Sunday – April 2, 2023
Word On Worship – Sunday – April 2, 2023
John 3:22
After these things Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea, and there He was spending time with them and baptizing.
So far in the ministry of Jesus according to the apostle John, Jesus and His disciples had been at the wedding Canna and then spent time in the city of Jerusalem, where He had cleansed the temple (2:13-22), performed a number of signs (2:23), and spoken with Nicodemus (3:1-21). They are now leaving the city of Jerusalem, making their way into the countryside. There, Jesus “spent time with” His disciples.
We should ponder these three words, “spent time with,” because they remind us of a very important element of discipleship. As it should be, the church is very interested in discipleship. Jesus is seen as the model for “discipling,” and rightly so. Nevertheless, our discipleship programs seldom do what our Lord actually did. Rather, we emphasize a kind of classroom instruction, and usually a highly structured program with “accountability” and other controls. While this may be commendable, I cannot overlook the fact that Jesus “spent time” with His disciples. To be our Lord’s disciple was to “be with Him”.
Spending time with Jesus is an opportunity to hear from Him, to learn from Him, and as a result, to become more like Him. Whether our life is all together or not, clothes folded or in a pile on the floor, orfeeling the presence of God or when we feel we are in a spiritual desert. Jesus wants us to draw near to Him. Jesus’ love for us is not affected by our quiet times. His character does not change like circumstances and feelings do. 2 Timothy 2:13 promises, “if we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself.” Jesus wants our individual hearts. Your heart. My heart. Filter-free. A heart that’s open to the unwavering love He wants to pour out on us freely. Our time with Jesus doesn’t have to look the same in every season, but it should exist in every season. There will never be a day when we don’t need to hear from Him.
Discipleship is about witnessing, accountability, and one-on-one relationships with those who come to faith in Christ. But first and foremost, a disciple is one who spends time with the Master. Many times we often confuse the time we spend in preparation for our ministry with personal time with the Lord. Our time of study should be a time of fellowship and intimacy with the Lord, but we also need time with Him personally, for His sake and ours. Let us not lose sight of the fact that a significant part of our Lord’s discipling was simply spending time with His disciples.