[This reflection by Michael Goble was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 18/Jun/2023]
What a blessed and successful CHURCH WEEKEND AT HOME we celebrated together. A big thank you to all those who planned, organised and supported that fulfilling time. Also we are so grateful to Andy Hickford as he encouraged us to see Jesus in a new light, to understand more of what the gospel means, and how to show to others in our individual lives what it means to be a Christian, so that they too may want to believe in Jesus as their Saviour.
I like the song we sang on Sunday, “I am a friend of God”. It is amazing that our all powerful, creator God is so loving that He can even think of us, let alone hear us when we call out to Him. A much earlier song starts off with the same thought.
“What a friend we have in Jesus,
All our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
Everything to God in prayer!”
We can go back even earlier for examples of God’s friendship. More than 3,000 years ago God spoke to Moses face to face as a man speaks with his friend (Exodus 33:11). We are told by Isaiah that God thought of Abraham about 4000 years ago as His friend (Isa 41:8). It really is amazing that after all this time God can think of us too as friends.
There was one story I liked that Andy told us right at the beginning of the weekend, about his friend who spoke at a meeting of ministers. The friend kept giving examples of how the gospel writer John knew Jesus better than anyone else until it became almost boring. His friend then read from Revelation 1 how Jesus appeared to John when he was about 90 years old. This is how Jesus appeared to him.
He was wearing a long robe with a gold sash across his chest. His head and his hair were white like wool, as white as snow. And his eyes were like flames of fire. His feet were like polished bronze refined in a furnace, and his voice thundered like mighty ocean waves. He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp two-edged sword came from his mouth. And his face was like the sun in all its brilliance. When I saw him, I fell at his feet as if I were dead.
Revelation 1 v13-17 [NLT]
Andy’s friend walked out after he read these words but he didn’t need to add anything more. John was the best friend of Jesus amongst the disciples and yet he didn’t really know Him until he saw his risen friend, Jesus, in all His glory.
If we were to see Jesus today as the glorious almighty Creator God and Saviour, we would fall down too like John as we are at present in our sinful though forgiven nature. How comforting that Jesus laid His right hand on John and said,
Don’t be afraid! I am the First and the Last. I am the living one. I died, but look – I am alive forever and ever! Revelation 1 v17-18 [NLT]
Let’s go through life now believing in Jesus as our friend and saviour, until the time we are with Him and our salvation is completed. Then we shall truly know Him as our best friend ever.
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Last week’s reflection: Coincidences? by David Makanjuola
Contributed by Michael Goble; © Michael Goble