Author: Jeff Ropp

Living life with a godly passion

“Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!” John 4:35

When Jesus sat down at the well, He was tired and hungry, but this opportunity to give living water to a thirsty soul made Him forget His weariness and hunger (John 4:1-26). The disciples come back and tell Him He ought to be thinking about food as they urge Him to eat (John 4:31).

But Jesus switched from talking about physical food to spiritual food – doing God’s will (John 4:32-34). We are to be concerned with the will of God. We are to be concerned with the salvation of the lost. Can we see the passion of Jesus’ heart? Are we more concerned about physical needs than spiritual? Are we praying only for the physical needs of our church members or are we concentrating on the spiritual needs of those inside and outside of the church?

We are to be PASSIONATE not just because this is God’s will for us. Jesus explains further, “Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’?” (John 4:35a). Jesus’ reference to “four months” was probably an agricultural proverb referring to the approximate time between seedtime and harvest. His point was that between the spiritual task of sowing the gospel and reaping belief, the intervening time may be much shorter as was the case in the present circumstance. The disciples needed spiritual vision. 

Jesus said, “Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!” (John 4:35b). Jesus saw a field of grain with rapidly ripening ears (“already white for harvest”) moving in the evening breeze. But He also saw another movement – a large group of “customarily white-clothed men of Sychar” moving rapidly toward them. Instead of the disciples being preoccupied with physical needs, they were to “look at the fields… already white for harvest.” The good seed of Jesus’ word had already brought forth fruit in the heart of a sinful woman. And now, the seed of her words to the villagers was about to bear even more fruit. This mass of people from Sychar were approaching Jesus and His disciples, ready to be harvested into God’s barn.

Do you sense the urgency in Jesus’ words?! “Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!” How urgent is this harvest? Ask the over 347,000 people (at the time of writing this article) in the world who have lost their lives due to COVID-19. If they could speak from their graves they would tell you how they wish they had sought after Jesus before they contracted this virus. It is too late for them now. Can you imagine that in the last few months thousands and thousands of people may have perished without Jesus?

Approximately 150,000 people die in the world each day. If current surveys are correct, and 13.1% are born-again Christians, that leaves 130,350 going to hell in the world each day. Picture this in your mind, would you? You are driving down main street and you look out the window and see the entire population being dragged down into hell by demons, some fighting and screaming about being faithful church members and some going willingly because they think there is a party waiting for them. Can you see how urgent it is that we share the gospel with the lost?

How many times have we missed the harvest because we have not been watching the fields? Jesus is saying that the fields are ready to harvest. Be ready to reap the harvest. Focus on the field. Don’t be so preoccupied with physical needs that you miss opportunities to reach others with the gospel of grace.

Prayer: Precious Lord of the harvest, help me to see the ripening harvest fields of people in the world today. They may be my neighbors, co-workers, family, friends, acquaintances, people on Facebook or Twitter who are ready to hear and believe Your gospel. Thank You for those who have sown the seed of Your Word in their lives. Please help me to see this harvest as You do – people whom You love and want to save forever from the fires of hell. Use me my Lord and my God to introduce these prepared people to You, the only One who can give them everlasting life the moment they believe in You. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Is Jesus Christ Alive Today? (Video)

This video contains a message of everlasting hope that is found in the risen Lord Jesus Christ. Please share this video with those you want to see in heaven.

The song “Because He Lives I Can Face Tomorrow” by Jesusman, is Public Domain Mark 1.0 and is therefore not subject to copyright.

Living life with the right priorities

“Jesus said to them, ‘My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.’” John 4:34

During COVID-19 restrictions, I have noticed my waist line growing in size. If you are like me, you may be in the process of finding a diet plan to take off that COVID-19 fat to look good in your warm weather clothing. And there are as many diet plans out there as there are people. But that is not the case in our spiritual lives. God has one diet plan that will answer the needs of every person. His plan will reduce unwanted spiritual fat and fatigue. It will give you benefits which last far beyond this life. What is God’s diet plan?

LIVE YOUR LIFE WITH THE RIGHT PRIORITIES (John 4:31-34). While the Samaritan woman went back to her village to tell people about Jesus, Christ’s disciples focus on Jesus’ physical needs. “In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, ‘Rabbi, eat.’ But He said to them, ‘I have food to eat of which you do not know.’ Therefore the disciples said to one another, ‘Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?’”(John 4:31-33). The disciples were encouraging Jesus to eat and He told them that He had food to eat. The disciples are asking themselves, “How can this be? He didn’t carry any food with Him. Did that woman give Him something to eat?” Before they left to get food, Jesus was tired and hungry (John 4:6), but now food and rest was not important to Him. Whatever food Christ spoke of, they weren’t familiar with it.

Have you ever gotten so wrapped up in what you were doing that you forgot to eat? Christ was so consumed with love for lost souls He had no interest in food or rest.

As followers of Christ, we must be careful that we do not get so focused on the physical realm that we forget about the spiritual needs of others. Christ shares the key to God’s diet plan. “Jesus said to them, ‘My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.’” (John 4:34). His focus is on doing what God wants Him to do. It was God’s will for Christ to give eternal life to the Samaritan woman and through her to the people of Sychar. Consequently, He felt no hunger while doing the will and work of God. God was seeking true worshipers (John 4:23-24) and that is why He gave the woman eternal life so she could worship the Father. Now it was time for the disciples to find worshipers for God. To eat and enjoy that task as one who eats and enjoys food was what Jesus was teaching them now. The Samaritan woman seemed to know this intuitively as she quickly went back to the village to tell others about Christ

Jesus says the priority now is to DO God’s will and FINISH His work. He is not talking about just knowing His will, but doing it. There may be 101 things you can do this week, but how can you get it all done? There is housework, homework, schoolwork, office work and church work. In a world full of things that need to be done, where do we go to get some sense of what to do first? How do we determine our priorities? Most of us just jump right in and overload ourselves. As a result, we begin to get very nervous. We say to ourselves, “Well, I will just have to try harder.”

Learn from Jesus how to determine your priorities:

1. Pray and seek wise counsel from the Lord. We can have problems determining our priorities if we are not taking time to hear God’s voice. Look at the order of determining priorities in Psalm 46:10: “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”

a. I must be still enough to hear God’s voice.

b. I will be able to know God and what He wants me to do.

c. God will be exalted as His priorities are carried out.

2. Plan and prioritize. We need to plan. Jesus did not choose to go with His disciples. He found a quiet place and had a one-on-one conversation with the Samaritan woman. He started talking about water, because that’s what the woman came to the well for. Then He gave her water that would satisfy her forever. Prioritize and you will be able to DO and FINISH the works God has entrusted you. 

Prayer: Father God, this is such a convicting message for me. It has been a struggle maintaining the right priorities in my life lately. I can easily become preoccupied with my own physical needs and the physical needs of those close to me during this COVID-19 crisis, so that I forget about the spiritual needs of others. Thank You for the example of Jesus with the Samaritan woman. Even though He was tired from His journey, He focused on her need for everlasting life. His food was to do Your will and finish Your work. Father, I want the same food that Jesus consumed. Please show me Your will for me at this time so I may finish the work You have set before me. I believe it involves sharing Your message of everlasting life with those You have prepared to hear and believe it so they may worship You in spirit and in truth. By Your grace, help me to finish well what You have set before me so that all the glory is given to You. Thank You for hearing my prayer, Father God. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Living life with a clear purpose

“28 The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, 29 ‘Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?’” John 4:28-29

While spending more time at home during COVID-19 restrictions, I have had more time to reflect on what is most important in life. In John 4:27-30, the Lord showed me something this morning that I need to take to heart – LIVE LIFE WITH A CLEAR PURPOSE.

Jesus just finished a conversation with a Samaritan woman while His disciples had gone to the village of Sychar for food. “And at this point His disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, ‘What do You seek?’ or, ‘Why are You talking with her?’” (John 4:27). Notice that when the disciples return, they focused on the fact that Jesus is speaking to a woman with whom He shouldn’t be speaking. The disciples paid no attention to the spiritual needs of the woman that Jesus was addressing. But Jesus knew His purpose in life and He had gone to this woman to share with her about the gift of eternal life. He told her that if she knew the gift of God and the Giver, she would ask Him and He would give her eternal life. And she responded in faith. She now knew the gift and the Giver.

If our lives are directed by a clear purpose – to share the gospel with all people – we will not let the prejudices of people prevent us from reaching out to others. God wants all churches to be a haven of salvation for ALL people in the community no matter who they are or where they live. If you know a lost person, they are someone that God has put in your life to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with them.

What did the Samaritan woman do after she received the gift of salvation?  “The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men,‘Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?’” (John 4:28-29). She wasted no time telling others what Christ had done for her. Jesus knew all about the shameful things she had done, yet He still loved her. No one ever treated her with such dignity! He accepted her as she was, but also showed her need for God’s free gift of eternal life. He showed her the only way to quench her spiritual thirst. When she asks the villagers, “Could this be the Christ?” she was trying to raise their curiosity. In the original Greek language, her question is even more cautious, “This couldn’t be the Christ, could it?” After all, she had such a poor reputation, they would not believe her if she claimed to have found the Messiah. So, she asks a question to motivate them to investigate Christ for themselves. Did it work? “Then they went out of the city and came to Him.” (John 4:30). Perhaps those she spoke to had been partners with her and they would have wondered, “Could this Man know about us, too?”

God wants us to live life with a clear purpose. Like the Samaritan woman, we are to tell others what Christ has done for us. That’s what this new believer did after Jesus gave her the gift of eternal life. This is why it’s so important for churches to have new believers because those new believers are excited about telling others about Christ. They will get others excited about it, too. Also, new believers have many non-Christian family and friends. The tendency of Christians as they grow older in the Lord is to have fewer contacts with unbelievers unless they are intentional about cultivating relationships with the unsaved. Having new Christians in a church can also open the door for more exposure to their unsaved family and friends.

Over the years I have observed some churches who think it is best not to let new believers share the gospel until they have matured in their faith for a few years. But this is not supported by Scriptures. New Christians are some of the most effective evangelists on the planet. They are excited about their new relationship with Jesus, so they are highly motivated to talk to others about Christ. And they also have many non-Christian family and friends. These two factors alone make them very effective in sharing the gospel with the unsaved.

Are you living life with a clear purpose? Are you telling others what Jesus Christ has done for you? Are you learning to see lost people the way Jesus sees them – as someone He loves and wants to save? The more we see the unsaved as Jesus does, the more willing we will be to cross over the barriers of culture and prejudice to talk to them about the gift of God and it’s Giver.

Prayer: Lord of the Harvest, forgive me for losing sight of Your purpose for my life. You saved me from my sins so I may live for You now and not myself. You do not want me to keep the gospel message to myself, but to share it with everyone who will listen. I remember the day I met You, Lord Jesus. You knew all the shameful things I had ever thought, said, and done, and You still loved me and wanted a relationship with me. I felt so loved and accepted by You. No one had ever treated me with such dignity. And my life has never been the same. Thank You, for Your gift of everlasting life. Please open the doors for Your gospel message to spread around the world so others who are enslaved to fear and shame may discover the freedom that only You can give them through Your grace and truth. Truth that tells them of their need for You and Grace that cleanses them of all their sin and shame the moment they believe in You. Thank You my Lord and my God. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Eternal life is absolutely free through Jesus!

“Jesus answered and said to her, ‘If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.’” John 4:10

We learn from Jesus’ conversation with a hurting Samaritan woman at a well that eternal life is absolutely free (John 4:1-26)! After Jesus asked this woman to give Him a drink from Jacob’s well, the woman was amazed that He, being a Jew, would ask a drink from a Samaritan woman (John 4:7-9).

Christ now moves from the water that could not satisfy her thirst, to the water that could. In other words, Jesus is being relevant by communicating what this woman needs to hear in a way she could understand it. They were at a well, so He talks to her about living waters (John 4:1-26).

What does Christ say she (and all people) needs to know to quench her spiritual thirst? “Jesus answered and said to her, ‘If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.’” (John 4:10). I cannot receive a gift until I know about that gift and the giver of that gift. Before she could ask for the gift of God from the Giver of that gift, she needed to know what the gift was and the identity of the Giver.

Jesus explains what the gift of God is when He says, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” (John 4:13-14). Physical water does not permanently quench our physical thirst (John 4:13), but “the living waters” that Jesus offers is a permanent thirst quencher (John 4:14). This living water becomes in the believer “a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”

The word “drink” means to “believe” in the gospel of John. Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst” (John 6:35). “To drink” means “to believe” – because both drinking and believing permanently quench our spiritual thirst. The spiritual need that Jesus’ water meets can never reoccur. One drink of His water will satisfy our need for eternal life forever. The phrase “will never thirst” literally means “will by no means thirst forever!” Eternal life is a forever gift because it is eternal – without end. Eternal life cannot be lost because the believer can never thirst again for it.

How is this possible? When a person believes in Jesus, He digs a spiritual well in the human heart that continuously meets the needs of the one who drinks from it. But Jacob’s well was in the earth and the drinker of it must return again and again (John 4:12). Men dig wells in the earth, only Jesus Christ can dig a well in the human heart so that it gushes up into everlasting life. Jesus’ well never runs dry.

Keep in mind that everlasting life is a free gift. It is absolutely free. You do not have to work or pay for this gift, otherwise it would not be a gift. For example, when you receive a birthday gift from someone, do you have to pay for it? No, because it is a gift. It has already been paid for. Everlasting life is a free gift because Jesus Christ has already paid for it in full when He died in our place on a cross for all our sins and rose from the dead (John 2:19, 22; 3:14-15; 12:23-24, 27-33; 10:11, 17: 19:16-20:31). All you must do to receive this gift is believe in the Giver.

Before this woman could ask for this free gift of everlasting life, she needed to know the identity of it’s Giver. The apostle John wants a lost person to know that the Giver of the gift of God is Jesus Christ (4:16-26) Who is fully God (John 1:1, 34, 49; 5:16-47; 6:69; 8:57-59; 11:27; 20:28) and fully Man (John 1:14; 4:6; 11:35; 12:27; 19:28).

When Jesus offered the woman everlasting life, she said, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.” (John 4:15). She missed His point. She was still thinking of physical water. She didn’t recognize her need for this gift of God. So, Jesus confronts her with the truth. “Jesus said to her, ‘Go, call your husband, and come here.’” (John 4:16). This was the most sensitive area in her life… the area where she had experienced the most hurt and shame… the area where she had the highest and thickest walls of self-protection.

At this point, she could have turned away and left (as many do), but she didn’t. Somewhat embarrassed, she blurted out, “’I have no husband.’ Jesus said to her, ‘You have well said, ‘I have no husband,’ for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly.” (John 4:17-18). This woman was not only divorced, but she had been through five broken marriages, and now the man she was living with was not even her husband. All this woman knew was an unending sense of dissatisfaction. She had five husbands, but none of her marriages worked. They may have left for different reasons, but she was left with the same results – loneliness and emptiness inside. She tried to quench her spiritual thirst with men but it did not work.

How did Jesus know about this brokenness in her life? He knew this because He was much more than a moral teacher or prophet, He was the long awaited Messiah-God. John writes, “The woman said to Him, ‘I know that Messiah is coming’ (who is called Christ). When He comes, He will tell us all things.’ Jesus said to her, ‘I who speak to you am He.’ ” (John 4:25-26). The woman first thought Jesus was a prophet when He revealed His knowledge of her sin-stained life (John 4:17b-19), but now the truth of His identity flooded her soul. He was the long awaited Messiah-God! She had arrived at the well empty, but now she departed full of life – life with God forever. She now knew the Gift and the Giver. And that is all she needed to know. That’s all anyone needs to know. And when they do, an eternal transaction occurs. Without a word or prayer, her heart had asked in faith and He had given her eternal life.

From this conversation we discover that everlasting life is an absolutely free gift! Jesus knew this woman was living with a man who was not even her husband. But He does not tell her to leave her boyfriend or get married to him in order to have everlasting life. Why? Because the only condition for this free gift is to believe in Jesus for it (John 4:14; 6:40, 47; 7:38-39; 11:25-26; 20:31; et al).

Some of you will read this article and ask, “But what about confessing your sins or being baptized or turning from your sins?” Jesus does not mention any of those things as a condition for everlasting life in His conversation with this hurting woman. If ever there was an appropriate time for Jesus to tell someone to turn from her sins or confess her sins, it was now. But He does not do it. Why? Because everlasting life is an absolutely free gift and the only condition to receive it is to believe in Jesus for it.

Jesus’ conversation with this woman also tells us that no one is too bad to receive the gift of God. Perhaps you can relate to the Samaritan woman. Your life is empty and parched. You have tried to fill it with substitutes – achievements, drugs, emotions, pornography, relationships, your work, special projects, etc., but they leave you feeling emptier. You need the real thing – a permanent thirst quencher. Ask Jesus in faith for the gift of eternal life and He will give it to you right now.

Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, I come to You now as a broken sinner who has been deeply hurt by my own sinful choices and the sinful choices of others. I have tried to satisfy my spiritual thirst with so many substitutes that have only made my condition worse. I realize today that You still love me despite all of the pain I have caused You and others. I believe You died in my place for all my sins on a cross and rose from the dead. Right now I am asking You, Lord Jesus, to give me everlasting life as a free gift. Thank You for the everlasting life I now have which satisfies my spiritual thirst forever. Thank You that I can never lose this gift. Please help me to share this good news with others who are longing to quench their own spiritual thirst. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

To help you grow in your new relationship with Jesus, please explore our website here or visit www.knowing-Jesus.com.

If you found this article helpful, please share it with those you want to see in heaven. Thank you, and may Jesus richly bless you as you make Him known to others.

A Look into the Future – Part 4 (Video)

This is the fourth in a series of videos about the future as recorded in the last book of the Bible, the book of Revelation. This video focuses on the most significant event on God’s Prophetic Calendar – the Second Coming of Christ to earth.

The Revelation Art is used by permission of Pat Marvenko Smith, copyright 1992. To order art prints visit her “Revelation Illustrated” site, http://www.revelationillustrated.com. The music and video scene in this video is used with permission from the producers of the video entitled “The Free Gift.”

How can Jesus become more popular where we live? Part 2

“He must increase, but I must decrease.” John 3:30

Another way for Jesus to become more popular where we live is to REJOICE IN ATTRACTING OTHERS TO JESUS EVEN AT OUR OWN EXPENSE. When John’s the Baptist’s disciples were jealous of Jesus’ growing popularity, John said to them, “You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent before Him.” (John 3:28). John explains to his disciples that he was only a forerunner, not the Messiah himself. God’s plan for John was to prepare people for Jesus’ ministry. It was God’s plan now for Jesus to increase in prominence and for John to decrease in prominence. Jesus’ growing popularity was in part due to John doing his job so well. Rather than seek the limelight for himself, John was content to be an instrument to glorify Christ.

“He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled.” (John 3:29). In the first century, the friend of the bridegroom was an assistant, not the main participant in a wedding. He was responsible for making wedding arrangements and waiting for the groom to return with his bride to the groom’s house for the wedding banquet. The friend of the bridegroom did not expect to take center stage. With this comparison in mind, John rejoiced fully in Jesus’ success. John was simply the “friend of the bridegroom,” but Jesus is “the bridegroom.” In effect John says, “When I see crowds of people leaving me and going to Jesus, I am thrilled because Jesus can do for them what I could never do. For their sakes and His, I rejoice!” He says, “It fills my heart with joy to see them leaving me and going to Jesus.” And a heart full of joy has no room for jealousy.

John then says, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” (John 3:30). Some have misunderstood this verse to mean that you must die to yourself and that there be less and less of you so that there can be more and more of Christ in you. But in the context, what John means here is that Jesus “must increase” in popularity and he “must decrease” in popularity. After all, John was the forerunner; Christ was the Messiah-God. If he was preparing the way for the Messiah, then surely the Messiah would need to be better known than the forerunner.

Don’t you want to see this where you live? Don’t you want to see Christ grow in popularity in your community? Don’t you want to see more people in your community talking about Jesus Christ and what He is doing in and through your church? Don’t you want to hear your neighbors and co-workers talking more about Jesus? Are you willing to set aside your own preferences to attract more unbelievers to Jesus? With God, all things are possible.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, this planet is Your stage to show Your grace and truth off. Please forgive me for wanting the attention that belongs only to You. Thank You for the grace that continues to heal the deep wounds of my soul so that my need for attention is much less than it used to be. I am merely a voice, but You are the living Word Who changes peoples’ lives. Nothing thrills me more than to see people come to You in faith for Your gift of everlasting life. I pray that my family, my friends, my neighbors, my church, my acquaintances, and even my enemies will begin to focus more on You and talk more about You, Jesus, than anyone or anything else. You are the Real Deal. You can do far more for them than I ever could. For this I am eternally grateful. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

What do new Christians need the most from you?

“After these things Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea, and there He remained with them and baptized.” John 3:22 

“After these things” points back to Jesus’ conversation with a religious leader named Nicodemus whereby He stressed to Nicodemus that the only way to be born again and enter the kingdom of God was to believe in Christ alone for His gift of everlasting life (John 3:1-18). These verses are stressing the importance of evangelism whereby we share the pure and simple gospel with non-Christians like Jesus did with Nicodemus.

In John 3:22, Jesus begins to develop new believers into “disciples” or devoted followers of Him. Once a person believes in Christ to get to heaven he is then initiated into the discipleship process through water baptism (Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15). Look at the phrase, “Remained with them.” This was an unhurried period of time that Jesus had with these new believers. They are getting to know each other. Being the Lord’s disciple meant you were with Him. You spent time with Him.

New birth or getting to heaven is by faith alone in Christ alone (John 3:5-18), but discipleship involves water baptism and instruction (John 3:22; cf. Matthew 29:19b-20). I believe Jesus wants to expand His Church all around the world through discipleship whereby older Christians meet with younger Christians one on one or in small groups to reproduce devoted followers of Christ. This is part of God’s plan for increasing Jesus’ popularity (cf. Matthew 28:19-20; 2 Timothy 2:2).

It is important to understand that new Christians need You more than they need your materials. They need to spend time with you and learn from you about how to talk to God in prayer and how to study and apply the Bible to their lives. A new believer needs a more experienced Christian to show him how to share the gospel of Christ with another unsaved person. He needs guidance on how to love his wife and nurture his children in the faith. More and more new believers are broken and struggling with anger or depression and they need a mature believer to show them how to process their emotions in healthy ways. 

When a couple has a newborn baby, they do not expect that baby to take care of itself. Nor should we expect a newborn Christian to know how to grow spiritually. Like a newborn baby in need of parental care and guidance, so a newborn Christian needs an older Christian to teach him how to follow Jesus and grow to be more like Him. He needs to know how important it is to spend time with Christ and sit at His feet to receive His Word.

If you are an older Christian, are you meeting with a younger believer to disciple him or her? Or if you are a new believer, are you meeting with an older Christian to teach you how to follow Jesus? If not, what will you do with Jesus’ command to “make disciples” (Matthew 28:19)? The world will be a much better place to live if more Christians would obey Christ’s command to make disciples. If you are not doing that yet, it isn’t too late. You can begin now by asking the Lord whom He wants you to spend time with in a discipleship relationship. He loves to answer that prayer.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I am thrilled to meet daily with You to talk to You in prayer and to listen to You speak to me as I read and study the Bible. Thank You for giving me the Holy Spirit to guide and teach me through Your Word. Lord, I want You to use me to increase Your popularity on earth through the discipleship process. Please show me whom You would like me to spend time with in a discipleship relationship. Prepare me and that person or persons for this journey. In Jesus’ name. Amen. 

Everyone needs John 3:16

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16

Every Christ-centered church supports missions. When I speak of missions I am referring to “the sending of authorized believers to people of non-faith or other-faiths for the purpose of making disciples of Jesus Christ.” Why does a local church have missions? Let’s look at John 3:16. This is one of the most familiar verses in all the Bible. It has been used by God to lead millions of people to Christ. It has sparked revivals around the world.

This verse falls in the middle of a conversation between Jesus and a religious ruler named Nicodemus. Nicodemus thinks the way to heaven is by living a good life. But Jesus confronts him with the truth that he must be born again by believing in Christ alone for eternal life (John 3:1-15). It’s not what you do that gets you to heaven, it’s what Christ has already done for you on the cross and simply trusting Him to get you to heaven. Jesus explains further. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16).

Why does everyone need John 3:16?

BECAUSE GOD LOVED EVERYONE. Jesus said to Nicodemus, “For God so loved the world…” The first two words, “For God,” refer to the Creator of the heavens and earth (Genesis 1:1), the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End (Revelation 1:8, 17; 22:13), the Great I Am (Exodus 3:14), the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Exodus 3:6).

“For God so loved the world.” No one has ever loved to the degree that God has loved. Look at the extent of His love. He loved “the world.” He did not limit His love to one country, culture or color. His love extends beyond Filipinos to Americans… Africans… Australians… Chinese… Russians… Europeans…  Brazilians.

God loved everyone. Red and yellow, black and white, we are all precious in His sight! No one can love like God loves. His love is unlimited. His love is no respecter or rejecter of persons. He loves black skin as much as white skin… tattooed skin as much as freckled skin… shaven as much as bearded… long hair as much as no hair… poor as much as rich… boxing fans as much as basketball fans… Rap music fans as much as ballroom dancing fans.

This first phrase, “For God so loved the world…” has motivated people to leave their families and their homes to share God’s love on the other side of the world. Why? Because God loves everyone. His love cannot be earned. God loves us now, not when we get better. He loves us regardless of what we’ve done or not done. Do you realize that nothing you do can make God love you any less? He loves us even when we offend Him. God has designed us to be loved by Him. Only His love can meet our deepest needs. Unfortunately, we often look in the wrong places for this love, don’t we? We look for it in our occupation, paycheck,  in athletics, a bottle of booze or a dose of drugs, or in a brief romantic relationship. God’s love isn’t found in these things. His love is found in the Person of Jesus Christ.

The second reason why everyone needs John 3:16 is BECAUSE GOD GAVE HIS PERFECT SON FOR EVERYONE. Jesus said, “that He gave His only begotten Son.” God’s love gives. It doesn’t take. It gives sacrificially. What did He give? He gave what was most precious to Him – “His only begotten Son,” Jesus Christ. The phrase “only begotten Son” does not mean Jesus had a beginning like a baby that is birthed by his parents, as many false religions teach today. The compound Greek word translated “only begotten” is monogenḗs, which literally means “one (monos) of a kind (genos).” Jesus Christ is the only One of His kind. He is fully God (John 1:1-3) and fully Man (John 1:14). This is the message of the gospel of John.

God gave His only begotten Son to die in our place on a cross for our sins and rise from the dead (I Corinthians 15:3-6). Could you kill your child to save others? I certainly would not. Our love is pale compared to God’s love for us. Somebody might say to you, “I love you. Here’s my house. I’ll give it to you.” But how do you know that person doesn’t own ten homes so that giving up one is no sacrifice? Another person could say to you, “I love you. Here’s a million dollars.” But how do you know he does not have a billion dollars? When God says, “I love you. Here’s My perfect and only Son,” that is love. The greatest proof of His love is that He would allow His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ to die for our sins.

Did Jesus die for one country…culture or color? Did He die only for the elect? No, His death was for “all” nations of the world and all people (Matthew 28:19; Mark 16:15; John 1:29; 4:42; I Timothy2:3-6; I John 2:2). Jesus died for all people groups everywhere. Does that include drug addicts and prostitutes? Yes. Does that include Atheists, Buddhists, Catholics, Hindus, Muslims, and Protestants? Yes. Jesus died for all of them.

The third reason everyone needs John 3:16 is BECAUSE JESUS’ INVITATION IS FOR EVERYONE. Jesus said, “that whoever…” When we hear that God loves the world we may think, “Wow, that’s over 7.8 billion people. God may lose sight of me among that many people in the world today.” “Sure,” we say, “God loves the world in general, but what about me? What’s to keep Him from forgetting about me?” This is why God has placed the word “whoever” in this verse. When God looks at the world, He sees individuals, including you and me.

Thank God for that word “whoever.” If this verse read, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that when Jeff Ropp believes in Him, he should not perish, but have everlasting life,” I might be inclined to think He was talking about some other Jeff Ropp because this Jeff Ropp is such a filthy sinner; but whoever means this Jeff Ropp and that Jeff Ropp, and all the other Jeff Ropp’s in the world, and everyone else, whatever his or her name may be. This invitation is for everyone. What is Jesus inviting everyone to do?

This leads to the fourth reason why everyone needs John 3:16: BECAUSE EVERYONE NEEDS SUCH SIMPLICITY. Jesus said, “believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”Jesus is inviting us to believe in Him for everlasting life. He did not say, “whoever … does good in the community… lives an obedient life… denies himself and follows Me… confesses his sins… asks Me into his heart…  promises to serve Me… or is baptized.”  He simply says, “whoever believes in Him…” What does it mean to believe? To believe simply to accept something as true and then trust in that something.

Jesus says a person “believes” and “have.” You have what you take, correct? For example, if I were to say to you, “This $100 bill is yours if you will take it.” You cannot enjoy that $100 until you take it. If you take it, you have believed my promise to give it to you. Jesus asks us to take by faith the eternal life that He is freely offering to us. The moment you believe His promise to give everlasting live to all who believe in Him, you “have” everlasting life. Jesus guarantees that you will “not perish” in hell, but “have” everlasting life both now and forever. This is so simple that children often believe it much sooner than adults.

In John 3:16, Jesus is saying, “I love you. I died for you and rose from the dead. Will you trust Me to give you the never-ending life I bought for you with My own blood?” This is an invitation to believe or trust in Christ and Him alone – not ourselves or our good works. If you have just believed or trusted in Jesus Christ alone to give you everlasting life, you can tell Jesus this through prayer. Praying this prayer will not get you to heaven. Only believing or trusting in Jesus alone gets us to heaven. This prayer is a way of telling God you are now trusting in His Son.

Prayer: “Dear Jesus, thank You for John 3:16 which tells me that You love me just as I am and that You want to be in a relationship with me forever. Lord Jesus, I admit that I have sinned against You and that I cannot save myself. I believe You died in my place on a cross for all of my sins and rose from the dead. I am now trusting in You alone, Jesus, (not my good life, my prayers, or my religion) to give me everlasting life and save me from hell forever. Thank You, Jesus, for the everlasting life I now have. Thank You for saving me from hell forever! Please help me to share John 3:16 with others before it is too late for them. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”

To grow in your new relationship with Jesus Christ, please visit please visit www.seeyouinheaven.life or www.knowing-Jesus.com or evantell.org.  If you found this article to be helpful, please share it with those you want to see in heaven.Thank you and may Jesus richly bless you as you make Him known to others.

Everyone Needs John 3:16 (Video)

This video contains a message of never-ending hope from one of the most familiar verses in the Bible – John 3:16. Please watch and discover why all of us need this life-changing verse. If you found this video to be helpful, please share it with others you want to see in Jesus’ heaven.