In this episode we will review all the instances of the phrase "so that" or "that" in John 17.   It's a really important phrase considering it marks a cause/effect scenario.  Jesus is praying for himself, His disciples, and all other believers for all time (THAT MEANS US!). In His prayer He says "so that" or that many times and during the last 6 verses He very clearly prays for believers to be unified SO THAT the world will know Him.  So what does this mean for us?  Tune in and walk with me through this prayer of Jesus, considering how His words still have meaning for our lives.

http://www.biblefortheordinarylife.com

The Bible is for everyone.

The entire chapter of John 17 is a prayer Jesus offers up while with his 11 disciples on the night before His crucifixion.  What can we learn from Jesus' prayer?

In this episode we will look for lessons we can take away about how Jesus prayed for His disciples. If prayer is something you struggle with or something you are trying to get better at, this episode we will examine some practical application based on Jesus' prayer. 

The Bible is for everyone.

Beginning back in chapter 14 Jesus started a long discussion with his disciples often called the "Farewell Discourse". These are the last few verses of instruction and encouragement He gives them before the prayer that is recorded in chapter 17. He's laid the groundwork for them to understand His purpose on earth, but they are expecting an earthly kingdom. So today the plot twist becomes to be revealed. Jesus is headed back to the Father and the disciples need to be prepared for a new relationship between God and humans. 

In these few verses we will explore how Jesus encourages his disciples despite the reality of what awaits them.  No matter what plot twist we encounter in life - Jesus' words are timeless: Take heart - he has overcome the world!

The Bible is for everyone.

Jesus is continuing his farewell conversation with his 11, wide-eyed, sorrowful disciples. In these verses Jesus addresses the reality of what His disciples are about to face. I would have been just as scared and afraid as the disciples were. But, Jesus also talks about the coming Holy Spirit - the Comforter, the Counselor, the Advocate.

We'll talk about the name of the Holy Spirit, which is paraklete in Greek, and how His name relates to His role in coming alongside us.

Who is the Holy Spirit?
What is His role?
Why does He even have to come?
Why does Jesus have to go?

Jesus answers all these questions, and more, as He talks with his disciples in the final hours before His crucifixion.

The Bible is for everyone.

Jesus continues His conversation with His 11 disciples just hours before His crucifixion. In these verses He issues a command to love each other as He has loved them. We'll talk about the difference in the love of cheeseburgers and the love of friends and why Greek is a little more expressive that English in these matters. Jesus will then teach about the opposite emotion: hate. He'll offer up the reality that the world will hate them and four reasons why. It's sobering, but warnings usually are. This episode will leave off with a bit of a downside thinking about rejection from the world, but take heart - next week is coming and the promised Holy Spirit is next on Jesus' list of things they (and we) need to know about. I hope you enjoy!

www.biblefortheordinarylife.com

The Bible is for everyone.

Jesus presents His final "I am" statement. He is the vine, we are the branches.  What happens to unfruitful branches? What about the fruitful ones? How can we understand this passage in light of the theological positions Christians have been divided over for years? These questions and more will be explored in this podcast. But no matter where you fall on the theological debate over Jesus' words in John 15 - one thing is clear and that is we are to abide in Him!

www.biblefortheordinarylife.com

The Bible is for everyone.

It's the night before His crucifixion and Jesus is spending the evening giving His farewell speech to His disciples. They don't understand a lot of what He is telling them, but they will in due time. For now, He's laying the groundwork for His departure and the coming Holy Spirit. Through this episode we will try to imagine ourselves as one of the disciples and really ask the question "would we understand it any better". The advantage of hindsight is of course 20/20 vision of what Jesus meant. But let's stop and consider what it might have been like to hear Jesus speak these words for the first time and to try to grasp what the "advocate" or "counselor" was and why He was even needed.

https://biblefortheordinarylife.com/

The Bible is for everyone.

It's the night before Jesus' crucifixion and John gives us an incredible glimpse of what Jesus and his disciples talked about just hours before Judas would betray him. We start this chapter out with Jesus comforting them. He's about to die, and yet He gives them such tender compassion and instructions. The disciples struggle to really understand that He is truly God. We talk about some Greek grammar (don't let that scare you), why mansions are not actually in heaven, and why the disciples might not be clear on Jesus' deity. It's an excellent reminder of Jesus' tenderness toward us in the midst of whatever troubles our hearts.

The Bible is for everyone.

In the second half of John 13 we get the rare opportunity to read the perspective of this scene from the other three gospel writers as well. It's the Passover supper. John figures out that it's Judas who will betray Jesus. But the other gospel writers don't have this perspective. We'll talk about why.  Jesus also tells Peter that he will deny him three times that evening. But a few other gospel writers share details that John does not.  And despite all of this, Jesus continues to show love to his disciples and gives them a new command. This episode is a lot of fun to compare the different gospel writer's renderings of this scene. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

The Bible is for everyone.

In this podcast we will talk about some of the implications of why Jesus washed his disciples feet. This isn't just about cleaning the dirt from between their toes. It's a picture of what Jesus is about to do on the cross and Jesus teaches a very clear lesson on servitude. We'll talk about Judas' presence at this event and how Jesus knew Judas would betray Him, yet would serve Judas anyway. The key to this passage is the reason Jesus is able to serve in such a humble way. It's the same reason we can adopt for serving others in our lives!

https://biblefortheordinarylife.com/

The Bible is for everyone.