Discipleship 5 – Lost and Found - Friday 29th Sept 06
John 1:47- 51 (GNB)
When Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, he said about him, "Here is a real Israelite; there is nothing false in him!" 48Nathanael asked him, "How do you know me?" Jesus answered, "I saw you when you were under the fig tree before Philip called you." 49"Teacher," answered Nathanael, "you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!" 50Jesus said, "Do you believe just because I told you I saw you when you were under the fig tree? You will see much greater things than this!" 51And he said to them, "I am telling you the truth: you will see heaven open and God's angels going up and coming down on the Son of Man."
At our church recently folk shared stories of how God had answered prayers. It was amazing how many of the stories involved things or people that were lost or mislaid. God seems to be interested in what, to many (and to us in hindsight), seem trivial. Why does God do it?
I think, as in our passage today, Jesus enters our lives in an encouraging way. He calls us, knowing our hearts have “nothing false” in them and does things with us that increase our faith and trust. But then, Jesus goes on to say, you will see much greater things than these.
Shall we then see heaven open and God’s angels…? For most of us it will be marvellous if we see one angel and recognize him. But there is no doubt at all that we shall see God at work if we build on what we have experienced and learned this week.
Harking back to what we looked at on Monday we noticed that if we do not practise what we have learned then even the little we have learned will be taken from us. Maybe that is why many Christians today feel helpless and hopeless. But remember those stories; remember your own stories, your own experience of God. We all have them – but then we start to build. It may take time and prayer. In my case it took years. But it doesn’t need to. Jesus is telling the truth “You will see much greater things than this!”
To do: Write out or tell someone this week about your experiences of answered prayer – then add your new prayer… | 