover visits to Jerusalem in the Gospel of John. (John 2:13-25)

The Temple leaders didn’t dispute Jesus’ action in clearing the marketplace within the Temple; rather, they demanded a sign to prove he had the authority of God to clean the Temple. Jesus told them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up,” but his response went right over their heads. Sometimes we really can’t see the forest for the trees.

But many people did see something in Jesus: “Because of the miraculous signs Jesus did in Jerusalem at the Passover celebration, many began to trust in him.” (2:23)

My Takeaway: Verse 24 says, “But Jesus didn’t trust them.”  Last Friday I suggested that we look for signs of the Messiah in our lives. That’s good, but ultimately our faith must securely rest on the Word of God.

Sē’lah

 

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2024 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.