By Patrick Chen
Those seven words were printed at the top of the first page of every set of sermon notes that my mentor carried with him to the pulpit. Dr. Gordon Hugenberger’s approach to preaching is informed by these inspired words from the gospel of John:
Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the festival. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. “Sir,” they said, “we would like to see Jesus” (John 12:20-21 ESV).
Across Europe and North America alike, you can find the alternate wording “Sir, we would see Jesus” posted on many church pulpits where only the preacher can see it while proclaiming the Word of God. It’s a crucial reminder for preachers to preach Christ and Him crucified, while resisting the temptation to focus on current events, popular culture or personal opinions.
My mentor modeled humility and reverence for Jesus Christ through his consistently gospel-centered preaching. Everytime he began to preach, his eyes fell first on those words so he would always remember –these people need Jesus. They do not need to be impressed by my pulpit presence, my sense of humor, or my intellect. They came to see Jesus, not the preacher.
THE IMPORTANCE OF SEEING JESUS
The preacher must not just recede into the background but he must direct the spotlight on Jesus. In John chapter 12, the apostle uses the Greeks’ urgent request to draw attention to Jesus Christ and what He was about to do. Why did the Greeks want to see Jesus?
Were they simply curious? At that time,Greek travelers were renowned for their curiosity and may have been intrigued by Jesus’ reputation as a teacher and worker of miraculous signs.
Were they seeking Jesus for self-serving purposes? Wherever Jesus traveled, great crowds followed Him and some asked for physical healing, whether for themselves or for a beloved child.
Were they seeking Jesus because they believed His claim to be God? Apostle John identifies the Greeks as those who went up to Jerusalem at Passover to worship God, an annual practice for some Gentile converts to Judaism.
Were they serving God’s purpose by seeking Jesus? The apostle memorialized those Greeks by illustrating the truth that the gospel of Jesus Christ is for both Jew and Gentile.
But did the Greeks get to see Jesus? It’s unclear from John’s account. When Philip together with Andrew brought their request to Him (verse 22), Jesus responded by revealing Himself to them through a parable. He revealed Himself to them in the same way Jesus reveals Himself to us — with truth concerning Himself that prompts a faith response from us.
Jesus said, “the hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified” and that will happen by the grain of wheat falling into the ground and dying (verses 23-24). Then He followed by presenting that unexpected truth about Himself as an impossible challenge to anyone who will follow Him.
That message for those Greeks is the message for us. It’s the gospel worked out in us and now shared with others whether by our words or through our lives. His message was both an invitation and a challenge: if you really want to see Jesus, then you must follow Him in the way.
Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him (John 12:25-26 ESV).
THE COST OF FRUITFULNESS
In Cross Bridge at CBCGB, the leadership teams are preparing to roll out several strategic initiatives. We are praying for renewal and revival in our congregation so that we might carry out our mission of bridging cultures to build a family in Christ. To that end, Pastor Jeff Hwang and I are shepherding God’s people and revisioning ministries that affirm belonging precedes believing and that believing Christ leads to blessings in God. That is a ministry orientation that I picked up from a former colleague whose husband wrote his doctoral dissertation on the evangelistic practice of Campus Crusade in American collegiate contexts.
But there is a cost in praying for and seeking revival. Why? Before there can be renewal in revival, there must be dying to some former practice. So beware of praying for growth and fruitfulness in ministry and in your personal life. Jesus warns us, declaring “unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone” (verse 24a). But if we are certain and choose to proceed, then we find assurance and promise in the second part of that verse: “if it dies, it bears much fruit.” (verse 24b).
So I have been asking myself, “What is that kernel of wheat in myself and in our ministries that must die before there may be fruitfulness?” What must die so that my service to CBCGB will become more fruitful? And is there some corresponding dying in our ministries so that God’s people at Cross Bridge can bear more fruit?
It comes down to recognizing and responding to God’s love and grace. I want to see Christ so clearly and so powerfully that I can show Him to others more compellingly. We want our members to experience the power and presence of Christ so that through our ministries that whomever comes seeking Christ may belong, believe and be blessed.
Now it’s your turn. Is there something that is hindering your fruitfulness in Christ — something that keeps you from seeing Him and showing Him — something that you need to die to?
Lord, reveal to us what it is and we will obey and put it to death by the love we have in the Father, the grace we have in the Son, and according to the fellowship we have in the Holy Spirit.