God working miracles through Philip drew the attention of a powerful sorcerer named Simon. He was the proud resident magician of Samaria, even considered by many people to be divine, and he had a wide and loyal following. But not, Simon was losing many of his followers to the gospel of Jesus Christ, so he came to investigate this new phenomenon.
Acts Wednesday: Chapter 4, Persecution…Prayer
Trouble came pounding, they prayed, and God answered powerfully with a fresh infilling of His Spirit.
John 1:19-51
Like the overture to a symphony, John’s first chapter introduces themes he will revisit throughout his gospel, in this twenty-minute multi-media presentation.
Gospel of John: Introduction
In this twenty minute talk, John’s evidence is presented: seven witnesses, seven claims, and seven signs. Then we’ll consider John’s confession that Jesus is God, and we’ll finish with the two responses John presents.
Gospel of John: Rumor Put To Rest
You and I are not only to keep our focus on Jesus as we each individually follow him just as closely as we can, we also are to trust each other’s sensitivity to God’s guidance, and help each other the best we can
Gospel of John: Graze My Lambs
In the last fifty or so years great piles of ancient papyri and inscriptions have been unearthed, and the weight of the evidence support agapeo and phileo having the same power to them
Gospel of John: Feast With Me
The difference between failure and success is Jesus himself. You never know how close you are to a breakthrough. The disciples had only to throw their nets on the other side of the boat, just this one last time, when Jesus gave them the word. And their nets were more full than if they had been catching fish the whole night.
Gospel of John: In Between
Rites of passage mark a transition, an in-between, where we have moved from what was and entered into what will be, but as prepared as we might think we are, we are not yet good at living the new iteration.
Gospel of John: Thomas Had Doubts
It was seemingly impossible for Thomas to accept Jesus' resurrection without some empirical proof. Doubt can be a good thing, because it makes us think. Doubt is one foot lifted, poised to move forward or backward.
Gospel of John: Garden to Garden
John 20 moves backwards through Genesis 2-3, restoring each of the ruptured relationships caused by humankind’s rejection of God: the reign of death, the rule of man over woman, and the broken bond between God and humanity.