In The Beginning…”

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.”                                                                                                               Colossians 1:15-17 (ESV)

One of the coolest things that can happen at any Vacation Bible School is when one of the children come forward to accept Jesus Christ into their heart. During our church’s V.B.S week the Lord laid it on my heart to share John’s Gospel with them. And keeping them on the Deuteronomical road was important as our theme dealt with God’s creation. So I shared what we read in John 1:1-5 and paralleled it with Genesis 1:1-4.

The most important thing that these children needed to hear was that Jesus Christ was there in the beginning.  We need to be reminded of this as well, ‘cos I think at times we tend to forget. To coin a John Gill phrase, “this word was in the beginning, was with God, and is God; from the creation of all things being ascribed to Him, and His being said to be the life and light of men; from His coming into the world, and usage in it; from His bestowing the privilege of adoption on believers; and from His incarnation; and also there is a particular application of all this to Christ.” (That is for those who needed a Calvinistic backhand.)

The Jews of John’s time called the book of Genesis “In the Beginning” simply because Genesis starts off that way. Now the Greek word Logos had a rich association for Jews and Greeks. It meant the reason or thought within a person, or the expression in his speech. Logos, to the Jew, was the Word that Yahweh used to speak all this stuff around into existence. He also used it to guide His people, deliver His people and to accomplish His will in the lives of His people. It could also be referred to God’s written word of self-revelation in the Law that was given to Moses. So…..

Both Genesis and the Gospel of John start with “In the Beginning”, and then they go right into their respected dialogues but by the time you get to the third or fourth verse the moment of “The Light” comes into view. We could almost say that, without anyone reading this giving me a hard time shuffling His words around, it could sound like this; “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And in Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

The thing that we, as a V.B.S. crew, wanted the children to know was that not only did God create everything but that Jesus Christ was there right from the beginning as well. That He is the light of the world who gives life to all who need to separate the light from the darkness in their lives. He is The Word that, when believed in our hearts and confessed with our mouths, saves all from eternal separation from Him and His Father. And I do believe that was accomplished. Three quarters of our V.B.S. attendee’s came forward when asked. Only God!! – Chris Hughes is a regular Freedom Fighter blogger and a graduate of the Colony of Mercy

Team YOU: Psalm 77-78; Proverbs 9; Romans 10

Motivations: “As Jesus looked across the horizon of His future, He could see many targets. Many flags were flapping in the wind, each of which He could have pursued. He could have been a political revolutionary….He could have been content to be a teacher and educate minds….But in the end He chose to be a Savior and save souls.”—Max Lucado

Practice to Remember: Level 1:Philippians 3:7-8; Level 2: Philippians 2:25-30

Powered Up:  The essential meaning of prayer is that it nourishes the life of the Son of God in me and enables Him to manifest Himself in my mortal flesh. Oswald Chambers