GREAT ASSURANCE

“So you also have sorrow now. But I will see you again. Your hearts will rejoice, and no one will rob you of your joy. In that day you will not ask Me anything.” -John 16:22-23

My wife is about 3 months pregnant right now with a fourth child. Our last one is now five years old. Since that little guy was born we’ve only discussed my wife’s labor a few times. The rest of the time we discuss things about his growth, the funny things he does, how much he's like me, and what a tender heart he has.

We’ve never once regretted getting pregnant despite the non-stop morning sickness (all nine months 24/7), sciatica, the sleepless nights, the mood swings, or anything else. We look at that little guy, his smile, his gestures, his blue-green eyes… and we just beam with joy as parents.

In the 16th chapter of John’s gospel Jesus was comparing the life of a disciple to a pregnant woman saying:

I assure you: You will weep and wail, but the world will rejoice. You will become sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn to joy. When a woman is in labor she has pain because her time has come. But when she has given birth to a child, she no longer remembers the suffering because of the joy that a person has been born into the world. So you also have sorrow now. But I will see you again. Your hearts will rejoice, and no one will rob you of your joy. In that day you will not ask Me anything… Until now you have asked for nothing in My name… I am not telling you that I will make requests to the Father on your behalf. -John 16:20-27

Jesus’ great assurance is not that our territory will be expanded. Nor is Jesus’ great assurance that He will mediate between us and the Father. Jesus’ great assurance to His disciple lay in the analogy of a woman in labor. She’s been struggling for months with cramps, morning sickness, nerve pain, emotional highs and lows, sleepless nights… all erased by the joy of what is produced.

Jesus’ great assurance is about expectations and how to manage them. The woman who goes into a pregnancy with expectations of a body unchanged by it (both internally and externally) will be destroyed. Our culture rewards underwear models for their bulimic, anorexic, anemic, and unhealthy frames. Through pornography, we treat women, and girls, like disposable eye-candy to be consumed. The lie of perfection lay in an unrealistic, unattainable, and ever elusive, evaporating and decaying pursuit of physical beauty.

The Enemy has influenced, edited, confused, and orchestrated culture, i.e. “the pattern of this world.” Ironically, rather than seeing women as equal partners in ministry and vessels of divine blessing and life, their beauty is perverted into sensual, guiltless, consequence free and government subsidized sexual encounters.

What God intended to produce -joyful life- we’ve twisted into deplorable pornography and murderous abortions for the sake of convenience and self-preservation. The preservation of one’s anemic and stretch mark free frame, which supersedes all else at all cost. Even if it means snuffing out a delicate and dependent joy-bundle being woven together by God Almighty in its mother’s womb.

“So you also have sorrow now. But I will see you again… In that day you will not ask Me for anything.”

The promiscuous tramp chases after self-indulgent pleasures. Selfishly, she longs and asks for things that lead to pain, dissatisfaction, and death. Similarly, we have exchanged the joy of serving Christ our King for those elusive, fleeting, decaying and unsatisfying moments of self-indulgence. We've been whoring ourselves out to an Enemy who throws a few pieces of silver on the bed and leaves us to clean up the mess. Then we hit the reset button and do it all over again.

Rather than expecting and enduring nausea, sleepless nights, emotional crashes, horrific pain, and irreversible scars (all beautiful, necessary and momentary afflictions for the joy He is producing in and through us), we carelessly abort them.

Jesus told His disciples, “But I will see you again. Your hearts will rejoice, and no one will rob you of your joy. In that day you will not ask Me anything.”

Jesus wasn’t speaking of the eschaton (the time when Jesus returns from Heaven to consummate all things). Jesus was foreshadowing a time when, after His crucifixion, He would rise from the grave eternally victorious over sin, death, shame, rebellion, and Satan. A time when He would manifest Himself before, and gloriously within, the lives of His disciples.

Jesus fulfilled that promise. Not only arising victoriously but seeing His friends again and causing their hearts to attain an unquenchable joy.

The promiscuous tramp asks for birth control pills, condoms, morning-after pills, new lace stockings, lipstick, bedazzled sunglasses, perfume, drugs, alcohol… an endless list of self-indulgent pleasures. The mother asks for a crib, a blanket, diapers… a specific list of altruistic love.

There’s a time when disciples are following for personal profit and gain - not obedience. They are immature, self-indulgent and rebellious posers. The pivot comes when He manifests Himself - to be recognized by those who are not born of blood, the flesh, or the will of men, but born of God. For them, He takes up residence within and among us.

Jesus didn’t intend to communicate that we would never ask for anything. He intended to communicate that we would never ask anything out of self-indulgence. He intended to communicate that we would only ever ask for the very things He asked for out of selfless surrender, altruistic love, and obedience to the Father’s will. Things that would unquestionably come to pass by the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. Things that would achieve the foregone conclusion of blessing all families, tribes, and nations on earth in Christ Jesus.

“In that day you will ask me nothing.”

We would be remiss to consider Jesus’ words an unattainable reality this side of heaven in lieu of what He intended, i.e. great assurance.

Life this side of heaven is like the expectant mother. It is filled with discomfort, pain, hurts, emotional lows and more pain. That’s not the typical marketing strategy for most churches. Instead, most strive to get butts in seats, preach fluffy sermons, invest heavily in the “production” and “entertainment” side, make membership and contributions easy, expecting little and demanding less.

Years ago when I had my own business, I was struggling with identifying my target market. A good friend and client told me, “If you try to make everyone happy you won’t make anyone happy.” Research tells us that’s the state of the American church today (HERE). Rather than fulfilling the true Great Commission (Matt 28:18-20) -discipling- churches across America seek to make everyone happy. The goal is no longer discipleship unto unity and maturity, but rather happy, contented and unchallenged churchgoers.

According to research groups, 100,000's of churches are in rapid decline. Nearly 8,000 close their doors annually in the U.S. Is it any wonder the “unchurched” population in America is skyrocketing. True disciples aren’t being enlisted, challenged, equipped, empowered or mobilized to the ministry of the gospel. Additionally, the lost are being sold a bill of goods. “No transformation necessary! Just get setup on our new auto-tither app!”

Jesus’ great assurance is that He will manifest Himself in the lives of His disciples -always- evidenced by fruit production. When that happens everything changes. There will be strife, rejection, resistance, hardships, depression and constant struggles. But, like the mother in labor, we can persevere and endure for the abundant joy associated with life!

Right now my wife is miserable in her pregnancy. But all of it will be as nothing when that little baby girl is cooing and sleeping in her bosom.

“So you also have sorrow now. But I will see you again. Your hearts will rejoice, and no one will rob you of your joy. In that day you will not ask Me anything.”

What are you asking for in your life?

A better job?

A promotion?

A new car?

A bigger house?

A vacation?

A spouse?

A child?

Lotto numbers?

More importantly, why are you asking?

Is it for you or for Him?

For you or His Bride?

For you or for His Kingdom?

For the bliss of independence or the cross of desperate dependence on Him?

“Until now, you have asked for nothing in My name. Ask and you will receive, that your joy may be complete.” -John 16:24

Ask away.
Ask in His name.

Ask with great assurance.

Blessings,

-Kevin M. Kelley

aMostUnlikelyDisciple.com