In order to get the Webb Space Telescope to see everything it is supposed to see, NASA has been aligning the eighteen mirror segments of the primary mirror so that they can see clearly.

In order to get the Church Universal to see and do everything it is supposed to see and do, the LORD our God aligns people to see, hear and feel clearly. (Isaiah 6:9-10; Matthew 13:14-17).

For example, we must align ourselves with other followers of Jesus to become the  “primary mirror” that fixes “our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith”, enabling us to “run with perseverance the race marked out for us” (Hebrews 12:1-2).

What are the ways we do this?

Some of the ways are intellectual.

We can see Jesus intellectually by reading the Bible.

We can see Jesus intellectually by reading books about Jesus.

We can see Jesus intellectually by studying the Bible and other books about Jesus together with a small, closely-knit group of fellow seekers and believers.

We can see Jesus intellectually by participating in blogs, webinars and podcasts.

But, ultimately, we see Jesus best by aligning our efforts with other seekers and followers of the Way of Jesus who are acting the same ways that Jesus acted.

As I wrote in my books Hoping in the LORD (based on an overview of the Gospels) and Lighting the World (based on an overview of the rest of the New Testament), there are word pictures of Jesus in action that are far better at revealing who he is and how we should live, than reading countless books.

What are these word pictures that we can see acted out—even today—among followers of the Way of Jesus who align their efforts?

We can become best friends (John 15:15) who bless children (Mark 10:16), welcome sinners (Luke 15:22-24), weep together (John 11:36), wash each other’s feet (John 13:5), and laugh together (Matthew 7:3; 11:17; 23:24; Luke 7:24-25).

To see Jesus better, we must align our efforts with other seekers and believers to become doers of the Word of the LORD, rather than mere hearers—and readers—of the Word. (James 1:22-25).

READ MORE

To read more of my thoughts about the word pictures of who Jesus is and how we should live, please read my books Hoping in the LORD, at pages 177-182, 199-202, 211-213, 241-244, and 251-253; and Lighting the World, at pages 185-187.

To help understand when we should be “divisive” and when we should not be “divisive”, please read my blog “Grace and Peace—Titus”.

For additional thoughts arising from the Webb Space Telescope, please read my blogs “The Webb Space Telescope—Reaching the Place of Service”, “The Webb Space Telescope—Years of Preparation”, “The Webb Space Telescope—Liftoff!”, “The Webb Space Telescope: God’s Unfolding Plans”, “The Webb Space Telescope: Shedding “Whatever Entangles Us”, “The Webb Space Telescope: Many Parts, One System!”, “The Webb Space Telescope: Fashioning Each Mirror”, “The Webb Space Telescope: E Pluribus Unum”, “The Webb Space Telescope: Seeing Things We’ve Never Seen Before”, and “The Webb Space Telescope: Seeing People Better”.

In my book Visions of the Church (published together in one volume with my book Visions of America), I use the troubled—but ultimately triumphant—flight of Apollo 13  as the narrative thread to provide an overview of 2,000 years of Church history in a mere 80 pages.

For information about the Webb Space Telescope, please check the official NASA information at jwst.nasa.gov.