How do you know if you are a true believer? Many people have wondered, and sometimes their wondering has caused anxiety. Some of have said, “Well, we won’t know until we get heaven.” But is that true? Thankfully, no. Jesus says there is a way to know now if a person is a true believer.Continue reading “How to know if you are a true believer – John 5:16-30, Part 5”
Tag Archives: John
How Jesus brings us life – John 5:16-30, Part 4
As we learned in the previous post, Jesus not only disobeyed the law, he said that could do so because he is God. Thus he put himself in a very precarious position. Some of the most powerful leaders in the land want to kill him on what they believe are justifiable grounds. What will JesusContinue reading “How Jesus brings us life – John 5:16-30, Part 4”
Why Jesus sometimes disobeyed the law – John 5:16-30, Part 3
Did you know Jesus was a law-breaker? In fact, he broke the law so much, it got him in big trouble. In the previous post about John 5, verse 16, we read that the religious leaders are persecuting Jesus. When you read that word, “persecute,” don’t think of it as extreme. They’re not whipping him,Continue reading “Why Jesus sometimes disobeyed the law – John 5:16-30, Part 3”
What is the Sabbath? – John 5:16-30, Part 2
What is the Sabbath? It goes back to Genesis chapter 2, verses 1-3. Page #2 of your pew Bibles, so you know this is going back to the beginning. Well, almost. Actually, we’re going back to the story of creation, and we read it described like a week. God creates the universe on the firstContinue reading “What is the Sabbath? – John 5:16-30, Part 2”
Has fear kept you quiet about God – John 4:43-5:15, Part 4
In the previous post, we studied John 5:1-6, the story of Jesus’ in Jerusalem, asking a hurting man if he wants to be healed. What does the man want? We find out in verses 7-9. “’Sir,’ the invalid replied, ‘“’I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. WhileContinue reading “Has fear kept you quiet about God – John 4:43-5:15, Part 4”
How Jesus fulfills a prophecy about being light in the darkness – Christmas 2022, Part 4
One of the guys who wrote the story of his friend Jesus, as I said in an earlier post this week, was Matthew. Matthew, like John, was one of the 12 disciples who followed Jesus around for three years, learning from Jesus how to shine light in the darkness of the world. Matthew tells usContinue reading “How Jesus fulfills a prophecy about being light in the darkness – Christmas 2022, Part 4”
Discipleship begins with the spiritual practice of questioning – John 1:35-42, Part 2
After hearing John the Baptist declare two days in a row that Jesus is the Lamb of God, in John 1, verse 37 we read that John’s disciples stop following John, and they start following Jesus. Jesus hasn’t uttered a word. And because of that, the scene strikes me as humorous. The two disciples justContinue reading “Discipleship begins with the spiritual practice of questioning – John 1:35-42, Part 2”
John the Baptist’s mystery friend, and why we need prophets in our lives – John 1:19-34, Part 5
In John 1:19-34, John the Baptist makes a surprising statement that there was someone alive right there, nearby, perhaps even in the crowd that day as John was baptizing people by the Jordan River, someone of whom John is not worthy even to untie his sandals. Untie sandals…what’s that matter? In John’s culture, that wasContinue reading “John the Baptist’s mystery friend, and why we need prophets in our lives – John 1:19-34, Part 5”
Was John the Baptist a wild man? – John 1:19-34, Part 3
Did John really go wild? In the previous post, I mentioned that much artwork depicting John the Baptist has him looking like a caveman. Why? Because in Matthew 3:4 we read this about John, “John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts andContinue reading “Was John the Baptist a wild man? – John 1:19-34, Part 3”
The backstory of John the Baptist – John 1:19-34, Part 2
Who was John the Baptist? In this post we begin to learn the backstory of John the Baptist. While our current blog series is studying the Gospel of John, and while this week we are learning about John 1:19-34, to get the backstory of John the Baptist, we need to turn elsewhere. The full accountContinue reading “The backstory of John the Baptist – John 1:19-34, Part 2”
Engaging Scripture 