Thursday, August 20, 2009

Bible Study Weekend - John 1:35-51



John 1:35-51
Jesus' First Disciples


35The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. 36When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, "Look, the Lamb of God!"

37When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. 38Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, "What do you want?"
They said, "Rabbi" (which means Teacher), "where are you staying?"

39"Come," he replied, "and you will see."
So they went and saw where he was staying, and spent that day with him. It was about the tenth hour.

40Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. 41The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, "We have found the Messiah" (that is, the Christ). 42And he brought him to Jesus.
Jesus looked at him and said, "You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas" (which, when translated, is Peter).


Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael


43The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, "Follow me."

44Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. 45Philip found Nathanael and told him, "We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."

46"Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?" Nathanael asked.
"Come and see," said Philip.

47When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, "Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false."

48"How do you know me?" Nathanael asked.
Jesus answered, "I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you."

49Then Nathanael declared, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel."

50Jesus said, "You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You shall see greater things than that." 51He then added, "I tell you the truth, you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man."

Questions

1. What did Andrew, Simon and Philip do when they encountered Jesus?

2. It is exciting when you come to know Jesus as your personal Saviour. What was your experience when sharing your faith in Jesus?

3. Why did Nathanael believe that Jesus was the Messiah? How did you come to believe that Jesus was the Messiah?

3 comments:

Glad to be Saved said...

Q1: They immediately left everything they were doing to follow Him! Andrew made the decision to follow Him ... he was open to the message John preached and so was prepared when the time came. Right away he wanted to share the opportunity with his brother Simon, and so he brought him to Jesus. From the description of Jesus looking right at him, it seems the Lord knew that is heart was open and ready for a new name and a new life (v. 42). Philip also seemed to be immediately responsive to Jesus' invitation ... "Follow Me." (v. 43)

Q2: Sharing my faith at first was very exciting. I had no thoughts about what people would think! In those first few months, probably the largest number of people heard first-hand about how Jesus changed my life! Most people seemed intrigued, but not interested in taking the step themselves ... probably one or two people said they did after hearing my story. I guess we never do know the full impact of our testimony until Jesus reveals it all : )

Q3: Nathaniel belived that Jesus was the Messiah because he recognized that Jesus had seen him in the spirit under the fig tree long before Philip had a chance to reach him, tell him about Jesus, and bring him to where Jesus was. I came to believe that Jesus was the Messiah because of the immediate difference I felt after I responded to the knock, knock, knocking on my heart to let Him in. And prayers were answered so specifically in the next few weeks and months, that I recognized that He must be exactly who He said He was (John 3:33, NKJV, John 14:21, NIV).

"He who has received His testimony has certified that God is true."

Blessed said...

Q1: They acknowledged that He was the Lamb of God, made the decision to leave their cares and burdens and follow Him. They also spread the word that He was the one who was spoken about by the prophets.

Q2: For me, sharing my faith has been an experience where I am literally being carried by an inner strength that is not my own, but is the power of the Holy Spirit. I find myself being empowered to give advice, biblical references, and take ownership of the burdens of others to allay their fears and give them the sense of peace that I myself have been given by my Lord and Saviour. "Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord Almighty. (Zechariah 4:6, NIV)

Q3: Nathaniel responded to the fact that Jesus called him by name, even before his contemporary told him about meeting the Christ. Jesus knew that Nathaniel had been searching for Him and had been open to having a personal relationship with God. I knew that Jesus was the Messiah because He called me by name. He carried me at the lowest of times,and kept me safe. He waited patiently until I heard His voice speaking to me gently, and yielded to His call.

Once was lost said...

Q2: I am a quiet person. So when I came to faith in Christ I wanted to tell everyone but I was afraid. As I began to get closer to Jesus He began to move in my life. Doing the Alpha course help me open up to the truths of the Bible and Jesus. He also opened my mouth. He opened the doors for me to speak in church.

When have a personal relationship with Jesus, all you want to do is share the goodness of His love.