Part 23a – John 16

This chapter is a continuation of the previous chapter where Jesus is still preparing His disciples for life on earth without Him and He starts with some stark words. If we cast our thoughts back to John 15:27 Jesus told his disciples that they “must testify” or in the NKJV “bear witness” to Him as they have been with Him from the beginning of His ministry. 

Jesus affirmed to His disciples in John 16:1 that He had told them these things so that they wouldn’t abandon their faith or in NKJV “be made to stumble”, I prefer this translation as the NLT translation of “abandon your faith” seems a little more final. I am sure some did abandon their faith just as some people do today but the NKJV suggests that it is possible to get up and carry on. Our Christian life is like that. At times we think we can’t go on or we feel we have lost our way, but in the words of Paul in Philippians 1:6 “God, who began the good work within you, will continue His work until it is finally finished. It is God’s work in us and for us, not our work in God or for God that matters. The witness and testimony that we live and deliver is all because God is working out His plan of salvation for all the world, a plan that has been ongoing from generation to generation from the outset of creation. 

Jesus said plainly to His disciples in John 16:2 that their lives would be in danger and they would be expelled from the synagogue or even killed, all because they aligned themselves to Him. 

I wonder if any of us today would be prepared to stay the course if we knew that following Christ and making him known in our generation would cost us our security in our churches or even cost us our lives? The reality is that there are places around the world where if you are a Christian that is exactly what is happening and the truth is that in those places, because of this kind of persecution, “God’s church”, “His people”, “His called out ones”, “those set apart for the gospel”, is thriving. 

We in the modern, comfortable west need to re-examine our lives and repent and return to a God who heals and pardons.

There is hope because the love of a just God continues His work in our lives to bring us to the place where He wants and needs us to be, a place in Him, where we find security, safety and satisfaction.

Let’s now focus on a few verses in this chapter that help us understand the “HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE”? 

As I have already said, the work of salvation is God’s work not ours therefore it stands to reason that He will give us the ability to work out this salvation in order that we can “testify” or “witness “ Jesus. I just want to repeat myself here to clarify what I have consistently said in previous writings that in no way am I suggesting that our salvation does not require action on our part. The salvation of Jehovah is a partnership with the divine and this approach is consistently declared and suggested throughout scripture. Salvation is initiated by God and worked out in partnership between me and God. To be continued. 

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