August 31, 2020 -- John 7:31 -- Following your questions

Yet many of the people believed in him. They said, “When the Christ appears, will he do more signs than this man has done?”

John 7:31 English Standard Version

In this passage Jesus is called the Christ . This highlights something about Jesus. Christ means anointed one. The signs Jesus performed (walking on water John 6:19; feeding 5,000 John 6:1ff; healing a man who had been paralyzed 38 years John 5:5ff and so on) all pointed to the fact that Jesus is the Son of God. He was sent by the Father to reveal the Father’s proper, just, anger against sin. Jesus’s perfections show us our own sinfulness and inclinations to doing wrong. And Jesus, the Christ, is the Lamb of God Who takes away our sins—He is punished so that we are set free to worship God the Father and serve Him in the strength of the Holy Spirit.

In Jesus’s day, some in the crowd believed because of the signs, the miracles. What is it about Jesus that has grabbed your attention today? Perhaps you see a Christian who handles difficult work situations and an angry boss with great grace and calm and you are driven to wonder, “is there something to this Jesus?” Maybe you see a friend struggling against illness and you admire her perseverance and confidence in Jesus, even though she is suffering so greatly. It could be you have heard snippets of teaching which are credited to Jesus and you think, “If even a tenth of this were true, I’d follow this man to the ends of the earth”. This is the Spirit. God is getting your attention by these people or that circumstance. Now is the time to listen.

Explore the holy tug on your heart. My pastor, Michael Jaatinen, says “sin will seduce you'“. By that Jaatinen means sin will always take you on a dark path away from God. However, God Who is Holy, He is the Light of Life—His way will intrigue you and require you to stir yourself from the seductive ways of sin in order to rise in newness of life. Today, if you hear Jesus’s voice, do not harden your heart. Find a Christian friend whose walk you admire and ask your questions. Know Jesus is knocking on the door of your heart. He is ready to be found by you!

Fellow Christians, keep your heart tender and your attention open to the possibility that the way you are living is drawing others to the Light of Christ. Remember, when you love Jesus His light shines out from you. Be prepared to answer questions. Be prepared for times of lots of questions and times when there are silences as people ponder what you are saying. Pray. Give thanks to God the Father that He has qualified you in Jesus Christ to be a witness to all the Christ is doing. The Spirit will direct you into all truth.

You are infinitely creative and masterful, Mighty God of Wonders. Blessed are You. Thank You for the glorious gift of Jesus Christ. Thank You for the many ways in which Your Spirit draws Jesus into our peripheral vision, so that we catch many intriguing glimpses of His majesty until our Spirit-pricked consciences seek Him out. Spirit of God, help us, who love Jesus and seek to make Him known by our words and actions, keep us so gentle in Jesus as to be open to all inquiries and ready to give an answer for the faith that is in us.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fpUvEKd91w