Emmanuel God With Us
Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us." Jesus answered: "Don't you know me Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? John 14:9
“Jesus asked, Do you now believe?”
Three years the disciples spent with Jesus watching Him, learning from Him. They witnessed the sick being healed, the lame walking, deaf hearing, blind seeing, dead raising, storm calming. They saw Him turn water into wine, multiply fish into a feast, cast out demons, and stand up to the religious leaders. They listened as He taught with such wisdom and authority. They walked with Him and followed after Him. He was God with them but they didn't recognize it and couldn't comprehend it. They claimed that He must be from God but they couldn't get their heads around the fact that He truly was God, in the flesh, come to live among them and soon to be a sacrifice for them. He was God with them, but not God in them. Jesus drew them in. He poured into their lives daily. He taught them and trained them and tried to prepare them for what was coming but they couldn't fathom it or take it in. They said that they finally understood, that they finally believed that Jesus came from God but they couldn't comprehend that He actually was God.
Jesus asked "Do you now believe?" A time is coming when you are all going to scatter and you'll deny that you even know Me! John 16:31-32. He was God with them but not God in them.
They thought that they knew Him. They thought that they would stand with Him. But when push came to shove they denied Him and they ran away.
Paul asked the Corinthians in 2 Corinthians 13:5 to examine themselves to see whether they were in the faith; to test themselves with sober judgement where they stood with the Lord. He reminded them that Jesus was Emmanuel, God in them. That they were the Temple, the Church, the Home where God Himself took up residence. As we close out 2023 and reflect on where we are in our relationship with the Lord, we need to ask ourselves the same question: Am I in the faith? Do I really know Him? Will I stand for Him when trouble comes knocking at my door? Do I believe that He is who He said He is? Is He God with us or God in us?
-written by Tami Almason, Deacon of Prayer