Focal Passage: John 6:16-21 If people say a person “walks on water,” you know they consider that person to be a Godlike miracle-worker. You also know that the phrase walking on water originated with something our Lord Jesus Christ did during His life on earth. We see Him working that miracle in today’s study passage, John 6:16-21. It’s the fifth of seven sign-miracles the Apostle John recorded in his Gospel.
Focal Passage: I Peter 2:11-17, 21-25 Most transient people have one thing in common – they travel lightly. How often have you seen a hitchhiker pulling a wagon? They tend to have the clothes on their backs and only a few very portable possessions, because they know they are just passing through. Peter addressed his readers as “strangers and exiles” in this world and exhorted them to “abstain from sinful
Focal Passage: I Peter 2:1-10 Have you ever noticed the singular focus of a baby’s diet? While we as adults are scarfing down pizza, cheeseburgers, macaroni and cheese and an endless list of other foods that are not good for us, newborn babies simply want milk (or a close substitute). Give them a few months and they will be willing to expand their pallets a bit. Give them a
Focal Passage: John 5:1-11, 17-20 Today’s study is one of my all-time favorite stories from the life of Jesus, especially because of the question He asks. Out of one-hundred and thirty-five questions Jesus asked in the New Testament, this story contains one of His most startling! Our series is entitled All Signs Point to Jesus and comes from the Gospel of John. Today’s focal text is John 5:1-11, 17-20, the
Focal Passage: I Peter 1:13-25 I learned a hard lesson on conformity before I reached the age of ten. However, I was past twenty before I realized that conformity was the problem. It happened one day when I was pushing my toy tractor through our gravel driveway. Between my excessive speed and the size of the gravel, one of my front wheels made a sudden turn and snapped off. After
Focal passage: John 4:46-54 If you put “Signs of Christ’s Return” into an online search engine, you’d find many sites like “Eight Signs of Jesus’ Soon Return,” and “12 Signs …” and “6 Signs …” and “5 Signs …” and “SEVEN Signs …” and lots more. Obviously, people today are very interested in the signs of Jesus’ Second Coming. The Apostle John was no doubt interested too, but even more
Focal Passage: I Peter 1:3-12 An earthly inheritance is simply the reception of someone else’s stuff, usually after their death. An inheritance can be so highly valued (either real or perceived) that people build their lives in anticipation of receiving it. I grew up near a family that courted a neighbor’s property for three generations! The man who finally inherited the sizable estate died before he could enjoy it. An
Focal Passage: John 2:1-11 Today marks the beginning of a series of lessons called All Signs Point to Jesus, from the Gospel of JOHN. Unlike Matthew, Mark and Luke, John tells the story of Jesus by highlighting seven of His many miracles, each being a sign of who Jesus was, each pointing to a different aspect of His divine character. A frequently asked question is Why are there FOUR Gospels?
Focal Passage: Leviticus 26:1-13 When I was young the Coca-Cola company created a contest that challenged customers to find four bottle caps with each having a word that created the phrase, “Coke the real thing.” As you might imagine, my older sister and I examined every Coke cap we could find but could only spell, “Coke the thing.” The “real” was nowhere to be found. I don’t remember how much
Focal Passage: Hebrews 10:19-25; 13:12-15 I remember reading an anonymous piece called ‘It’s Time to Plant our Gardens,’ that appeared in a number of church newsletters 20 or so years ago. The idea was this: in our ‘spiritual gardens’ we should ‘squash’ our differences, and ‘turnip’ for church services, and — one more — ‘lettuce’ be obedient and faithful. As sappy as such a veggie-tales play on words might seem,
Focal Passage: John 6:16-21 If people say a person “walks on water,” you know they consider that person to be a Godlike miracle-worker. You also
Focal Passage: I Peter 2:11-17, 21-25 Most transient people have one thing in common – they travel lightly. How often have you seen a hitchhiker
Focal Passage: I Peter 2:1-10 Have you ever noticed the singular focus of a baby’s diet? While we as adults are scarfing down pizza,
Focal Passage: John 5:1-11, 17-20 Today’s study is one of my all-time favorite stories from the life of Jesus, especially because of the question He
Focal Passage: I Peter 1:13-25 I learned a hard lesson on conformity before I reached the age of ten. However, I was past twenty before
Focal passage: John 4:46-54 If you put “Signs of Christ’s Return” into an online search engine, you’d find many sites like “Eight Signs of Jesus’
Focal Passage: I Peter 1:3-12 An earthly inheritance is simply the reception of someone else’s stuff, usually after their death. An inheritance can be so
Focal Passage: John 2:1-11 Today marks the beginning of a series of lessons called All Signs Point to Jesus, from the Gospel of JOHN. Unlike
Focal Passage: Leviticus 26:1-13 When I was young the Coca-Cola company created a contest that challenged customers to find four bottle caps with each having
Focal Passage: Hebrews 10:19-25; 13:12-15 I remember reading an anonymous piece called ‘It’s Time to Plant our Gardens,’ that appeared in a number of church
