EASTER • 5

Do we love Jesus?

Songs for Prayer:

reading for: Tuesday Night, 17 May

John 14:23-29

  • READ

    John 14 is part of a section of John that contains the last words of Jesus before he would be lifted up on the cross. The passage that we will be focussing on today is verses 23 to 29 of John 14. However, let us look at verses 15 to 22 first because the message of Jesus is similar.

    John 14: 15-18

"If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. "I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.

Jesus tells his disciples that if they love him, they will keep his commandments. They will keep his commandment to love one another. (John 13:34-35) They will not have to keep this commandment on their own strength because they will be given another Helper that will be with them. This Helper will dwell with them and will be in them. They will not be left as orphans, but Jesus will come to them and see him and have life because of him.

John 14:22

Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, "Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?"

This question that Judas asked may be because he felt that Jesus' words were impossible, maybe we feel the same way also. However, Jesus proceeds to reiterate, expand, and clarify what he has already said earlier.

John 14:23-29

Jesus answered 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 home with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me. "These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. 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 have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. You heard me say to you, 'I am going away, and I will come to you.' If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe.

Jesus tells them that those who love him will keep his commandments. These are the people that will be loved by the Father and Jesus. The words they are to keep are not merely words of Jesus but also words of the Father who sent Jesus. These are the words that the Holy Spirit will remind them and teach them about. Therefore, they can rejoice and have peace because Jesus is going to the Father and that they will come to be with them.

Putting it simply, the disciples of Jesus who love Jesus will keep his command to love others. They will not be abandoned as orphans to do this on their own strength but that the Holy Spirit will be with them to guide and teach them. Furthermore, they will be loved by the Father and be in the presence of God.

  • REFLECT

    Do we love Jesus? Jesus tells us what we must do if we love him. If we love Jesus, we will keep his word and command to love one another.

    Loving one another is difficult, for there will be different people who annoy and agitate us. We do not have to love on our strength, but we can find strength in the Helper who will teach us and bring to our remembrance all things. Furthermore, we can rest assured that the Father and Son will come to us and make their home with us. This is the incredible privilege we have if we truly love him, not in our definition of love but in his definition of love.

reading for: Wednesday Night, 18 May

Acts 16:9-15

  • READ

    Paul and his companions went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia having been forbidden by the Spirit to preach the Gospel in Asia. As they were at Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but were not allowed to do so by the Spirit of Jesus. Hence, they passed by Mysia and went to Troas. (V6-8)

    As they were in Troas, a vision appeared to Paul in the night depicting a man of Macedonia standing there, urging and calling Paul to come over to Macedonia and help them. When Paul had seen the vision, they sought to go into Macedonia, concluding that God had called them to preach the Gospel in Macedonia. (V9-10)

    In obedience to the Spirit, they set sail from Troas and went to various places in Macedonia before coming to Philippi, which was the leading city in Macedonia and stayed there a few days. On the sabbath day, they went outside the gate to the riverside and sat down and spoke to the women that had come together. One of the women who heard them was Lydia, from the city of Thyatira and who sold purple goods and was a lover of God.

    Acts 26:14-15

    One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. And after she was baptized, and her household as well, she urged us, saying, "If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay." And she prevailed upon us.

    The text speaks about the Lord opening her heart to receive the Gospel. She and her household were baptized. She requested for Paul and his companions to stay in her house, which Paul did for a time.

    Paul and his companions show a picture of listening to the Spirit. They did not disobey the Spirit but chose to obey the Spirit and go where the Spirit commanded.

  • REFLECT

    Do we listen and obey to the voice of the Spirit? May we learn to hear the voice of the Spirit and walk where the Spirit has called us to go.

reading for: Thursday Night, 19 May

Revelation 21:10,22-22:5

  • READ

    Revelation 21 and 22 are the two final chapters of the Bible, and they paint a picture of what life will look like at the end. We begin our exploration today with Revelation 21:10.

    Revelation 21:10

    And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God,

    This holy city is full of glory, and verses 11-21 describe the splendour and beauty of the holy city. This city cannot be compared with any other city that we can think of. The old Jerusalem certainly pales in comparison to this new holy city.

    Revelation 21:22-23

    And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.

    At the centre of the old Jerusalem is the temple but in this new holy city there is no temple. John does not leave us guessing because he tells us that the temple is none other than the Lord God and the Lamb. This city does not need any sun or moon because light is given by the Father and Son.

    John proceeds to describe how the nations will walk by the light of the Father and the Son and that nothing unclean will ever enter the city. From the presence of God flows the river of the water of life, and it brings healing and fruitfulness. This is the place where the servants of God will worship him forever and ever.

  • REFLECT

    This is a picture of our life with the Father and the Son, how we will be in the presence of God and the Lamb. We will have this life with the Father and the Son at the end, and we live in hope for this kind of life. However, while we live in expectation of the fullness, there is a dimension of God's glory, light, and presence that we can experience now in Christ by the power of the Spirit.

    Let us practice being in the presence of God each day by not going to bed wrong, waking up strong and pausing in our day to pray. This is what we will be doing with him for eternity at the end when he comes back again.

reading for: Friday Night, 20 May

Psalm 67

  • READ

    Our God is good and gracious, and this psalm contains a prayer to our good God for blessing.

    Psalm 67:1-3

    May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, Selah that your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations. Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you!

    The psalmist starts with prayer to God for the graciousness and blessing of the Lord. He entreats the Lord to make the face of the Lord to shine upon all of them. He wants the saving power of God to be made known on the earth. People are to praise God because his way and saving power is known among the nations. Praise the Lord!

    Psalm 67:4-5

    Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon earth. Selah Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you!

    The psalmist continues and praises the judgment of God, for the Lord judges with equity and guides the nations. This is why the peoples praise God. Praise God!

    Psalm 67:6-7

    The earth has yielded its increase; God, our God, shall bless us. God shall bless us; let all the ends of the earth fear him!

    The earth has yielded its increases due to the blessing of God. The psalmist is confident and seeks the blessing of God. May the earth fear and praise God!

    This psalm is a prayer from the psalmist for the blessing of God to shine upon the psalmist and that of his companions. The psalmist, as he asks for the blessing of God, does not fail to praise God for all that he has done.   

  • REFLECT

    Read the words of this psalm one more time and make it our prayer before God. Acknowledge our need before God for him to shine his face upon us and bless us. Praise God!

SET PRAYER (Closing Prayer for LG gathering) (Based on Revelation 21:1-8)

Creator of the universe,

you made the world in beauty,

and restore all things in glory

through the victory of Jesus Christ.

We pray that, wherever your image is still disfigured

by poverty, sickness, selfishness, war and greed,

the new creation in Jesus Christ may appear in justice, love, and peace,

to the glory of your name. Amen.

Season of EasterCNL