Scripture Reading: John 21
Dearly Beloved,
Greetings in the Name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ!
As we come to the conclusion of our sermon series on John’s gospel, ‘Jesus – God, Man, I am’, we must ask ourselves;
‘In the aftermath of Christ’ Resurrection - the greatest event ever known to Man – what does our Lord Jesus want from His disciples?’
What does Jesus want with us?
Have you ever thought to yourself how amazing it would be if we knew exactly what Jesus expects us to do with our lives? Exactly, what should our pattern for living be, if we were true disciples of the One, True God?
John 21 speaks precisely to these questions.
Our Lord Jesus appeared to His disciples just when Peter decides to revert to his life’s status quo.
“I am going back to my life as a fisherman.”
After three years worth of divine encounter, Peter reverted to what he knew before, and perhaps, what he knew confidently.
Is that a bad thing?
Not necessarily.
Peter, along with the rest of the disciples, were clearly lost, fraught with guilt and shame, fearful and uncertain – even after experiencing their resurrected Lord in the flesh!
What they were going through is really a crisis of faith – they were at the crossroads of their faith lives.
It was clear that something was changed – Christ was not going to be around them as before.
Uncertainties have become certainties.
The disciples were uncertain about how life was going to be from now on, uncertain about what they were going to do after Christ returns to the Father, uncertain about what the future held for them, and definitely uncertain about whether they had what it takes to continue living the way they did for the last three years.
Most importantly, they were uncertain if they could go on without Christ, especially when it seems that so much is yet to be resolved.
And to go along with this crisis of faith, John 21 provides sufficient allusions of precise ingredients in the disciple's circumstances and emotional state that make for a long season of depression. And to compound the problem, being cooped up because they feared for their own lives could only make their already bad situation worse.
Peter had enough. He knew better
Instead of mulling around, Peter decided to go out to fish.
For a former fisherman, it was his vocation, his enterprise, and his livelihood.
Peter schools us in how we might stave off spiritual and emotional depression during our own crises of faith – through the deliberate return to life’s rhythms and routines, even if our emotions cry out for us to simply lash out, crash, sulk or mull.
In Peter’s case, this was a deliberate return to life, albeit life in his own hands.
Peter was still feeling the shame of his own reality. He thought himself a hero of Christ, but recent events have proven that he was more zero than hero.
Peter reverted to his status quo. But his status quo was much better than a life of self-imprisonment out of the shame of his past deeds and fear for his life. And it was in his deliberate movement towards coming alive, as opposed to remaining dead, that Christ found him ready to come alive in His purposes and power.
Our initial move towards coming alive will result in nothing significant – as observed in the disciple’s failure to harvest any fish on their initial attempts.
It was not going to be the first time that Peter caught nothing.
But remember, catching nothing is much better than not catching at all.
The fact that they pick up where they left off, revealed their desire to go on, to live on.
This desire was deemed honorable to our Lord Jesus, who promptly restored them to His divine reality for their lives when obedience to His word resulted in another miraculous catch.
What the Lord Jesus goes on to do with them, with Peter, sets the stage for the rest of their lives.
John 21 does more than simply reveal Christ’s final moments with His disciples – His final assurance, exhortation and commission. This chapter informs every true disciple of Christ - past, present and future – of the very pattern of our lives in Christ; the very platform from which we must launch off – as the disciples did - in faith, in Christ.
Consider now these seven aspects, as we contemplate:
What does our Lord Jesus Christ want with us?
Do you recognize Christ in the everyday rhythms of life?
When you go about your day, do you see the Lord at work in the lives and circumstances of those around you?
We do not see when we fail to seek.
Peter and the disciples failed to recognize the Lord Jesus, until point of the miracle.
Is the presence of our Lord Himself not miracle enough for us?
If not, we ought to deeply examine the reasons undergirding our decision to be Christ's disciples.
Seek the Lord. Listen for His voice. Spend time with Christ and learn to recognize His voice. Live in anticipation that Christ is with you, and that He will come alongside you in the everyday rhythms of life.
He wants that very much. The question is, do you?
Do you truly believe in Jesus Christ? Then, you must continue to believe that His miracles are not only happening today, but that He wants us to be agents of His miracles, by being His agents in prayer.
The disciples only recognized the Lord after the fact of the miracle.
It should not be our paradigm.
Their experience should educate us, to
Which appeals to you more, I wonder?
That you work with everything that you have, on your own and ultimately achieve nothing?
Or that you work with Christ in everything and achieve all (and more) that you are meant to be?
“I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:13)
If the church truly understands and lives in this promise, we will be the strongest force this universe has ever seen.
But in truth, we are so far from being there. Yet, nothing should stop us from starting to believe.
Only just believe. We can. Through Christ.
Our Lord wants us to know that His forgiveness is absolute and complete, and therefore, we should harbor neither guilt nor shame after we have repented.
But because Christ knows us all too well, He is fully aware that sometimes, the circumstances of our sin may continue to have a shaming effect on us and thus debilitate us.
‘It was for freedom that Christ has set us free.’ (Galatians 5:1)
Christ desired to free Peter from the shame of rejecting Him, and for that, Peter needed to be healed of the memories of that tragic event.
When Peter drew close to Christ that morning, he was met with a fire of burning coals. This entire scene was deeply pertinent, and disturbing to him. The last time Peter saw a fire of burning coals, he was at the courtyard of the High Priest (John 18:18) and he had just denied Christ to the face of a servant girl.
It was in the familiar sight of the fire, and the distinct smell of the burning coals that Jesus framed the context of Peter’s restoration.
Christ essentially was saying to Peter, “Isn’t this familiar? Wasn’t this the precise circumstance in which you denied me? But look here, I am right here. I have forgiven you. I have drawn you back to my side. Know that I still love you, and I will still provide all of your needs. And on top of this, know that I will still trust you with my lambs and my sheep.
Now, do you love me? Do you love me? Do you love me?”
Draw close to Christ today and know well that Christ has forgiven your sins, brokenness and unrighteousness. If you sense the need to, let His Holy Spirit lead you to the memory of the circumstances of your sin, and ask Christ for forgiveness. Wait upon the Lord, as Peter did, and receive His assurances of salvation and forgiveness in His Name.
Wait upon Jesus. Persevere in this endeavor, till you experience His grace and mercy, love and presence. Faith does beget understanding.
Persevere. Wait upon Jesus. Then you would understand.
This was before the disciples arrived back to shore with the fish that they had caught because of Christ.
He had the fire going already. There were fish and bread baking on the fire.
Fellowship was the object, but food is the key.
Just as He fed the multitudes, He was going to feed His disciples.
Even the menu was similar.
He is Jehovah Jireh – our God, our Provider.
Do you know this God? Do you know that He desires your fellowship? (Revelations 3:20)
Open your heart to Christ, and hand Him every key that you hold.
Remain in constant and conscious fellowship with Christ. He will meet all your needs. (Philippians 4:19)
If GOD has met all our needs, what more could we need? What more could we ask for?
Trust GOD, and be ever grateful for His providence.
Christ was essentially saying to his disciples, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught, put it on the same fire.”
Recognize that everything – the fire, the bread, the fish (those already cooking and those the disciples just caught) – was the Lord’s.
But still, He recognizes our lives and our work, and desires for us to participate with Him – through the inclusion our efforts – in the in-breaking of His Kingdom.
As we minister in His Name, remember that it is we who have been graciously allowed to participate in His work. This is His honor and recognition of our faith in God. It is a grave mistake to think that God is joining our gospel work in the world. We are not only unable, we are only unworthy.
If you need to be convinced, understand that life is fragile. God alone grants us life, and keeps us alive. This is the existential truth. We will all know it sooner or later. But for this particular bit of truth, sooner is much, much better than later.
So, what is our unique design?
What does feeding and caring for lambs and sheep tell us about our unique design?
What does asking a former fisherman to feed and care for lambs and sheep tell us about the nature of our unique design?
Unquestionably, we are each called to be shepherds like Christ.
Equally significant, is that in asking a fisherman to take on the responsibilities of a shepherd, our Lord Jesus asks that very same thing of us today.
We all have our unique roles and vocations in the rhythms of our everyday lives, but it is our unique design as shepherds that must undergird all that we do.
Thus, we need to daily ask ourselves, “In my relational role (i.e. husband, wife, father, mother etc), how may I shepherd Christ’s lambs and sheep (i.e. everyone around me)? In my vocational role (i.e. Dentist, Engineer, Teacher, Business person, Executive etc), how may I shepherd those around me (my clients, students, team members, colleagues etc) ?”
As Christ’s shepherds to the world, we must be vigilant and ever-ready to nurture in the faith those whom God has clearly placed in our spheres of influence.
Take time today to discern the ‘shepherding’ (nuturing) aspect of your relational and vocational role.
Is there someone in your life who desperately needs Christ, but just have not realized it yet? Is there someone who needs a listening heart? Is there someone whom you may pray for? Is there someone who needs to hear God’s word today?
Ever wondered how we may every show God our love? Well, great news my friend, the answer is right here!
This is important. But it is only as important as how you feel about having opportunities to express your love to your God.
If that is important, then being a shepherd for Christ is what must consume us in our lives on this side of eternity.
In the triad of questions that is meant to ascertain Peter’s love for Him, Christ led Peter in congruent resolution of his triad of rejections that questioned this very love just a few days ago. (John 18:15-26)
In divine elegance, Christ’s restoration of Peter is seamlessly coupled with His ministry commission over Peter to shepherd His Church.
Although Peter was not a shepherd, this context of the commission is not lost on him. For us today, it is of great importance that we understand the context of this commission as Peter understood it – given that we too have to ultimately fulfill our unique design as shepherds of Christ.
Peter knew a thing or two about sheep. And here, the Lord Jesus showing him, as well as us today, how we must express our love to Him.
Here’s what Christ was really saying to Peter… …
“Do you love me more than these? Show me. Feed my lambs.
Take care of my sheep. Feed them. Care for them; regardless of what they do to you.
They WILL kick you, bite you, cause you tremendous amount of pain and hurt… but still, if you love Me, care for them.
They WILL frustrate you, anger you, make you feel hopeless and helpless, but still, if you love Me, care for them.
They will become wayward, waylaid, and hopelessly lost, but IF YOU LOVE ME, CARE FOR THEM!”
If you are a parent whose child has caused you much anguish and grief, remember your love for Jesus, and express that love, by continuing to shepherd your child – feed them with the Word of God, care for them with the love of God.
If you are a pastor or a ministry leader who has been wounded by fellow-Christians or co-laborers in the ministry, remember your love for Jesus, and express that love to Him, by continuing to shepherd them.
If you have been frustrated by unbelievers in your endeavors to share God’s love and His gospel, don’t stop shepherding them. Remember your love for Jesus, and express that love to Him, by persevering in your God-given role as Christ’s shepherd in their lives.
These seven aspects of what Christ wants with us in John 21 may be summed up in Christ’s ultimate exhortation to Peter in verse 22, “You must follow me.”
Every single aspect of what Christ wants with us has been exemplified and acommplished by Christ Himself; for it is in every single aspect considered, and followed, that would truly mark an authentic follower of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Are you an authentic follower of Jesus Christ?
If you are, you must know what Christ expects of you; what Christ wants with you.
Spend time this week contemplating what it means to follow Christ.
May the Holy Spirit grant you honesty and wisdom as you discern the aspects of following Christ where there are most struggles and challenges.
And may the same Spirit grant you the courage and the perseverance to allow Him to transform you into Christ’s likeness more and more, with each passing day.
As we live to lead the world to Christ, may we be the first and foremost to follow Him! As we lead the world to Christ, may the world see us live fully confident in our Lord’s love for us and fully assured in the revelation of what God wants with us.
Church, let the world hear us loud and clear, “We will follow the Lord Jesus Christ! We will live in faith of His providence! We will shepherd His lambs and sheep! And we will love Christ above all else!”
Shalom.
Let us pray.
Our Father in Heaven,
Indeed, Yours is the Kingdom, and the Power, and the Glory forever and ever!
Thank you for deepening our understanding of what it means to follow our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
Holy Spirit, may You grant us the resolve to translate your Revelation in our hearts into your Mission in our lives.
We live to follow You. We live to trust You. We live to be Your agents of love to the world.
Help us fulfill our destiny by fulfilling our unique designs as Christ’s shepherds to the world around us.
May we bring Your healing to the afflicted;
Your freedom to the imprisoned;
Your comfort to the grieving;
Your strength to the weak
Your Joy to the joyless;
Your hope to the hopeless;
Your love to the loveless; and
Your life to the life-less.
We ask that the world will revere Your Name just as we do.
Lord, please help our faith so that we may rise up as Your Church in Your Presence, Purposes and Power.
We ask that You would empower and deploy us as agents of Your Holy Spirit.
We will follow You, our Lord, our God!
We ask and pray all these in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Dearly Beloved,
Greetings in the Name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ!
As we come to the conclusion of our sermon series on John’s gospel, ‘Jesus – God, Man, I am’, we must ask ourselves;
‘In the aftermath of Christ’ Resurrection - the greatest event ever known to Man – what does our Lord Jesus want from His disciples?’
What does Jesus want with us?
Have you ever thought to yourself how amazing it would be if we knew exactly what Jesus expects us to do with our lives? Exactly, what should our pattern for living be, if we were true disciples of the One, True God?
John 21 speaks precisely to these questions.
Our Lord Jesus appeared to His disciples just when Peter decides to revert to his life’s status quo.
“I am going back to my life as a fisherman.”
After three years worth of divine encounter, Peter reverted to what he knew before, and perhaps, what he knew confidently.
Is that a bad thing?
Not necessarily.
Peter, along with the rest of the disciples, were clearly lost, fraught with guilt and shame, fearful and uncertain – even after experiencing their resurrected Lord in the flesh!
What they were going through is really a crisis of faith – they were at the crossroads of their faith lives.
It was clear that something was changed – Christ was not going to be around them as before.
Uncertainties have become certainties.
The disciples were uncertain about how life was going to be from now on, uncertain about what they were going to do after Christ returns to the Father, uncertain about what the future held for them, and definitely uncertain about whether they had what it takes to continue living the way they did for the last three years.
Most importantly, they were uncertain if they could go on without Christ, especially when it seems that so much is yet to be resolved.
And to go along with this crisis of faith, John 21 provides sufficient allusions of precise ingredients in the disciple's circumstances and emotional state that make for a long season of depression. And to compound the problem, being cooped up because they feared for their own lives could only make their already bad situation worse.
Peter had enough. He knew better
Instead of mulling around, Peter decided to go out to fish.
For a former fisherman, it was his vocation, his enterprise, and his livelihood.
Peter schools us in how we might stave off spiritual and emotional depression during our own crises of faith – through the deliberate return to life’s rhythms and routines, even if our emotions cry out for us to simply lash out, crash, sulk or mull.
In Peter’s case, this was a deliberate return to life, albeit life in his own hands.
Peter was still feeling the shame of his own reality. He thought himself a hero of Christ, but recent events have proven that he was more zero than hero.
Peter reverted to his status quo. But his status quo was much better than a life of self-imprisonment out of the shame of his past deeds and fear for his life. And it was in his deliberate movement towards coming alive, as opposed to remaining dead, that Christ found him ready to come alive in His purposes and power.
Our initial move towards coming alive will result in nothing significant – as observed in the disciple’s failure to harvest any fish on their initial attempts.
It was not going to be the first time that Peter caught nothing.
But remember, catching nothing is much better than not catching at all.
The fact that they pick up where they left off, revealed their desire to go on, to live on.
This desire was deemed honorable to our Lord Jesus, who promptly restored them to His divine reality for their lives when obedience to His word resulted in another miraculous catch.
What the Lord Jesus goes on to do with them, with Peter, sets the stage for the rest of their lives.
John 21 does more than simply reveal Christ’s final moments with His disciples – His final assurance, exhortation and commission. This chapter informs every true disciple of Christ - past, present and future – of the very pattern of our lives in Christ; the very platform from which we must launch off – as the disciples did - in faith, in Christ.
Consider now these seven aspects, as we contemplate:
What does our Lord Jesus Christ want with us?
- Christ wants us to clearly recognize and come to Him.
Do you recognize Christ in the everyday rhythms of life?
When you go about your day, do you see the Lord at work in the lives and circumstances of those around you?
We do not see when we fail to seek.
Peter and the disciples failed to recognize the Lord Jesus, until point of the miracle.
Is the presence of our Lord Himself not miracle enough for us?
If not, we ought to deeply examine the reasons undergirding our decision to be Christ's disciples.
Seek the Lord. Listen for His voice. Spend time with Christ and learn to recognize His voice. Live in anticipation that Christ is with you, and that He will come alongside you in the everyday rhythms of life.
He wants that very much. The question is, do you?
- Christ want us to be assured that He is indeed the same, yesterday, today and forevermore – and that His miracles will continue to abound for His glory sake.
Do you truly believe in Jesus Christ? Then, you must continue to believe that His miracles are not only happening today, but that He wants us to be agents of His miracles, by being His agents in prayer.
The disciples only recognized the Lord after the fact of the miracle.
It should not be our paradigm.
Their experience should educate us, to
- Recognize the Lord of the miracle before the fact of the miracle; and
- Recognize that on our own, we will achieve nothing, but with Christ, and in Christ, we are ‘the hope of glory.’ (Colossians 1:27)
Which appeals to you more, I wonder?
That you work with everything that you have, on your own and ultimately achieve nothing?
Or that you work with Christ in everything and achieve all (and more) that you are meant to be?
“I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:13)
If the church truly understands and lives in this promise, we will be the strongest force this universe has ever seen.
But in truth, we are so far from being there. Yet, nothing should stop us from starting to believe.
Only just believe. We can. Through Christ.
- Christ wants us to be fully healed and fully reconciled to Him
Our Lord wants us to know that His forgiveness is absolute and complete, and therefore, we should harbor neither guilt nor shame after we have repented.
But because Christ knows us all too well, He is fully aware that sometimes, the circumstances of our sin may continue to have a shaming effect on us and thus debilitate us.
‘It was for freedom that Christ has set us free.’ (Galatians 5:1)
Christ desired to free Peter from the shame of rejecting Him, and for that, Peter needed to be healed of the memories of that tragic event.
When Peter drew close to Christ that morning, he was met with a fire of burning coals. This entire scene was deeply pertinent, and disturbing to him. The last time Peter saw a fire of burning coals, he was at the courtyard of the High Priest (John 18:18) and he had just denied Christ to the face of a servant girl.
It was in the familiar sight of the fire, and the distinct smell of the burning coals that Jesus framed the context of Peter’s restoration.
Christ essentially was saying to Peter, “Isn’t this familiar? Wasn’t this the precise circumstance in which you denied me? But look here, I am right here. I have forgiven you. I have drawn you back to my side. Know that I still love you, and I will still provide all of your needs. And on top of this, know that I will still trust you with my lambs and my sheep.
Now, do you love me? Do you love me? Do you love me?”
Draw close to Christ today and know well that Christ has forgiven your sins, brokenness and unrighteousness. If you sense the need to, let His Holy Spirit lead you to the memory of the circumstances of your sin, and ask Christ for forgiveness. Wait upon the Lord, as Peter did, and receive His assurances of salvation and forgiveness in His Name.
Wait upon Jesus. Persevere in this endeavor, till you experience His grace and mercy, love and presence. Faith does beget understanding.
Persevere. Wait upon Jesus. Then you would understand.
- Christ wants us to fellowship with Him in the assurance that He is Jehovah Jireh;
This was before the disciples arrived back to shore with the fish that they had caught because of Christ.
He had the fire going already. There were fish and bread baking on the fire.
Fellowship was the object, but food is the key.
Just as He fed the multitudes, He was going to feed His disciples.
Even the menu was similar.
He is Jehovah Jireh – our God, our Provider.
Do you know this God? Do you know that He desires your fellowship? (Revelations 3:20)
Open your heart to Christ, and hand Him every key that you hold.
Remain in constant and conscious fellowship with Christ. He will meet all your needs. (Philippians 4:19)
If GOD has met all our needs, what more could we need? What more could we ask for?
Trust GOD, and be ever grateful for His providence.
- He wants us to participate with Him - in bringing our lives - to His table of grace.
Christ was essentially saying to his disciples, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught, put it on the same fire.”
Recognize that everything – the fire, the bread, the fish (those already cooking and those the disciples just caught) – was the Lord’s.
But still, He recognizes our lives and our work, and desires for us to participate with Him – through the inclusion our efforts – in the in-breaking of His Kingdom.
As we minister in His Name, remember that it is we who have been graciously allowed to participate in His work. This is His honor and recognition of our faith in God. It is a grave mistake to think that God is joining our gospel work in the world. We are not only unable, we are only unworthy.
If you need to be convinced, understand that life is fragile. God alone grants us life, and keeps us alive. This is the existential truth. We will all know it sooner or later. But for this particular bit of truth, sooner is much, much better than later.
- He wants us to fulfill our destiny by fulfilling our unique design.
So, what is our unique design?
What does feeding and caring for lambs and sheep tell us about our unique design?
What does asking a former fisherman to feed and care for lambs and sheep tell us about the nature of our unique design?
Unquestionably, we are each called to be shepherds like Christ.
Equally significant, is that in asking a fisherman to take on the responsibilities of a shepherd, our Lord Jesus asks that very same thing of us today.
We all have our unique roles and vocations in the rhythms of our everyday lives, but it is our unique design as shepherds that must undergird all that we do.
Thus, we need to daily ask ourselves, “In my relational role (i.e. husband, wife, father, mother etc), how may I shepherd Christ’s lambs and sheep (i.e. everyone around me)? In my vocational role (i.e. Dentist, Engineer, Teacher, Business person, Executive etc), how may I shepherd those around me (my clients, students, team members, colleagues etc) ?”
As Christ’s shepherds to the world, we must be vigilant and ever-ready to nurture in the faith those whom God has clearly placed in our spheres of influence.
Take time today to discern the ‘shepherding’ (nuturing) aspect of your relational and vocational role.
Is there someone in your life who desperately needs Christ, but just have not realized it yet? Is there someone who needs a listening heart? Is there someone whom you may pray for? Is there someone who needs to hear God’s word today?
- He wants us to show Him our love – by being like Him, a true and loving shepherd.
Ever wondered how we may every show God our love? Well, great news my friend, the answer is right here!
This is important. But it is only as important as how you feel about having opportunities to express your love to your God.
If that is important, then being a shepherd for Christ is what must consume us in our lives on this side of eternity.
In the triad of questions that is meant to ascertain Peter’s love for Him, Christ led Peter in congruent resolution of his triad of rejections that questioned this very love just a few days ago. (John 18:15-26)
In divine elegance, Christ’s restoration of Peter is seamlessly coupled with His ministry commission over Peter to shepherd His Church.
Although Peter was not a shepherd, this context of the commission is not lost on him. For us today, it is of great importance that we understand the context of this commission as Peter understood it – given that we too have to ultimately fulfill our unique design as shepherds of Christ.
Peter knew a thing or two about sheep. And here, the Lord Jesus showing him, as well as us today, how we must express our love to Him.
Here’s what Christ was really saying to Peter… …
“Do you love me more than these? Show me. Feed my lambs.
Take care of my sheep. Feed them. Care for them; regardless of what they do to you.
They WILL kick you, bite you, cause you tremendous amount of pain and hurt… but still, if you love Me, care for them.
They WILL frustrate you, anger you, make you feel hopeless and helpless, but still, if you love Me, care for them.
They will become wayward, waylaid, and hopelessly lost, but IF YOU LOVE ME, CARE FOR THEM!”
If you are a parent whose child has caused you much anguish and grief, remember your love for Jesus, and express that love, by continuing to shepherd your child – feed them with the Word of God, care for them with the love of God.
If you are a pastor or a ministry leader who has been wounded by fellow-Christians or co-laborers in the ministry, remember your love for Jesus, and express that love to Him, by continuing to shepherd them.
If you have been frustrated by unbelievers in your endeavors to share God’s love and His gospel, don’t stop shepherding them. Remember your love for Jesus, and express that love to Him, by persevering in your God-given role as Christ’s shepherd in their lives.
These seven aspects of what Christ wants with us in John 21 may be summed up in Christ’s ultimate exhortation to Peter in verse 22, “You must follow me.”
Every single aspect of what Christ wants with us has been exemplified and acommplished by Christ Himself; for it is in every single aspect considered, and followed, that would truly mark an authentic follower of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Are you an authentic follower of Jesus Christ?
If you are, you must know what Christ expects of you; what Christ wants with you.
Spend time this week contemplating what it means to follow Christ.
May the Holy Spirit grant you honesty and wisdom as you discern the aspects of following Christ where there are most struggles and challenges.
And may the same Spirit grant you the courage and the perseverance to allow Him to transform you into Christ’s likeness more and more, with each passing day.
As we live to lead the world to Christ, may we be the first and foremost to follow Him! As we lead the world to Christ, may the world see us live fully confident in our Lord’s love for us and fully assured in the revelation of what God wants with us.
Church, let the world hear us loud and clear, “We will follow the Lord Jesus Christ! We will live in faith of His providence! We will shepherd His lambs and sheep! And we will love Christ above all else!”
Shalom.
Let us pray.
Our Father in Heaven,
Indeed, Yours is the Kingdom, and the Power, and the Glory forever and ever!
Thank you for deepening our understanding of what it means to follow our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
Holy Spirit, may You grant us the resolve to translate your Revelation in our hearts into your Mission in our lives.
We live to follow You. We live to trust You. We live to be Your agents of love to the world.
Help us fulfill our destiny by fulfilling our unique designs as Christ’s shepherds to the world around us.
May we bring Your healing to the afflicted;
Your freedom to the imprisoned;
Your comfort to the grieving;
Your strength to the weak
Your Joy to the joyless;
Your hope to the hopeless;
Your love to the loveless; and
Your life to the life-less.
We ask that the world will revere Your Name just as we do.
Lord, please help our faith so that we may rise up as Your Church in Your Presence, Purposes and Power.
We ask that You would empower and deploy us as agents of Your Holy Spirit.
We will follow You, our Lord, our God!
We ask and pray all these in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.