A Prayer for Unity
When Jesus prays for us in John 17, He asks the Father to give us UNITY. But what kind of “unity” is Jesus speaking of? Does He mean that we should just all “get along,” accepting everything and anything under the “umbrella of unity?” Not at all. Unfortunately, some Christians and/or churches, in pursuit of […]
Who is the Holy Spirit
Jesus talks more about the Holy Spirit than any other single subject during His closing words to the Disciples gathered in the Upper Room for their last Passover together. He wants to assure them that even though He is going away (when He ascends back into Heaven after His crucifixion and resurrection), He will not […]
Pray Like Jesus
Everyone has probably prayed at some point in their lives—either out of desperation or celebration. But fewer actually practice prayer as a spiritual discipline. A “spiritual discipline” is a habit, practice, or experience designed to develop, grow, and strengthen one’s relationship with the Lord. Bible study, periodic fasting, attending church would all be examples of […]
Heaven and How to Get There
What will Heaven be like? How can we get there? Pastor Gary answers these two questions today’s study from John 14. Many people think that if they are good enough they will get to Heaven when they die, but then the question becomes, “How good is good enough?” Thankfully, Jesus died on a cross for our sins because […]
Love Like Jesus
Jesus tells us to “love one another” as He has loved us, and that when we do, it will show the world that we are His disciples. But how is love defined in the Bible? And how are we to demonstrate this kind of love to others? The world today defines love in a very […]
Serve Like Jesus
In today’s study from John 13, Pastor Gary teaches about the time when Jesus washed the feet of His disciples. It was a pure gesture of love and humility. The God of the Universe stooped down to wash the dirty feet of sinners! And then He tells us to “follow His example.” How are we […]
Light in a Dark World
The Bible uses multiple references to “light” and “darkness”—good and evil—right and wrong. Jesus stepped into our dark world as the Light of the world. He died on a cross to bring us into the light and to rescue us from the dominion of darkness. In today’s study, Pastor Gary talks about these terms of […]
Ways to Worship
Some people think that singing is the only way to worship the Lord. But in John 12, Martha, Lazarus, and Mary (adult siblings) invited Jesus to their home and demonstrated three different ways to worship Him. They model for us the diverse ways that we can honor and thank the Lord for who He is […]
Raising Lazarus
In one of the most beloved stories in the Bible, Jesus shows compassion, tenderness, and emotion in response to a very sad and tragic event—the untimely death of a close, personal friend named Lazarus. Although Lazarus’ sisters, Martha and Mary, had asked Jesus to come quickly, Jesus delayed coming until Lazarus had died so that […]
Jesus is God
There are a lot of views and opinions in the world about who Jesus is. Many world religions say that He was a prophet, or a great teacher, or an enlightened man. But the best way we can understand the identity of Jesus is to examine His words and His works in the Bible—who He […]