Are you stressed about money? How do we move towards thriving in the areas of finances? In the middle of a long talk about money, Jesus tells us to stop worrying, and invites us into practices that we can choose and God can use to transform our lives for the better.

In the well-known story of Jesus flipping tables in the temple lobby, we are challenged to rethink our softened view of Jesus and to consider where he may want to flip some tables in our churches or our personal lives. As we dig into this significant moment in the Gospel of John, we’ll get a glimpse of the truth that Jesus will do more than clean the temple; he will completely replace it.

In the first few verses of John 2 we get the first of seven signs in the Gospel of John. It happens while Jesus was at a wedding in Cana and it's not by chance it happens in this setting. It's here we get a glimpse of who Jesus is and, in light of Him and what happens here, a glimpse of who God is. What do we learn about God? We learn that He takes great joy in being with us, He is always revealing Himself, and He is generous.

Where are you at in life? And how did you get to that point? For better or worse, there are three things that are so powerful in forming our lives: (1) the influence of other people, (2) the experiences we go through, and (3) the decisions we make. In today’s text we’ll see that these three things are right at the core of how following Jesus works.

God desires relationship with every person. Yet sin has entered our relationships - first with God, then with others - leaving them unraveled and broken. God's response to these unraveling relationships was to offer the life of His Son, so that our relationship with God could be restored. How will we choose to respond to this amazing offer? How should it impact the way we walk in relationship with others?

Like road rules that guide drivers, Scripture tells us three, undeniable truths about how we are meant to understand and see each other that can guide and help us thrive in the varying relationships we find ourselves in.

Relationships are the best and hardest parts of our lives. How do we pursue thriving in this area? The Bible teaches that every person is made in the image of God, every person has been broken by sin, and every person is a potential recipient of Jesus’ forgiveness, redemption and transformation. If this is true, then how should we see and relate to others? How might this change how we see ourselves, our family, our friends, our coworkers, our classmates, our neighbors, or even our enemies?

The reason you’re not thriving is because you’re still trying to. While this sounds counterintuitive, it is one way of summarizing the Biblical gospel. As we continue in our study through John, we’ll open up the story of John the Baptist. He's the first “witness” that the author invites up to the witness box, and his testimony will challenge us to take the leap and surrender to Jesus.

The first few verses in John are packed with theological beauty and depth that will echo and expand through the remainder of his Gospel. Before beginning the historic account of Jesus’ life, John clarifies the biggest truths—that Jesus is truly God, that he is the “true light” our world desperately needs, and that he became a human to bridge the relational gap between God and people. But John also foreshadows the rejection and suffering of Jesus which (plot twist) will become the very path through which God will offer salvation to his enemies and show his glory to the world.

John’s Gospel has been dearly loved by the church for thousands of years, and responsible for millions of believers turning to Jesus and growing in him. While its purpose is stated clearly in chapter 20, the book cannot be understood fully by reading it quickly one time. Instead, it has been structured intentionally to slowly reveal its secrets as a person hears it, reads it, ponders it, and discusses it with others over the course of a lifetime.