Deep Diving with the Apostle John

I’ve been in a deep dive with the Apostle John this summer. I’ve explored his gospel start to finish and I need to level with you: John has nothing to say about deconstructed faith.

John doesn’t speak to the idea of anyone using human understanding to take their faith apart and build it back into something more comfortable because broken church people have disillusioned them.

John has everything to say about an ever growing faith, and the real life challenge of continuing to believe.

The Apostle John’s humility is on painful display throughout his gospel as he openly documents the disciples embarrassingly rocky road to believing that Jesus was truly the Son of God.

John records how he and his friends came to believe, and how they learned to continue to believe that this Jesus was who He said He was, even though Jesus wasn’t going about this kingdom building restoring work in any of the tangible ways they had hoped or expected. None. Nada.

John tells us of how they came to believe all the prophets had said of Jesus must come to pass, His death on the Cross, His Resurrection, and His Ascension to the Father, all were necessary if He was to accomplish the work of preparing salvation for all who would believe in Him.

With some of the last words of his gospel, John reveals his reason for writing.

But these are written so that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in him you will have life by the power of his name. John 20:31

John hopes to challenge his readers, that’s you and me, to believe– and keep believing so we can have life in the power of Jesus’ name.

I plan to write a Bible Study on John, pen a book on John, tape a teaching series on John, or all of the above. But for now, I had to stop and say this because I’m currently clueless as to how these projects will form. I currently have a gazillion notes and a growing sweet spot for the living breathing Son of God. That’s it.

I simply had to stop and plead with you to believe that this Jesus is who He said He was, the Son of God sent to forgive your sins and make a way for you to know God. Your life depends on it. And then, once you believe, I implore you to keep believing, regardless of how Jesus is going about this kingdom building, regardless of how silly, ineffective, and faulty some of His carpenters can be, (all five fingers pointing at me right here).

Don’t settle for less than knowing Jesus intimately. He died that you might believe and find life, beginning now, and lasting for eternity, in the power of His name.

Let me know how I can pray for you.

Hugs, Shellie