In this verse-by-verse Bible study through John 6, we examine the only miracle recorded in all four Gospels — the Feeding of the 5,000.

Why does John call it a sign instead of a miracle?
What does this reveal about the heart of Jesus?
And what does it teach us about serving a community that feels overwhelming?

As Calvary Kona prepares to step into a new season at Kealakehe Elementary School, this message explores:

• The difference between followers and true believers
• How God tests our faith (Philip’s calculation vs. Jesus’ foreknowledge)
• Compassion in seasons of grief and exhaustion
• What happens when we simply distribute what Jesus provides

This teaching reveals that we are not the providers — Christ is. Our role is obedience and distribution.

📖 John 6:1–15
📍 Calvary Kona
#GospelOfJohn #John6 #Feeding5000 #BibleStudy #ChurchPlant

In today’s episode, we open our Bibles to John chapter 5, where Jesus makes one of the boldest claims in all of Scripture — that He is equal with God.

As we follow Jesus to the Pool of Bethesda during a major feast in Jerusalem, we uncover layers of spiritual meaning and theological weight. Why did He choose to heal just one man out of a crowd of the blind, lame, and paralyzed? Why didn’t He go straight to the Temple?

We explore:

• The intentional timing and location of this miracle

• The reaction of the religious leaders

• Jesus’ stunning claim: "My Father is working, and I am working"

• The deep roots of the Trinity hidden in the Old Testament

• The connection between Deuteronomy 6 (The Shema) and Jesus’ authority

• The difference between spiritual resurrection now and physical resurrection to come

• The coming Great White Throne Judgment (Revelation 20)

• Why Jesus alone holds the authority to give life or execute judgment

We also reflect on C.S. Lewis’ famous trilemma — that Jesus must either be a Liar, a Lunatic, or the Lord.

This is more than theology — it’s deeply personal.
So the question remains: What will you do with Jesus?

In this episode, we open our Bibles to John chapter 5 and continue traveling with Jesus as His disciples—His mathetes—watching how He ministers to both the religious and the rejected.

John has taken us on a journey: from Galilee to Jerusalem, from Jerusalem into Samaria, and back again. Along the way, we’ve seen Jesus engage His own family, challenge the religious certainty of Nicodemus, and intentionally step into Samaritan territory—a place religion had written off. Most recently, we watched Jesus respond to a desperate father with a simple command of faith: “Go, your son will live.”

Now, as Jesus returns to Jerusalem during a feast, the city is crowded, expectations are high, and word has spread—this man heals. And yet, of all the places Jesus could stop, He leads us to the Pool of Bethesda, a place known for suffering, competition, and false hope.

At Bethesda—“the House of Mercy”—we encounter a man who has been paralyzed for thirty-eight years, surrounded by others who are all waiting for the same thing: a stirring of the water. But while everyone’s eyes are fixed on the pool, Jesus is standing right there in the room.

This passage forces us to wrestle with deep questions:

• What happens when our method for healing replaces our dependence on Jesus?

• Why does Jesus ask, “Do you want to be healed?”

• What does healing cost us—not just physically, but in identity?

• And why does mercy so often offend the religious?

As the story unfolds, a miraculous healing collides with Sabbath rules, and John reveals the true reason he includes this account: not simply to show a miracle, but to reveal who Jesus truly is. When Jesus declares, “My Father is working until now, and I am working,” the tension reaches its peak—because this is no longer just about healing, but about equality with God.

John writes so that we might see Jesus clearly, believe who He is, and find life in His name. This episode invites us to stop staring at the water—and recognize the Healer standing before us.

What does Jesus do with people who believe in God… but are wounded by God’s people?

In this message from Calvary Kona, we continue through The Gospel of John chapter 4 (John 4:16–42) as Jesus, led by the Holy Spirit, engages one of the hardest-to-reach people groups in Scripture: the Samaritans—people who held pieces of the Bible, believed in Yahweh, and yet were separated from the fellowship of God’s people because of a deep cultural and religious wound.

Jesus begins by restoring dignity (“Give me a drink”), building a bridge of relationship—then He speaks truth straight into the woman’s life:

“Go, call your husband…”

Without condemnation and without compromise, Jesus exposes her brokenness—five husbands, and a current relationship outside of marriage—and she responds with surprising respect:

“Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet.”

And right on cue, the real issue surfaces: the worship-location wound.
Mount Gerizim vs. Jerusalem. Samaritans vs. Jews. “It’s not that I’m closed to God… it’s His people I have issues with.”

Jesus answers with a game-changing promise:

Worship is no longer tied to a mountain or a temple.
The Father is seeking worshipers who worship in spirit and in truth.

This episode explores:

• How Jesus combines truth and love without crushing a wounded person

• Why church wounds often become a reason people “build their own religion”

• What Jesus means by worship beyond a Sunday setlist

• The meaning of the Greek word proskuneō (“to turn and to kiss”)—loyalty, surrender, reorientation to the King

• Why incomplete Scripture leads to incomplete worship (“you worship what you do not know”)

• The stunning moment Jesus reveals Himself: “I who speak to you am He”

• How one simple testimony sparks a revival: “Come, see a man…”

• Jesus’ urgency for the mission: “The fields are white for harvest”

• The result: many Samaritans believe, not only because of her story, but because they hear Jesus’ Word for themselves

• The final confession of the town: “This is indeed the Savior of the world.”

If you’ve ever felt rejected, hurt, or disillusioned with the church—or if you’re praying for people in your life who have “some Bible” but no fellowship—this passage shows how Jesus reaches the wounded with dignity, truth, and living grace.

Scripture: John 4:16–42
Key themes: worship in spirit and truth, church wounds, grace and truth, repentance, evangelism, revival in Samaria, Savior of the world, fields white for harvest

Why would Jesus intentionally walk into the one place a “good religious Jew” would avoid?

In this message from Calvary Kona, we begin The Gospel of John chapter 4 (John 4:1–15) and watch Jesus leave Judea for Galilee—then do something shocking:

“He had to pass through Samaria.”

This wasn’t a geographic necessity. It was a spiritual assignment.

To understand the weight of this moment, we unpack the deep wound behind the Samaritan-Jewish divide—stretching back to the Assyrian conquest and the mixed identity of the Samaritans, the rejection they experienced, and the rise of worship centered on Mount Gerizim instead of Jerusalem. By the time Jesus arrives, Samaria is avoided, despised, and treated as spiritually untouchable.

And then—Jesus sits at Jacob’s well, tired, thirsty, and resting in the middle of the day.

Even Jesus took time for rest.

At noon, a Samaritan woman arrives alone—an outcast even among her own community. And Jesus begins the conversation in a way that flips expectations:

“Give me a drink.”

Instead of starting with correction, teaching, or fixing, Jesus starts by receiving. He invites the outsider into dignity and connection by asking for help—then turns the conversation toward the deepest thirst of the human soul.

Jesus offers what religion can’t produce and location can’t control:

Living Water—a spring within, “welling up to eternal life.”

This episode highlights:

• Why Jesus had to go through Samaria (Spirit-led mission and divine appointment)

• The historical and spiritual roots of the Samaritan conflict and the worship “location” wound

• Jesus as fully God and fully man—tired, resting, and still perfectly led by the Spirit

• How Jesus reaches the rejected by restoring dignity first

• “Ironic misunderstanding” in John’s Gospel and how Jesus uses it to reveal the heart

• What “living water” means—and why true eternal life is the life of the age to come, starting now (John 17:3)

• A gospel invitation for anyone who feels like an outsider: access to God is not reserved for the accepted

If you feel spiritually dry, rejected, or tired of religion—and you’re looking for something real—John 4 begins with this promise: Jesus meets people at wells, in the heat of life, and offers a water that never runs out.

Scripture: John 4:1–15
Key themes: Living Water, Samaritans, Jacob’s Well, Holy Spirit leading, Jesus and outsiders, eternal life now, worship and location, grace and dignity

What do you do when your ministry feels like it’s shrinking… and someone else’s is growing?

In this message from Calvary Kona, we open to the final section of The Gospel of John chapter 3 (John 3:22–36)where the story shifts away from Nicodemus—and back to John the Baptist at a critical moment of overlap: two ministries running at the same time.

Jesus and His disciples are baptizing in the Judean countryside. John the Baptist is still baptizing at Aenon near Salim. And that “transition season” creates tension. John’s disciples panic:

“Rabbi… he is baptizing, and all are going to him.”

In other words: We’re losing momentum. Our movement is shrinking. What are we going to do?

John’s response is one of the clearest pictures of humility, identity, and God-centered leadership in the Bible:

“A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven.”
“He must increase, but I must decrease.”

This episode is especially timely as Calvary Kona enters 2026—our first full year as a planted church—because John shows us how to think when God is building something new, shifting seasons, and moving people in ways we can’t control.

In this teaching, we cover:

• Why ministry transition seasons are spiritually vulnerable (ego, insecurity, possessiveness)

• John’s “higher perspective”: every blessing and every assignment is given from heaven

• Three practical warnings for the heart: don’t chase what God isn’t giving, don’t resent what God gives others, don’t cling to what God is removing

• John’s healthy identity: “I am not the Christ… I was sent before Him”

• The powerful wedding picture: Jesus as the Bridegroom, God’s people as the Bride, and John as the friend of the bridegroom

• Why true joy comes when Jesus gets the attention—and we step aside

• The closing gospel clarity: whoever believes in the Son has eternal life (John 3:36)

If you’re in a season where you feel replaced, overlooked, or afraid of change—or if you’re serving in a growing church and wondering how to stay humble—John 3:22–36 is God’s wisdom for your heart.

Scripture: John 3:22–36
Key Verse: John 3:30 — “He must increase, but I must decrease.”
Also referenced: Luke 16:16, Hebrews 1:1–2, 1 Corinthians 12:18

Why did Jesus speak the most famous verse in the Bible—John 3:16—to one religious man in a private conversation at night?

In this Calvary Kona message, we open to The Gospel of John 3:16–21 and listen as Jesus speaks directly to Nicodemus—a Pharisee, a leader in Israel, and a man who spent his entire life pursuing God through religion, structure, and spiritual performance.

But Nicodemus is drawn to Jesus during Passover for the same reason many are: the signs and miracles. John tells us something sobering: many “believed” (Greek: pisteuō) when they saw the signs—yet Jesus did not entrust Himself to their belief because He knew what was in the human heart (John 2). That’s the backdrop for this conversation.

Jesus doesn’t offer Nicodemus a better system. He offers a new birth. And then He speaks words that reshape everything:

“For God so loved the world…”
Not “for God so loved the religious.” Not “for God so loved the successful.” Not “for God so loved the moral.”
Jesus is reworking Nicodemus’ entire operating system: salvation isn’t transactional (“If I do this, God must do that”). Salvation is grace—God giving what we could never earn.

This episode explores:

• Why John 3:16 was spoken to a Pharisee (and why that matters)

• The difference between using Jesus and trusting Jesus

• What “whoever believes in/into Him” means (faith moving into relationship)

• Eternal life as “the life of the age to come” — starting now (John 17:3)

• Why Jesus says He didn’t come to condemn the world—because mankind is already condemned apart from Him (Romans 5:12)

• The final warning and invitation: light vs. darkness, exposure vs. surrender (John 3:19–21)

And we track Nicodemus’ story all the way forward: he first came to Jesus by night, afraid to be seen… but later, in John 19:39, he steps into the light publicly—honoring Jesus after the crucifixion.

If you’ve ever felt stuck in performance-based Christianity, or wondered what it means to truly believe, this passage is a clear call: Stop trying to manage God with a contract—come to Jesus and live by grace in the light.

Scriptures: John 3:16–21, John 2:23–25, John 17:3, Romans 5:12, John 7, John 19:39

Church: Calvary Kona

In this message from The Gospel of John chapter 3, we step into a nighttime conversation that exposes the limits of religion, morality, and even miracles.

Jesus has just made His public debut in Jerusalem—cleansing the Temple, performing signs, and drawing massive crowds during Passover. Many believed in Him because of what they saw. Yet John tells us something startling: Jesus did not believe in their belief. Faith built on signs alone is not the kind of faith He can trust.

Enter Nicodemus—a Pharisee, a member of the Sanhedrin, and the very best humanity has to offer. Educated, disciplined, moral, and deeply religious, Nicodemus comes to Jesus drawn by the miraculous. But instead of affirming his résumé, Jesus confronts him with a shocking truth:

“Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

This teaching unpacks what it means to be born again—born from above. Jesus isn’t adding another religious step; He’s declaring the bankruptcy of human effort altogether. Entrance into God’s kingdom doesn’t come through discipline, morality, or miracles—it comes through spiritual rebirth.

Using Old Testament imagery from Numbers 21, Jesus points Nicodemus (and us) to the only hope for poisoned, dying people: to look in faith at the One who would be lifted up.

This episode helps shape the culture of Calvary Kona—a church centered on the Word of God, walking by faith, and trusting that signs and wonders follow those who pursue Jesus, not the other way around.

If you’ve ever wondered whether being “good,” “religious,” or even spiritually disciplined is enough—this conversation is for you.

This message from John 4:46–54 contrasts two “packs” we carry through life: the crushing weight of self-perceived control, and the lighter burden of obedience. As a royal official begs Jesus to come heal his dying son, Jesus calls him to believe first—before seeing. We’ll trace the father’s turning point, why the distance mattered, and how faith reshaped his walk home—and even led his whole household to believe.

In this teaching from John 2:13–25, we step into Jerusalem during Passover and witness one of the most misunderstood moments in the ministry of Jesus—the cleansing of the Temple.

Against the backdrop of a packed city and a massive religious system, Jesus confronts corruption that was keeping outsiders from worshiping God. What was meant to be a house of prayer for all nations had become a place of exploitation, and Jesus responds with holy zeal.

This message explores:

• The meaning and purpose of Passover

• The significance of the Temple and the Court of the Gentiles

• Why Jesus overturned tables—and what that reveals about the heart of God

• How church hurt can affect worship, trust, and generosity

• The difference between miracle-based belief and true faith

• Why signs and wonders follow faith, not the other way around

This teaching also speaks pastorally to those who have been wounded by the Church, offering healing, clarity, and an invitation to trust Jesus again—knowing that He cares deeply about how His people are treated.

As Calvary Kona continues to grow as a young church, this passage calls us to build on genuine faith, authentic worship, and hearts that are open to being shaped by Jesus.