Witnesses Multiplying Like Rabbits
Greetings in the Lord!
Today's word comes from John 10:22-27, 30, 37-42~
"Then came the Feast of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was in the temple area walking in Solomon's Colonade. The Jews gathered around him, saying, "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly."
Jesus answered, "I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father's name speak for me, but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me....I and the Father are one...Do not believe me unless I do what my Father does. But if I do it, even though you do not believe me, believe the miracles, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father." Again they tried to seize him, but he escaped their grasp. Then Jesus went back across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing in the early days. Here he stayed and many people came to him. They said, "Though John never performed a miraculous sign, all that John said about this man was true." And in that place many believed in Jesus.
~If hearing the words of Christ weren't enough, Jesus told the unbelieving Jews to believe in the miracles they saw him doing with their eyes---how could they deny that? Earlier today I had a similar conversation with a co-worker who simply does not believe in Jesus. It was a friendly conversation we both were enjoying, but at the end she said, "Well, I guess I just don't believe what you believe." I smiled. Yes, if sharing the gospel was a contest to try and change people's minds and have them "believe" what we believe, it would be nothing more than an intellectual debate....but the Lord is so good. No, He has asked us to be witnesses, so there is no debate, only a simple sharing of our experiences. It's so funny how time after time, someone will say to this woman, "Haven't you heard that before?" in reference to some aspect of Christianity, and she will say, "Yes, but not like what she's talking about" (referring to me sharing my experiences.) I've watched this co-worker grapple with one unexplainable "God story" after another; noting how she tries to reason away God's supernatural involvement or subtly discredit my version of the events. However, the Lord has thrown her the best curve ball---He keeps increasing the number of witnesses in our office! It is so funny to see this! Nearly every week this co-worker has asked to hear one of my "God stories," and now they have been happening to my other co-workers as well. They are telling their own "God stories" to her! What a wonderful God we serve.
~Be blessed and be a blessing.
Today's word comes from John 10:22-27, 30, 37-42~
"Then came the Feast of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was in the temple area walking in Solomon's Colonade. The Jews gathered around him, saying, "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly."
Jesus answered, "I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father's name speak for me, but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me....I and the Father are one...Do not believe me unless I do what my Father does. But if I do it, even though you do not believe me, believe the miracles, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father." Again they tried to seize him, but he escaped their grasp. Then Jesus went back across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing in the early days. Here he stayed and many people came to him. They said, "Though John never performed a miraculous sign, all that John said about this man was true." And in that place many believed in Jesus.
~If hearing the words of Christ weren't enough, Jesus told the unbelieving Jews to believe in the miracles they saw him doing with their eyes---how could they deny that? Earlier today I had a similar conversation with a co-worker who simply does not believe in Jesus. It was a friendly conversation we both were enjoying, but at the end she said, "Well, I guess I just don't believe what you believe." I smiled. Yes, if sharing the gospel was a contest to try and change people's minds and have them "believe" what we believe, it would be nothing more than an intellectual debate....but the Lord is so good. No, He has asked us to be witnesses, so there is no debate, only a simple sharing of our experiences. It's so funny how time after time, someone will say to this woman, "Haven't you heard that before?" in reference to some aspect of Christianity, and she will say, "Yes, but not like what she's talking about" (referring to me sharing my experiences.) I've watched this co-worker grapple with one unexplainable "God story" after another; noting how she tries to reason away God's supernatural involvement or subtly discredit my version of the events. However, the Lord has thrown her the best curve ball---He keeps increasing the number of witnesses in our office! It is so funny to see this! Nearly every week this co-worker has asked to hear one of my "God stories," and now they have been happening to my other co-workers as well. They are telling their own "God stories" to her! What a wonderful God we serve.
~Be blessed and be a blessing.
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