<FONT size="4"><FONT face="lucida console"><FONT COLOR="purple">"Seek and you will find." That is an interesting verse, actually is it just a part of a verse not the entire one. It appears in the Gospel of Luke in chapter eleven, verse nine. What is Jesus telling the reader? Was He referring to looking for something we lost? Are we supposed to look for something we want? No, it isn't referring to that at all. Jesus is talking about coming to our Lord with a kind of boldness that you only have with family. We have a privilege like no one else on earth. Since we serve the one true God, the creator of the universe we have access to Him 24 hours a day seven days a week and three hundred sixty five and ¼ days a year! When we come to Him seeking then He will give us what we need! Why was the New Testament Church so successful and so much more prolific than the church of this age? It is simple, really. They had a hunger that would not keep them away. They sought Jesus wherever he was or the gospel was being preached.</FONT c>

The Word:
John 12:21 They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. "Sir," they said, "we would like to see Jesus."

<FONT COLOR="purple">That is a deceptively simple request isn't it. Sir, we would like to see Jesus. Keep in mind that these were Greeks and therefore gentiles. Even knowing that salvation was not for them (yet), they came anyway, seeking! Jesus even told an Old Testament prophet to give that very same message to the nation of Israel.</FONT c>

The Word:
Jeremiah 29:13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

<FONT COLOR="purple">How often do we really seek Jesus? How often is that our motivation for attending our local church? I have a question for you. Has it ever been? I have seen many reasons for showing up on Sundays and Wednesdays. Those reasons range from having a social hour to showing off a new car or outfit or maybe some guilt about your past or past week! I am not saying that no one shows up for the right reasons these days, "Sir, we would like to see Jesus," but often we need a reminder as to what is truly important. Back to the New Testament church and why it was so huge. (It has been said that the church that Timothy pastored was between fifteen and thirty thousand!) What was so different about them? I can sum it up in one example from Scripture.</FONT c>

The Word:
Matthew 14:13 When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. [14] When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.

<FONT COLOR="purple">Suffice it to say that is from the story where Jesus had to feed the crowd. There were about fifteen thousand people there! Every single one of them had that same attitude. "Sir, we would like to see Jesus." When they did show up seeking Him, he had compassion on them just like He promises us! Jesus went to a private place by boat, guess what, that did not slow down fifteen thousand people. Whole families left villages and homes and jobs to seek their master. They came many miles on foot, with no food or means of support, wives and children in tow! In contrast it is often a fight in our homes, on Sunday morning, to get freshly showered, have breakfast and ride in an air-conditioned car to sit in a padded seat for an hour and a half. How earnestly should we seek Him? I say as whole heartedly as they did when Jesus walked into town!</FONT c>

The Word:
Mark 1:45 Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere.

<FONT COLOR="purple">Wow did you catch that? He was almost in HIDING and "Yet the people still came…" You can't look any harder than that! How are your friends? Will they get you to Jesus when you are not able to get there yourself? Do you have friends like this man?</FONT c>

The Word:
Mark 2:3 Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. [4] Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on. [5] When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven."

<FONT COLOR="purple">That is some kind of dedication. Those are the kind of friends that I want! Ones that will let nothing stop them from getting me to Jesus when Jesus is all that I need! Those men didn't let a crowd of people so thick that you couldn't pass through it, slow them down. No, they kept after their goal. They knew that they had to get their friend to Jesus. Did a roof hamper them? Not a bit, they went right through it! How many times have we stayed at home because we were up late the night before or our shirt won't match our socks? If we want to receive from our Lord then we must seek Him. Change the reason that you go to church! Don't go to hear a dynamic preacher, don't go because the band or choir is awesome, don't even go to see friends. Go seeking Jesus and watch your life change! First show up, second seek Jesus! "Sir, we would like to see Jesus.."</FONT c>

<FONT COLOR="red">Pray with me: Father I need your help to change me. I want to seek you with all my heart. Help me Lord, to focus on you in my life. You are an awesome God and I want to live my life moving ever closer to you. I love my local church Lord but keep me ever mindful of what it is all about. Lord it is all about seeking you! Father I want to see Jesus too! I pray this, in the name of your risen son, the Christ! Amen.</FONT c></FONT f></FONT s>




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