He First Found His Brother - Part Five

Posted 8/4/14 by Donald Barnhouse
SCRIPTURE
John 1:15-28
(John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”) For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known.
And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” So they said to him, “Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”
(Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.) They asked him, “Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” John answered them, “I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

LESSON

When you have spent time with Jesus Christ, and when you have been to your brother, then you can think seriously of going farther afield. If you are not able to bring men to Christ from your own environment, you will not be able to reach them in Africa or South America. Crossing the ocean has never made a missionary out of anyone. Christ defined the term neighbor by telling the story of the Good Samaritan. I believe He would define the term brother by pointing to the man who lives nearest to us. Our fellowman is to be the recipient of the love of Christ through our hearts and the touch of Christ through our hands.
 
It is not selfish, however, for someone to seek most earnestly the salvation of his own loved ones. If charity begins at home, so, most certainly, must the love of souls. Those who live under our roof have special claims upon us. Spurgeon said of this, "God has not reversed the laws of nature, but He has sanctified them by the rules of grace; it augurs nothing of selfishness that a man should first seek to have his own kindred saved. I'll give nothing for your love for the wide world, if you have not a special love for those of your own household. The rule of Paul may, with a little variation, be applied here; we are to `do good to all men, but especially to such as be of the household of faith.' And so we are to seek the good of all mankind, but especially of those who are of our own near kindred. Let Abraham's prayer be for Ishmael, let Hannah pray for Samuel, let David plead for Absalom and Solomon, let Andrew first find his own brother Simon, and Eunice train her son Timothy. Oh, they will be nonetheless large and prevalent in their pleadings for others, because they were mindful of those allied to them by ties of blood."
STUDY QUESTION
  • Have you sought to reconcile family members, near and far to Christ? What would that look like in your life?
  • Does the parable of the Good Samaritan teach us about how we should minister to our family? If so, how will this change how you minister to your family?