John 3:22

John 3:22 says, After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judaea; and there he tarried with them, and baptized.  John tells us that Jesus then went with His disciples into the land of Judaea.  He had been to Jerusalem, where He had very publicly cleansed the Temple and privately had taught Nicodemus about the necessity of being born again.  We today have a public ministry, which is carried out in one respect by gathering together in church.  People passing by know why we are there.  We must also publicly proclaim the gospel to the lost and live out our lives in faith.  We have a private ministry as we teach and learn from each other away from the world, whether at church or at home.  Both are necessary, but after engaging in public ministry that is often not well received, we need private times to encourage one another.  Jesus did not leave Jerusalem simply to rest and relax.  He was still teaching, and the disciples were baptizing while they were there.  Private time with God does not release us from our public obligation to share with others about God.  We need those intimate times to grow closer, but we can never withdraw from reaching out to the world.  We must live out our faith in the world ministering to the lost, even when we know it is not going to be well received.  When we decide the world is to evil for us to interact with those of the world, the gospel begins to die and evil begins to triumph.  Jesus saw things going on in the Temple, God's house, that He knew were wrong, and He confronted the problem.  Before we withdraw to our more private worship and ministry, we must first confront those things that are wrong in the world.  We cannot simply withdraw, or who will spread the truth of the gospel. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In John 3:22, we are told that Jesus then went with His disciples into the land of Judaea.  He had been to Jerusalem, where He had very publicly cleansed the Temple and privately had taught Nicodemus about the necessity of being born again.  We today have a public ministry, which is carried out in one respect by gathering together in church.  People passing by know why we are there.  We must also publically proclaim the gospel to the lost and live out our lives in faith.  We have a private ministry as we teach and learn from each other away from the world, whether at church or at home.  Both are necessarily, but after engaging in public ministry that is often not well received, we need the private times to encourage one another.  Jesus did not leave Jerusalem simply to rest and relax.  He was still teaching and the disciples were baptizing while they were there.  Private time with God does not release us from our public obligation to share with others about God.  We need those intimate times to grow closer, but we never can withdraw from reaching out to the world.  We must live out our faith in the world ministering to the lost, even when we know it is not going to be well received.  When we decide the world is to evil for us to interact with those of the world, the gospel begins to die and evil begins to triumph.  Jesus saw things going on in the Temple, God's house, that He knew were wrong, and He confronted the problem.  Before we withdrawn to our more private worship and ministry, we must first confront those things that are wrong in the world.  We cannot simply withdraw, or who will spread the truth of the gospel.