Truth and Division
Click the image above to order John (Book 2) today.
When you are Christ’s sheep, you will face the same trouble He faced. The people who do not believe Jesus will also not believe you. However, this changes nothing in regard to sharing your testimony with others. If you know Jesus, you know His Voice and will obey Him regardless of what others claim to believe.
Jesus seeks for all to know truth and not have division. If you know the truth and have friends or family who do not believe, you will experience division. Some of the Jews believed Jesus, and others did not. This subject of division is not new to Jesus. In John 7:43, there was a division among the multitude of people; in John 9:16, there was a division among the Pharisees; and in John 10:19, there was a division among the Jews. In each case, some believed Jesus and some did not. That has been happening in the world ever since. Some said He had a devil and others believed He was the Son of God. The difference was in their minds and hearts, not in the person of Jesus. Jesus never changes.
Jesus said, “But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you” (John 10:26). There is the distinguishing truth: those who did not believe in Him, were not His sheep. Only His sheep hear His voice and obey Him. If you are disobedient to Jesus, you are following another voice. If a person teaches anything that does not line up with the truth of Jesus, then he is a thief. He is trying to get into the fold of God without Jesus, but it will never happen. Those who seek division are not interested in the welfare of the sheep. They work for the paycheck, not for the Savior.
Jesus, the person of Truth, will lead you beyond the difficulties and trials of this world in order to live for eternity. Division reveals sinful hearts. Truth applied will reveal unity and Spirit-filled living. When you go against people’s thinking and stand for Jesus, many will want to do what these Jews did to Jesus: try to stone (or silence) you.
They wanted to stone Jesus. He asked what He had done that would cause them to want to stone Him. They said it was not for good works but that He claimed to be God. The confusing part about their response is that only God was able to perform the good works that Christ performed. Only God could make a blind man see, and only God could forgive sins. Their response was contradictory. If they were not stoning Him for good works but rather that He claimed to be God, then how could they explain His ability to perform the good works?
A major issue was that prideful people do not accept the fact that they are sheep. In order to accept that truth, they have to admit they need a Shepherd. They desired power not salvation. Therefore, they made up a reason to stone Jesus.
Jesus then went to the Jordan river to the place where John was baptizing and there many believed because of John’s testimony. Many knew John and saw that John was right about Christ. Therefore, they believed. Your testimony and witness of what Christ has done in your life is critical for others to believe. God uses your testimony to lead people to Jesus. Be sure to continue to share it regardless of what trouble it may bring. It is important for others to hear the miraculous work of Jesus!
From John: True Belief Brings Faithfulness (Book 2) by Alison Veazey and Kerry Skinner.