The Daily Fountain Devotional of the Church Of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) 26 December 2023 – The True Witness
TOPIC: The True Witness
READ: John 21:19-24 (NKJV)
- This He spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, “Follow Me.”
- Then Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following, who also had leaned on His breast at the supper, and said, “Lord, who is the one who betrays You?”
- Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, “But Lord, what [about] this man?”
- Jesus said to him, “If I will that he remain till I come, what [is that] to you? You follow Me.”
- Then this saying went out among the brethren that this disciple would not die. Yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but, “If I will that he remain till I come, what [is that] to you?”
- This is the disciple who testifies of these things, and wrote these things; and we know that his testimony is true.
THE MESSAGE:
Today we remember the Apostle John who is also referred to as John the Beloved. He is believed to have written the Gospel according to John, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd John, and also the Book of Revelation. John is believed to have outlived all the other original Apostles of Christ, being the last to die, at an old age. He is also believed to have suffered series of persecutions at the hand of the Roman rulers, to the point where he was finally exiled to hard labour at the Island of Patmos. Through all of the challenges that he faced, however, Apostle John remained resolute as a faithful witness (John 21:24). John was not afraid to live for and to testify about his Master, Jesus, who loved him even to death and whom he himself loved dearly.
The testimony of John about Jesus was guaranteed as true because he himself had personally encountered Jesus and had experienced, first-hand, the love of Christ, and His power to save and transform. Any testimony about Jesus that is not borne out of personal experience cannot affect anyone eternally. Furthermore, when you truly encounter the power and the love of Christ, like John, you will become unshakable, unmovable and unstoppable. John was!
