Island ECC Podcast

Perhaps the most radical statement Jesus ever makes, is found in John 14:6. It was provocative then, and it is provocative now. His claim to be the only way to God is extreme, and seemingly narrow. But it also highlights the uniqueness of Jesus among all other gods.

As Jesus was preparing for His eventual arrest and crucifixion, He wanted to leave His disciples with a message. What He gives them is a simple, yet profound illustration, to succinctly explain everything we need to live as believers. With His usual candor, He also outlines what could happen if we don’t follow His words, but overall, the message is clear. We must stay connected to Him. Our prayer today is that these words would be both encouraging and challenging for us as we prepare our hearts for Easter Sunday.

Jesus’s discourse in John 10 continues from the revelation of Him as the door, to His role as the Good Shepherd over God’s people. His use of symbolism stems from an occupation and prophetic imagery used extensively in the Old Testament, and here to the religious leaders of the day, He is declaring that He is the loving Messiah God’s people had been waiting for.

Jesus said, “I AM the door.” Jesus is the only door to God, and the only door to a life that is truly meaningful.

Jesus says that He is the Light of the world. What does that mean? Why were the Israelites so offended by that statement? We kick off our new sermon series through the “I AM” statements in the gospel of John and explore the significance of this statement and what it means for our lives.

Boldness doesn’t come easy for most of us. At least boldness in the right categories. For some, it may come easy, but not appropriately. And study of Peter and Paul inspires our boldness to come in forms that bring glory to God’s purposes.

Hong Kong remains the best city in the world (personal opinion). But beyond the shiny veneer and incomparable skyline, are 8 million people with increasingly complex struggles. The answer is the good news of Jesus. Always has been, always will be. 

If all we had of Scripture was John 4, the Woman at the Well, we could be convinced of the gospel’s great message of love. Here we see a paradigm for bringing good news to a lost world.

Without faith it is impossible to please God. Hmmm. Pretty powerful statement. So how can I realistically increase my faith?

Carrie Lo: In the Parable of the Great Banquet (Luke 14:15-24), the host prepared a banquet and invited many guests, but many of them rejected with excuses. This is an analogy of the kingdom of God. This invitation has also been made to us, so how should we respond? How can we stop making excuses, and take steps to move towards the “banquet”?

Daniel Tse: 心想事成 means "May the desires of your heart come true"! Did you know that the Bible actually gives us the key to receiving the desires of our hearts? This is what David wrote in Psalm 37:4 – "Delight in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart." Really? Come and see!