12. Your Weird Little Ways (John 1: 40-42)
Posted by:
SeLahGirl on
October 25, 2007 at
2:24PM EST
Your Weird Little Ways
(John 1: 40-42)
40Andrew,
Simon Peter's brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said
and who had followed Jesus. 41The first thing Andrew did was to find
his brother Simon and tell him, "We have found the Messiah" (that is,
the Christ). 42And he brought him to Jesus.
Jesus looked at him and said, "You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas" (which, when translated, is Peter).
So
here we have two brothers, Andrew and Simon Peter. Later we will learn
more about their personalities, and that Peter is the more passionate
and expressive of the two. I love the portrayal of him in the movie
JESUS OF NAZARETH. It seems to be exactly as I pictured him as I read
the Scriptures.
He is a man of extremes: extremely angry or
extremely loving or extremely sorry. I know several people that remind
me of his personality, even one of my children. I remember seeing the
passionate expression emerging when they were only a baby, and asking
God then to harness that passion like He did for Peter and to focus it
for His Glory.
Christ changed Simon's name to Cephas, meaning
Petra, meaning Peter... the Rock. Christ knew the passion of this man,
and that even now his character reflected that he would be solid in his
faith and a pillar in the church. It would be Peter that would first
make the statement of faith that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, the
Promised One of Israel.
I love that Andrew was the go-between.
Perhaps, because of his passionate character, Peter was caught up in
the discouragement of the time as Israel remained in bondage to Roman
occupation. Perhaps, Peter was fed up with religion and the church of
the day and had lost his Hope. How many of us can relate to such a
sense of depression and discouragement in our own lives -- today -- as
things seem to press in from all sides -- even within the framework of
the church? As Christ began to call the disciples, they were not so
different than you and me.
Andrew seems to have been a man
more consistent and not one to waiver between extremes. It would seem
apparent that the wisdom of God orchestrated the conversion of Andrew
first, because Peter's faith had become one committed to family,
friends, and community more than to God. Perhaps, Peter was more open
to hearing and responding to his brother Andrew rather than to another
holy man teaching the very same things that the Sadducees and Pharisees
had burnt him out on hearing.
Perhaps, we would do well to ask
ourselves about our own committments. Are we in church because our
family expects us to be? Are we dependant solely on a social hour and a
network of people to hang out with or to make business connections
with? Are we serving and helping and ministering in the name of Christ
merely to protect and establish our own reputation within our
communities and towns?
I truly believe that the Lord is
pulling back the masks that each of us have worn for so long, and
asking us to be real with ourselves and with the people in our life.
The time has come to stop coasting along and walking the walk on
auto-pilot. It is time for Christians to truly examine themselves and
the reason they do every little thing they do. The alarm is buzzing and
it's time to wake up and clean up. A very important day is dawning in
the Church and there is much to do.
It would be Andrew's
influence in Peter's life that would be the voice that Peter would be
willing to hear. There are people in your life that will only hear the
Gospel from you. They like your personality, they like your weird
little ways, they can relate to the things you say that seem
unacceptable to some but that are part of who you are.
You speak their language.
You may be a Peter. You may be a man of extremes that is needed to be the rock.
Or you may be an Andrew, a man of calm consistency, that is needed to be the go-between, the communicator.
But
either way, you are needed. Only YOU can go and compel those certain
and specific souls to come to Christ with zeal -- with a willingness to
hear Him without hesitation. All things are being made ready and the
final days are upon us. Christ is calling. He is sending people into
your life and across your path that are waiting for you to speak into
their lives.
Everything is pulling you toward what you already know in your heart.
Emmanuel... You hear Him. You feel Him.
You know what He is asking you to do,
and you know that the very lives of people are in the balance.
YOU are important.
You and your weird little ways <3
