On November 18, 1978, at the direction of charismatic cult leader Jim Jones, 909 members of the People's Temple died, all but two from apparent cyanide poisoning," including over 200 murdered children. Mel White, a Christian writer and filmmaker and adjunct professor at Fuller Theological Seminary, set out to investigate the causes of the Jim … Continue reading One Powerful Lesson for the Church
John 13
John 13 & The Distinguishing Mark of a Christian
In his booklet on John 13:34-35 entitled “The Mark of a Christian,” Francis Shaeffer called love ‘the final apologetic.’ The love of Christians for one another should be the distinguishing mark by which the world recognizes us as followers of Jesus. Such mutual interest in and concern for each other will arrest the attention of unbelievers. This recognition from the … Continue reading John 13 & The Distinguishing Mark of a Christian
Learning to love like Jesus – Who?
John 13:34a says, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another." Who we are to love? One another. The love of Christians for one another should be the distinguishing mark by which the world recognizes us as followers of Jesus Christ. Love is one of the key terms in Jesus' Upper … Continue reading Learning to love like Jesus – Who?
Learning to love like Jesus – How?
John 13:34 traces two great movements of grace -- 'just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.' Jesus calls this his "new commandment." What makes this commandment new? In a nutshell, "Just as I have loved you" “New” (kainen) implies freshness rather than simply “recent.” The word in the original Koine … Continue reading Learning to love like Jesus – How?
Learning to love like Jesus – Why?
Jesus says in John 13:35: "By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” Why is it important that we learn to love like Jesus? The obvious reason is that the Lord commands it. But this text offers us two vital reasons why… Fulfill our mission. Learning to … Continue reading Learning to love like Jesus – Why?
Love Stoops to Conquer – Worship Reflections for John 13
The foot washing episode of John 13 serves as “a rebuke to the disciples’ ambitious strife, far more powerful than words could have spoken: Such a rebuke that never again do we see a hint of the old question, ‘Who should be greatest?’ It was Christ's answer to their unseemly conduct, and a lesson to … Continue reading Love Stoops to Conquer – Worship Reflections for John 13
To What End Does God Love You?
I've been studying over the past several days for our Spring Sermon series entitled "Final Words" from John 13-17 which is Jesus' Upper Room Discourse. John 13:1 says: Now before the Feast of the Passover, Jesus knowing that His hour had come that He would depart out of this world to the Father, having loved … Continue reading To What End Does God Love You?
Maundy Thursday and the Mark of a Christian
The Mark of the Christian (John 13:31-38) The text upon which this teaching outline is based is normally assigned to Maundy Thursday. The Latin word for commandment is mandatum. This commandment that Jesus gave was the old commandment with which Moses himself summarized the whole law, but Jesus made it new by highlighting three things: … Continue reading Maundy Thursday and the Mark of a Christian
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