One of Jesus’ most famous sayings is, “I am the bread of life.” We know that Jesus is speaking metaphorically, so the line is acceptable to us, even appealing. Because we love bread, the words of Jesus are as pleasing to our minds as the...
I’ll let you in on a preacher’s dilemma. Sometimes it’s just as difficult to figure out how to preach a passage as it is to figure out what the passage means. John 6 is a great example of this dilemma. By biblical standards, this is a long...
We are grateful for every word of the Gospel of John, all twenty-one chapters. But with the three chapters between Jesus’ first and second signs in Galilee, we have enough to believe that he is the Christ, the Son of God. John wrote this Gospel for...
For four weeks, we have been considering the mission of Jesus to Samaria recorded in John 4. This mission reveals much about the grace of God toward sinners, and how that grace shapes a church. Go back and read the account (John 4:1-42). Notice the three...
This Sunday at Grace, we will take up John 4 and once again hear the words of Jesus to the woman of Samaria. We will focus on what Jesus has to say about true worship. Spend some time this weekend reading John 4:20-26 and pray for our...
Some of Jesus’ most well-known words were spoken in an unlikely place--Samaria. The location of his words is as instructive as the words themselves. In John 4 we hear Jesus say that he gives living water, and everyone who drinks from this water will be satisfied...
If you ever wonder if God is working in your life, here is a simple way to know. Are you seeking to increase and elevate yourself in some way, or are you seeking the increase and elevation of Jesus in your life and in the...
Dear Congregation, It’s been a while since I used this Words of Grace space to call us to a weekend of prayer. Today is a great day to return to this theme. This weekend, let’s pray for Grace Community Church. Let’s pray for the word of Christ to...
Sometimes we use the account of Jesus cleansing the temple as cover for our anger and justification for doing destructive things. The problem is, we don’t keep reading the record to see behind his actions the unique, redeeming love of Jesus that led to his...
Sometimes when we are trying to make a point, we end up undoing another point that needs to remain. I really don’t want to do that. So, let me say up front that the point I want to make about ongoing, growing, deepening faith is...
