Garry spoke tonight from John 1:35-43, when Jesus calls the first disciples to follow Him. In Aramaic, there are two words for ‘follow’ – ‘etha’ and ‘azal’, which he discussed in detail.
‘Azal’ implies following a leader or commanding officer, following their orders even to death (see Matt 10:37-39). There is a cost to following Jesus we must be prepared to pay (as the apostles did when told not to preach in Jesus’s name.) We may not face the same level of persecution as some countries, but we must still be prepared to surrender all we have. For us, this may mean being unpopular and misunderstood, ostracised and unable to do some things (China’s social credit system means that if you stand for certain values, you may be unable to travel or buy property, for example.) We may think this will never happen in the U.K., but last year has shown us how fast things can change, and the comments of some leaders (e.g. Nicola Sturgeon commenting that giving people the choice to wear a face covering or not could not be allowed because ‘that would mean people would have to think for themselves’) indicate that we may need to take a stand for what we believe. Paul had to take a stand when he refused to offer Felix a bribe to have him released from prison (Acts 24:25-26) The consequences of this choice were that he remained imprisoned, but he chose to count the cost of following Jesus.
‘Etha‘ means to follow and be fruitful. As John the Baptist told the Pharisees, they were to produce fruit in keeping with repentance. God is looking for both internal and external fruit in our lives. He is looking for our transformation (Rom 12:2) and for the fruit of the Spirit to be seen in our lives. (Gal 5:2-25) God is in the business of transforming, reshaping and remaking us. This is a steady, ongoing work. We must push away our old sinful nature with its passions and desires and embrace and keep in step with the Holy Spirit.
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God’s love in us will make us strong and resilient.
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His joy will be irrepressible, even in dark times.
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His peace will be present with us when there is no reason for peace; this peace comes from resting in God and relying on Him.
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Forbearance is a stretched-out patience which gives us the capacity for restraint in the face of substantial provocation.
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Kindness means going beyond what is expected or deserved.
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Goodness means being concerned about the well-being of other people; it’s love in action.
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Faithfulness means staying true and enduring, not faltering.
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Gentleness means acting with tenderness and humility.
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Self-control means not flying off the handle but keeping a check on ourselves.
These fruit will be developed in us as we abide in Christ. (John 15:1-16). As we seek to follow Christ, may we know what it is to trust and obey and to be productive with enduring fruit which brings glory to God.
