Episode Transcript
CONSECRATE
Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.
Jesus, I belong to you.
I lift up my heart to you.
I set my mind on you.
I fix my eyes on you.
I offer my body to you as a living sacrifice.
Jesus, we belong to you.
Praying in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, amen.
HEAR
1 John 5:1–4 (NIV)
Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.
CONSIDER
What would you say is the most important word in today’s reading? Would it be Jesus or God or love or believes, or how about overcome? Here’s my vote: everyone. In fact, it may be the most important word in all of the Bible.
Everyone is such a powerful and beautiful word. It says you and me and all of us. No one has to be left out. It says there’s more than enough room. Come one. Come all. This is what it means to be inclusive.
“Everyone who believes . . .” We aren’t talking about intellectual assent here, but trusting faith. To believe means your life can be summed up in one word: yes.
“Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ . . .” Most people who don’t believe in Jesus refuse to believe not because of Jesus but because of his followers. While this is understandable, it is not acceptable. Jesus stands on his own and in a category of his own, independent of his proponents or detractors. His words speak for themselves. His deeds tell their own story. His death on the cross stands as a signal day in the history of the human race, second only to his resurrection from the dead, which radiates the unquenchable, unstoppable truth of all the ages past and all eternity to come: everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God.
John says the same thing in a similar way in his gospel account:
Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. (John 1:12–13)
There’s a final word to point out in today’s text. Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ . . . overcomes. This is not an immunity to struggling or suffering or hardships or injustices or injury or pain or failures or anything else. The promise—for everyone who believes—is to overcome. Who wouldn’t take that offer? It is a very, very good deal. It is exceedingly good news.
Herein lies our mission. We want everyone to know about this offer, this very good deal, this exceedingly good news.
PRAY
Lord Jesus, thank you for loving everyone and for giving everyone an opportunity to respond to your offer of grace. Make my life a winsome invitation to everyone I know and ever will know. In your name I pray, Jesus. Amen.
