Sunday (11/20/16), we looked at the interaction between the Jewish people and Pilate just before Jesus’ trial and crucifixion.  We sought to answer this… Big Picture Question:  How is our sin foolish? And we looked at these verses. John 18:28 Then they led Jesus from the house of Caiaphas to the governor’s headquarters. It was early morning. They themselves did not enter the governor’s headquarters, so that they would not be defiled, but could eat the Passover. 29 So Pilate…

Read More Read More

This Past Sunday, Evident Grace took a few moments to remind us what we are really doing here.  In fact, that was our Big Picture Question:  What are we trying to do here? We answered that question by looking at the very verses that launched us way back in 2012. Acts 2:42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.  43 And awe came upon every soul, and many…

Read More Read More

This past Sunday, we looked at the sad, but challenging, passage where Jesus was betrayed by Judas in the garden.  Following Jesus’ time with His disciples in the upper room, Jesus and the 11 retreat to a garden to pray.  There Judas arrives with Roman guards, officers from the High Priests, and the Pharisees.  We asked this Big Picture Question: What should we learn from the betrayal of Jesus? And we looked at this passage. John 18: 1 When Jesus…

Read More Read More

Sunday’s passage from John 17:20-26 was incredibly challenging.  Jesus not only commanded that Christians be unified, He promised that Christians are unified.  How could that be?  What hope could a disagreeing culture of Christians have for being unified?  That’s the Big Picture Question we pursued Big Picture Question:  What is our hope for unity? And these are the scriptures we read to understand that question. John 17: 20 “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who…

Read More Read More

John 17: 13 But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. 14 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. 16 They are…

Read More Read More

John 17:9-12 is both a comforting and challenging portion of scripture.  We hear Jesus praying some sweet prayers for us, but believing the things that Jesus prays is the challenge. Be honest with yourself.  There are times that you feel alone and unprotected and perhaps even completely ineffective as a believer.  But Jesus says different.  This is His prayer. John 17: 9 I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have…

Read More Read More

As always, it was a sweet day of worship yesterday.  We prayed, we sang, we studied, and we rested under one central truth:  God is good and generous.  That may seem like an obvious truth, but I will tell you just like I told you yesterday:  Our faith in God’s goodness and generosity is tested in difficult times. Well, fortunately, we get to see Jesus detail for us God’s generosity.  In John 17, we read this… John 17:6 “I have…

Read More Read More

First of all, please know how great it was to see so many of you at worship.  We were blessed with joyful worship (I could hear you guys out there), and we were blessed with several guests at worship as well. More than anything, I think we were challenged well by John 17:1-5.  We are moving into what is called Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer.  This is where Jesus prays for the disciples, and He prays for us as well. In…

Read More Read More