Soul Inspiring Commentary from the Gospel of John, Part 3

As we continue on with our Soul Inspiring Commentary from the Gospel of John, we reach Part 3, and we get to verse 32 in Chapter One which talks about when John the Baptist baptized Jesus Christ and the “Spirit came down from Heaven as a dove and remain on Him.”

Just because the Holy Spirit was not given to man until the Day of Pentecost does not mean the Holy Spirit was always around.

Genesis 1:2 tells us that “The Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.”

Like the power of atomic energy. It has always been around. It just was not harnessed until it was time.

The Holy Spirit does many things for us as believers in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

First and foremost, the Holy Spirit brings us the truth of God.

Once we are truly “born again” as Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3:3 and we receive the Holy Spirit, our lives are illuminated. We come out of the darkness and become part of the light.

We finally will know what life is all about and where our duty lies.

Before we receive the Holy Spirit, we are in the darkness that John so often refers to in his Gospel.

We really do not know and cannot see the truth. The Bible does not make sense, God’s plan of redemption does not make sense. Nothing about God makes sense to us before we receive the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit brings us the power to recognize the truth when we see it. The Bible will start to make sense. Prayer will be answered. Our lives will be strengthened. We will not only know what is right, we will have the power to do it.

The Holy Spirit makes you more aware of your sin and makes it less attractive and makes you want to run from it rather than wallow in it.

The Holy Spirit will make you feel God’s love. The Holy Spirit will give you an ever-increasing awareness of God’s presence.

The Holy Spirit will give you an eagerness to share Jesus Christ with others. If you are out there preaching the Gospel in some way to others, there should be no doubt that you are Holy Spirit filled. Your heart will ache for the lost.

If you have no desire to spread the good news to others in some way, you may want to re-evaluate your relationship with Jesus Christ.

The Holy Spirit will give you the desire to give more and more of your time and finances.

With the Holy Spirit, you will find yourself praying more and more throughout the day and your priorities will start to change.

Moving on to verse 37, John the Baptist was with two of his disciples as Jesus was passing by. John called out “Look, the Lamb of God.” When the two disciples of John the Baptist heard this, they immediately followed Jesus.

Once they realized who Jesus was, they knew their purpose. Once you let God know your willingness to serve Him, to obey Him, to love Him, He will guide you to your purpose that He has just for you.

Like these disciples, we should not keep Jesus to ourselves. We need to remind ourselves daily that we were not saved so we would go to Heaven alone.

Not only did these disciples follow Jesus physically, they became followers of Jesus. Our teaching and our lives should be a reflection of John the Baptist’s in that when one hears us talk about Jesus and sees our life, they will want to become followers of Jesus also.

If we are mentoring, or discipling, a younger Christian, again, John the Baptist’s example show us the way. He taught them until it was time to release them to follow Jesus on their own and eventually become teachers of the Gospel themselves.

"Dost thou live close by them, or meet them in the streets, or labour with them, or travel with them, or sit and talk with them, and say nothing to them of their souls, or the life to come? If their houses were on fire, thou wouldst run and help them; and wilt thou not help them when their souls are almost at the fire of hell?"

- Richard Baxter

In verse 41, Andrew sets the example for us when it comes to evangelism. He is mentioned three times in John’s Gospel and each time he is bringing someone to Jesus.

It is not always going to be as easy as Andrew makes it look here, but you cannot have a harvest unless you sow seeds first.

There always must be an introduction to Jesus and then it is up to God, through the Holy Spirit, to do the rest.

Duty is Ours. Results are God’s.

Verse 42 tells us about when Jesus changed Simon’s name to Peter. In the Old Testament, a name change usually signified a new relationship with God.

Jacob was changed to Israel. Abram to Abraham. Just to name a couple.

It is amazing to think that Jesus not only sees us who we currently are and who we once were, but what we are to become.

When Jesus changed Simon to Peter, which means rock, Jesus knew that Peter was going to become the Rock of the new Church.

Who does Jesus want you to become?