If you walk around many institutions of higher learning or hospitals, you’ll see all sorts of plaques on walls noting who gave money to help build a building. Sometimes the names are in the titles of the building. Sometimes there are brick walkways, where each brick has names engraved, names of people who gave money. Continue reading “Why Jesus didn’t baptize – John 3:22-36, Part 1”
Monthly Archives: October 2022
Can an ad campaign help Jesus’ image – John 3:22-36, Preview
Have you seen the advertising campaign with the slogan “He Gets Us”? The campaign has been on television, online and on billboards for most of the past year. It’s a catchy slogan with high quality black and white images, and compelling stories. Do you know what company it is advertising? It’s not Nike…as their sloganContinue reading “Can an ad campaign help Jesus’ image – John 3:22-36, Preview”
How you live shows what you believe – John 3:1-21, Part 5
I recently read a book about Robert Hanssen, an FBI agent who betrayed his oath and sold top secret info to Russia. The author researched and described the in-depth, many years long process FBI agents went through to identify and catch Hanssen. Does reading that book make me a spy-catcher now? No. In the sameContinue reading “How you live shows what you believe – John 3:1-21, Part 5”
How to experience eternal life now…before you die – John 3:1-21, Part 4
Do you have eternal life? Not sure? You can know…now. In John 3:14-15, we read the first time in the Gospel of John that Jesus gives us a hint of how he will die. Jesus refers to a situation from Israel’s history in the Old Testament book of Numbers, chapter 21, verses 8-9. The peopleContinue reading “How to experience eternal life now…before you die – John 3:1-21, Part 4”
How you can see and enter God’s Kingdom – John 3:1-21, Part 3
I first saw the Epcot globe in the summer of 1984 when my family visited on a vacation. It was still a new feature in a new theme park at Disney World in Florida, having opened in 1982. That huge globe, pictured above, was for me, an impressionable ten-year old, an amazing sight to see.Continue reading “How you can see and enter God’s Kingdom – John 3:1-21, Part 3”
Did Jesus really do miracles? – John 3:1-21, Part 2
In the previous post, we met a new character in the Gospel of John. The powerful and respected Nicodemus, who is both a Pharisee and a member of the Jewish Ruling Council. As we continue studying John 3:1-21, we read in verse 2 that Nicodemus visits Jesus at night. We are giving no context toContinue reading “Did Jesus really do miracles? – John 3:1-21, Part 2”
John 3:16 is not enough? – John 3:1-21, Part 1
What is essential to an understanding of the Gospel, the good news about Jesus? What I remember as a kid was hearing that John 3:16 was it. That’s the Gospel in one verse. That’s all you need to know. Therefore John 3:16 is the most important verse in the Bible. So put it on bannersContinue reading “John 3:16 is not enough? – John 3:1-21, Part 1”
Bannerman…an homage or a satire? – John 3:1-21, Preview
This week as I have been studying the next section of the Gospel of John, it reminded me of a song by Steve Taylor, a Christian rock musician. The song, “Bannerman,” came out in 1993 during my sophomore year of college. You can watch a video of the song here. In the song, Taylor writesContinue reading “Bannerman…an homage or a satire? – John 3:1-21, Preview”
Are we allowing anything to block our worship of God – John 2:12-25, Part 5
John tells us his disciples would remember this day. Look at verse 22. The disciples remember Jesus’ cryptic statement after Jesus rose again on the third day, and they finally understand what he meant. The temple was his body. He died and rose again! The disciples remembered what he said, and they believed that ScriptureContinue reading “Are we allowing anything to block our worship of God – John 2:12-25, Part 5”
How Jesus got himself into a pickle…and how he got himself out of it – John 2:12-25, Part 3
Jesus is in a very bad situation. Frankly, it’s a situation he got himself into. You could say it is his fault. Jesus at fault? Did he do something wrong? Isn’t Jesus supposed to be perfect? What’s going on? As we’ve been studying this week on the blog, in John 2:12-25, we read the storyContinue reading “How Jesus got himself into a pickle…and how he got himself out of it – John 2:12-25, Part 3”
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