Knowing Jesus: The Word Made Flesh

As I wrote in my blog, "Knowing Jesus: The Six Groups," the apostle John knew Jesus well. He began His gospel writing of Jesus from a unique perspective--as the Word of God who was in the beginning with God, creating the world with God because He was (and is) God.

In Genesis 1, we read that God spoke--words--and the world was created. We read the details about how all of creation responded to the Word of God. It did what He said to do. When He said, "Let there be light," there was light. We might ask, how did light, or any other part of creation, know what to do? 

God, in creating the world, turned on Light first. What does light do? It illuminates and gives energy. Psalm 119:130 says, "The entrance of Your Words gives light." (NKJV). John said, "In Him (the Word of God) was life, and the life was the Light of men." (John 1:4). 

There is life in the words of God. And this life is Light to us. It illuminates us by giving us understanding. Through this Light we know what He intends for us, what His words mean so we may understand them and know what to do with our life. The Light of God's words energize us, empowering us to do what He says. The Word of God contains within itself both understanding and power which enables the hearer to do what He says--and respond to Him as we ought. His words empower us to overcome the darkness and live in the victory He has intended for us all along as both our Creator God and loving Father. 

John wrote that Jesus is the Word of God made flesh (John 1:14). He is the human manifestation of God's Word, sent to give us the understanding and power necessary to obey God and live as He has purposed for us to.

All of creation knows how to respond to the words of God. All of creation knows what to do in response to His words because His words give the understanding of what to do and the power to do it. As His creation, we respond to His Word which accomplishes what He sends it to do (Isaiah 55:11).

John went on to say, "No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him." (John 1:18). Jesus is the "Only begotten God." As the Word of God made flesh, He is the Son of God. He came from God the Father. When Jesus came to earth and lived among mankind, He explained--revealed--God to us. He taught the people, healed, and did miracles, doing and saying what He heard and saw the Father doing (John 12:49, John 5:19). And He did so as a light overcoming darkness. He was filled with and anointed by the Holy Spirit and went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed of the devil (Acts 10:38, John 1:32-33). 

Then He carried the penalty for all of our sin on Himself, died, was resurrected from the grave, seen by many, and ascended into heaven where He is seated at the right hand of the Father. He sent the Holy Spirit to fill and anoint us, as He was, so we can do the works of God in the earth as He intended for us all along.

We must know Him--the Word of God--in order to fulfill our purpose in this life and the life after. Eternal life is knowing God and His Word--His Son, Jesus Christ (John 17:3). 

Jesus said, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him." (John 14:23). We can only love God once we receive His love for us (1 John 4:19). Love doesn't initiate within us, but within God. And He sent His love to us in the form of Jesus Christ so we could know and believe His love for us (John 3:16, 1 John 4:16). 

So, when we love Jesus, in response to His love for us, we are willing and able to keep His Word. Understanding His love reveals not only His intention for us, but our purpose in life. They are one and the same. His intentions = our purpose. 

His commands are His empowerment for us to perform our purpose--His will. This brings His love to us to such an extent that the Father and Son will abide in us--remain in us. What an honor to have the source of life, love, and truth living in us forever!

What does He command? To love one another as He has loved us (John 15:12). To shine as a light--His light--to one another. To impart the same Word of God we receive that enlightens and empowers us, to others. So they too can fulfill their purpose and destiny in Christ.

Our destiny is to be conformed to the image of Christ (Romans 8:29), who is the One who always did as the Father revealed--always submitted His will to the Father.

Read His Word--the Bible. Keep and treasure it in your heart. Hear His heart. Receive the understanding and empowerment that comes from His instruction, and you will know and experience His love and intentions for you personally.

If we do not receive His words, we are being conformed to the image of the one who opposes God, who betrayed Him, who tries to destroy all that God loves, the one who lives in darkness, turmoil, and torment, trying to capture whoever he can into the same darkness.

Thank God for His Light, and His life, as revealed in His Word--sent to us in human form, so we can know and love Him for who He is, fulfilling His kind intentions toward us--our purpose in life.

The Parrésia Anointing

On July 4, 2015 I posted a blog called God's Freedom of Speech Definition. (Read it here). It is about Peter and John being arrested for preaching in the Name of Jesus. It's taken from Acts 4 & 5. I discuss the word parrésia which is used to describe the confidence of Peter and John that the authorities saw, as well as the confidence they prayed for so they could continue to speak the word. Parrésia is also used to describe the boldness they continued to preach with after this happened. As I explain in the blog, parrésia means freedom of speech and confidence. When reading these Scriptures, you can replace the words confidence and boldness with "freedom of speech" to get a better understanding.

I bring this up again because there is more we need to see about this type of freedom of speech that God gave them, and will give to us if we ask for it as they did. There are three different levels to this kind of free speech.

1. The freedom to speak freely without harassment or persecution. 
This type of freedom of speech is what we have enjoyed in America for so long, up until recently. We've had the freedom to say what we want and others have the freedom to disagree with us. We have not had to fear being persecuted or arrested for speaking of Jesus or preaching in His Name.

2. The courage to speak freely even if there is persecution or consequence.
This is the kind of boldness I typically thought of when reading about Peter and John's arrest in Acts 4. This is the kind of courage that some American Christians are starting to have to display because of persecution and laws that are attacking our freedom of speech. This is the kind of courage a true believer must have in order to stay loyal to the Lord during times of opposition. The early church displayed this type of courage, many of them to the point of death.

3. The power-filled, anointed speech that brings light and freedom to blinded minds.
This is the kind of speech that not only reaches the ears of the deceived because the speaker had the boldness to speak, but these are words that carry the power to penetrate into the brain of the person bringing light, understanding, freedom and faith to the hearer! This is where we see God backing the words we speak with power. We see this displayed throughout the book of Acts and described here:

...After it (the Word) was spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard, God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will. Hebrews 2:3-4

So then, when the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them, and confirmed the word by the signs that followed. Mark 16:19-20 

Words are more than sound waves that hit an eardrum. Sound waves continue through the ear and into the brain where they are decoded so the hearer understands what the speaker meant. God-anointed words have the power to eradicate the darkness of deception that blinds the minds of unbelievers so they can see the truth and believe!

And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God."  2 Corinthians 4:3-4

The minds of the unbelieving are blinded by darkness. They don't see the light of the gospel. They don't see the glory of the Lord. They don't see that He is the image of God Himself. We need to have the courage of level two described above, but also the power of level three. We need to speak the Word of God with the anointing of His Spirit so His Light can penetrate the darkened minds.

The entrance of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple. Psalm 119:130 NKJV

So how do we get this level three kind of God-anointed words? We first display level two courage, but look at what Peter and John also did. After they were threatened by the authorities they went to their own people and they all prayed.

"And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that Your bond-servants may speak Your word with all confidence (parrésia), while You extend Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders take place through the name of Your holy servant Jesus." And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness. (parrésia). (Acts 4:29-31).

They gathered with their people and prayed for parrésia. When they did the whole place shook and they were filled with the Spirit. We know that they were already filled with the Spirit, but they received a fresh, or greater anointing of the Spirit. Rather than backing down and giving in to the dark threats of the authorities, they responded by asking the Lord for more parrésia so they could speak His word while the Lord healed and displayed signs and wonders. This kind of parrésia anointing on our words brings the light and power of God into the earth in such a way that the works of God are demonstrated and God is glorified!

If you grieve over a loss of the level one kind of freedom of speech, make a decision to speak the Word courageously. Pray for this parrésia anointing and for the Lord to display signs and wonders through His Name. Remember, the light shines brighter in the darkness. There may be a stronger conflict, but light overcomes the darkness!