Grow in revelation

The Gospel of John is all about Jesus, and as you read the Gospel, it might be worthwhile to ask four questions:

1.       How does the Gospel encourage us to believe in Jesus?

2.       What area of need in my life am I believing in Jesus for?

3.       What aspect of Christ has most encouraged me over this series?

And finally, if we are honest, we all have moments when we wonder how could God love us?!  However sometimes our questions help us to notice something we didn’t expect to see.

What would happen if we gave more direct focus to Jesus?  That is the person of Jesus.  Like what Jesus did and how He reacted?  And think about why Jesus acted the way He did, and what was He teaching, and what ‘way’ was He showing us to that we might follow Him?

I am not talking about Christian hobbies or preferences.  We are talking about focusing more on Jesus, simply to know Jesus more?  Like what was His reaction when….  How did Jesus handle….  Why did Jesus say…  Who did Jesus engage…

Perhaps a worthy bookmark for us is to consider believing in Jesus by focusing more on Jesus, meaning letting our inquiry focus on Christ.  Reading through the first 12 chapters again with this lens and approach will uncover new revelation for our hearts and minds.

How can we say this?

Colossians 1:15 records the famous line: “The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.”

What that means for our context of John’s Gospel is that as we glimpse, focus and intensely gaze on Jesus, we see the image of our Heavenly Father.

The invisible has been made visible.

We can know something of the unknowable.  We can see and hear something of the eternal creator God in Jesus, the first born of creation.

This idea is staggering in its simplicity and its reach – for as we focus on Christ, by definition, we grow in Holy revelation.

Revelation in this context is a surprising or previously unknown fact that has been supernaturally disclosed.  How can this be except by the Holy Spirit (John 14:17, 15:26, 16:13).  The Holy Spirit reveals truth, often previously unknown and unrecognised by us.  When we focus on Jesus in the Gospel of John, and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the Word to us, we open ourselves to Truth, the revelation of God, from God, for God – that we might become more like Him, like Jesus, like the image of God!

Take some time over October to read again through John and focus on Jesus primarily – and see the revelation you will receive

Ben Bonython