Lesson 7 The Life of CHRIST ( The Selection of CHRIST'S Disciples )

John 1:35-51 is Lesson 7 scripture reading and text. GOD'S Calling, Will You Answer? GOD calls HIS people to serve him. HE purchased us with the Blood of HIS SON JESUS CHRIST on the Cross. What a payment that was made! The Blood of JESUS CHRIST stands today as the only means of Salvation! It stands today as the Only Door that leads us as CHRISTians to Heaven! As GOD calls whosoever to be Saved, HE calls HIS Children to be witnesses to the Truth of HIS HOLY Word. As each and every Salvation experience is different, we can all relate it to the birthing of a child or child birth. Each experience is different but the result or evidence is the same. In child birth, the result is a bundle of joy in the form of a boy, girl or both. It is the same for us that are Re-Birthed into GOD'S Family. I am so glad that GOD is no respecter of persons! In the life stories of the disciples, they all were just like us. They each had a little bit of us in them. They all accepted the call of discipleship in different ways, and they all had different personalities. Just to mention a few examples, Phillip, was a doubter. As we recall at the feeding of the 5,000, he wanted to go and buy food, as they didn't have enough, as he thought, to carry out this feeding. Peter denied CHRIST 3 times. We see several lessons for our life. We must approach every believer differently. CHRIST is omniscient anfd omnipresent. HE knows our heart, we can never fool GOD. CHRIST had varying approaches in calling HIS Disciples. Verses 40-41 shows the Satisfaction in the call of Andrew. Verse 42 shows the power to live in the call of Peter. Verses 43-44 shows the blind obedience in the call of Phillip and Verses 45-51 shows the answering objections in the call of Nathanael. Th applications to the call are demonsrated differently. Different personalities need different approaches. Only the HOLY SPIRIT can effectively lead us in witnessing. GOD uses different instruments for witnessing..Preaching, Personal Work and Circumstanaces. Although good works and service can save no one, GOD created us for HIS service ( Ephesians 2:10 ). GOD equips HIS children with the gifts necessary to do the job HE has for them, and HE expects to see them do it. Some CHRISTians are obedient to the call. Unfortunately, many professing CHRISTians are not. Although they have been saved, they are unwilling or shallow in their commitment to GOD in obedience to HIS call. They perfer instead, to go their own way, follow their own agendas and do their own thing. As a result, they do not experience the full blessings of GOD. They both miss out themselves and also prevent others from benefiting from the blessings that their service could bring. If you have been called to Salvation, GOD has another call for you, a call to service. There's a job out there with your name on it. Are you willing to follow GOD'S call, discover the job HE has for you, and then do it for HIS Glory? In these few verses 5 disciples were called, not all were called the same way, but, they were called. After they obeyed HIS first call, HE called them to serve. Because they obeyed this call of service, the gospel spread around the world and you and I enjoy the benefit of their service today. It appears in these few verses that these disciples recognized HIM as a teacher. They should have recognized HIM for HIS Authority and learned from HIM. Simon called JESUS, CHRIST or MESSIAH. Many Jews expected the MESSIAH would be a political or military ruler who would restore David's Kingdom. Phillip told Nathanael that JESUS was the one about whom Moses and the prophets had written. He was indicating his belief that JESUS was the MESSIAH. Imagine that you were Nathanael. How would you have felt when JESUS told you that HE had seen Nathanael under the fig tree? Many Bible commentators believe Nathanael was meditating on the Old Testament and prehaps even on the Messiah when he was under the fig tree. The fig tree repersents the place of meditation, security for the Jews. The fig tree repersents Israel and Safety ( I Kings 4:25 and Micah 4:4 ). It seems likely that JESUS saw him not with HIS eyes but through HIS omniscience. How would CHRIST'S omniscience have been less impressive to Nathanael than the heavenly vision described in verse 51? It appears JESUS was telling Nathanael that he would learn about GOD personally in a way that would overwhealm his expectations. I hope that by studying the Life of CHRIST, that we would know GOD personally and be overwhealmed by HIM! May GOD Bless the study of HIS Word!




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