One of my favorite statements that Jesus makes is in John 5:25. He says, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live.” This scripture is incredible. The thought that Jesus’ voice awakens the dead is overwhelming to me. But, perhaps even more overwhelming to me is the thought that His voice can be contained in our voice and still awaken the dead.
In Ephesians 4 Paul is describing the nature of an unbeliever, but then tells the Ephesians they are not like that “if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him as the truth is in Jesus” (v. 21). He says that they are different because they have “heard” Jesus. That’s a curious statement because there is no record of Jesus visiting Ephesus. How could they have heard the voice of Jesus and been changed?
Paul goes on to explain himself by saying “as the truth is in Jesus.” Essentially, Paul is saying that if they have heard the truth, then they’ve heard Jesus because the truth is in Jesus.
Understanding that scripture should give us great boldness in sharing the gospel. When we share the truth of the gospel, people hear not our voice, but the voice of Jesus awakening them from the dead. In Luke 10:16 Jesus tells the disciples that He’s sending out in ministry, “He who hears you hears Me . . . .” When we say yes to daily ministry and opening our mouths to share the gospel, then we become the mouthpiece of Jesus. His voice breaks through our mouths and the dead hear. And when the dead hear, they live.
No comments:
Post a Comment