Penned by...
“Sir,” they said, “we would like to see Jesus.”
John 12:21
At first impression, the Greeks who came to the apostle Philip and uttered those words may seem to have been making just a simple request. But I believe it was a request that came from a deep need and hunger in their souls. They didn’t just want to see what Jesus looked like—they wanted to meet Him in a special way, to know Him personally, to come away refreshed by being in the presence of the Savior.
This heartfelt request perhaps best captures the idea behind our message series in the Afternoon Praise entitled “Encounters with Jesus”. In fact, this is the thought behind all the series of messages lined up in the Afternoon Praise this year. It is a conscious and deliberate attempt to make Christ the center of our preaching. Because honestly, sometimes we forget.
The Bible talks about many things: how to live, how to serve, how to relate to one another…But first and foremost, it speaks of a Lord and Savior Who is to be the center of our lives, our service and our relationship with one another. A loving, trusting, and worshipping relationship with Christ is still the foundation for all these.
The Greeks, who approached Philip, came from a people with great knowledge, culture, heritage, and wealth. Yet all these didn’t matter because they didn’t know Christ.
“We would like to see Jesus,” they said. This is a good reminder to us. Whether we stand in the pulpit or in front of a Sunday School class or singing on the stage. In the church or at home, the school or in the workplace— the cry is still “we would like to see Jesus.” May it be so this year. This year, may people see Jesus through the church’s ministry. And may the Holy Spirit really work among us and cause us to grow in our passion, not only for the church, but most of all, for the Lord Jesus.
Lord, it is my chief complaint
That my love is weak and faint;
Yet I love Thee and adore;
Oh, for grace to love Thee more!
William Cowper
Benjie Baclagon
