All about Honor

(John 12:1-11)

This week at home group we read through a pretty famous Gospel account; Mary anointing Jesus' feet with oil and wiping it away with her hair. When read for the first time, this is a pretty strange story. Judas (the Betrayer) utilizes this moment not to learn from Mary, but rather to condemn her. 

Little did he know that Jesus was on Mary's side. But why? Because her intentions were to honor Jesus. Maybe she just purely loved Jesus enough to do this. Perhaps it was because he just raised her brother from the dead. Or better yet, she may have realized the significance of His soon coming death and the humanity saving substance that would be shed in only six short days.

“How do we honor Jesus?”

When should we honor Jesus?”
 “Why do we honor Jesus?” 

 All of these are questions that we should ponder as a result of Mary’s example in this story.

Below are a few follow-up things that you can do to increase your understanding and application of this reading:

1.     Read through John 12:1-11 one more time and point out all of the people who are showing Jesus honor and how they are doing so.

2. Do you think that the people in this story knew what was going to happen to Jesus in the following week?

3. Write out a couple times in your life where you have undoubtedly and unashamedly honored Jesus. Why did you honor Jesus during that time? Is that a regular occurrence in your life?

4. Share with the rest of us some ways that you show honor to God. This way we are able to learn from one another by the exchanging of ideas.

One for All and All for One

(John 11:45-57)

We crave conflict.

Girls look for the "bad guys" and guys never see to go for the "good girl".  Any good movie or stage performance demands an antagonistic situation. It is easier for us to look for the wrong in something rather than to find anything good. People (Christians included) crave conflict.

While conflict doesn't necessarily have to be bad, most of the time, we see conflict playing out in not so great ways. It has caused church splits and divides, many heated "debates" (a.k.a., arguments), and disunity within the Church all around the world. But we read in John 11:45-57 that Jesus died so that we could all be brought together. Jesus did it for all of us so we all could be one with Him.

So this begs the question, how do we come together and build unity within the global Church and within our local assembly?

Action Steps for this week:

1. Spend 30 minutes this week reflecting and praying about the question above. (How do we come together and build unity within the global Church and within our local assembly?)

2. Write a comment below on what ideas or solutions your reflection and prayer brought about. 

3. Read through a newspaper taking note of any articles focusing on people being united or working together. Then re-read through that newspaper taking note of all of the articles focusing on conflict. Then answer the following questions:

• How many news articles were about people being united?
• How many news articles were about people being in conflict?
• Which stories held your attention the most? Why?
• Which stories encouraged you the most? Why?
• Choose one story of conflict and re-write it to be a story of unity. How would our world change if we saw more unity?

4.  It is through encouragement that the Church is built up in unity so this week go out of your way to be an encouragement to one of your church family this week.

This week at Transit, we went through John 11:1-44. In this portion of Scripture, we see the seventh and final miracle in John’s Gospel, the resurrection of Lazarus from the dead. Throughout the whole book of John we read that Jesus gives life to people, and this time there is no different.

However, there is a double meaning in this particular passage, one that is a little unexpected. Instead of the normal natural verses supernatural misunderstanding, Jesus reverses the situation here. Usually the people talking with Jesus are too focused on the natural and He is trying to help them see supernaturally. But here, Jesus is speaking in a very natural sense and the people are looking too deeply.  Jesus continually wants people to see that He is in control of everything both natural and supernatural. Unfortunately our finite minds aren’t able to truly grasp the power of God and the implications  of it in our lives.

For you and I, it is important to note that Jesus gives us life, not only in the supernatural afterlife but also in the natural here-and-now life. John 10:10 talks about how Jesus offers us real, true, and abundant life. He isn’t just talking about an afterlife filled with great riches and mansions, He is talking about a life on earth overflowing with all of the fruits of the spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control) in abundance.

 Here are some things to think about this week...
1. Are you living the life that God promises in John 10:10 or do you feel like there is part of you that          needs to be called out from the grave?

2.  What causes you to feel spiritually dead?

3. What are things that you can do to push those things that make you feel spiritually dead out of your life? And when are you going to put that into effect?

4. What causes you to feel spiritually alive?

5. What are ways that you can make those things that make you have spiritual life into a habit? And when are you going to put that into effect?

In the comment box we would love to hear what you think about the following question: What does a person who is spiritually alive look like? What are their relationships like? And how can Transit or any individual church cater its programs to help foster that kind of person?

A Vicious Cycle

(John 10:22-42)

This week we continued our study through John chapter ten. Yet again, we see Jesus in a tense conversation with a group of Jews. Surprise, surprise! However, this conversation is a little different in that it is clearly a turning point in the story of Jesus and His journey to the cross. This discussion sort of sums up what's been happening now for years; a rather vicious cycle. 

In the beginning of this passage, the Jews ask Jesus to tell them whether or not He is the Christ. He explains AGAIN that He is and why they won't accept that, and once again they want to kill Him for making Himself equal with God in His claim to be the Christ. 

This is the same vicious cycle they've been trapped in since Jesus came onto the scene. They know the scriptures and the prophesies, they know that when the Christ comes He will be from God and equal with God. The Christ is who they are waiting for. The problem here is not that they do not realize Jesus is the Christ, but rather that they do not want to accept Jesus as the Christ. Unfortunately they have formulated their own ideas of how the Christ will look and act and Jesus does not fit those ideas, so they choose not to accept Him for who He is. 

We can consider this a turning point because we finally see what's really going on in the hearts of the Pharisees. They now know that Jesus is exactly who He has been claiming to be; He is indeed the Christ, but they do not want to accept Jesus for who He is and so they decide to kill Him. The plot for His arrest and death are in the passages shortly following this one. 

So what does this mean for us? It's pretty simple actually. Jesus IS the Christ! He is equal with God. If we cannot accept that about Him, then we do not accept Him at all. We cannot accept parts of Jesus or allow some of what He says to dictate our lives, it's an all or nothing thing. Either we accept that Jesus is the Christ, the anointed one of God who sacrificed His life in the place of ours and that ONLY through Him can we receive salvation and eternal life, OR we can have no part in any of Him or His kingdom. 

The choice is ours to make! 

Here are some things to think about this week...

1.  Are there certain "things" or claims about Jesus that you would rather not accept? Have you actually accepted Jesus into your life for everything that He is, including Lord of your life?

2. Do you think that our current culture is in much the same state; realizing who Jesus is and not wanting to accept Him as such? Or, do you think that people don't actually realize and understand who He is? What is the difference then, in how we approach people with the message of Christ?


*Feel free to post any and all questions related to our discussion tonight in the comment area below. You can also share anything you learn while pondering the questions or engaging in the challenge. We are so excited to encourage each other and grow even more in our studying of God’s word throughout the week! This is a conversation! This is Transit Continued.

What's in it for me...?

(John 10:1-21)

Do not let the title of this blog turn you off to reading...we expect that it's slightly controversial. PLEASE continue reading!

This week at home group we really examined the question of who Jesus is based on His teaching in the first section of John chapter 10.  He begins in parable form explaining His relationship with people through a shepherds relationship with his flock of sheep. Jesus then makes a bold claim (as usual) in explaining to the people that He is the shepherd and they are the sheep. If they know His voice they will follow Him and only Him. 

This is such a powerful metaphor because essentially Jesus is claiming here that He is the ONLY way through which people can truly enter into salvation and eternal life. Thus once again making Himself equal with God. Anyone else that might claim to be the way or convince the sheep (people) to follow them is nothing but a liar and a thief. 

But here's where the passage gets really good! In verse 10 Jesus says this, 
"The thief comes to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it to the fullest." 

Not only does the good shepherd come and willingly lay down His life for any that are a part of His flock, He also comes that they may live lives full of blessing and hope and eventually enter into eternity, simply because they are His and He loves them.

So, when people ask, "What's in it for me," the answer should be absolutely nothing. We are sinful and wretched without Christ. BUT because of His immense love and loyalty and sacrifice, not only is there salvation in Him, there is also life to the fullest for us!

Jesus is our Good Shepherd, the one who willingly gave His life so that we could live and not die in our sins and who loves us enough to bless us far beyond what we deserve! That's who Jesus is and that's what's in it for us!

Here are some things to reflect on throughout this week...

1. Spend some time really thinking about that statement, "life to the fullest." What are some ways that you have seen this in your own life and how has life with Jesus been fuller than life without Him?

2. What does it actually mean for Jesus to be the ONLY way to salvation? Why is this such a difficult claim to make then and even now?

CHALLENGE:
This week, really spend some time thinking about what it means to hear Jesus' voice and follow it only. Do you know what His voice sounds like? Would you be able to hear it even amongst a crowd of other voices luring you in other directions? Spend some time in prayer asking that God would teach you to hear His voice clearly and to follow it wherever it might lead and for strength to trust that He will always lead you into "life to the fullest."

*Feel free to post any and all questions related to our discussion tonight in the comment area below. You can also share anything you learn while pondering the questions or engaging in the challenge. We are so excited to encourage each other and grow even more in our studying of God’s word throughout the week! This is a conversation! This is Transit Continued.

Let the Son Light in...

(John 9)

This week at home group we were pretty brave in attempting to move through ALL of John chapter 9. If you know anything about us, this was a little ambitious considering it has taken us quite a few months to even arrive at John 9...nonetheless, we went for it! It also helped that we tried something new this week and asked that we read the passage individually prior to home group in order to get an idea of what we were talking about and formulate some questions and thoughts ahead of time. This really seemed to catapult us into the discussion, and we are looking forward to going deeper into scripture with this new format in the future.

This week our passage was intense and full of deep spiritual truth (as are most) but we really focused on the idea of our need to "see the Light." So, if you haven't noticed from our blog posts, we are pretty into catchy titles. However, we try to choose titles that carry a lot of deeper meaning with them, and this week I think it does just that. 

Jesus heals a man who has been born blind. Never mind the fact that He does so on the Sabbath, rubs mud and spit on his eyes, and completely challenges the cultural idea that illness is not necessarily brought about because of sin...on top of all of that and a whole lot more, Jesus cuts deep to the bigger issue at hand. This blind man had a better chance of "seeing" than these men who could actually see because of his faith and willingness to trust in Jesus and who He was claiming to be. When Jesus restores His sight, it serves as a metaphor that when we encounter Jesus Christ our eyes will be opened and we will have the choice to let in that Light or not. This man upon his personal encounter with the Christ makes the choice to accept His healing and His very big claims, the Pharisees on the other hand have also encountered Him and made the choice to reject the Light He wants to bring into their lives. 

The challenge this week was to let in the Light, and if we already have, to continually let it in and continually encounter Jesus and ask Him to reveal Himself to us in brand new ways. 

Here are some things to think about this week...

1. What do you think prevents people from "seeing" or letting the Light into their lives?

2. What are some ways to continually let the Light into our lives and to personally encounter Jesus over and over again?

CHALLENGE:
This week, pray very specifically that Jesus would reveal Himself to you in new and fresh ways. Be paying attention throughout your week and in your times of prayer and study to see just how He will show up. It's a little bit more of a personal and spiritual challenge this week, but we would love to hear how you encounter the Light of Jesus in your life this week!

*Feel free to post any and all questions related to our discussion tonight in the comment area below. You can also share anything you learn while pondering the questions or engaging in the challenge. We are so excited to encourage each other and grow even more in our studying of God’s word throughout the week! This is a conversation! This is Transit Continued.

Let Jesus Speak for Himself

(Acts 13:13-52)

This week in home group, we discussed how there is power in the simplicity of the Gospel message.

In this particular passage, Paul is given an opportunity to speak. Rather than take a moment to collect his thoughts or think of something to say, he stands immediately and begins to speak about Jesus Christ. He reminds his audience of how far God has brought them and what their future looked like without Christ. He then proceeds to explain the story of Jesus Christ and the grace and forgiveness and gift of eternal life that is now theirs because of His death and resurrection.

Following his "sermon" the people who were listening were intrigued and asked that they come back the following Sabath to tell them more about these things. The next week, nearly the entire city gathered to listen to what Paul had to say about this man named Jesus Christ. At this, the devout Jewish leaders were threatened and forced Paul and his companions to leave that region.

What's amazing about this passage is that without thinking Paul used his platform and his opportunity to proclaim the Gospel message of Jesus Christ. There were no catchy titles or a certain number of points, he simply spoke of Jesus Christ and that was enough to change an entire city!

So often as Christians we try to enhance the Gospel message. We think that we need eloquent speeches and fancy titles and three point messages to capture people's attention and present Jesus to them...in reality, Jesus speaks for Himself. There is nothing wrong with creativity and handling God's Word with care and pride, but when all else fails, just preach Jesus and that message will be effective in itself. The Gospel message is a simple but powerful one and it's time that we start trusting God to change hearts with His good news! After all, it's all about Jesus anyways, so let's ALWAYS point people to Him.

Here are some things to think about this week...

1. Take some time to think about God's redemptive story in your own life...even through generations. How far did He go to bring your family to Christ; to bring you to Christ?

2. Reflect on who you are without Christ and the drastic changes that came with letting him into your life.

CHALLENGE:
This week, take some time to write out your testimony of the power of Jesus Christ in your life. This should become your "go to" sermon, the thing you share without hesitation when given any opportunity or platform to speak. When you aren't sure what to say, start with Jesus :) There is nothing more powerful than your own personal testimony to the saving power of Jesus!


*Feel free to post any and all questions related to our discussion tonight in the comment area below. You can also share anything you learn while pondering the questions or engaging in the challenge. We are so excited to encourage each other and grow even more in our studying of God’s word throughout the week! This is a conversation! This is Transit Continued.