Scriptural Basis, longer version, part 1
What does Scripture say that Jesus is doing that we can see or discern and praise Him for? [with comments, part 1]
1. Jesus acts in response to prayers of the saints
John 14:13-14 Whatever you ask in My name, that
will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me
anything in My name, I will do it.
I John 5:14-15 This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.
John 14:13-14 is clear and definitive. The context is Jesus’ conversation with the disciples the night before He was arrested and crucified. Jesus is instructing His disciples, revealing how they are to continue in their relationship with Him after He is no longer physically present with them. It’s a promise. It’s conditional, and the conditions are minimal, asking in His name. We could mine other Scripture to expand on conditions for effectual prayer, but the fact that Jesus does not act in response to every prayer to Him does not negate His promise to do whatever His disciples ask Him in His name. A second condition implied in this passage is that Jesus acts on prayers that glorify the Father. This may not be a condition so much as an identifying characteristic of what Jesus does – He acts in ways that glory the Father. This implies that what He does in response to these prayers can be observed, and contained within those observations is a revelation of God’s glory. We can identify Him [and respond in praise] as we see what He does.
The word “do” in John 14:13 is poieo, which according to Strong’s Biblical Greek dictionary has two basic meanings – to make and to do. I don’t know if there is a way to distinguish between these meaning other than context. I can see that either definition could fit. Sub-definitions of “to make” include to be the author of, to cause, to make a thing out of nothing, to appoint or ordain, and these are all fitting responses to prayer. Sub-definitions for “to do” include to act, carry out, execute, perform, fulfill a promise. I find it interesting that Jesus responds to prayers by action, a much broader category than granting or answering.
I John 5:14-15 seems to have a more limited scope of actions. The “Him” of these verses, based on verse 13, is the Son of God. What He does is that He hears and responds to our request. How He responds is not totally specified, although the “have” of verse 14 implies that Jesus grants or gives us what we ask. We “see” Him act when we receive what we ask.
John 15:7 [If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.] is another promise that God will act in response to prayer, although the verse does not specify which Person of the Trinity does the action.
Three other verses are statements Jesus made to the disciples that the Father will act in response to prayer.
Matt 18:19 Again I say to you, that if two of you
agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by
My Father who is in heaven
John 16:23 In that day you will not question Me about anything. Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you.
John 15:16 You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.
I are not trying to distinguish that clearly between the works of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in identifying what Jesus is doing, and hence I take these verses as supporting the statement that Jesus acts in response to the prayers of the saints.
Matthew 16:18 I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.
Comments
The context of this well-known verse is Jesus’ question to His disciple, “Who do you say that I am?” and Peter’s response, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” We could explore implications of the analogy of the meaning of Peter’s name to the meaning of the church, but my purpose is rather to identify what we look for to see Jesus at work. More appropriate to that purpose is asking, “How is Jesus building His church?” and “What did Jesus mean by “church”?
“Building” is the Greek oikodomeo, which Strong’s dictionary defines as 1) to build or restore a house and 2) metaphorically to found, establish, promote growth. Paul uses the analogy of the church as a house in his first letter to the Corinthians when he writes, “You are God’s building” (3:9) and then further specifies the building as God’s temple inhabited by God’s Spirit (3:16). Peter as well identifies the church as God’s temple when he writes, “you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood.” Building a house of stone consists of laying a foundation and then adding stones, one by one, followed by putting on a roof. Jesus Himself is the foundation (I Cor 3:11) and so the one clear activity in which we see Jesus relative to His church is when “living stones” are added to the building. In the Book of Acts, Luke confirms this in verses such as:
Acts 2:47 And the Lord was adding to their number day
by day those who were being saved.
So one place to look for Jesus’ activity is in the growth of the overall church, which in relation to a city like Idaho Falls, is the growth of the church in the city, which can include growth of individual “churches” or an increase in the number of “churches,” keeping in mind that apparent growth in one part of the building may not indeed be growth of the building.
But the definition allows for more than adding stones to a building. As any homeowner knows, their house at times needs repair, or in some cases a full restoration due to destructive forces such as fires or hurricanes. Church history affirms that the church is continually in need of revival or restoration. So we can look for Jesus not only adding to His church, but restoring it when sin or the world or Satan has caused damage.
A lot could be said on what Scripture reveals about the church. Discerning between tares and wheat, traditions of men and traditions that contain the life of God’s Spirit, the work of Jesus done by men and women filled with His Spirit and very similar “works” done by men and women out of impure, fleshly or worldly ambition is not always easy. And the church is multilevel or multidimensional – it can be where two or three are gathered in His name, believers that meet in a home for fellowship or worship, “local” churches, local mission organizations, etc. Many Scripture passages identify the church without temporal, cultural, geographical or other boundaries. Many other Scripture identify the church, singular, with a given city. So as best we can we try to look lightly at organizational features of the church that will pass away, and focus on what Jesus is doing within His body in the city (and to some degree the surrounding area) of Idaho Falls.
Many verses could be cited to detail ways that Jesus builds and restores His church. Some will be mentioned in the next section, of Jesus sanctifying, cleansing and perfecting His saints. But also He gives gifts to facilitate the church fulfilling its purpose (Eph. 4-7, 11-12, Rom. 12:3-8, I Cor. 12:1-11); He shepherds the church (Matthew 2:6, I Peter 2:25, Heb. 13:20, John 10:1-16); He places members of the body where He wants (I Cor. 12:18); He makes the church firm and establishes it (II Thess. 3:3, I Peter 5:10, Romans 16:25, II Thess. 3:12-13); He supplies strength for service (I Peter 4:11, Phil. 4:13); He empowers the church to do His will (Acts 1:8, Phil. 2:13,II Cor. 9:8, Eph. 3:20); He comforts and protects it (I Pet 1:5, Jude 1:24, II Cor 1:3-5. John 17:15); and He supplies all its needs, including wisdom, encouragement, perseverance, joy, peace, life, grace... (Romans 15:5-6, 15:13, James 1:5, 3:17, II Peter 1:3-4, II Thess. 2:16-17, 3:16, Col. 1:9-12, Phil. 4:19, Eph. 1:17...)
3. Jesus is sanctifying, cleansing and perfecting the saints
Numerous Scripture verses point out that the Lord continues to work in those He sets apart, those He adds to His church. For example, in I Thessalonians 5:23, Paul prays, “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Another example is Hebrews 2:11, “For both He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one Father…” The verb perfected in Hebrews 10:14 [For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.] is indeed in the perfect tense, indicating completed action. But like Paul who writes in Phil. 3:12 [Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect…] we trust in His past work and work with Him in the present to be conformed to His image, knowing that this work continues even in our death [Phil. 3:21 - who (the Lord Jesus Christ) will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory…]. Other verses in this category include Phil. 1:6 He who began a good work in you will perfect [accomplish, complete, bring to an end, execute] it until the day of Christ Jesus and Ephesians 5:25-27, Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.
The Father’s work of pruning the branches of the vine referred to in John 15:2 could be cited as another Scripture supporting God’s work in His people.
Then we have the seven churches of Revelation 2-3, and in each one, Jesus is walking among them (Rev. 2:2, 2:9, 2:13, 2:19, 3:1, 3:8, 3:15). Most of these verses imply that He is inspecting their deeds, to commend or correct accordingly.
So we look for testimonies of Jesus transforming lives of His followers into His likeness, realizing that the tools Jesus uses to perfect His saints can be hardship and trials [see, for example. Hebrews 12:5-11] as well as His word, His Spirit and fellow members of His body.
4. Jesus is drawing people and peoples to Himself, saving and redeeming, giving new birth and eternal life
John 12:32 And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself.
John 10:9 I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.
Hebrews 7:25 Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.
Galatians 5:1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free
Comments
John 12:32 is preceded by “Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out.” Jesus is able to draw men to Himself because He has defeated the one who has enslaved them in a kingdom of darkness and lies and destruction. Looking farther back in the passage, the context is about Greeks coming to Philip to ask if they can see Jesus. When Philip gets Andrew and they bring the request of the Greeks to Jesus, He apparently puts them off, but instead points ahead to his crucifixion and perhaps also His resurrection and ascension that will open the way for all peoples - people from all the ethnic groups in the world - to come to Him.
So when someone comes to Jesus, we discern His work drawing them. But also it is appropriate to think of the “all” of John 12:32 in the sense of the “all” of Matthew 28:19, that Jesus is opening the door for people from all ethnic groups to come to Him.
What is more basis to evangelical Christianity than the message "Jesus saves"? The above verses are only a small fraction of Scriptures that could be cited. And His work of salvation, whether in an individual life or a people group, has a beginning and a progression over time. May we be ever more aware of that work, and share it with each other, to help us keep our eyes focused on Jesus, the author of our salvation.
And then Jesus involved us in announcing the good news of His salvation and His kingdom, by sending out His disciples...
5. Jesus is sending out His disciples
John 20:21 So Jesus said to them again, "Peace be
with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you."
John 17:18 As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.
Comments
In Matthew 28:19, Jesus told His disciples to go make disciples of all nations, and in Acts 1:8 He tells them that they will be His witnesses in Jerusalem, all Judea and Samaria and the ends of the earth. While Acts 1:8 is often used to exhort believers to be witnesses first in their hometown or even “closer to home”, that is, witnessing to those they are most closely related to, Jerusalem was not the home of most of the disciples. Jesus did not tell them to go to Galilee.
Jesus apparently sent the
Samaritan woman to witness to the man she was living with and her hometown, after only one
conversation with Him (John 4:16, 28).
And when Legion asked to go with Jesus after he was delivered from his demons, Jesus
replied, "Go home to your people and
report to them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He had
mercy on you." (Mark 5:19) And He sent the 12 and the 70 to nearby
villages on short term missions (Luke 9:1-2, 10:1). So Jesus sends His disciples near and far. And with few exceptions, the farther the
cultural distance, the more training is needed to be effective.
“As the Father sent Me” suggests not only a divine commissioning but also that Jesus’ incarnation is the pattern for being sent, as detailed, for example, in Philippians 2:5-8.
While few believers would question that they should be witnesses for Jesus wherever they are, I have found that except for missionaries and some pastors, most believers express their calling in terms of moral character, marital status, church affiliation and occupation rather than geography. While all of these things may indeed be considered aspects of a believer’s calling, is it not reasonable to assume that Jesus does indeed send every one of His disciples some place, just as the Father sent Him from heaven into the world? And I've heard that in the Roman world of Jesus' day, “world” referred primarily to cities.
It’s pretty easy to identify the people Jesus has sent from Idaho Falls to be His witnesses in various places in the world. Their calling is nearly always recognized and supported by their church. Likewise, most pastors serving in churches in Idaho Falls have gone through some process of affirmation of their calling, although it tends to be to an individual church rather than to the city. But that leaves a very high percentage of the body of Christ in Idaho Falls. Has Jesus called them to Idaho Falls? I would suggest that for the most part He has. And publishing the stories of some will encourage the rest to be more aware of and effective in their calling.
6. Jesus is working in and through His disciples
John 15:5 I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.
Hebrews 13:21 The God of peace working in us that which is pleasing in His sight and equipping us in every good thing
Philippians 2:13 …for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.
Matthew 28:20 …I am with you always…/ Hebrews 13:5 … I will never leave you…
Comments
Jesus working in His disciples overlaps considerably with #3, perfecting the saints. Working through His disciples overlaps with #2, 4 & 5. Perhaps it is even broader, with a view to the mandate of Genesis 1:28. While the New Testament speaks of good works, e.g., Eph 2:10, Titus 3:1, Hebrews 10:24, and II Tim 2:21, the whole of Scripture which speaks to what God has done, is doing and desires to do can guide us in identifying what those works are. Bearing fruit that glorifies the Father involves abiding in Jesus so that He can accomplish His works through us (John 15:4-5).
So one place to look for Jesus at work is looking at what His church is doing. However, this is not to say that everything every church or every member of any church does is God’s will, nor is it to say that Jesus is not at work outside of His church.
7. Jesus is communicating with His disciples
John 10:27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.
Comments
Many Scripture passages address or imply ways Jesus speaks to His disciples and many books have been written on this subject. While different pastors and authors have different views on how exactly Jesus speaks to believers today, Scripture affirms that He does. Yet while I doubt many believers would deny this, I find relatively few who can clearly describe many times when they discerned His voice and responded. So I believe it will be helpful to document examples of Jesus speaking to His followers.
8. Jesus prepares good works for His disciples to do and equips His disciples to do them
Eph. 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
Heb. 13:20-21 Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ.
Matthew 6:10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Comments
Doing God's will on earth is doing good works. Jesus puts opportunities to do His will before us and supplies what we need to do them. We find in Scripture many passages that tell us to consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, to learn how to engage in good works, to be zealous for good works, and to walk in them, etc. And Jesus's ministry and teaching provides a starting point for recognizing good works, and can include such things as giving food to the hungry, healing the sick, visiting prisoners, providing clean water where it isn't available, taking in or helping refugees, meeting the needs of our "neighbor." But all of Scripture, both Old and New Testaments, helps us understand what God's will is and what we have been placed on earth to do, and much more could be added as examples of good works. Yet we can easily get off track, like the Pharisees, in trying to define good works. Seeing Jesus at work, recognizing those He has prepared for us and joining Him in His works keeps us from pride, as then we realize how dependent we are on Him for anything that gets accomplished. We need to recognize that He is working with us, or better, that we are working with Him, in all that we do, in all spheres of our lives, our vocation, our marriages and families, our leisure, our relationships, our service...
9. Others
a. Defeating enemies & reigning (see separate blogs on judgment)
b. Pruning branches & discipling sons - John 15:2, Hebrews 12:9-10
c. Rewarding those who seek Him - Hebrews 11:6
d. Guarding what we entrust to Him - II Timothy 1:12
e. Identifying with the hungry, thirsty, refugees, sick, naked, prisoners of His body - Matt 25:35-40
f. Drawing near to whoever comes to Him - James 4:8
g. Jesus, the creator - Colossians 1:16-17, John 1:3, Hebrews 1:10, I Corinthians 8:6
h. Working all things together for good for those who love Him - Romans 9:28
i. Doing more than we can imagine - Ephesians 3:20, Romans 11:36
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