New Testament Bible Study by John Stanko

1 John Study 2: 2:9-28

Dear Student of the Word,

I have been busy the last few weeks, but not too busy to prepare this week's Bible study.  Even though this is coming to you later than I wanted, I am sure it is arriving right on time!  This week we move into the second chapter of John's first epistle, which for some reason has always been a challenge for me to understand. Having just written my book on John's Revelation, however, I find the epistle easier to comprehend if I read between the lines and make the assumption that John was comforting a church who had just suffered a church split. 

This week I wrote on day five of this seven-day study:

2:21 – John wrote not to tell the reader the truth, but to assure them that they had the truth.  They had remained true to the Church of Jesus by staying true to the message of Jesus.  Can we surmise from what John wrote that those who left had believed a lie and that is why they departed?  What was the nature of the lie?  We find that in the next verse.

2:22 – Those who left denied that Jesus was or is the Christ, the Anointed One.  You will find that most heresies since Jesus departed have been around who He is, His person and nature.  That would make sense. Surely the spirit of the antichrist would promote doctrine that is against the mission, person and nature of Christ.  What hope do we have of combating his plots? We have God’s word and we have the Holy Spirit.  If you want to stay in the truth, then you simply submit to those two and you will have no problem. Those who do not follow another spirit and that can only be an anti-Christ spirit.

John indicated that when someone denies the Son, they also deny the Father.  So it is not possible to come to God, according to John, unless one comes through Jesus to the Father.  This is the standard message of the gospel from all the apostles.  When people reject the highway to heaven, they cannot choose another road!  This is the dilemma of our modern era, for many proclaim that there are multiple ways to God.   John refuted that doctrine when he wrote and it is still valid today. 

2:23 – Here John repeated this truth plainly:  If anyone wants the Father, he or she must acknowledge the Son.  This makes sense.  If the Father sent Jesus, which of course He did, then anyone who rejects the Son is rejecting the Father’s will.  I am listening to a series now by a secular author, and her theme is making a case for God.  She traces the history of God, or attempts to trace it, from the earliest times and it is obvious she is not a believer.  I think she believes in God, but she does not acknowledge the Son. 

What stands out in her historical overview is how man’s sinful nature causes him repeatedly to look for a god who is more to his liking.  Man is always at the center of the discussion and not God Himself.  When the Son is not the anchor, then someone’s ship of faith wanders and floats all over the sea of error. 

Man cannot decide what kind of god he wants or needs. That is idolatry, even if no graven image is fashioned. There is a mental image of what kind of god the person desires and that breaks the commandments that forbids strange gods.  Where can you get an accurate picture of the true God?  You get that by studying Scripture and accepting what it has to say about Jesus?

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). secular author, and her theme is making a case for God.  She traces the history of God, or attempts to trace it, from the earliest times and it is obvious she is not a believer.  I think she believes in God, but she does not acknowledge the Son. 

What stands out in her historical overview is how man’s sinful nature causes him repeatedly to look for a god who is more to his liking.  Man is always at the center of the discussion and not God Himself.  When the Son is not the anchor, then someone’s ship of faith wanders and floats all over the sea of error. 

Man cannot decide what kind of god he wants or needs. That is idolatry, even if no graven image is fashioned. There is a mental image of what kind of god the person desires and that breaks the commandments that forbids strange gods.  Where can you get an accurate picture of the true God?  You get that by studying Scripture and accepting what it has to say about Jesus?

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).

As always, I welcome your comments to this week's study. For further Bible study, my website archives contains a complete collection of all my verse-by-verse Bible studies from Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, 1&2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1&2 Thessalonians, 1&2 Timothy, Hebrews, James, 1&2 Peter, Hebrews and Revelation, along with the unpublished volumes of The Faith Files.

Download 1 John Study 2

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LAST CALL: I depart this coming Friday for Kenya with 13 others. If you want to give to the Deborah Foundation or the Sophia Fund, this is the last week to do so before I depart. If you haven't already done so, please take the time to read this latest updates on the Sophia Fund and the Deborah Foundation here. As you read, you will understand what a difference you can make in a child's life with very little effort or investment. 

If you feel compelled to help our upcoming trip, you can give through my website or send a check to PurposeQuest, PO Box 91099, Pittsburgh, PA 15221.  Just let me know if your contribution is to be used for food or shipping and I promise to use it for that purpose. Just $5 will help me feed an orphan for a week!  Do what you can and please do it today.

1 John Study 1: 1:1-2:8

Dear Student of the Word,

Happy New Year!  I trust your holiday season was a good one and that 2010 is off to a good start.  As you make your new year's goals, I am sure you included some goals to grow in your knowledge of God's word. At the end of 2009, we finished our study of John's gospel.  Now it is time to turn our attention to the study of John's epistles.  I will publish one study every other week and by the end of May, we should be done with this study of the New Testament, which began in 2001.  Yet I get ahead of myself.  First, let's look at something I wrote as part of this week's seven-part daily study:

2:1 – John wrote so that the people would not sin by saying that they had not sinned!  It is intriguing how often people will deny the truth or not confess something to God, like as if He doesn’t already know.  If you have messed up, you can admit it.  If God were going to “get” you, He would not get you once you are honest.  He would “get” you when you did the deed.  Honesty with God isn’t for His sake, it is for yours.  Are you being honest with God?  Is there something you cannot admit to God?  Do you see how foolish that is?

v. 2:2 – Some have interpreted this verse to mean that Christ died for everyone’s sins, whether or not they repent.  That is not what John was writing.  Jesus died for those who turn to God through Him.  There is no lack to the sufficiency of Christ for those people who repent.  Even if everyone in the world repented of his or her sin, Christ would be sufficient.  Not everyone does turn from their sin, however, so Christ is sufficient for only those who are His.  Those who are not His have no sacrifice for their sins and live therefore outside of God’s grace. 

This thinking that all men would be saved is called universalism and has been denounced as error many times.  Yet even today some continue to believe that God will grant salvation to everyone, denying the existence of a literal hell and final judgment for sinners.  That is not a tenet of orthodox Christianity.  All those who call on the name of the Lord will be saved; all those who do not will not be saved.  It is as simple as that.

v. 2:3 – There is evidence in the lives of those who know the Lord for salvation and that is in their behavior.  Forgiveness of sins isn’t just something that God automatically grants to anyone.  Forgiveness is granted to those who seek it, by God’s grace as a gift.  Yet salvation should manifest new deeds consistent with a new heart.

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not think you can say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire” (Matthew 3:7-10).

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:8-10).

Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit” (Matthew 7:17).

Only God knows those who are saved, but a saved person can produce evidence of salvation through his or her works and those certainly give credence to God’s presence.  Are you showing forth fruit that is consistent with your confession of faith?  Your works do not save you but you are saved to do good works.

As always, I welcome your comments to this week's study. For further Bible study, my website archives contains a complete collection of all my verse-by-verse Bible studies from Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, 1&2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1&2 Thessalonians, 1&2 Timothy, Hebrews, James, 1&2 Peter, Hebrews and Revelation, along with the unpublished volumes of The Faith Files.

Download 1 John Study 1

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THE SOPHIA FUND:  $1,300 come in for the Sophia Fund at year's end and some money and supplies for the Deborah Foundation continue to arrive.  My response to all this is:  THANK YOU AND PLEASE DON'T STOP.  I leave for Kenya on February 5 with 14 others and we want to take as much stuff and money over with us as possible. 

If you haven't already done so, please take the time to read my latest update on the Sophia Fund and the Deborah Foundation here. As you read, you will understand what a difference you can make in a child's life with very little effort or investment. 

After you read these updates, I hope you will act to help as my trip approaches in four weeks.  I need money and supplies to feed and educate the children in a difficult environment. If you need more background or information, go to my blog to see my latest posts or go to my Facebook page. I will figure out a way to get everything to Kenya.  You just figure out a way to get them to me. 

KENYA: The finest training in goal setting and personal development I have ever received was through an organization called The Pacific Institute.  I am going to do a three-day Pacific Institute seminar while I am in Nairobi from February 8-10 at the Serena Hotel in Nairobi. This training is not inexpensive, but it has paid for itself in my life over and over again.  Be watching for updates in the coming weeks and then be a part of this historic event when I come over in February.  It will change you and your life forever.

John Study 30: 21:1-25

Dear Student of the Word,

Well, here it is.  This is the last study in our series from John's gospel. What a great feeling it is to finish another book in the New Testament. What's more, with ten more studies, I will have finished the entire New Testament in verse-by-verse studies by the end of May, 2010.  I will take three weeks off before I begin sending out studies from 1 John.  But before we look at an excerpt from this week's study, may I wish you and yours a blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year.  Now let's look at one of the days from John's study

v. 24 – John finally revealed that he was the secret disciple whom Jesus loved.  It is interesting that Jesus had a favorite disciple, one He loved more than the others.  Or is that what John was saying here?  If he wasn’t saying that, why would he go out of his way to say that Jesus loved him, when we know that Jesus loved them all?  Is it offensive or inappropriate to think that Jesus would or could love one disciple more than the others, sort of like someone having a lot of friends, but one being the best friend? 

Is it possible to love one of your children more than the others and still be a good parent? I think it is possible.  How much more can a perfect God love a disciple with distinction without diminishing His love for the others?

v. 25 – Jesus was a busy man!  He was constantly on the move and did more than could possibly be recorded in His three and a half years of ministry.  John was an eyewitness of much of that and we know, as he wrote in the previous verse, that his testimony is true and accurate.  How do we know?  We know because the Spirit bears witness with your spirit that it is true.  Plus John wrote to exalt and honor Jesus and not to promote himself, as evidenced by his hesitancy to identify himself as the beloved disciple.

As we close this study of thirty weeks, we see that John wrote with purpose and chose to include the things Jesus did to support his purpose – that readers would believe that Jesus is the Son of God!  John could have included more, but did not. 

You don’t have to do or be it all to serve God. You can take your perspective and gifts and allow God to use them for His purpose and glory.  John told a story from his experience with the Spirit’s inspiration and it was true to who he was.  The same can happen to you. I am not implying you can write more of the inspired Word of God; that has already been done.  You can, however, be true to who you are and perform deeds that are consistent with your insight and passion.

So as we close, I pray that this special gospel study has ministered to your needs. I know it has to mine. I have learned a lot about the Lord and His work through Jesus.  John’s gospel has not always been my favorite, for I felt it was hard to understand at times.  This verse-by-verse study has helped me appreciate the beauty of John’s work and the story it has told of Jesus’ magnificence. 

The things that stand out to me as I close are:

1. Jesus was clear about who He was in an indirect kind of way. Those who did not want to see would not see, but those who wanted to do so heard loud and clear that He was the Son of God.
2. Jesus had enemies, not the least of which was Satan himself.
3. John’s gospel did not feel compelled to repeat stories of the other three gospels, making it unique.  I want to be unique in what I do as well.

Let’s close this study in prayer:

Father, I thank You for the grace to finish this work.  I commit it to You and Your watchful care and ask that You would use this study so that men may come to know you more fully.  I pray that You will breathe on this study and take it to places where men and women need the Word.  I pray that people will read this and see You, while they know that another John has endeavored to write about the Lord He loves.  Lord, this work was and is a labor of love for You and I thank You for the privilege of looking into Your word and seeing things, by Your grace.  Amen.

As always, I welcome your comments to this week's study. You can write them or find the studies to Corinthians, Colossians, First Timothy, and Matthew's and Mark's gospels on the site where this week's entry is posted. You can also go there to sign up to receive each week's study.

Plus my website archives contains a complete collection of all my verse-by-verse Bible studies from Matthew, Mark, Luke, Acts, Romans, 1&2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1&2 Thessalonians, 1&2 Timothy, Hebrews, James, 1&2 Peter, Hebrews and Revelation, along with the unpublished volumes of The Faith Files.

Download John Study 30

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LETTERS FROM KENYA:   Please, please take the time to read my latest update on the Sophia Fund and the Deborah Foundation here, this time written by three Kenyans. You will see how critical this work is from those who are touched firsthand.  Then give as you can this holiday season.  Your giving will make a big difference in the lives of many children and adults.

Not a lot of money arrived this past week, but a lot of stuff did.  I have no idea how I will get all this over to Kenya, but I am not worried.  I have people going with me in February and we will take as much as we can.  I truly believe that God will work all this out, so I refuse to fret for even one minute.

After you read these updates, I hope you too will act to help today as we approach the Christmas holiday.  I need money and supplies to feed and educate them in a difficult environment. I am grateful for your prayerful and prompt response to the children's needs.  If you need more background or information, go to my blog to see my latest posts or go to my Facebook page. I will figure out a way to get everything to Kenya.  You just figure out a way to get them to me. 

NEXT STUDY:  Remember, you won't receive another study from 1 John until the first week of January. Happy New Year!

John Study 29: 20:1-31

Dear Student of the Word,

We are close to the end. The next installment will be the last one in our study of John's gospel, which we began last January.  I hope you have enjoyed the studies as much as I have, and learned a thing or two along the way.  This week, we look further at the events that came immediately after Jesus' resurrection, including His first appearances to the disciples.  This week I wrote on day seven of this seven-day study:

20:28 – Thomas’ response was to worship the Lord!  He identified Jesus as God and worshipped Him as such.  As I have said throughout these studies, if Jesus accepted this worship and He was not God (which of course He is), then He is worse than a false prophet.  I sat that because some will read scripture and determine that Jesus was a holy man, a righteous prophet, and a moral leader.  He is all those things, but He is also the Lord God, who is worthy of all our worship and praise. 

Thomas responded as every human should respond to Jesus.  Do you like or admire Jesus, or do you worship Him?  There is a big difference.

v. 29 – Jesus told Thomas that he believed because Thomas had seen Jesus scarred body.  Yet He proclaimed that those who have not seen and believed are blessed.  God by His grace appeared to Thomas, giving Thomas what He had required in order to believe.  Jesus did not have to do that, but He did it out of love for Thomas.  This makes me think of what the Lord did for Gideon when Gideon requested and received more than one confirmation of God’s will to bolster Gideon’s faith:

Gideon said to God, "If you will save Israel by my hand as you have promised- look, I will place a wool fleece on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you said." And that is what happened. Gideon rose early the next day; he squeezed the fleece and wrung out the dew—a bowlful of water (Judges 6:36-38).

While you can ask for a “fleece’ like Gideon and Thomas did, there is no guarantee that the Lord will provide one for you.  So best to settle the faith issue once and for all, and learn to trust the Lord with as few stipulations as possible. 

v. 30 – John reported that Jesus did many other miraculous signs for the disciples, also aimed at bolstering their faith for the future work He had for them to do.  Have you seen any miracles?  Do you expect to see any?  When was the last one you witnessed?  Was it personal or for someone else?

v. 31 – John was clear in his purpose for writing and for including the material that he did:  he wanted the reader to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.  It’s good to work with purpose.  Do you know why you are doing what you are doing?

John knew that once the reader believed in Jesus that he or she would then have life in His marvelous name.  Do you have life in all that you do?  Answer truthfully.  Are there activities and roles you play that take life from you and don’t give life to you? Then how connected are those activities to your faith in Christ?  What adjustments do you need to make so that you will have life?

This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live (Deuteronomy 30:19).

As always, I welcome your comments to this week's study. You can write them or find the studies to Corinthians, Colossians, First Timothy, and Matthew's and Mark's gospels on the site where this week's entry is posted. You can also go there to sign up to receive each week's study.

Plus my website archives contains a complete collection of all my verse-by-verse Bible studies from Matthew, Mark, Luke, Acts, Romans, 1&2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1&2 Thessalonians, 1&2 Timothy, Hebrews, James, 1&2 Peter, Hebrews and Revelation, along with the unpublished volumes of The Faith Files.

Download John Study 29

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HELP IS ARRIVING:  A lot of books, toys and other children's supplies arrived this week for The Deborah Foundation. What's more, $155 came in for The Sophia Fund.  I wrote an update on The Sophia Fund the other day, including two emails from Kenya that describe what the latest Sophia Fund allotment has meant for their work. You can read about it here. 

After you read the update, I hope you will act to help today as we approach the Christmas holiday.  I need money and supplies to feed and educate them in a difficult environment. I am grateful for your prayerful and prompt response to the children's needs.  If you need more background or information, go to my blog to see my latest post or go to my Facebook page. I will figure out a way to get everything to Kenya.  You just figure out a way to get them to me. 

DAILY PROVERB: I am now posting a short daily devotional focusing on one verse every day on my blog site. If you would like to read it or subscribe to receive it, just go to my site and register there. I promise to have it updated every day.

John Study 28: 19:17-42

Dear Student of the Word,

It has been two weeks since your last installment from John's gospel. There will only be two more until we are finished when we will move on to John's epistles.  This week we study Jesus' crucifixion, the most heinous form of execution man has ever devised.  This week I wrote on day four of this seven-day study, which you download below:

v. 28 – It seems that fulfilling Scripture was of paramount importance in this whole story in Jesus’ mind.  John told us in John 13 that “Jesus knew” and in this verse He knew as well that His mission was nearing an end.  It helps if you “know” what season or time it is in your life. Then you can act accordingly.  What’s more, God wants you to know.  So where are you going and do you now what time it is?  Here is an example of what I mean:

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith (2 Timothy 4:7).

Paul knew his purpose and the work God had given him to do.  He could say with confidence that he had finished it.  If Paul knew and Jesus knew, you and I can know, too.

v. 29 – Jesus had said he was thirsty and in some small show of compassion, He was given a drink of vinegar.  I am not sure that is what I would want to drink in that situation, and it was interesting that they had wine vinegar nearby.  Jesus had begun His earthly ministry by changing water to wine and ended the first phase by drinking wine that had soured and gone to vinegar.  Jesus drank the cup of suffering that the Father had served and He did it with no shortcuts or easy steps.  Having thirsted for God’s righteousness, He was now given wine vinegar to satisfy His human thirst. 

v. 30 – Jesus took the drink, the final act in this whole sad but necessary drama.  He had received the best that man could give Him at that point – wine vinegar – and then it was time to expire.  Jesus bowed His head and died, or rather it says that He gave up his spirit.  It was not taken from him; He gave it up. This reminds me of what Jesus said elsewhere:

“No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father” (John 10:18).

Are you willingly laying down your life to the will of the Father?  This is to be just as Jesus said: You must pick up your cross and follow Him, dying daily to self and the desires of the flesh. 

v. 31 - Jesus died on a Friday, the day the Jews prepared the Passover, and a special Sabbath was at hand the next day.  The Jews wanted to clean up the road in preparation for the Sabbath celebration, so they asked Pilate to hasten the death of those crucified by breaking their legs.  A crucified person could last for days on the cross, dying an agonizing death and drowning in his own bodily fluids that would fill the lungs.  When their legs were broken, those crucified could not lift themselves up to breathe, using the foot stand to which their feet were nailed. So the Jews wanted them to die faster than it would take without any such intervention.

This again reveals the hypocrisy of the Jews, who wanted Jesus hung but then wanted any evidence of the hanging gone so they could celebrate their Passover and Sabbath.  There is a bit of the Jew in me, for I also want to maintain my religious façade while doing evil deeds, without feeling the slightest pangs of conscience.  Help me, Lord!

As always, I welcome your comments to this week's study. You can write them or find the studies to Corinthians, Colossians, First Timothy, and Matthew's and Mark's gospels on the site where this week's entry is posted. You can also go there to sign up to receive each week's study.

Plus my website archives contains a complete collection of all my verse-by-verse Bible studies from Matthew, Mark, Luke, Acts, Romans, 1&2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1&2 Thessalonians, 1&2 Timothy, Hebrews, James, 1&2 Peter, Hebrews and Revelation, along with the unpublished volumes of The Faith Files.

Download John Study 28

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THE SOPHIA FUND & DEBORAH FOUNDATION:  Books, toys and money have begun to arrive for our Christmas project for the Kenya orphans, with promises of much more to come. This is so much fun to sit back and see what will happen with all this.  I am grateful for your prayerful and prompt response to the children's needs.  To read all about what's going on, go to my blog to see my latest post or go to my Facebook page.  I need books and educational toys and I need you to help me get them. I will figure out a way to get them to Kenya.  You just figure out a way to get them to me. 

I also need help to continue feeding the orphans and widows there from The Sophia Fund.  When you do your Christmas shopping and giving this year, please remember The Sophia Fund and The Deborah Foundation.  I know you will be blessed when you do. 

John Study 27: 18:28-19:16

Dear Student of the Word,

Only three more studies after this and we will finish John's gospel.  It took us all of 2009 to get through, but we have just about made it, by God's grace. This week we look at Jesus' time with Pilate from John's perspective and we learn some things that the other gospels did not include.  In this study, I raise the question of how John knew so much of what happened between Pilate and Jesus, especially since John's gospel was written years after the other gospels.  We will never know.  We don't need to know, however, for there is plenty to study and focus on in this week's account.  This week I wrote on the seventh day of this seven-day study:

v. 13 – Pilate indicated that he was ready to pass judgment as he sat down on the judgment seat.  Perhaps Jesus’ words caused him to be less afraid of the decision as he was about to sentence Jesus to death.  This scenario was ominous and strangely reminiscent of what will take place at the Last Judgment, when God will sit on His throne and judge men.  Here man was judging God.  Pilate was a willing but reluctant player and the Jews were the protagonists. 

v. 14 – It was the day of the Passover celebration, so what meal did the disciples eat with Jesus the night before?  Did they move their Passover dinner up a night because of what would take place with Pilate?  At any rate, Pilate tried once more to impress the people with the gravity of who Jesus was and what they were proposing to do.  The people had their king before them and they cried out that He should be crucified.  In other words, they ordered the slaying of Jesus the Passover Lamb so that all those who apply His blood would be saved from the avenging angel. 

v. 15 – The people shouted that Jesus should be taken away and crucified. Pilate was still bewildered by their demands, or perhaps he was mocking them at this point.  They wanted to crucify one who proclaimed to be their king and he was amused.  He had already washed his hands of the matter and was not in the final stages of passing sentence.  Perhaps he enjoyed the scene of the Jews making fools of themselves, hanging an innocent man.  At any rate, Pilate had done all he could do at that point.

v. 16 – So the Jews declared that they had no king but Caesar and they spoke the truth.  They had rejected God as their king back when they demanded a king in the time of Samuel and nothing had changed.  Those Jews did not want God ruling over them. 

But when they said, "Give us a king to lead us," this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord.  And the Lord told him: "Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will do” (1 Samuel 8:6-9).

So Pilate gave the order and handed Jesus over to be crucified.  From then on, the soldiers were in charge of Jesus and would do what needed to be done to kill Him. 

Forgive us, Lord, for there is a part of me in each one of those involved in this story. I am part the mob, choosing rebellion over submission.  I am part the leaders, who want no King over them but my own limited perspective. There is part Pilate in me, who knows the truth but is too cowardly and weak to carry it out.  And there is part soldier in me, who wants to treat you as I choose and not as you deserve.  Forgive me, Lord.

Can you identify any parts or actions of this cast of characters that are a part of your life, past or present? 

As always, I welcome your comments to this week's study. You can write them or find the studies to Corinthians, Colossians, First Timothy, and Matthew's and Mark's gospels on the site
where this week's entry is posted. You can also go there to sign up to receive each week's study.

Plus my website archives contains a complete collection of all my verse-by-verse Bible studies from Matthew, Mark, Luke, Acts, Romans, 1&2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1&2 Thessalonians, 1&2 Timothy, Hebrews, James, 1&2 Peter, Hebrews and Revelation, along with the unpublished volumes of The Faith Files.

Download John Study 27

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THE SOPHIA FUND & DEBORAH FOUNDATION:  Books, toys and money have begun to arrive for our Christmas project for the Kenya orphans, with promises of much more to come. This is so much fun to sit back and see what will happen with all this.  I am grateful for your prayerful and prompt response to the children's needs.  To read all about what's going on, go to my blog to see my latest post or go to my Facebook page.  I need books and educational toys and I need you to help me get them. I will figure out a way to get them to Kenya.  You just figure out a way to get them to me. 

I also need help to continue feeding the orphans and widows there from The Sophia Fund.  When you do your Christmas shopping and giving this year, please remember The Sophia Fund and The Deborah Foundation.  I know you will be blessed when you do. 

John Study 26: 18:1-27

Dear Student of the Word,

I trust that you are well and in the Word on a regular basis.  I hope that these studies are contributing toward that end in your life. This week we move into John 18 where Jesus is arrested and the events leading to His death unfolded quickly and in secret.  This week I wrote on day seven of this seven-day study:

v. 25 – I am told that the question was posed to Peter in such a way that a ‘no’ answer was expected.  Peter, who was ready to face the Roman army on behalf of his Lord, lost his nerve when he had to face the upper echelon of his own people, the Jews. This was not the last time he would lose nerve in the face of Jewish peer pressure, for many years later, Paul had to confront him about some hypocritical behavior:

When Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he was clearly in the wrong. Before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray (Galatians 2:11-13).

v. 26 – Malchus’ relative also recognized Peter as having been in the Garden with Jesus.  This all happened just as Jesus predicted:

Peter asked, "Lord, why can't I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you." Then Jesus answered, "Will you really lay down your life for me? I tell you the truth, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times!” (John 13:37-39).

Jesus knew Peter better than Peter knew himself, which is no great revelation.  The interesting thing is that we don’t always believe that someone, including God, can know us that well.  I recently had a man come to me who is my age and has had all kinds of job problems.  When I gave him the advice I had and told him what I saw him doing, he politely but categorically rejected what I said.  Now, that is his prerogative and I cannot hear the Spirit for him or direct his life.  Yet he was so confident that he could correct what he had messed up that he quickly and arrogantly brushed aside what I was saying. 

I can’t judge Peter too harshly because I have done the same thing!  I have a master’s degree in economics, but it took me many decades to acknowledge that I am not such a good money manager.  I would mess up and then redouble my efforts to get a handle on things.  I never listened to anyone else; I knew better. Where do you know better than anyone else, thus missing what the Lord may be trying to tell you through them?

Peter knew better.  He was brash and brave but now he was face-to-face with himself and all his weakness.  It was a painful experience as Peter had to look at the reality that he had been denying.  That denial led him to another – the denial that he even knew Jesus, His Lord and Master.

v. 29 – At that moment, the rooster crowed, just as Jesus had predicted and Peter had denied the Lord three times.  I wonder if Peter ever heard a rooster crow again and failed to think of that moment in his life.  When God brings you face-to-face with the ugly side of you, it isn’t meant to be pleasant.  Yet it doesn’t have to be fatal, either.  You can face your own dark side and come out stronger, just like Peter did. 

Later in this gospel, we will see how Jesus made Peter face and relive this incident, not to rub Peter’s nose in the mess, but to help him come to grips with the call and purpose of God on Peter’s life. That purpose could not be accomplished in the same attitude and blind confidence that Peter had expressed in John 13.  It had to be done in the spirit of humility and sense of his need for God’s help in his life.  Are there any lessons in this story for you?  What aren’t you facing that you need to face?  What failure are you trying to cover up or get away from that God wants you to face so you can learn and grow? 

As always, I welcome your comments to this week's study. You can write them or find the studies to Corinthians, Colossians, First Timothy, and Matthew's and Mark's gospels on the site where this week's entry is posted. You can also go there to sign up to receive each week's study.

Plus my website archives contains a complete collection of all my verse-by-verse Bible studies from Matthew, Mark, Luke, Acts, Romans, 1&2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1&2 Thessalonians, 1&2 Timothy, Hebrews, James, 1&2 Peter, Hebrews and Revelation, along with the unpublished volumes of The Faith Files.

Download John Study 26

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KENYA VIDEOS:  I invite you to watch two short videos that I shot at the orphanage I visited in Kenya a few weeks ago. The children sang me a song and the founder said a brief word of thanks.  Once you watch them, read the post below and do what your heart moves you to do to help these children and others like them.

THE SOPHIA FUND & THE DEBORAH FOUNDATION:  I announced last week a new initiative in time for Christmas that will allow you to help me open learning centers all over Kenya.  We will start small, but will deliberately work to help the orphans in Kenya learn how to love books and learning.  You can play an important part in making this happen.  To read all about it, go to my blog to see my latest post or go to my Facebook page.  I need books and educational toys and I need you to help me get them. I will figure out a way to get them to Kenya.  You just figure out a way to get them to me. 

I also need help to continue feeding the orphans and widows there from The Sophia Fund.  When you do your Christmas shopping and giving this year, please remember The Sophia Fund and The Deborah Foundation.  I know you will be blessed when you do. 

John Study 25: 17:1-26

Dear Student of the Word,

It is my privilege to bring you yet another installment from our study of John's gospel. We are nearing the end and have only five more studies after this one, which should allow us to finish John by year's end.  This week we look at Jesus' lengthy prayer in John 17, which is full of evidence that Jesus is divine.  Here is what I wrote on day seven of this week's seven-day study:

17:24 – Was Jesus referring to His heavenly dwelling here?  He wanted His followers to see Him in all His majesty, the majesty that came from the Father on high.  Jesus loved His followers so much that He wanted them to be with Him wherever He was.  That is love!  Jesus wasn’t praying that He could take a break or have a rest.  He pursued His mission to the end and His mission was fellowship with His own as He had fellowship with the Father.  That is pretty impressive in my mind.  Yet again, everything Jesus did, was and is, is impressive.  What unselfishness the Father and Son exhibit. 

The Father loved Jesus before the creation of the world.  That means that they had fellowship before creation, which means that Jesus was eternal, which means that He is God.  As stated earlier, I have never seen these proofs of Jesus’ divinity as clearly as I have seen them in this study.  Thank you, Lord!

v. 25 – The world does not know the Father, and that includes those Jewish leaders who were about to kill Jesus.  They were part of the world’s system and they could not accept Jesus or His disciples.  Jesus called the Father “righteous,” for His ways are only good and pure.  Unrighteous men constantly question God’s intentions and motives, wondering why God would do this and why He doesn’t do that.  Jesus, who has beheld the Father in all His glory, can say that He (the Father) is righteous.

v. 26 – The Son had made the Father known to His followers and will continue to do so.  He will do this so that the love of the Father that is in Him will also be in His followers and so that the Son will also live in the followers.  What a magnificent cooperative effort, where the Father and Son share all things so that each may be revealed and glorified in the disciples.  There is no territorialism in the Father and Son. They share with one another freely.  They also share with those who believe in them as well.

As you can tell, this entire chapter has impacted me as I have studied and written.  I have never seen the interconnection between the Father, the Son and the believers as I have in this study.  We are not just observers in this process, we are participants and we share freely in the love and unity of the Father and Son.  We have the same love in us and their presence and glory are revealed to us.  Praise You, Lord! 

There is no way to participate in these blessings without first putting faith in the Son, Jesus Christ.  He is the door to all of these blessings and the union with God the Father.  Jesus did not say He was one way to the Father; He said He is the only way.  Therefore, anyone who wants this union with God but who does not want to obtain it through Jesus, cannot obtain it any other way.

Jesus was clear as to who He was, His relationship to the Father and what He could provide for His followers.  For there to be another way to the Father makes Jesus a liar, which cannot be the case.  You and I have the good news of this way to God, which is why we must urgently share it. There is no other way to God. 

As always, I welcome your comments to this week's study. You can write them or find the studies to Corinthians, Colossians, First Timothy, and Matthew's and Mark's gospels on the site where this week's entry is posted. You can also go there to sign up to receive each week's study.

Plus my website archives contains a complete collection of all my verse-by-verse Bible studies from Matthew, Mark, Luke, Acts, Romans, 1&2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1&2 Thessalonians, 1&2 Timothy, Hebrews, James, 1&2 Peter, Hebrews and Revelation, along with the unpublished volumes of The Faith Files.

Download John Study 25

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RETURN HOME:  I just returned from a great visit to the UK and Kenya but I am ready to get back to work here at home.  I visited the ministries who are receiving The Sophia Fund money and I was pleased with what I saw.  I will have a report for you soon.

I am also planning to start what I am calling The Deborah Foundation, which will begin to establish children's libraries and learning centers around Kenya.  I will announce a special Christmas promotion when I will ask you to buy an educational toy or book for the children (ages 8 and under) and send it me.  I will then transport them over and set up three such centers next year.  Watch this space for more information in the weeks to come of how you can buy a toy for the Kids in Kenya. 

And don't forget to give your $5 or more to The Sophia Fund.  When you see the pictures and read my report, I know you will see what a good investment it is and how much good it is doing.  For now, you can read my last report on The Sophia Fund here, which includes instructions on how to give. 

John Study 24: 16:1-33

Dear Student of the Word,

Greetings from cloudy England! I have had a great visit so far, having spoken six time - reconnecting with old friends and making new ones.  I have been doing a lot of writing while here, working on this week's attached and working on school papers.  I feel at times like I am more productive while on the road simply because there are less distractions:  I sit in my hotel and write. 

At any rate, this week we proceed into Jesus' words in John 16, where He spent a great deal of time comforting the disciples concerning His imminent departure.  Their relationship would change for the better once He had left, for the Spirit would come to lead, teach and guide.  Yet it was not easy for the men to grasp that at that point.  So this week I wrote on day three of this seven-day study:

16:12 – Jesus was full of things He wanted to say as He prepared to depart.  Yet He knew that the men were not ready to receive it all.  Jesus knew the hearts and condition of those who followed Him.  I want the same kind of sensitivity.  I know I have shared too much with some who were not ready to hear what I had to say.  I was not sensitive to their situation or their ability to accept and comprehend the truth, or at least the truth as I saw it.  Help me, Lord, to be a good shepherd like Jesus was and is.

v. 13 – Jesus did not have to share it all, for the Spirit was coming who lead and guide them into all truth. We see the Spirit working and moving in the book of Acts, as these same men came to realize more fully their purpose and the work God had called them to do.  What’s more, the Spirit gave them the power to do it all. 

Jesus promised that the Spirit was coming to continue the work and teaching that He had introduced. This Spirit was coming from God and was God, or else He could not have done what Jesus promised He would do.  The Sprit would not speak on His own initiative, but would share what Jesus said according to the Father’s purpose.

v. 14 – Jesus came to glorify the Father, the Spirit would glorify Jesus the Son.  And the Father would glorify them both.  The Spirit is a teaching Spirit, for He takes what belongs to Jesus and shares it with Jesus’ followers.  Therefore the Spirit must know who those followers are, another indication that He is the Lord God Himself.  He knows all things and teaches all things.  I know I have never seen such biblical evidence for the reality of the unity in the Godhead as I have in this study of John.  Can you see it too? 

v. 15 – So the Spirit will take what belongs to Jesus and share it with the disciples, but all that Jesus has came from the Father.  Do you see how interconnected they are?  How they take from one another, glorify one another and are unified in their work and purpose, even though their roles vary?  I have seen more on this subject than I ever have and I am grateful for what God is showing me.  These studies over the last eight years have changed my life.  I know they have changed others as well, for they have told me so.

v. 16 – Jesus told them a bit of a riddle, that they would not see him and then see Him again.  We look back and know that Jesus was referring to His death and subsequent resurrection.  The disciples did not understand and could not even comprehend it fully when He did come back to life.  That is what Holy Spirit came to do: Provide the witness and conviction that Jesus was and is alive.

As always, I welcome your comments to this week's study. You can write them or find the studies to Corinthians, Colossians, First Timothy, and Matthew's and Mark's gospels on the site where this week's entry is posted. You can also go there to sign up to receive each week's study.

Plus my website archives contains a complete collection of all my verse-by-verse Bible studies from Matthew, Mark, Luke, Acts, Romans, 1&2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1&2 Thessalonians, 1&2 Timothy, Hebrews, James, 1&2 Peter, Hebrews and Revelation, along with the unpublished volumes of The Faith Files.

Download John Study 24

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1. THE SOPHIA FUND UPDATE:  I will be in Kenya next week and have set a time to visit the orphans and those overseeing The Sophia Fund when I am there.  I am excited and grateful that the fund continues to grow. You can read my latest report on The Sophia Fund here (written about three weeks ago).  You can also read about my rationale for The Fund here (named after my late mother).

Now that the Revelation Project is complete, please consider a contribution of at least $5 toward the fund and hopefully more. You can use the "Chipin" widget on the Monday Memo site to contribute, or go directly to my website to contribute there through PayPal, or send a tax-deductible check to PurposeQuest, PO Box 91099, Pittsburgh, PA 15221. Make sure you let me know it is for The Sophia Fund. Don't delay; give today and make a difference in the world.

2. DAILY PROVERB: I am now posting a short daily devotional focusing on one verse every day on my blog site. If you would like to read it or subscribe to receive it, just go to my site and register there. I promise to have it updated every day.

John Study 23: 14:25-15:27

Dear Student of the Word,

We continue our journey through John's gospel this week and look at Jesus' last words to His disciples. This week we look at Jesus famous words about bearing fruit and abiding in the Him as a branch would abide in a vine. On the fifth day of this seven-day study, which you can download below, I wrote:

15:14 – The relationship with Jesus isn’t one of servant and master, but one of friendship. It is easier to stay in a servant relationship where you say, “Lord, I will do whatever You want me to do.” That is a good thing.  Yet God wants your relationship to grow and develop to the place where you perform His commands not because you are ordered to do so, but because you choose to do so, before you are ever commanded to do this or that. Many are comfortable with being God’s servant; they are less comfortable with being God’s friend.  Are you a friend of Jesus?

v. 15 – If Jesus no longer thought of the disciples as servants but friends, then the disciples should see themselves as friends as well.  The same is true for you.  There may be a time of training and discipling when you are a servant and God directs you very specifically.  Yet the goal isn’t for that to be perpetuated, but that you graduate to become a friend at some point in time. Jesus wants to share the Father’s business with you – the ways and things of God – and once He does and you prove your faithfulness, you can be a friend and not a slave.  Does this make sense?  Do you want to be a friend of God?

Friends are not ordered to do this and that.  They do things out of love, not compulsion. They also do things from the heart.  Are you a friend of God or a servant of God?  Yes, you are both, but the ultimate goal is for you be a friend in your service to Him.

v. 16 – Jesus stated that He chose you and me to go and bear fruit – fruit that will last.  There are some who see this as a statement that the Lord made only to those present at the Last Supper and that they in turn went and bore fruit all over the world.  I would think that this address was given to those men on behalf of all disciples everywhere for all time.  That is why the Spirit had John record this:  not as a historical report but as a mandate for the future.

If that is true, then it leads to a few questions you must ask yourself:

1. What is my fruit?  What has God appointed me to produce?
2. Where should I go?  What is the sphere or world in which God wants me to bear     fruit?
3. Are my prayers being answered where my fruit is concerned?
4. Is my work and fruit glorifying the Father?

v. 17 – Jesus kept returning to the main point of His message: Love one another. Yet this command was not new at all, for Jesus referred to it when asked what the greatest commandment was:

This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments” (Matthew 22:38-40).

Do you love your brothers and sisters?  How can you tell that you do?

v. 18 – Jesus warned that the world, those not part of God’s family, would not love the disciples. They hated Jesus and would hate His followers.  Does this hatred surprise you?  It should not, for the hatred, while directed at you, is really hatred toward God!  It is hard to imagine that anyone would hate our God, but they do and they take their hatred out on His saints. 

As always, I welcome your comments to this week's study. You can write them or find the studies to Corinthians, Colossians, First Timothy, and Matthew's and Mark's gospels on the site where this week's entry is posted. You can also go there to sign up to receive each week's study.

Plus my website archives contains a complete collection of all my verse-by-verse Bible studies from Matthew, Mark, Luke, Acts, Romans, 1&2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1&2 Thessalonians, 1&2 Timothy, Hebrews, James, 1&2 Peter, Hebrews and Revelation, along with the unpublished volumes of The Faith Files.

Download John Study 23

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1. GOOD NEWS FOR THE REVELATION PROJECT!  Hallelujah!  We reached our goal!  Enough money came in to get the matching grant with a little extra left over.  Thank you, thank you, thank you for your help, giving and prayers that enabled us to see this campaign come to a successful conclusion.  Now I will work on cleaning up the manuscript and will try to have it published by year's end.  I will keep you posted.

2. THE SOPHIA FUND UPDATE:  I will be in Kenya from September 28 to October 4 and have set a time to visit the orphans and those overseeing The Sophia Fund when i am there.  I am excited that the fund continues to grow.  Last week about $200 came in again and I am truly grateful.  You can read my latest report on The Sophia Fund here (written about three weeks ago).  You can also read about my rationale for The Fund here (named after my late mother).

Now that the Revelation Project is complete, please consider a contribution of at least $5 toward the fund and hopefully more. You can use the "Chipin" widget on the Monday Memo site to contribute, or go directly to my website to contribute there through PayPal, or send a tax-deductible check to PurposeQuest, PO Box 91099, Pittsburgh, PA 15221. Make sure you let me know it is for The Sophia Fund. Don't delay; give today and make a difference in the world.

3. DAILY PROVERB: I am now posting a short daily devotional focusing on one verse every day on my blog site. If you would like to read it or subscribe to receive it, just go to my site and register there. I promise to have it updated every day.