John's Story 1:1-18

Through the next season of life I'll be coursing through Johns Story of Christ with a group and as we go I'll be highlighting key points of the Text as well as those things that grab us in general conversation about Christ and His life.

This isn't meant to be a holistic study of every facet of Johns Letter nor a developed commentary but a developing conversation on the fourth Gospel. I'll attempt to note other sources both when necessary and when I simply remember to do so but it's safe to say that any original sounding ideas I may toss in the mix will have already been said by more brilliant men and women through history!

Thoughts on Authorship: John the Apostle. Check this out - Irenias, a disciple of Polycarp, a disciple of John testified that 'the disciple whom Jesus loved' (21:20), this very John the Apostle, is the author of the Text. Ah the power of intentional disciple-making.

Purpose of Letter: 'But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.' John 20:31


Text / John 1:1-18

Opening Themes
Jesus' Eternal nature
In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God. (:1-3, 15)

Jesus' Divine nature
And the Word was God. (:1-5, 10-18)

Jesus' Saving-Relational nature
To those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God. (:12-14)

Testimony to Jesus' nature
There came a man who was sent from God...He came as a witness to testify concerning [the] Light. (:6-9, 15)


Key Points / Here are a couple of points of interest on this go around in John.

First, the word 'Word' or in the Greek 'logos' - its use stirs up all sorts of thoughts and reflections on the ancient world and the authors intention. Two thoughts:

1. The Greek philosopher Heraclitus called the logos the 'ordering principle of the universe' - the 'divine logic'. He connected this logos to fire and that human reason was born of fire and word. The Stoics developed this concept onward.
2. Contemporary Jewish Targums on Genesis 1 used the Aramaic word 'memra' or speak, to denote the creative work of God as He used words to speak all of creation into existence from nothing. God spoke, life took shape.

The Jewish world was not only Roman occupied but Helenized in general. The Greco-Roman way of life and thought was everywhere and influencing nearly every aspect of life. For John to utilize this simple word 'logos', which carried such profound implications for his mixed audience, he must have chosen his own words very intentionally (even being carried along by the Spirit in the process 2 Peter 1:19-21).

Second, 'To those who believed in His name.' Not of natural descent, human decision or mans will but belief alone in Christ as Messiah is the key to invitation into Gods family (read 1:13).

1. What are some major implications in various systems of thought and belief as it pertains to salvation?
2. Who decides who becomes a child of God, a co-heir to the throne? Do we ourselves decide to follow Christ? Do our parents decide for us as a 'family religion'? Do we marry into Gods family or birth into it? Does God reach down and open our hearts and minds to Him or do we truly stumble across Him in our own desperate time?
3. Is the act of believing a work or is it a response?

Some thoughts and phrases taken from the Archeological Study Bible notes on John 1.

Naked Much? Probably More Than You Think

Have you ever gone streaking? My two year old in potty training does it all the time right now, it's innocent silliness...for another year at best.

In Mad City (Madison, WI) there were all sorts of public excuses to drop the formalities and go for a 5k underwear run or if I remember correctly the canoe race in your whitiest-tighties. And then your good ole fashioned streak like that guy over there. He's even casually making a call, probably checking his messages or calling his aunt who's in the hospital - normal stuff.

Let me do the classic leap to a semi-contextual spiritual point here and be the first to admit that spiritually speaking I'm a streaker.

That's right. I run around nearly every day with naught more than a pair of shoes or a belt with a sweet buckle shaped like a cross made out of fake diamonds.

To the Ephesian Church Paul laid out a pretty specific outfit for the disciple of Christ to put on daily.

'Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God s that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.' 

It's a bit awkward using myself as the main image of a spiritual streaker here with nothing more than a belt of truth on so why don't you go ahead and replace me with yourself and discern onward. Thank you.

Ever walk out of the house in the morning with nothing but a belt on? Nothing but the belt of truth draped on your hips.

Or the breastplate of righteousness...only. Like to spend time around this guy? Wearing righteousness like a bad Christmas sweater and without faith or truth to match.

What about the sandals of readiness. Sure they're beautifully ordained with the gospel of peace...but when not coupled with righteousness or a shield then I'm not sure what you're ready for.

The shield of faith is a culturally misunderstood and over politicized one. How many of us sprint out of the house in the morning with literally nothing more than a shield, even void of salvation itself, in hopes of defending Christianity from the arrows of the evil one in the culture wars? Yeah, it's like that.

Most of us are really just a bunch of naked babies running around with helmets on trying not to hurt ourselves. Let's call it what it is. We cried out to Jesus in 11th grade, strapped on our helmet, and went streaking. What do you think the likelihood is that you'll live as a dedicated and passionate disciple of Christ who makes healthy disciples if you're running around town naked alongside other naked 'brothers and sisters'?

Catch that?

A bunch of naked, immature believers who know little more than the flavor of forgiveness and freedom from sin without the belt, breastplate, sandals, shield, sword and prayer to suit up with on a daily basis. I'm sure that'll go well. Because naked people model incredible restraint and Christ-likeness around other naked people.

Some of us tend to just walk around with the Word of God as if just holding it without any other preparation or investment in the armor were necessary. A naked guy with a Bible. Not someone I want greeting my kids and I in the children's wing at a Sunday gathering with the body.

Are you naked?

Are you spiritually naked? Are you sprinting through your day with little more than a helmet and a shield while talking to grandma on the phone about kittens?

If you're a disciple of Christ then you're also an ambassador for His kingdom. Dress appropriately.

Read Ephesians 6:10-20

Manhandling OR Sharing

Is your Ministry Vision dependent on you individually to maintain its course and development?

Let me ask you this:

'if you disappeared for a year on sabbatical would you return to find the Body passionately fostering continued and innovative growth within the context of your collective vision OR deterioration, discouragement and a burden to maintain and manage your baby?'

In Scripture we find both individually empowered leaders paving the way for the Spirits work in a Body AND we also find more and more in the NT collective groups of Overseers being chosen, called and stepping up to lead the local Body as need and opportunity arises.

Whatever the context, are you singularly man-handling your vision and keeping it from: wolves, detractors, innovators, co-partners and other qualified and called leaders who might also be called to run the race alongside you in your local sphere? That may have been necessary in the beginning but as disciples are born and the body grows, is your shared top-tier Overseer leadership growing as well to form a greater more holistic vision for the Body?

What if you shared the burden?

What if Paul is right to call out a handful of leadership roles in the Church (Eph. 4 apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds, teachers) and so expect Jesus to remain the Head of the Church while these called leaders share in the work here on the ground?

What if...what if you and your APEST co-partners discerned the vision for your context and then created a platform: common purpose, language and paradigm for disciplemaking to move and breath and carry the Gospel beyond your knowledge and capacity. What if you release the vision to grow and simply personally model what your vision casts?

Are you man-handling YOUR baby OR are you fostering APEST vision while letting Jesus handle His baby?

Called & Quiet?

There's a new/old tension in the Western Church lately regarding the form and quality of discipleship. A tension in philosophy where on the one hand every disciple is called and gifted to be engaged in incarnational mission while on the other appropriate Christian programming within the church is the focus and scope of discipleship.

Missional communities or small groups?

1x1 disciple making and multiplication or classroom Bible study?

Between Matthew 28:18-20 'Go and make disciples,' and 1 Thess. 4:11-12 'Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life.'

There is a real tension, a real division in thought and practice between a local body that sees every individual actually doing the work of ministry as one united body AND a local church whose overseers do the work and invite the body to come and see.

The problem is that Jesus' call to make disciples (Matt 28) is not a different call from Paul's later challenge to live quietly (1 Thess. 4). That while there might be tension built into these dueling passages there's unity of mission. Even where there is a difference of interpretation there is no less a call to fulfill both.

Go & Do: We're familiar with the charge of Christ to go and make disciples of all nations. And we're familiar with the subsequent disciple making movement in Acts. We may even be familiar with the reality that in the following three hundred years after Christ much of the Middle East and most of Europe had converted to Christianity. So the rhythm of personally proclaiming Christ and then personally teaching others to obey His commands = making disciples, may be radical to us but it's not new territory.

But this isn't separate from Paul's charge to aspire to a humble and quiet life. To work diligently with our hands and win over outsiders. What's the context? Is there a reason for this intentionally mild-mannered challenge in light of Jesus' radical call? Probably.

Stay & Be: The Thessalonians turned from their idols to Christ in such a way that they became a model to all of Macedonia and Achaia (1:7). Their faith had become known everywhere (1:8). Despite severe suffering they were infused by the Holy Spirit to endure and so imitate Jesus (1:6). They abandoned their temples, discarded their false teachings, dropped out of trades and unions devoted to false gods and were most likely denied access to many social functions. Culture felt the impact.

Paul thanks God for their 'work produced by faith' - 'labor prompted by love' - 'endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ' (1:2-3)

Even their brotherly love is so extravagant that Paul notes their understanding and lifestyle of love has been directly taught by God and felt all over the countryside (4:9). Paul even urges them to demonstrate it more and more (:10). It's as if the humble and quiet life he goes on to cherish is full of persecution, hard work both in the use of their spiritual gifts and their vocation, a genuine labor of love-lifestyle towards all brothers and sisters and an endurance through all things for the sake of Christ!

Apparently this joyful (5:16), prayerful (5:17), thankful (5:18), zealous (5:19), faithful (5:20), discerning (5:21), aware (5:22) quiet and humble lifestyle is exactly what Jesus meant when He prayed for future generations of disciples on mission (John 17) and then called His own disciples to go and make disciples until the whole world knows of His love.

So, where is this tension? It's not in the Biblical call to make disciples. It's not in a lifestyle that demonstrates His Truth wholly. Where is it?

The tension arises in two places (actually more but I'm writing here and this is all I want to cover):

1. General & Specific Fears
2. Misunderstanding of Gifts / Personality

Fear: We fear all sorts of things but typically we don't live this lifestyle because we're scared. I won't go into detail on this point, if you fear anything or anyone other than God and His divine power then submit and move forward.

Misunderstandings of gifts and personality: We generally agree that the spiritual gifts are given to serve the body and entice the non-believers to Gods grace - but personality is a messy and subjective discussion. That our personalities are given by God and shaped by our circumstances is an important piece of who we are and how the Lord calls us.

I wonder if it isn't within a deeper understanding of our personalities that our humble and quiet life is better discerned. Yes, our culture will shape how the Gospel is lived out and communicated, but so will our personalities. That two very different disciples both with the gift of teaching may very well utilize this gift in very different capacities - one on a stage and the other in a living room.

My wife and are both quite introverted and yet her form of quiet yet intentional living quite naturally looks different than mine and often we're tweaking and shaping and challenging and sacrificing what that means within our household and ministry.

Living quietly and working diligently will be different in different towns, homes and local churches - yet the work of making disciples will always be laborious, faithful and self-sacrificial work requiring perseverance and wrought with forms of persecution.

Who are you in Christ and who are you called to connect with intentionally yet humbly?

Word of Beard

To the saints who are faithful in Christ Jesus everywhere - you are loved on purpose.

Grace. Peace. (1:2)
Blessed. Every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. (1:3)
He chose us. Holy. Blameless. Love. (1:4)
Adoption. Good pleasure. (1:5)
Grace bestowed on us. (1:6)
Redemption. Forgiveness. Riches of his grace. (1:7)
Abound. All wisdom and insight. (1:8)
Making known. Good pleasure. Purposed. (1:9)
Bring together on earth and heaven. (1:10)
Chosen. Purpose. Works all things. (1:11)
Hoped. Praise of his glory. (1:12)
Gospel. Salvation. Sealed. Promised Holy Spirit. (1:13)
Inheritance. Redemption. (1:14)

In these 14 verses of Paul's letter to the Church surrounding Ephesus he overwhelms us with the overflow of the Lords character - He floods with His intentional and gracious love for us. Crazy!

Seriously. Just read through the list above describing what God, through the life of Christ, offers us.

Not only that but all with preemptive purpose and design. Catch that? It's actually been Gods will from before the beginning of time to pull us into His vision of eternity. Check this out:

Chose us before the foundation of the world. (1:4)
Predestined. Through Christ. Good pleasure of his will. (1:5)
Praise and glory of his grace. (1:6)
He caused to abound to us. (1:8)
Making known to us the mystery of his will. According to his good pleasure. Purposed in him. (1:9)
Fullness of times. Bring together in Christ. (1:10)
Chosen. Predestined. Purpose of the One. Works all things according to his will. (1:11)
Promised Holy Spirit. (1:13)

It's not chaos and condemnation that propels the Creator onward in purpose and mission. It isn't anger and distance and disillusion. No.

From eternity past the Father, the Son and the Spirit have found nothing but pleasure in fostering and securing redemption for us. Through the eternal plan and cost of the life of Christ and the seal of the Spirit we are drawn in as heirs, adopted into the family of God the Father with love according to what pleases Him in His Holiness and Perfection.

He chose us and invites us into the divine mystery of His will.

You and I are loved. Read Ephesians 1:1-14. Read it again. Read it once again. You have been loved. You are being loved on. You will be loved forever. Now tell me that isn't just exactly what your heart truly desires?

Uber-Spatial Unity

In Ephesians 4:1 the author, Apostle Paul, acknowledges two Spatial contexts in motion: Physical and Spiritual (both being Relational in nature).

As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.

Every follower of Christ, through salvation, is equipped to live a life worthy of their new place in Fathers kingdom, His family. In fact, living a worthy life isn't something earned but a lifestyle overflowing with the eternal work Jesus HAS done and IS doing in the Christian life. Fantastic!

This new life, this worthy lifestyle according to Paul, takes place simultaneously on two Spatial fronts:

1. Physical Space: (4:2-3) Paul urges the Asian Church to foster and share in awesome community with one-another. Being gentle and humble, patient and intentionally peaceful and united...these take shape alongside other human beings - Physically and thus relational, mental and emotional.
2. Spiritual Space: (4:4-6) Paul goes on to urge unity in the Spiritual realm. A one-ness that encompasses the Body of believers everywhere, the One-ness of The Father, Jesus and The Spirit in the Trinity. The One-ness of Gods Sovereignty in and through everything - of faith and baptism and hope. A Spiritual Unity that surpasses every physical border and boundary.

I wouldn't be off the mark in saying that this Spatial Unity is just as important in the Body today, the Church (universal and local), as it was at the time of Pauls Epistle to the Ephesians.

Uber-Spatial Unity is a call, a charge, an urgent and refreshed word to the Body to be united physically beyond denominations, styles, personal preferences and expressive flavors in such a way that the Love of Christ would be on display on every street corner and in every home in between.

Sounds uber-idealistic I suppose. Yeah, it is.

Uber-Physical Unity only works as it is partnered with Uber-Spiritual Unity. That the very heart of Spatial One-ness that Paul urges for (4:4-6, Philip. 1:27-28, 1 Cor. 12) is first found in the glue of the Spiritual Space holding the very Physical realm together.

Every Physically-spatial relationship is first impacted by Spiritually-spatial truth.

As much as you and I can imagine, discern and intentionally foster spiritual unity on the major doctrinal issues with brothers and sisters in our communities we ought to then be intentional in fostering physical unity for the sake of the world.

Where is the Spirit encouraging you to be unified more and more both in spirit with your Savior and in relationship with the Church?

Word of Beard

'On the 24th day of the eleventh month I had a vision...the word of the Lord came to [me]...During the night I had a vision... 

'He showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord... 

'Joshua was dressed in filthy clothes as he stood before the angel.'

What happens next is what has happened to every man and woman on earth for whom Christ is discovered as reality. Joshua here, in Zechariah's vision, is a symbol of Israel.

Israel was distant from the Lord, rebellious, soaking up the scraps of life and religion and self gratification. But their story doesn't end in that false-satisfaction.

'The angel said to those who were standing before him, "Take of his filthy clothes." "See, I have taken away your sin and I will put rich garments on you."'

Sound familiar?

The journey the LORD shares with Israel is fulfilled in Christ and His relationship with all believers. It's an ancient journey, an ancient process where God removed the filth, the confusion, the missteps, the sin and both symbolically and spiritually would take Israel as His people again and again (Hebrews 10 speaks to this repetition and final reconciling).

That removal of the old and replacement with the New as Paul notes in 2 Cor. 5:17. That Incredible Regeneration, that Eternal Reconciliation is not new to Christs purpose with Israel, however, it is Final!

The absolute final removal of the Old ineffective human ideas of spiritual wholeness and the absolute final adoption of the New AND 2000 years later we just celebrated that final victory over sin and death in Christ on Easter! Fantastic!

'Then I said, "Put a clean turban on his head."

I'm aware that we won't be wearing turbans as a religio-fashion statement here in the Western Evangeleical Church (though I wouldn't be opposed, with a fine robe and effeminate Toms-like shoes to match...), but this particular headpiece has serious significance. Check out the priestly garments in Exodus 28:36 and you'll discover that this was inscribed with the phrase, 'Holy is the Lord.'

Now that's a turban worth wearing.

The reality for you and I is that we are inscribed with that very Truth in a much more personal way. Every Christ-follower carries within them the very Spirit of the Living God (1 John 4:13-16). Hmm, what shall I prefer as a sign of my personal connection to the Lord of the Universe - turban OR Spirit of God? (Now if you prefer the turban you have a crippling addiction to religion and I can't help you, but the Spirit can. Step away from the turban and spend time in commune with Jesus.)

'This is what the LORD Almighty says: "If you walk in my ways and keep my requirements...I will give you a place among these standing here."'

He frees us from the weight and grime and false sense of reality and hope that our own dreams and creations and sins offer us.

He places on everyone who trusts in Christ (John 3:16, Romans 10:9-10) a new wardrobe sourced in His Love. A new clothing line defined by Faith, Hope and Love. A new attitude (Philippians 2). A new everything as we journey with Him.

In fact, as we embark on this lifelong journey of walking in His ways and so standing among His people / His family, we experience both the One Time removal of our dirty clothes AND the ongoing cleansing and renewal that comes from living in a place that isn't yet fully reconciled to Him.

If you haven't yet seen the vision of Christ making all things new in your life and so removing the old I suggest you spend time in prayer and the Word not only painting this picture of spiritual reality, but truly believing it at that.

Read Zechariah 3 for this piece of his vision.