Complete Unity
Read: John 17:20-26 . . . I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. (v. 23) A hymn written by John Fawcett echoes Jesus’s prayer: “Blest be the tie that binds our […]
Set Apart
Read: John 17:13-19 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. (vv. 17-18) What a privilege to get to listen to this divine conversation in John 17, the only one like it in Scripture. Jesus asks his Father that […]
To Be as One
Read: John 17:6-12 Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one. (v. 11 NIV) Ubuntu is a traditional African concept that comes from the Zulu and Xhosa languages. Roughly translated as “humanity towards others,” the ethical values of […]
Glory Forever
Read: John 17:1-5 Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you. (v. 1) The words glory and glorify (or glorified) appear five times in these five verses. Those terms are not in our everyday language but are commonly used in churches or in a worship context. What does it […]
How Gospel Radio is Building the Church in Nepal
Chasing the Signal “I am listening to your programs.” Pastor Maahir, a recent Nepali Bible College graduate and local church leader, shifts the phone to his other ear and keeps listening. The voice on the line sounds young and hesitant. “I am not a Christian,” she quickly adds. “No one in my family is a […]
Overcoming With Peace
Read: John 16:25-33 I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. (v. 33 NIV) It’s easy to focus on the trouble in the world, in our communities, in our churches, even within our families. […]
From Grief to Joy
Read: John 16:20-24 Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy. (v. 22 NIV) When Jesus used the example of a woman giving birth, he pointed to an event that’s both commonplace and extraordinary. We all began life the […]
Waiting for Truth
Read: John 16:12-19 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth. (v. 13) The words of Scripture often seem shrouded in mystery. Jesus acknowledged a sense of ambiguity when he told the disciples, “I still have many things to tell you, but you can’t handle them now” (v. 12 […]
Be Prepared
Read: John 16:1-11 Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me. (vv. 2-3) This chapter begins with Jesus’s dire warnings about impending persecution. Throughout history, many horrible injustices have been committed […]