Origins (of Our Faith)

The Purpose of John’s Book

'Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book. 

But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.'

- John the Apostle, 1st century

This is the 6th message of this series]

Im the preceding message, we discussed how the first followers of Jesus finally believed everything Jesus have told them after they have seen the final proof with their own eyes.

That was the source of their belief*. 

Moving forward after Jesus' work was done, He sent the Holy Spirit to continue the expansion of the Kingdom of God. 

With Jesus ascending back to heaven, then the Third Person of the Holy Trinity will be taking over and working within and with those who are believing from then on. 

In the beginning, it was God the Father who was with humankind. Then came the time of God the Son -- the Word who became flesh, Jesus of Nazareth. Now it is the Holy Spirit's era.

Has More Faith

Believers today have more faith than the apostles, for sure more than Thomas. 

Peter, James, John and all the other apostles who was with Jesus of Nazareth day and night throughout His earthly ministry, believed because they saw the proofs with their own eyes.

Today what believers have is the writings left for us by those eyewitnesses, and the Jewish Scriptures**, all pointing to the prophesied Messiah. 

We read from the passage above, John the Apostle who is among the closest followers of Jesus, said that he wrote the Book ofd John (as well as the three letters he wrote which became the Epistles of John and the Book of Revelation) so that we may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, the Messiah. And that by our faith we may have new life in the Name of Jesus Christ.

The Message Paraphrase of a portion of the Book of Romans go like this:

'The point is: Before you trust, you have to listen. But unless Christ’s Word is preached, there’s nothing to listen to.'

The beginning of our faith is when we read Scriptures or hear the good news of Jesus Christ.

Romans 10:17

'So faith comes from hearing the message, and the message that is heard is what Christ spoke.'

Peter, James, John and the other writers of the bible heard what Jesus spoke. They saw what He did. And they recorded it for us -- all other believers who will come after them -- and we can read what they recorded here.

Origins (the Series)

*the Apostles of Jesus forgot all the other times that Jesus did the miraculous but after they saw Jesus back from the dead then they believed. Them after the Holy Spirit came upon them in Pentecost that they truly became 100% sure and ready to give up their own life to share the good news of salvation.

**The Jewish people have a long history of forgetting the miraculous things that God has done to them recorded in the Old Testament bible. It appears that God is always one proof or one sign away from them believing Him. 

Church of the Lost Sheep 2012

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