John, the author of the Gospel of John, was a simple fisherman until he met Jesus and his life was never the same. Why was John’s life never the same after encountering Jesus? His life was transformed by his faith in Jesus as his Savior. John had a greater purpose in life after his encounter with Jesus. Along with this, he had the hope of eternity and grew in fruits of the spirit. In addition, he wanted to desperately share the Good News of Jesus with others so their lives, too, could be transformed.
In his Gospel, John simply tells what he witnessed with Jesus. As the Gospel of John begins, another witness, John the Baptist, is spoken of. John 1:6bGod sent a man, John the Baptist, 7 to tell about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony. 8 John himself was not the light; he was simply a witness to tell about the light.[1]
Our World Needs an Encounter for Hope
We live in a world that is desperate for hope and spiritual transformation. Covid 19 and political problems have created many difficulties across the world. But amid chaos believers can have hope. In today’s verses, John the Baptist was a witness about Jesus so everyone might believe in Jesus as their Savior. Who told you about Jesus? How has that affected your life? Have you been able to witness to others about Jesus?
Jesus has called all of us to be witnesses for Him. He told His first disciples, Mark 16:15 And then he told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone.[2] The word translated “preach” simply means “to proclaim.” Unfortunately, many of us struggle to witness and that is why we need to pray. For this reason, we can pray two different prayers to become more faithful and effective in this area.
Prayer to spread Hope
Pray for open doors. When Paul ministered, his ministry was characterized by a search for what the Bible calls “open doors” (1 Cor. 16:9 and Acts 16:6-10). In the realm of personal witnessing, an “open door” is simply an opportunity to share the Gospel. On one occasion, Paul’s pursuit of evangelistic opportunities resulted in the salvation of a businesswoman (Acts 16:11-15), a demon-possessed girl (Acts 16:16-24) and a Roman jailer (Acts 16:25-34). Just ask the Lord for someone to share what you know about Jesus.
Pray for eyes to see. Jesus’ ministry was driven by a heartfelt compassion for the souls of the people He met (Mark 6:34). He saw every person young or old as a person created for a forever relationship with God. Pray that God would give you a passion for souls.
To hear more about an encounter of hope with Jesus, listen here: https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/encountering-jesus-with-the-beloved-disciple
[1-2] Tyndale House Publishers. (2013). Holy Bible: New Living Translation . Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.