Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means “son of encouragement”), Acts 4:36 Read the following passages of scripture: Matthew 14:22-27- Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it. Shortly before dawn, Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the…
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Genuine Fellowship
We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 1 John 1:3 Let’s read 1 John 1:1-7, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard so that…
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Love One Another
No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is made complete in us. 1 John 4:12. God is invisible in nature. We, as humans, like to see and touch who we are communicating with. It can be hard for some to go to God and converse with Him, to take the time and spend it with Him. As we build our relationship with God, we will love other believers; by his Spirit, and the communications of his love, and by his gracious…
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Changed By God
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love, he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him, we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, he made known…
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Connecting With Others
The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!” When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?” They said, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?” “Come,” he replied, “and you will see.” So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon. Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was…
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As a Jesus Follower – Abide
So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.” John 8:28-29 Today, we will read the Scripture passages from John 8:28-29; 14:10-11, 15:5, 19; and 17:3. Read it a few times, slowly and carefully. So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he and that I do nothing on my own but speak just…
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Embracing Relationships As A Jesus Follower
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. Deuteronomy 6:5-9 Read the following passages: 2 Corinthians 11:3, ” But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be…
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Jesus’ Final Words: Part 2
I am the True Vine. Luke 15:1 Yesterday we left off about the Holy Spirit being our advocate, helper, and counselor. Today let’s dive in some more. The Greek word for advocate is parakletos. This means: called to one’s aide or an advocate, intercessor. A console, comforter, helper. Let’s read some verses that talk about the Holy Spirit, our advocate. John 14: 16-17 says this, ‘And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with…
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Jesus’ Final Words – Part 1
I am the true vine. John 15:1 Read John 15:12-27. Is this the type of final words you expected to hear from Jesus? Have you felt God speak you about your hearts’ desires with His words and His love? Do you feel a sense of lack in your life? This may be because you have a love deficiency. We all get busy going and going, doing, and doing. We feel the grind to keep up and to check off every item on our to-do list. This is what I have felt this last month. Then I sit back and wonder when I have had a real true connection with…
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Many Roles Of The Holy Spirit
“I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper to be with you forever. ” John 14:16 God is so good! Jesus asked His Father to give us another Helper to be with us. As soon as He ascended to Heaven, God sent the Holy Spirit to be with us. The Holy Spirit does many things for us. HE is our helper. The greek word for helper is parakletos. This means literally, one called alongside to help. The Holy Spirit has many roles. He is a counselor, strengthener, comforter, helper, adviser, advocate, intercessor, ally, and friend. “The helper will teach you everything and will cause you to remember all…