Book Review: Lazarus Awakening DVD Study Pack

About the time I finished reading Lazarus Awakening, I also finished The King Jesus Gospel: The Original Good News Revisited by Scott McKnight. In his book, McKnight argues that part of the problem with the Gospel today is that we, Christians, do not really know what to do with the story because we do not…

500 Words with John’s Gospel: Greater or Lesser

I came across a startling idea when reading John's Gospel and it has to do with greatness or greater. Great. Greater. Greatest. We have fun ways of delineating hierarchy in the English language. I always enjoy seeing words like 'greater' in a text because it makes me wonder what's just 'great.' It happens in John's…

90 Days with Jesus: The Gospel of John

Friends, I have been noticing for a while that a series of sermons I posted here, The Church in Exile: The Book of Daniel, has been getting a lot of hits and downloads at my box.net account. This inspired me to share with you a lengthy series of sermons I did (18 in total, but…

Bible School Lessons from John’s Gospel

Friends, I started this blog for the primary purpose of writing 90 days worth of meditations from John’s Gospel. Those meditations coincided with a 4 1/2 month sermon series from the same and were posted here under the heading “90 Days with Jesus”. We also coordinated our Bible School classes and all ages were taught…

90 Days with Jesus, Day 90: John 21:15-25: Loving, Living, and Following Jesus

John 21:15-25 (90 Days with Jesus, Day 90) When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you truly…

90 Days with Jesus, Day 89: John 21:1-14: Jesus & Fish

John 21:1-14 (90 Days with Jesus, Day 89 Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Tiberias. It happened this way: Simon Peter, Thomas (called Didymus), Nathanael from Cana of Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. “I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they…

90 Days with Jesus, Day 88: John 20:24-31: Scripture is About Jesus

John 20:24-31 (90 Days with Jesus, Day 88) Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the…

90 Days with Jesus, Day 87: John 20:11-23: Jesus’ Message

John 20:11-23 (90 Days with Jesus, Day 87) But Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. They asked her, “Woman, why are you…

90 Days with Jesus, Day 86: John 20:1-10: The Resurrection of Jesus

John 20:1-10 (90 Days with Jesus, Day 86) Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said,…

90 Days with Jesus, Day 85: John 19:28-42: It Is Finished; It has Begun!

John 19:28-42 (90 Days with Jesus, Day 85) Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it…

More Irony: Catholics and Muslims Band Together for a Common Cause

Friends, This story was reported on January 5, 2008 by the Christian Post: Vatican Announces ‘Historic’ Catholic-Muslim Meeting for Spring. I will quote the relevant part of the article: In the Muslim letter, the 138 scholars focused on the commonality between Islam and Christianity – love for God and love for one’s neighbor. They also highlighted…

90 Days with Jesus, Day 84: John 19:17-27: The Cross of Jesus

John 19:17-27 (90 Days with Jesus Day 84) So the soldiers took charge of Jesus. Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). Here they crucified him, and with him two others—one on each side and Jesus in the middle. Pilate had a notice…

90 Days with Jesus, Day 83: John 19:1-16: Jesus Christ the King

John 19:1-16 (90 Days with Jesus Day 83) Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. 2The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe and went up to him again and again, saying, “Hail, king of the Jews!” And they struck him…

90 Days with Jesus, Day 82: John 18:28-37: Jesus the Truth

John 18:28-37 (90 Days with Jesus, Day 82 Then the Jews led Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness the Jews did not enter the palace; they wanted to be able to eat the Passover. 29So Pilate came out to them…

90 Days with Jesus, Day 81: John 18:12-27: Following Jesus and Knowing Jesus

John 18:12-27 (90 Days with Jesus, Day 81) Then the detachment of soldiers with its commander and the Jewish officials arrested Jesus. They bound him 13and brought him first to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. 14Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it would be…