A Whole Lot of Talking

There’s a Whole Lot of Talking Going On

The “Red-Letter” Words of Jesus

Day Seven

Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote-Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”      John 1:44-45 (NKJV)      

There’s a whole lot of talking going on in this first chapter of John. Let’s go back and see what happened.

First, John the Baptist points two of his disciples towards Jesus. He tells Andrew and John, “Behold the Lamb of God!” They began to follow Jesus. (John 1:35-38)

Andrew then tells his brother, Peter, “We have found the Messiah.” Peter begins to follow Jesus. (John 1:40-42)

Next, Jesus jumps on the evangelism bandwagon and tells Philip, “Follow me." Philip forsakes everything and follows Him. Who knows? Maybe Andrew and Peter previously said something to him about Jesus since they're from the same hometown. (John 1:43)

Philip can’t contain himself. He finds his friend, Nathanael, and says, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote…” In other words, we have found the Messiah. (John 1:44-45)

When I was saved* at nineteen years of age, I was like those disciples. I couldn’t contain my excitement. I'd been a rebellious teenager who was kicked out of the house when I was seventeen years old. I was drinking and dabbling with drugs. I'd recently lost my job and couldn't afford my apartment anymore. In the middle of that mess, Jesus got a hold of my life and turned it upside down.

He so radically changed me that my friends didn’t recognize me. I couldn’t keep quiet about my Savior and Lord. As a result, several of my family members committed their lives to Jesus too.

The Lord is still doing amazing things in my life. Unfortunately, I’ve been a lot quieter about Him and my faith. There’s not a whole lot of talking going on anymore. It’s time I allow the Holy Spirit to stir up the passion once again. Someone’s life is depending on me doing a whole lot more talking.

Father, forgive me for my silence. Forgive me for not sharing freely with others what You have so freely given to me. May there be a whole lot more talking going on in my life. In Jesus' name, Amen.

*To understand what it means to be saved, see the “Salvation” page on this blog.