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God's Word Becomes a Real Person

¹ Before anything else, the Word existed. The Word was right there with God and not just that, but the Word was God. ² He rode with God at the start of all things. ³ When God opened his mouth, it was the Word that spoke and made all things. Nothing is made without the Word of God. ⁴ All life began through the speaking of God's Word. That spark of life has been given to everyone. ⁵ This light that comes from the Word shines brightly in the darkness. No matter how dark it is, the light will prevail.

⁶ God sent a cowboy named John to tell us about this light. ⁷ God gave John a message to give to everyone else so that they would become believers. ⁸ Now John was not the light, but his message was to give everyone the truth about who the light is.

⁹ At this time, the real light was riding down from heaven to join us here on earth. ¹⁰ He had come down to ride in the pastures that he had made. But the world he created did not recognize him. ¹¹ He rode straight to his people, but they shunned him and turned him away. ¹² But because of his love, he offered the chance for every cowboy and cowgirl to become one of God's kids just by believing in him. ¹³ When a cowboy becomes one of God's kids, nothing really happens to them physically. The transformation occurs in their soul. They are branded and marked for eternity by God himself.

¹⁴ So the Word of God put on a human body and rode among us. We saw his magnificence. This bright light that shone from him, a light that only the soul can see, was a gift from the Father to his only Boy. God's Son rode with a love that wouldn't quit and a faithfulness that could not be snuffed out.

¹⁵ John told everyone, "This is the one I was telling y'all about! There's a cowboy riding down here who is greater than me. He's been around forever."

¹⁶ This cowboy, the Word, is the source of all good things that are given to us. ¹⁷ The Code we cannot fully obey was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. ¹⁸ No one has ever laid eyes on God, but his Top Hand, who is God himself, has seen him and knows him. And it's Jesus who has shown us who God really is.

John the Baptizer

¹⁹ When the Jewish leaders sent some preachers and others from Jerusalem to ask John who he was, ²⁰ John flat out told them, "I am not the Top Hand. I cannot save you."

²¹ They asked him, "Well, are you Elijah who has come riding back?"

He said, "Nope."

Then they asked, "Are you the prophet who we've been waiting on?"

"Nope."

²² "Then who are you? We've got to go back and tell the leaders who you are. Just tell us."

²³ John quoted words from the Good Book of Isaiah, "I'm a voice hollerin' from the back side of the pasture, 'Get out of the way because the Top Hand is ridin' into town.'"

²⁴ Then these religious know-it-alls ²⁵ asked him, "If you aren't the Top Hand, or Elijah, or the Prophet, then how come you think you can baptize folks?"

²⁶ John said, "I just baptize with water. But look around, someone is standing right here that you do not recognize. ²⁷ Though his ministry will come after mine, I'm not worthy to pull his boots off after a long day of gatherin'."

²⁸ This exchange between John and the Pharisees took place at a place called Bethany, east of Jordan Creek. It's where John did his baptizing.

John Calls Jesus the Lamb of God

²⁹ The next day John saw Jesus riding toward him. John yelled out, "Will everyone just look at that! Here is the Lamb of God who will be sacrificed for the forgiveness of all the world's sins. ³⁰ This is the cowboy who I was telling y'all about. Remember when I said, 'He will follow after me, but he existed before I was ever made.' ³¹ I didn't know who he was until now. But I've been baptizin' with water so I could point him out to the folks of Israel."

³² John said, "I saw the Holy Spirit in the shape of a dove come and rest upon him. ³³ I didn't know who he was at the time. But God told me, 'when you see the Spirit of God come down from heaven and rest on a cowboy, that is who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.' ³⁴ I saw with my own eyes that this happened to Jesus. I'm tellin' y'all he is the Top Hand who will gather everyone and save them."

The First Twelve Cowboys

³⁵ The next day John was standing with two of the guys who rode with him. ³⁶ When Jesus walked by, John said, "Look, boys! Right there is the Lamb of God—the final sacrifice to save all mankind." ³⁷ When the two men heard what John said, they followed him (Jesus).

³⁸ Jesus knew he was being tailed so he asked, "What can I do for y'all, cowboys?"

They replied, "Hey Boss, where are you stayin'?"

³⁹ Jesus didn't answer, but said, "Ride with me, and you will see." Now it was about four o'clock when they rode with him to where he was staying. They stayed there with him the rest of the day.

⁴⁰ Andy, Simon Pete's brother, was one of these cowboys who had heard what John said and followed after Jesus. ⁴¹ Andy went and found his brother and told him, "I have found the Top Hand who will save us all! I have found the Christ!"

⁴² Then Andy brought Pete to meet Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, "Your name is Simon, John's boy—but I'm going to call you Cephas" (which just means "Pete").

⁴³ The following day Jesus decided to ride out for Galilee. He saw a cowboy named Phil and told him, "Come and ride with me." ⁴⁴ Phil was from Bethsaida, the same hometown as Andy and Pete.

⁴⁵ Phil went and found Nate and told him, "We've found the cowboy who Moses and the other prophets talked about. He is Joseph's son, Jesus. He is from Nazareth!"

⁴⁶ "Nazareth?" Nate said doubtfully. "Has there ever been anything good that came from Nazareth?"

Phil waved him on and said, "Come, and you will see for yourself!"

⁴⁷ When they rode up, Jesus said, "Now there is an authentic cowboy from Israel—honest, sincere, and full of integrity."

⁴⁸ Nate looked questioningly at Jesus and asked, "How would you know anything about me?"

Jesus smiled and said, "Because I saw you sittin' underneath that fig tree right before Nate found you."

⁴⁹ Then Nate said with wide eyes, "Boss, you really are God's Son. You are the Top Hand of Israel!"

⁵⁰ Jesus again smiled and said, "You believe in who I am because I said I saw you sittin' underneath that tree. But you will see many greater things than that when you ride for me. I'm tellin' you straight. You are going to see right into heaven and watch as angels come down and talk to me and go back up. I am the bridge between heaven and earth."