Abide in Christ

The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” He said to them, “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour. One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ). He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John. You shall be called Cephas” (which means Peter) (John 1:35-42).

The next day John repeated his revelation about Jesus… “Behold, the Lamb of God!” The word of the Baptist led two of his disciples to “the Word” (John 1:14). The messenger made no effort to hold onto the affection or attention of his disciples. John was fully satisfied to direct others to the Messiah” (which means Christ). As Andrew and the other unidentified disciple of John approached Jesus He asked them a penetrating question… “What are you seeking?” Their answer reveals important truth about the kind of heart that Jesus seeks and responds to. The disciples answered Jesus with a question of their own… “Where are you staying?” With this question these first disciples showed that they did not come to Christ with minds full of questions, but they came with hearts longing for relationship. They wanted to be where Jesus was. They wanted to be close to Him. They wanted to follow Him. They did not want to know about Christ, they wanted to know Christ.  Jesus immediately recognized and responded to their hearts by inviting them to come along with Him… “Come and you will see.” They eagerly followed Christ and even more… “They stayed with him that day”. The Greek word translated stayed here is menō and it means abide, continue, dwell, endure, be present, and remain. His encounter with these first disciples revealed that Jesus eagerly seeks and responds to those who desire to abide in Christ.

How would you answer the question? As you withdraw from the world and enter into your sacred meeting place with Jesus today, might He ask you…? “What are you seeking?” Do you have a prepared list of personal and ministry needs you’d like Him work on for you? Do you have a list of questions you desperately need answers to today? Pastor, teacher, do you come seeking the next sermon outline or lesson plan? Jesus is certainly willing and able to answer every question and meet every need you carry in your heart. He’s even able to give us answers and respond to needs we are not even consciously aware of… “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen” (Ephesians 3:20-21). But that is not the reason the Word came into this world… “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). The Word became flesh to dwell (Greek: skēnoō, to tent, encamp, reside) with us. Jesus did not come only to answer questions and solve problems. He came to live with us, to endure with us, to overcome with us, to accompany us through this temporal world as He prepares us for life with Him in the coming eternal world… “For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison” (2 Corinthians 4:17). Above everything else, Jesus wants us to fellowship with Him, to walk closely with Him. He calls us to abide in Him… “Abide in me, and I in you” (John 15:4). The Teacher inspired John to repeat this truth in a letter to the churches… “And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming” (1 John 2:28). As we abide in Christ whether it’s a good day or a bad day, He accompanies us and brings glory to God as He prepares us to abide with Him forever in heaven… “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God’” (Revelation 21:3).

As we grow up into Christ like the first disciples, our top priority should always be to…

Abide in Christ.