Tag: John

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Being a Witness

A toucan with its beak open, perched on a branch.
Photo: RAFAEL BARRETO from Pexels
John 20:18 (ESV)—Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her.

A clack traveled through the Costa Rican rainforest. Where is it? I wondered. Minutes later, the sound came a second time. The toucans were speaking to each other.

Like toucans use calls to communicate with their flock, Mary Magdalene sought Jesus with her cries. In John 20, she thrice asked about Jesus’ missing body. She spoke to the disciples, to two angels, and to the supposed gardener, but the only answer came from the gardener—her Teacher, her Rabbi, whom she recognized when he spoke her name. The risen Jesus replied to a member of his flock when she called—and she became the first witness to the Risen King.

Did you hear that? When Mary called, Jesus responded! First, he spoke her name and then replied with the command to “tell them” (John 20:17).

This scene assures us that when we dialogue with Jesus, he’ll respond. In our devastation or joyfulness, Jesus has an answer and, when he speaks our name, we become witnesses of our God who listens and responds.

How awesome is that?! Seeking God and listening for his response begin our journey to becoming a witness for Christ. His response becomes our account of his love, the substance for our witness. Today, let us go and announce words similar to Mary’s: “I have [heard] the Lord” (John 20:18).

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Happy and Full of the Holy Spirit

Cat sitting on a chair tucked under a table at a restaurant
Exterior of a restaurant with white-cloth-covered table and white metal chairs with aqua seats. Pink Bougainvillea climbs the wall.
Read: 3 John

Imagine you’re in Athens. You glance at the menu displayed outside the restaurant, and the host swoops in, gesturing toward tables waiting for occupants. The bond between you and the host has been set with the words “Please sit! We have Greek salad and souvlaki!”

Drawn in, you sit and a liter of water appears. The server asks what you like and recommends options. You order the souvlaki, a Greek specialty.

For dessert, the server recommends bougatsa, puff pastry baked with custard. Your stomach says it’s full, but when the server suggests sharing a piece with your dining partner, you order it because you will not have to eat it alone.

You enter the restaurant feeling welcome and leave feeling happy and full.

John, too, ensured that his followers entered the mission field feeling welcome and stayed in it feeling happy and full. In the case of 3 John, he forged a bond in Jesus Christ with his beloved friend Gaius by offering encouragement, advice, and warnings, all of which pointed to the gospel.

First, John offered encouragements that popped with exclamation points (vv. 3–4). He built up Gaisus’s self-esteem and stirred in him the desire to continue his gospel work of leading a team of traveling missionaries.

Second, John gave Gaius water for his spirit in the form of praise (vv. 5–7). Before offering his advice in verses 6 and 8, John mentions Gaius’s faithfulness to and love for his missionaries, building Gaius’s confidence in his mission.

Third, John warned Gaius of the opposition that sought to stop the spread of the gospel (vv. 9–10). He reassured Gaius of the importance of his mission with the promise of an ally.

Can you see why Gaius continued his work as a leader to missionaries? He stayed the course because John assured him his efforts were good, right, and viable.

In fact, John provided the example for Gaius to follow as a leader. John forged a bond in Jesus Christ to welcome a fellow believer into relationship and ensure he continued his gospel mission happy and full of the Holy Spirit.