Repentance comes before restoration – Advent 2022, Week 4, Part 4

Editor’s Note: This post is written by guest blogger, David Hundert. David is a current Master of Divinity student at Evangelical Seminary. In the previous post, we talked about the importance of repentance. Why is repentance needed? Consider what the Lord said through the prophet Isaiah once more. Isaiah 64:6 reads, “All of us haveContinue reading “Repentance comes before restoration – Advent 2022, Week 4, Part 4”

The time Jesus told people “Depart from me!” – Becoming Disciplemakers, Part 2

What is discipleship? It is crossing The Matthew 7 line. Our Faith Church logo has four squares, with a vertical line in the middle.  We call that the Matthew 7 line.  Let me explain. In Matthew 7:21-23 Jesus teaches one of his most important, I think, and revealing parables.  What he says there, I callContinue reading “The time Jesus told people “Depart from me!” – Becoming Disciplemakers, Part 2″

What discipleship is and isn’t – Becoming Disciplemakers, Part 1

In our study through the Gospel of John, we have seen Jesus interact with his disciples. Their relationship began in chapter 1 when Jesus showed up to be baptized by John.  Then the disciples watch him at the wedding in Cana in chapter 2.  They’re with him when he clears out the temple.  In chaptersContinue reading “What discipleship is and isn’t – Becoming Disciplemakers, Part 1”

God has an important role for you in his mission – John 4:27-42, Part 5

In the previous post, Jesus taught his disciples that they should see themselves as harvesters. He wasn’t referring to harvesting in the farming world, but harvesting for God’s Kingdom. Jesus was saying that just as they were his disciples, their mission was to help more people become his disciples. Just then, something happened to illustrateContinue reading “God has an important role for you in his mission – John 4:27-42, Part 5”

What to do when you meet Jesus – John 4:27-42, Part 2

In John 4:1-42, there are two major themes running side-by-side.  The first we talked about last week: Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan woman about worship.  Now this week, we’re looking at Jesus’ interaction with his disciples during this episode.  They travel with Jesus from Judea, heading north to Galilee. When they arrive in the SamaritanContinue reading “What to do when you meet Jesus – John 4:27-42, Part 2”

Jesus’ testy conversation about water – John 4:1-26, Part 3

At my house, we have a well, so my family knows about wells running dry. We know about sediment filters getting clogged. We know about low water pressure, or no water at all. But if you are on public water, you can pretty much leave your water on all the time, and it will neverContinue reading “Jesus’ testy conversation about water – John 4:1-26, Part 3”

What I learned about God’s wrath – John 3:22-36, Part 5

If you’ve been a Christian for a few months, and during that time you’ve attended worship services at a church, my guess is that you’ve heard songs that mention God’s wrath. The song, “In Christ Alone,” says “the wrath of God was satisfied” when Jesus died on the cross. And “The Battle Hymn of theContinue reading “What I learned about God’s wrath – John 3:22-36, Part 5”

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”