John 1:18—No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.
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John 1:15–17—John testifies concerning him. He cries out, saying, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’” From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
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John 1:14—The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
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John 1:9–11—The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.
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John 1:3–4—Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men.
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John1: 1–2—In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.
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Luke 1:1–4—Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. Therefore, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.
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Colossians 1:15–17—He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
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1 Corinthians 2:1–5—When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.
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Jesus did not tell His disciples to hide or cover up their faith. He said, “Go and make disciples of all nations.” This command was given to the very disciples who fled in every direction when Jesus was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane. Peter stands out because he betrayed Jesus three times when the chips were down. Yet before Jesus arrived in Jerusalem on His last journey there, he had said to Peter, “…and on this rock I will build my church,” referring to Peter as the rock that would be the foundation of the church to be. It seemed in Gethsemane that this prophetic declaration was going to come to nothing, but Peter is later restored through forgiveness, and shortly thereafter, we find him preaching boldly to the people of Jerusalem.
What happened? Peter became alive in the Holy Spirit and he accepted the call of Jesus to become the foundation of the church that would spread from Jerusalem and all of Judea and Samaria to the ends of the earth. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, Peter and all the disciples put aside fear to fearlessly teach and preach the truth of Christ to a resistant world.
My own story follows a similar pattern; in fact, what happened to me is at the heart of Christian transformation; it is the Holy Spirit that can take wrecked and broken lives and make them whole and effective. Sometimes it takes desperate circumstances to break open our hearts to the grace surrounding us, but then we are called to address some very real questions: What are we do to with the gift of grace we have accepted? Do we horde it or do we spend it? Do we hide in safe enclaves or do we go out into a seemingly hostile world? Do we live in fear or do we embrace joy? Do we believe we are vulnerable and alone or do we believe “The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him and He delivers them.” (Psalm 34:7)? Finally, do we choose to avoid Jesus or do we say with Peter, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God”?
Since that April day in 1987 when I entered the church in New York City, God has been working in my life, preparing me for a time when through the Holy Spirit, I would be prepared to boldly proclaim the truth of the Gospels. The time of preparation is past; the message and the life are one; boldness has replaced trepidation; the time has arrived when I am willing to leave a pleasant private existence to share the wonderful truth of grace, fullness and joy that can only be experienced through the power of the presence of the Holy Spirit every day through knowing Jesus and making Him known. Getting to Know Jesus: An Invitation to Walk with the Lord Day by Day is part of that call to serve Him with boldness by authentically responding to His call on my life.