John

At Grace, we often talk about each of us taking the next step in our walk with Christ, whatever that may be. Recently, at the Tuesday morning Bible study I attend, we discussed how easy it is to compare ourselves to others in life and career, and how we often carry that same mindset into our relationship with Christ. Today’s passage speaks directly to that. In John 21:18, Jesus tells Peter that he will ultimately be killed because of his faith and the work he will do for Him. Peter then asks what will happen to John, and Jesus responds, “That’s none of your business.” in John 21:22, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me!” In other words, Jesus redirects Peter’s focus away from comparison and back to obedience. Peter had just been told something incredibly heavy about his own future, and his instinct was to compare himself with someone else.That hits close to home. It’s so easy for us to measure our faith, our growth, or even our calling against someone else’s. We look at how others are doing spiritually, what they’re accomplishing, or how God seems to be working in their lives, and we start to question where we stand. But Jesus makes it clear that our walk with Him is personal. The call is simple, but not always easy: “You follow me.”Our “next step” won’t look the same as another’s, and it’s not supposed to. What matters isn’t how we compare, but whether we’re being faithful with what God has put in front of us right now.

In John 16, Jesus tells the disciples that He must go so the Helper can come. The “Helper” is the Holy Spirit, the third member of the Trinity. Jesus’ “going” points to His ascension, making way for the Spirit to come as our advocate. But this isn’t just about God helping us from a distance.When we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit comes to live in us. That means we’re not alone in following Jesus. The Spirit is actively working within us, guiding us, convicting us, reminding us of truth, and shaping us to become more like Him. It’s not just about trying harder; it’s about learning to walk daily with the Spirit who is already present in us.So, when Jesus says it’s better that He goes, it’s because we gain something even greater, not just God with us, but God in us, wherever we go.

In John 16, Jesus tells the disciples that He must go so the Helper can come. The “Helper” is the Holy Spirit, the third member of the Trinity. Jesus’ “going” points to His ascension, making way for the Spirit to come as our advocate. But this isn’t just about God helping us from a distance.When we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit comes to live in us. That means we’re not alone in following Jesus. The Spirit is actively working within us, guiding us, convicting us, reminding us of truth, and shaping us to become more like Him. It’s not just about trying harder; it’s about learning to walk daily with the Spirit who is already present in us.So, when Jesus says it’s better that He goes, it’s because we gain something even greater, not just God with us, but God in us, wherever we go.

During Jesus' ministry on earth, he sent the disciples out in pairs and gave them the power to teach, heal the sick, and cast out demons (Mark 6:7-13). In the first part of Acts 3 we see that the Jesus is continuing to work through His followers by the power of the Holy Spirit. This healing of the lame man demonstrates that the apostles were still acting with Jesus' authority and power, not their own. Just as Jesus used miracles to establish the authority of His teaching, the apostles are able to do the same to demonstrate their authority to speak about Jesus.One note, this healing is very similar to Jesus' healing of the lame man by the pool (John 5:5-15) but in this case the man had been unable to walk since birth.

During Jesus' ministry on earth, he sent the disciples out in pairs and gave them the power to teach, heal the sick, and cast out demons (Mark 6:7-13). In the first part of Acts 3 we see that the Jesus is continuing to work through His followers by the power of the Holy Spirit. This healing of the lame man demonstrates that the apostles were still acting with Jesus' authority and power, not their own. Just as Jesus used miracles to establish the authority of His teaching, the apostles are able to do the same to demonstrate their authority to speak about Jesus.One note, this healing is very similar to Jesus' healing of the lame man by the pool (John 5:5-15) but in this case the man had been unable to walk since birth.

During Jesus' ministry on earth, he sent the disciples out in pairs and gave them the power to teach, heal the sick, and cast out demons (Mark 6:7-13). In the first part of Acts 3 we see that the Jesus is continuing to work through His followers by the power of the Holy Spirit. This healing of the lame man demonstrates that the apostles were still acting with Jesus' authority and power, not their own. Just as Jesus used miracles to establish the authority of His teaching, the apostles are able to do the same to demonstrate their authority to speak about Jesus.One note, this healing is very similar to Jesus' healing of the lame man by the pool (John 5:5-15) but in this case the man had been unable to walk since birth.