Thinking about the book of John this week took me on a bit of a rabbit trail. I'd like to walk you through it as I think it will make an interesting research project after we're done working through this gospel. The trail head is John chapter two and Jesus' first miracle. Jesus turned the water in two stone vessels to wine. What happens with those vessels next? We don't know, but my mind made a connection to handkerchiefs and aprons that, after touching the apostle Paul's body, could heal sickness and exorcise demons (Acts 19.11-12).
Previously we've reported information from Pew Research that Millennials are less religious than the generations before them. According to Pew, a third of the millennial generation doesn’t pray and only a little over a quarter of them attend at least one religious service per week. The majority of those surveyed also claimed that religion isn’t very important to them, identifying with the statement that it is “not too” or “not at all” important in their lives. We stated then that we had no reason to question the survey, and that Pew is normally a reliable polling service. That was then.
"Media" used to mean "print media" like books and newspapers, but the world has grown. Today media can also mean radio, television and movies delivered to personal computers, tablets and cell phones. As the world's best selling book of all time the Bible continues to make headlines, both good and bad, across all forms of media: Alyssa Milano finally says something smart, Mike Pence echoes the sentiments of this site, socialist countries around the world provide ideas for America's Democrat party, and a church gives hope and a salvation message to the people of its fair city.
As it is today, so it was then. Just as Israel today awaits the coming of the Messiah, so to othe Jews of Jesus' day were looking and seeking the Messiah. An inscription at the Essene community quoted Deuteronomy 18:15: "The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you – from your fellow Israelites; you must listen to him. " This passage is one of hope that spread to every kind of Jew, from the Essene's through rabbinical Jesw and even to the Samaritans.
Yesterday we examined the first 18 verses of John, his prologue to the story of the Messiah. Starting in verse 19 of chapter one we enter the first of four stories about the Messiah. This first cycle is The Peaceful First Coming of the Messiah (1.19-4.54). At the start we are dropped into a day in the life of John the Baptist who is being challenged by the Pharisees in a way that bears resemblance to how Jesus will be questioned by this same band of religious leaders. Unlike Jesus, John answers them without riddles or questions of his own.
So much happens in life. Sometimes we receive bad news like the death of a loved one, news about having a terrible disease, or loosing a job and sometimes we get great news like the birth of a new family member, finding out you don't have a terrible disease or finding a job. We never know what is around the next corner, the good or the bad, but there is one constant in both cases: God is present. Pursuing God's presence may sound like the title of a new book by some mega-church pastor, but nay, it is the topic of today's study.
I've been reading a fascinating work by Dr. Michael S Heiser titled, The Unseen Realm. It is a lengthy work that covers a great many topics along a common theme — describing a possible organization of powers and kingdoms in the spiritual world. Due to its complexity, I won't be providing a detailed book review but I'd like to let others know what to expect should they have an interest in picking up this well researched tome. There is a lot to like about this non-fiction work, even though I don't agree with everything in it, but I have one primary criticism.
I've had the question asked of me more then once, "is it okay to cut off a family member who keeps making bad choices?" Wherever there is relationship conflict may be found. So ordinary is this proverb that even Peter asked of our Lord, "how often do I need to forgive someone?" Jesus answered, depending on your translation, "seven times seven" or "seventy times seven" or even (seventy-seven" times (Matthew 18.21-22). Either way, the point is that you forgive them as many times as they ask for it. God does not give up on the repentant, and neither should we.
The most famous opening lines of any piece of literature of any age are those of Genesis, "In the beginning..." It's fame is attributed not to its ancient origins or to its religious importance, but to its addressing an issue that all people wonder about. How did all this begin? Greek philosophy started because they wanted to know what was the first substance, the thing from which everything came from. To this day the question remains. Those who reject God believe in a primordial soup from which everything came from, with no idea of what its ingredients are. Origins is the ultimate investigation.
Every once in a while there comes along an organization or a coalition that deems to do something amazing. Few have the resources to pull it off. If we've learned anything from those who do evil, it is that the Internet can be a pwerful tool to bring like-minded people together to do what they could not do alone. A Christian organization — several, actually — are working to do something wonderful for the kingdom and are inviting others to be a part. It is called the EveryChurch, and it was started as a joint operation by Cru and Intervarsity.
As a young adult I was dismayed by the fact that the small Gospel books meant to be given away were of the Gospel of John. Luke has long been my favorite because of his clear, logical presentation of the facts of the gospel message. John was too emotional for me. He is more concept oriented, contrasting themes, light and dark, that sort of thing. Luke is a book I can get my head around. Better yet, I thought, would be a book of Luke and Acts together as it tells a more complete story.
Nearly 1500 years ago, in about 530 AD, a man was born initiallyand given the very Italian name of Venantius Honorius Clementianus Fortunatus. He served as a bishop in the early church, but before then he was a poet and hymnodist. As a man of words, he rose to remarkable heights and served many kings and rulers even at an early age. Imagine his dismay when he began to lose his sight. His vision darkened with terrifying swiftness. Being a man of faith, he prayed for healing, fasted frequently, and in a last ditch effort made a pilgrimage to Tours.
