After coming back from a late-night 'yumcha' session last Friday night, a Sunday School song I haven't heard or sung for more than a decade suddenly started playing in my head: ♪ In my Father's house are many mansions, many mansions in my Father's house... ♫ I didn't think much about it (because I always have some random tune running through my head) and then I went to bed.
The next morning (Saturday), I went to church for the first session of Disciple Training Internship Course. After telling us that, "Learning about being a disciple of Jesus Christ (through cell groups and sermons) is important but it's time to leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity by being a DISCIPLE-MAKER, by multiplying the church through duplication of true Godly leadership," Elder Wai Kong told us to refer to John 14. After reading the first six verses, I realised then and there that the Holy Spirit was speaking to me the night before through the song, which was obviously written based on John 14:2.
John 14:1-6
1 "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.
2 "In my Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3 "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.
4 "And where I go you know, and the way you know."
5 Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?"
6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
Verses one to three are some of the most comforting words in all of Scripture. From Jesus' own lips we receive the promise of His return. He spoke these words during His most intimate time with His disciples, and they echo down to us as a precious promise to the bride of Christ.
In this text Jesus tells us of a peace, a place, and a promise. He begins by urging us: Do not be troubled; be at peace. Our peace is based on our belief in God and Christ. We know that He is trustworthy and gives us a foundation of peace upon which to build our lives. Second, Jesus spoke of a place. He promised to prepare for us a place where we will have eternal fellowship with Him. Finally, we have His personal promise that He is returning for us.
Think of it! His personal signature is on our salvation; as we have received Him, He is coming to receive us. We look forward to that day in expectation, preparing ourselves for it, for "everyone who has this hope... purifies himself" (1 John 3:3). (Isaiah 53:1-12 / 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18)
In John 14:6, Jesus called Himself "the way, the truth, and the life." In addition, He said that He is the only way to God. It is only through the death and resurrection of Christ that the wall of sin blocking man from God was done away with. Therefore, it is only through faith in Him that people can be forgiven of their sins and find God.
"Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God."
Thank You, Lord!
(Check out what I wrote two years ago on Christianity Defined)
The next morning (Saturday), I went to church for the first session of Disciple Training Internship Course. After telling us that, "Learning about being a disciple of Jesus Christ (through cell groups and sermons) is important but it's time to leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity by being a DISCIPLE-MAKER, by multiplying the church through duplication of true Godly leadership," Elder Wai Kong told us to refer to John 14. After reading the first six verses, I realised then and there that the Holy Spirit was speaking to me the night before through the song, which was obviously written based on John 14:2.
John 14:1-6
1 "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.
2 "In my Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3 "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.
4 "And where I go you know, and the way you know."
5 Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?"
6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
Verses one to three are some of the most comforting words in all of Scripture. From Jesus' own lips we receive the promise of His return. He spoke these words during His most intimate time with His disciples, and they echo down to us as a precious promise to the bride of Christ.
In this text Jesus tells us of a peace, a place, and a promise. He begins by urging us: Do not be troubled; be at peace. Our peace is based on our belief in God and Christ. We know that He is trustworthy and gives us a foundation of peace upon which to build our lives. Second, Jesus spoke of a place. He promised to prepare for us a place where we will have eternal fellowship with Him. Finally, we have His personal promise that He is returning for us.
Think of it! His personal signature is on our salvation; as we have received Him, He is coming to receive us. We look forward to that day in expectation, preparing ourselves for it, for "everyone who has this hope... purifies himself" (1 John 3:3). (Isaiah 53:1-12 / 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18)
In John 14:6, Jesus called Himself "the way, the truth, and the life." In addition, He said that He is the only way to God. It is only through the death and resurrection of Christ that the wall of sin blocking man from God was done away with. Therefore, it is only through faith in Him that people can be forgiven of their sins and find God.
"Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God."
Thank You, Lord!
(Check out what I wrote two years ago on Christianity Defined)
