ONEFAMILY Outreach

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ONEFamily Outreach exists to "Connect Kids to Community and Communities to Kids." Have you considered having a mission week for your church? This is one of my favorite "in-depth" ways of reaching out with the Great News of Jesus Christ. Activities can include:

Interactive and participative praise concerts for children, youth, and families;
Morning staff studies on "Authentic Leadership" and "Building a Culture of Intentional Courtesy"
Brown-Bag Luncheon Studies for your community focusing on our scriptural call to justice;
In-service for your volunteers or teachers on reaching today's youth and families with the vibrant, living, message of Jesus Christ;
Evening parent seminars based upon two of Jerry's recent books: "Significant Conversations: Helping Young People Live Meaningful Lives," and "The Deepest Longing of Young People; Loving Without Conditions."
Local networking with other area groups (secular or faith-based) regarding prevention and intervention strategies for high-risk and incarcerated youth;
Humorous and thought-provoking school assemblies (secular or religious, elementary through high school).

ONEFamily Outreach is primarily supported by your donations and by trainings, workshops, retreats and concerts.

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“We Will Come To Him and Make Our Abode With Him”

John 14:23-29

Easter 6c

John 14:23-29

[Jn 14:23] Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him. [24] “He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me.

[25] “These things I have spoken to you while abiding with you. [26] “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you. [27] “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful. [28] “You heard that I said to you, ‘I go away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved Me, you would have rejoiced because I go to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. [29] “Now I have told you before it happens, so that when it happens, you may believe.” (NAS)

John 14:23-24

“If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word”

At the heart of John’s gospel is love. A love summarized in John 3:16; “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”

Yet to “believe in Him,” according to John’s Gospel, was not merely a confession of the mouth or an acknowledgement of the mind. It was to love at the level of heartfelt action:

John 13:34

[Jn 13:34] “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.” (NAS)

John 14:43

[Jn 14:23] “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word.” (NAS)

In fact, Jesus tells us that the measure of our faith is our love for one another:

John 13:35

[Jn 13:35] “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (NAS)

Do others know that I am a disciple of Christ by my love? Here is an experiment: Can I take out my weekly calendar or to-do list and see how my love for Jesus is reflected on its pages? Are the things I do and the people that I will see prioritized around the parameters of Jesus; my one, true Savior? Do I ask this question before setting the priorities of my week: “How can this meeting, task, or visit show others how much Jesus loves them?”

Psalm 5:3

[3] In the morning, O LORD, Thou wilt hear my voice; in the morning I will order {my prayer} to Thee and {eagerly} watch. (NAS)

Wouldn’t it be great if part of my Sunday Sabbath were preparing the priorities for my week around God?

· “Where would God have me go this week?”

· “Who would God have me visit this week?”

· “What would God have me do this week?”

When Jesus states; “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word [GSN3056 logos].” He uses a term that means: “What I have preached; laid forth or practiced.” The root word for logos [GSN3056] is lego [GSN3004] which means: “What I have shown you, what I have lived or exemplified.”

Does my life “keep” [GSN5083 tereo, hold fast or keep pure] the loving example of my Lord? Can someone look at my life and see Him?

Scheduling God into my life is not just taking time to pray daily, it is taking time to let my actions point to him daily. What will I do today that will point towards his example? Who will I visit? Where will I go?

“We will come to him and make Our abode with him.”

Look at the parameters of this critical statement: “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him [23].”

“If you keep…” “…We will come.”

The statements of Jesus do not get much clearer than this; If we keep Christ’s word, then the Triune (three in unity) God will come and make His abode with us. There are three critical words here:

1. Keep [GSN5083 tereo];

We already looked at this word above. We keep God’s Word when we live out the example of Jesus in our lives daily.

2. Come [GSN2064 erchomai];

This is a rich word that doesn’t just mean that God will come to our homes. Even more, it is like stating that He will manifest Himself in our lives. He will “set up His dwelling” or make his tent among ours. God will accompany us wherever we go and light our way. This word encompasses all those concepts.

3. Abode [GSN3438 mone]

This term is only used one other time by John.

John 14:2-3

[2] “In My Father’s house [GSN3438 mone] are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for 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. (NAS)

The incredible news of Jesus is that not only is a place prepared for us with God; but God, through the Holy Spirit, is willing to come to our place when we love like Jesus loved-when we keep his word.

Mone [GSN3438] is based in the root word Meno [GSN3306] which means that God will endure with us. We can expect Him to remain with us, to be present with us.

Heaven is a place we will go; but God is someone who will come!

All of the resources, gifts, power, and love of God are available to the one who “keeps Christ’s word!” However, to receive it; I have to live it. It is like a bicycle, I cannot expect to sit upon it in a stationary position and maintain my balance. I have to have momentum to have balance and the faster I go the stronger my balance.

To receive Christ’s power, I have to live Christ’s way. I must seize it, apply it and use it! To receive it; I have to live it.

“The word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s.”

By the time John recounts this story he has had years to remember the details. The “Word” was very important to John and he picks them with great weightiness. This verse is a critical component of the Upper Room discourse. This memory of John’s, vividly illustrates that the promises and commands of Jesus were also the promises and commands of God: One and the same.

This is one of the Upper Room statements that forces us to ask whether Jesus was completely insane or truly the Messiah as he claimed. He is clearly repeating a statement that he made earlier that he is “One with God!”

John 10:30

[Jn 10:30] “I and the Father are one.” (NAS)

In the course of Jesus’ life, he does not exhibit irrational or psychotic behavior. He has deep friendships, is loved by people of all ages, he maintains a distinct purpose and cohesive life direction over an extended period of time and through extreme hardship. He speaks eloquently, practices what he preaches and backs up his claims with undisputed action. Remember, Jesus was arrested for his miracles, not because he claimed miracles and couldn’t perform them. His disciples were likewise arrested and tortured because Christ’s body could not be found, not because it was found and they had lied about its disappearance. Paul was the greatest Jewish skeptic of all seeking to kill believers; but he was converted when he saw the resurrected Christ in person. How do we explain the missing body and the multiple appearances of the resurrected Jesus?

I Corinthians 15:3-8

[1Co 15:3] For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, [4] and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, [5] and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. [6] After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; [7] then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; [8] and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also. (NAS)

Is this suddenly a case of group insanity that numbers in the hundreds all across Israel?

If Jesus was insane; then he has since deceived billions. If he was not insane; then billions of others are missing the most hopeful news that man will ever hear. How, in consideration of this, can we sit with indifference to these claims? We must either react like Saul, the great persecutor of Christians or Paul, the great evangelist of Christ.

One and the same man, how could there be such a radical shift? Did Saul go crazy as well? Indeed, no! The only sane response is to be Saul or Paul, for to hear the message of Jesus and not respond would be the only true insanity.

Was Jesus God or was he a liar? John’s gospel forces us to decide and make a commitment.

John 14:25-29

“The Helper, the Holy Spirit”

As long as Jesus was in our body he was limited by the parameters of our existence. He “had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people [Heb 2:17].”

Prior to his resurrection, Jesus had physical limitations (as we are also limited by time and space). However, following his resurrection there was no such limits to his being. Locked doors could not bar him out, distances were inconsequential, even tombs could not hold him bound. Jesus became fully human, but once resurrected he was again fully divine. For this reason, Jesus tells us: “For the Father is greater than I.”

The Jehovah Witness’ believe this statement is enough reason to justify the belief that Jesus and God are separate beings with God being supreme. However that contradicts the rest of scripture, in particular:

John 1:1-5

[1] In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. [2] He was in the beginning with God. [3] All things came into being by Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. [4] In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. [5] And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. (NAS)

Jesus had to return to his fullness and he had to go to the Father in order for the Holy Spirit to come to us:

John 16:7

[7] “But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper shall not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.” (NAS)

In his earthly form, Jesus was limited by time and space; but once restored to his full glory he would no longer have such limitations. The joining of Father and Son would free the Holy Spirit to be available to all people, at any time, and in any place. Salvation was no longer limited to the physical person of Jesus or the presence of a disciple. In fact, in the early church, we see that the Holy Spirit beats the disciples to the Gentile house of the Roman Centurion, Cornelius. The entire household was baptized by the Holy Spirit before they are circumcised (as the Jewish-Christians demanded) or baptized by water.

Acts 10:44-48

[44] While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the message. [45] And all the circumcised believers who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out upon the Gentiles also. [46] For they were hearing them speaking with tongues and exalting God. Then Peter answered, [47] “Surely no one can refuse the water for these to be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we {did,} can he?”

[48] And he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay on for a few days. (NAS)

The book of Acts has been called the “Acts of the Apostles,” but it really focuses primarily on the lives of Peter and Paul (and predominantly Paul). In fact, Acts should probably be called the “Acts of the Holy Spirit,” for in it we find the power of the Holy Spirit extended far beyond the reach of man. The Holy Spirit is released in power on Pentecost and the word of Jesus Christ is extended to the “ends of the earth”; expanding even beyond the reach of the Apostle’s.

What does that mean to us today? It means that the Holy Spirit still precedes us wherever we go. I can tell when my close friends are praying for me because the Holy Spirit precedes me to the jails, the juvenile halls, the homeless shelters, or the concerts where I am called to share the Good News. The same wealth is available for each of us. Wherever we are called to share His glory; the Holy Spirit goes before us. We need not fear what we are going to say or do; for the Holy Spirit already has perfect words and actions already prepared for each circumstance.

Therefore, to the Christian; “Prayer is far more important than preparation!”

Luke 12:11-12

[11] “And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not become anxious about how or what you should speak in your defense, or what you should say; [12] for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.” (NAS)

We can go in the confidence of the Holy Spirit, the name of God precedes us, nothing should hold us back.

2 Timothy 1:7-9

[7] For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline. [8] Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, or of me His prisoner; but join with {me} in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God, [9] who has saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity. (NAS)

The tasks of the Holy Spirit

In this reading, Jesus presents us with three of the roles of the Holy Spirit. Each of these roles is rich and distinct and compliments the other bringing about the fullness of the Christian life and Christian maturity. The Holy Spirit is:

1. Our Helper [GSN3875 parakletos]

This is one of the richest words for the Holy Spirit. It is used 27 times for comforting or encouraging. However, it must be noted that encouraging and comforting was not simply “back-patting” or pity, it was literally putting courage into someone’s heart. A comforter, com-fortis in Latin, meaning “with one strength,” literally calls upon us to fortify each other by standing back-to-back through trials.

The word, parakletos, is used 22 times in the New Testament to express a type of urgent need. In like manner, it is also used for begging, exhorting, pleading and even imploring. The Holy Spirit urges us, pleads with us to do right and to follow “The Way” instead of following our own lusts and desires.

Guilt for sin is a sign of the presence of the Spirit (however extended guilt after repentance is a sign of emotional illness). It is the Spirit that prompts us to long for what is right and that which is just and good.

2. Our Teacher [GSN1321 didasko]

Fully two-thirds of Jesus’ ministry was teaching; both by example and by word. Jesus taught the masses in the temple, the synagogues, and even on the hillsides (when the crowds following him became too large for the public buildings). Yet, his primary teaching style (and the primary teaching style of his time) was not a “lecture” venue. The primary teaching style of Jesus was to walk [GSN4043 peripate-o] with the disciples.

John 12:35

[35] Jesus therefore said to them, “For a little while longer the light is among you. Walk while you have the light, that darkness may not overtake you; he who walks in the darkness does not know where he goes.” (NAS)

Wherever he went, they went; and they “observed” what he did.

The word didasko [GSN1321] is rooted in the word dao (to learn). The emphasis puts as much (or more) onus for obtaining knowledge on the learner as it does on the teacher. We can have the greatest teacher in the world (and indeed we do, in the Holy Spirit) but unless the learner takes on an attitude of learning (dao), he or she will learn nothing.

Do I possess an attitude of learning (dao)? Do I come before the Holy Spirit full of myself or empty of pride and ready for knowledge? I cannot be taught if I don’t want to learn.

3. Our Reminder [GSN5279 hupomimnesko]

This is a beautiful word, it means to “gently remind” or to “bring to our attention”. There is no harshness in this word at all. It wasn’t like a “slap in the face.” The term was used distinctly for “to remind quietly,” or to “suggest to the memory.”

I am deeply blessed with two wonderful children. God has fostered in them a spirit of gentleness and compassion, joy, and kindness that humbles their mother and I. On Easter Sunday a few years ago, an inmate whom I have known for nearly four years, called with a desperate financial need of fifty dollars. He has never asked me for money before and it was a sincerely critical need. As I spoke to him in the middle of Easter dinner and used questions to clarify his financial need, my daughter left the table.

Just as I was hanging up to tell my wife of his situation, my 11-year old returned with a fifty-dollar bill (all of her saved allowance) and laid it on the table. My wife and I were stunned to tears. I said to my wife later; “There comes a time in life where you measure yourself, not by your accomplishments, but by the love given to others by those whom you have loved.” This was a defining moment in my life.

I have never spanked my children. Never! Why would I use violence to teach love or respect?

I cannot even remember the last time that I raised my voice to them. They are prone to the gentle prompting and the quiet reminder (as when my daughter gave all her money based on hearing only one side of a phone call).

Only when gentle reminders aren’t the norm do we resort to the raised voice and when yelling doesn’t seem effective anymore we resort to hitting; what happens when that doesn’t work?

The Holy Spirit doesn’t “spank us.” The Holy Spirit doesn’t yell at us. The Holy Spirit gently reminds us of the greatness of Christ’s love, the joy of living in his grace, the peace of waking up to his freedom, a peace beyond understanding.

“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.”

The peace that our Lord gives us is unlike the peace of this world. This world’s peace is not even a shadow of the Lord’s awesome peace. This world’s peace is focused on the absence of conflict and thus, is impossible to maintain, for conflict is part and parcel of life. The Lord’s peace is found in the midst of conflict, in the midst of change, even in the midst of persecution! (For a full understanding of the blessing that Jesus offers us by his peace see the study on John 20)

Nowhere is the peace of God better explained than in Daniel 10. In that chapter, Daniel is given a terrible vision; so terrible the he is disabled by fear, unable to even speak about it for fear of retribution. However, because of Daniel’s humility and desire to understand (willingness to learn: dao); an angel comes and brings him strength:

Daniel 10:12

[12] Then he said to me, “Do not be afraid, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart on understanding {this} and on humbling yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to your words.” (NAS)

Then, the angel touches Daniel and gives him peace: “Shalowm le-chazaq.”

Daniel 10:18-19

[18] Then {this} one with human appearance touched me again and strengthened me. [19] And he said, “O man of high esteem, do not be afraid. Peace be with you; take courage and be courageous!” Now as soon as he spoke to me, I received strength and said, “May my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.” (NAS)

This is the peace of the Lord. Not the fragile peace in the absence of conflict, an impossible peace that we try to maintain through might or right, but an unbreakable peace that gives us courage even in the midst of “the terror.”

“Now I have told you before it happens, so that when it happens, you may believe.”

It must be noted that the cross did not take Jesus by surprise and that he could easily have avoided it just by remaining in Galilee. Our Lord could have avoided the cross at any moment during his long march to the Passover, right up to his arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane. Yet, for our sakes he held his ground, paying the full price of our sins.

However, the resurrection did not take Jesus by surprise either. The Upper Room discourse prepares the disciples not only for the cross of Jesus, but also for his resurrection and the age of the Holy Spirit: “Now I have told you before it happens, so that when it happens, you may believe [29].”

This was no hazy hope on the part of Jesus. He clearly saw the road ahead and would not be deterred. We can be confident of this:

1. Jesus knew the price of our redemption and he willingly paid it;

2. Jesus chose his death, it was not forced upon him;

3. The sacrificial death of Jesus was a part of God’s plan from creation but so was the resurrection and the dawn of the Holy Spirit.

We can also be confident in the rest of the Lord’s promises as well.

1. That he will be with us always;

Matt 28:19-20

[19] “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, [20] teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (NAS)

2. That he will not leave us orphans;

John 14:18-20

[18] “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. [19] “After a little while the world will behold Me no more; but you {will} behold Me; because I live, you shall live also. [20] “In that day you shall know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. (NAS)

3. That he will not leave us powerless;

John 14:11-14

[11] “Believe Me that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me; otherwise believe on account of the works themselves. [12] “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater {works} than these shall he do; because I go to the Father. [13] “And whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. [14] “If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do {it.}” (NAS)

4. That those who believe [GSN4100 pisteuo; hear and obey] will belong to the family of God.

John 6:47-48

[47] “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life. [48] “I am the bread of life.” (NAS)

Jesus told his disciples: “If you loved Me, you would have rejoiced because I go to the Father [28].” We can confidently rejoice [GSN5463 chairo], because Jesus has fulfilled his promise. There are no empty words in God! So let us have no empty words in our lives either. Let us be courageous in the Gospel and give evidence to our faith. Let us move from asking the question: “Can someone look at my life and see Him?” And, instead make the statement: “Someone can look at my life and see Him!”

Copyright Notice

Scripture Quotations noted from NASB are from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD VERSION of the bible. Copyright © The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)

The New Testament Greek Lexicon based on Thayer’s and Smith’s Bible Dictionary plus others; this is keyed to the large Kittel and the “Theological Dictionary of the New Testament.” These files are public domain.

The Old Testament Hebrew Lexicon is Brown, Driver, Briggs, Gesenius Lexicon; this is keyed to the “Theological Word Book of the Old Testament.” These files are considered public domain.