Week 6

Thanks Julie, Tammy and Allyson for your thoughts on the Holy Spirit.  I miss hearing from the rest of you. 

I love how John teaches us that the Holy Spirit lives WITH us and IN us FOREVER.  My “helper.”  It is reassuring to me that Jesus tells us that we will have the Holy Spirit right after He tells us that if we love Him we will obey Him – that seems impossible until we realize we have a helper.  I need a helper.  The Spirit can teach me, remind me, control me, produce fruit in me. But I need to acknowledge the Spirit, listen to the Spirit, yield to the Spirit.  The Holy Spirit is one of those hard things to describe.  I think the analogy of the wind is so good – you can’t see the wind, but you can see the effects of the wind.  I can’t see the Spirit, I can’t understand the Sprit, I can’t even explain the Spirit to others – but I know when I see the effects of the Spirit.  I know when I feel the Spirit.  I know when I learn something that had to have only come from the Spirit.   I am so thankful for the verse in Galatians which lists the fruit of the Spirit so that we have something tangible to look for, to pray for and to see to attain. 

This week we will do John chapter 17.  Here we see Jesus praying – where else can you get a more intimate look into Jesus’ heart.  First Jesus prays for Himself, then He prays for His disciples and lastly He prayers for all other Christians (you and me included).  Let’s focus on the last part where Jesus prays for us.  Look at what Jesus prays – does this surprise you?  Think about the difference between uniformity and unity.  Think about unity – what is it, how is it possible, what is the result of it?  Look at Philippians 2:1-4.

John 16

The Holy Spirit has been a bit of a mystery to me. It probably goes back to as a child my church would sometimes refer to it as the Holy Ghost which was very confusing to a kid : ) I have a much better understanding of it as an adult but have to confess it still is sometimes hard for me to determine if what I am feeling is the Holy Spirit or something of my own making.

God made a promise to his disciples that although he will no longer be physically with them, he will be with them in spirit... the Holy Spirit.

He also introduces this concept of asking (praying) to the Father in his name (Jesus). I think many times we end a prayer with the words "in Jesus Christ" or "in the name of the your son, our Lord" and don't necessarily know why we say these words. Verses 23 and 26 help explain this. The way I understand it is Jesus is they way to God. He says "you will ask the Father in my name, and I won't have to ask him for you". We have direct access to God but only because Jesus made that possible. It is through the actions of Christ that we have this relationship with God and the gift of going directly to him.

The Holy Spirit is the way Christ communicates with us. The Father/Son/Holy Spirit. God is God, Jesus was made man, died and rose again to return to his Father. The Holy Spirit is with us constantly. The Holy Spirit provides our direction and inspirition.

Week 5

It is amazing to me how perfect this analogy is.  God (the gardener) plants, develops, cares for, uses and enjoys the entire plant.  He is active in the whole process.  He doesn’t just plant the seed and then leave and let happen what will happen.  And not only is He there during the process, but He IN the process – God is active in growing and changing me and you.  The pruning seems harsh at first but then you see the reason for the pruning – so that we can make more fruit.  God sees the things in our life that are getting in the way of us producing fruit and He removes them.  How?  I think this happens in many ways – through prayer, through reading of the bible, through other people, through trials.  Philippians 1:6 says, “that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion.”  Then we have the vine – Jesus.  The vine can exist without the branches but the branches cannot live without the vine.  The sap flowing through the vine into the branches keeps them alive and bearing fruit.  Fruit is good and useful as should be the things that come from our lives. 

Remain or abide is a permanent, constant action.  A constant acknowledgment of God and His authority in our lives, a constant understanding of our position in Christ, and a constant reliance on the Holy Spirit.  Such a simple word but such a difficult reality.  Its one thing to do these things occasionally but to do them unremitting is a whole different thing.  But Jesus says that when we remain our “joy may be complete.” 

This week we are going to look at the Holy Spirit a little.  John is the gospel who talks most about the Holy Spirit.  In general the Old Testament focuses on God the Father, the gospels – Jesus and then the writings of Paul are where you really encounter the Holy Spirit.  However, John talks quite a bit about the Holy Spirit.  The word “trinity” is a contemporary word – you don’t find that word in the bible….but you do see the reality of the three in one throughout scripture.  You can see it clearly in John 14:16-17 where we see Jesus talking about God the Father sending the Holy Spirit.  I want us to look at some verses in John 14 and 16 this week plus a few verses outside of John to meditate on the Holy Spirit – who he is and what he does.  Read, dissect and contemplate John 14:16-19,26,27.  Think about what the purpose of the Holy Spirit is – notice that John calls the Holy Spirit a “he” – so, a "person."  What is the Holy Spirit?  Where is the Holy Spirit?  What does the Holy Spirit do?  Read some other verses about the Holy Spirit as you contemplate these things….examples, Romans 8:9-11, Romans 8:26&27, 1 Cor 2:6-16, 1 Cor 3:16, Galatians 5:22. 

After thinking about the Holy Spirit’s presence and work in the individual believer, we see how the Holy Spirit works on “the world” in John 16:7-11 through the believer and then how the Holy Spirit will inspire the other writings (truths) of the New Testament through the disciples in John 16:12-15.  God uses us but it is the work of the Holy Spirit that brings people to understand and accept Christ.  The Holy Spirit convicts people of the sin of unbelief, the Holy Spirit shows people what righteousness is and how they fall short and the Holy Spirit convinces people that there is such a thing as judgment – all of this points a person to Christ. 

John 15

In my Bible the word abide is replaced with the words "stay joined". I like these words "stay joined to me, and I will stay joined to you" verse 4.
I'm in another Bible study and something that was brought to my attention is the idea of "promise" and "premise". For every promise in the Bible there is a premise-ex: God promises "this" and if I obey I will receive "that". I really see that here. Verse 5-If you stay joined to me, I will stay joined to you (promise), then you will produce lots of fruit (premise). Verse 7- stay joined to me and let me teachings become part of you (promise). Then you can pray for whatever you want, and you prayer will be answered (premise). Verse 10-If you obey me (promise), I will keep loving you, just as my father keeps loving me, because I have obeyed him (premise). I like Christine's parenting example because this passage does not mean that God will stop loving us if we mess up. We can do nothing to earn or lose God's love but we can please him (and ourselves) by obeying him. Our obiedence enhances our relationship and our lives. I love my children unconditionally just like God loves me but.... I can love "on" them when they obey me and God. When they make good decisions I want to hug them and show them how proud I am of them. It enhances my relationship with them. That doesn't mean when they stray that I don't still know how important it is to support and love them. As parents we know our children are vunerable and will not always do what they know is best but neither do we. God is the best example of what parenting should be.
I also looked up the word "productive" or "fruitful" to try to better understand what God means by this. I found words like: "yielding positive results" (my favorite), profitable, rich, successful. Interesting.
Bottom line is we can do nothing by ourselves. We must trust, abide, stay joined, and remain in him.

Week 4

Thanks Julie and Tammy.  Many wonderful and also deep things in this chapter.  Thanks for thinking and for questioning.  I was just engaged in a conversation with someone about questioning.  I think questioning is wonderful especially when we question with a real attitude to understand.  When we acknowledge that our mind is limited and that God's ways are beyond our ways, then God can reveal Himself little by little to us.  Our lack of understanding doesn't change the character of God but the character of God can change our understanding.  This next week is a really fun passage - I hope you all get a chance to read and consider. 

Jesus is telling His disciples that His leaving has a purpose.  Jesus must die and rise again in order for His disciples (and us) to have eternal life in heaven with Him.  His leaving may produce pain but it has a great and wonderful purpose!  He isn’t asking the disciples to understand it – He is asking them to trust Him.  When the disciples ask “the way” there – Jesus doesn’t tell them the literal way but tells them that He is the avenue to get there.  Doesn’t this typify many events in our life?  There are times when things are scary – when we are confused or afraid.  Jesus doesn’t always allow us to understand but we must trust Him – trust that there is a purpose and trust that He would not leave anything undone.  Jesus knows things that I don’t and I need to trust Him – I may not know the literal way but I know THE WAY. 

I was really struck by the interaction between the words love and obedience.  It says that if I love God, I will obey and if I obey, I love Him…..then it also says that God will “show himself” to those who love and obey.  This is a little confusing to me….but I think being a parent helps me understand it a little more.   I feel loved when my children obey me – because they have faith in me, respect me etc.  And vice-versa – I can love (actively not emotionally) my children more when they obey me.  Of course I love them unconditionally when love is an emotion or a commitment but I can actively love on them or bless them or move to a new level of relationship with them when they obey me.  When I obey God I can experience much more of Him.   The path to knowing and experiencing God is to give up myself and obey God – to yield to Him, to obey Him, to trust Him etc.  Obedience requires me knowing what He is telling me – I can only know that if I am reading the bible, praying, listening to the Holy Spirit etc. 

This week we will do John chapter 15.  I love the Vine and Branches analogy and want to spend most of the time this week just thinking about the different characters mentioned and the first 4 verses of this chapter.  Think about the roles and the characteristics of the vine, the gardener and the branch.  Think about the fruit. 

A word about the cutting off of branches that have no fruit….these are not Christians who aren’t living a certain way.  These are non-Christians….or people who go through the motions of believing but don’t really believe…or as one commentary said, people who “profess” but don’t “possess.” 

Notice that the word “remain” or “abide” is mentioned 11 times in this chapter.  Think about what this word means. 

I really enjoyed Julie's thoughts. Thank you for your comments. I also found those verses to be particularly comforting. This entire chapter is so full of promises. Verse 2-preparing a place for us, verses 13 & 14 (see below), 18-he will not leave us like orphans, 25-the promise of the Holy Spirit, and 27 which is my favorite in this chapter " I give you a peace, the kind of peace that only I can give. It isn't like the peace that this world can give. So don't be worried or afraid." Many times I have experienced this peace but I long to feel it all the time. That's my goal.

Along with the promises there are two statements that really stood out to me. Verse 6-"I am the way, the truth, and the life!...Without me, no one can go to the Father." This is a statement, there is no vague, wishy-washy what does this mean feeling with this verse. Verse 23""if you love me, you will obey my commands......anyone who does not love me, will not obey". I completely agree with Julie. When we love Jesus, it is a natural extension to obey him. When we are "in Christ" then we need to try as hard as we can to be like Christ which means obeying him.

Julie's last thought was concerning ""Ask anything in my name and I will do it." and what does he mean to ask in his name. I'm not sure exactly what this means but I think that since Jesus is the one who made us right with God, wiped away our sins, and truly established our relationship with God then our prayers need to be in his name.......through him. Last week at our small group someone made the comment that they visualize Jesus sitting at the right hand of God leaning in and whispering in God's ear on our behalf. Telling God about us and how much he loves us. One struggle I have is that I have been praying for something for a few years and I haven't felt that God is answering my prayer, I guess God's timing is different than mine but I'm continuing to pray and trying to remember that he hears me and is working on the best solution. God is in control and he knows best and it will all make sense some day.

Comfort

Verse 1 and verse 27 of this chapter are a couple of the most comforting verses of scripture. I really love the words "don't let your heart be troubled". My heart has such a tendency to be troubled by my lack of belief. I fear all kinds of things and Christ is telling me I don't need to fear. He is leaving me a peace if I just believe. (Lord, help my unbelief.) He is assuring his disciples (and us) that we will not be left behind, that he is preparing a place for us that is beyond our wildest imagination, and that while we wait in this troubling and sinful world, he will give us his peace and his Holy Spirit to strengthen and encourage us. It's such a cool thing to meditate on the fact that he is preparing our future, eternal home and will come fetch us and bring us there when the time is right. But he is letting them (and us) know that the ONLY way for this to occur is through him and our belief/relationship with him.

Verses 15 and 23 are also very good verses to sit on. "if you love me, you will obey my commands......anyone who does not love me, will not obey". This is not saying that we prove our love by obeying, or that we obey to gain his love, or even you WILL obey my commands because you love me. I think that what it's saying is that if we truly love him, meaning we believe and understand the sacrifice he has made and the way he unconditionally loves us no matter our own shortcomings, the what will flow from us is a natural obedience from the thankfulness that is overwheming.


"Ask anything in my name and I will do it." I am hoping that some of you will share thoughts on this verse. What does it mean, exactly, to ask "in his name", and how does he "do it" when we dont always see from our perspective the answer to prayer???

Week 3

Thanks Erin, Julie and Tammy for really helping me experience these scriptures and think about humility. 

I love how perfectly this act of feet washing symbolizes the acts that Jesus will do in a few days with His death and resurrection.  As Jesus lays down his robe and puts on the towel we see images of the divine Christ laying down his position.  We then see him take the towel and remove the dirt from the disciples’ feet just as he removes the filth/sin from man with His death on the cross.  Then after the act we see Him put the robe back on as He resumes His position – just as Christ does when he rises from the dead and ascends from heaven to sit at the right hand of God. 

It’s amazing how many times I read this story and missed the part about the body already being clean and the feet needing washed.  I remember being in a Sunday school a few years ago taught by my dad – he explained the meaning behind this and ever since then I have loved this scripture.  Our “bodies” are clean when we are saved – that never changes.  But, as we walk through the world we pick up dirt on our feet.  This dirt is sin.  We cannot bring that sin into our relationship with God.  As it says in verse 6 – unless we wash we can have no part with Him.  We need to present our feet, our sin to Jesus and let Him wash us – we need to confess and ask for forgiveness.  He then will forgive us. 

This week we will do John chapter 14.  I would like us to take a deeper look at the first 7 verses and then a more overall look at the rest of the chapter.  Remember that Jesus has been telling His disciples that He is leaving.  Think of how the disciples might feel?  Then start with verse 1 of chapter 14.  Do not disconnect verse 1 from the rest of that paragraph – connect verses 1-7 into one lesson.  What is Jesus telling His disciples, what is He asking of them, what is He not asking of them?   How can that relate to us? 

The rest of the chapter has several reoccurring themes and a few profound statements.  We will come back to the verses on the Holy Spirit in a few weeks so don’t focus on those as much.  Think upon one or all of the following….

·         “Believe me when I say…OR at least believe on the evidence of the miracles. 

·         Jesus says multiple times that faith and love for Him lead to obedience

·         “Ask anything IN MY NAME, and I will do it.”

·         “Because I live, you also will live.”

·         “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give you.  I do not give to you as the world gives.”

I agree with Julie. I also participated in a foot washing service many years ago and it truly was an eye-opening activity. It was extremely humbling. Honestly, there was minute or two that I wasn't sure I could do it so to know that Jesus washed the feet of his disciples is inspiring.

Verses 14-15 emphasizes the example of Jesus has set for us. If he can humbled himself to do what he has done for me, then surely I can do right by others.

Julie also mentioned verses 34-35. This is a commandment given to us... We are to love one another, just as Christ loves us. Along those lines, think of the Lord's Prayer when we say "forgive our trespasses as we forgive those who have trepassed against us". If I want Jesus to love and forgive me then I must love and forgive others. mmmmmm............. much easier said than done : ) but I'm working on it!

I participated in a foot washing service and it truly was a humbling experience. To get down on the ground below a person and pick up their dirty feet into your hands a wash them is not only service, but real humility. The washing of the disciples feet is such a beautiful picture of Christ's ultimate act of servitude to us by his willingness to hang on the cross in our place for the sins that we have committed against him. He humbled himself (the God of the universe) even to death on a cross next to a couple of thieves. Completely mind boggling. It also symbolizes how our soul is cleansed by accepting this sacrifice

In response, we are asked to humble ourselves as well in servitude and attitude. Considering others before ourselves and following the example of Christ. That is such a hard thing to do sometimes when I am so focused on myself and my "needs". When v. 34-35 talks about our need to love others as he has loved us, I feel like it's an impossible task. But when I remind myself of Christ's willingness to die for me and that he loves me so much in spite of the ugliness of my heart, then how can I not be obedient and love others in turn out of thankfulness to him?

The definition of Humble.

Marian-Webster dictionary.  Humble=
1. not proud or haughty: not arrogant or assertive
2. reflecting, expressing, or offered in a spirit of deference or submission
3. ranking low in a hierarchy or scale: insignificant, unpretentious.

By the definition of humble, I find it interesting that being 'humble' can be considered an inferior thing as stated in definition #3.  For Christians and as seen in these verses, someone who is 'humble' is a characteristic to always strive for.  It is never an inferior concept but shows great obedience to Jesus' teaches and truly following by example.
I really like verse 16 "no servant is greater than his master".  Jesus washing the feet of his disciples is a task that the lowliest (humble) servant would do when you came to someone's home.  Jesus never considered himself greater or even equal to God "...he humbled himself and became obedient to death-even death on a cross" (Phil. 2:6-11). 
Being humble is indeed a 'significant' characteristic (unlike def. #3) that we should all strive for as Christians.  Being humble in all circumstances in life (a consistent thing) is truly 'living by example' and a powerful witness to nonbelievers.
 "...By this all men will know you are my disciples, if you love one another." (John 13:34-35)