The Vinedresser prunes the living vines and removes the dead ones. The end result is more beautiful fruit.
Jesus gives a new commandment that his followers would love one another, and that by doing so, outsiders would be drawn to the family of God.
This scene revealing the betrayal of Judas also reveals the beauty of Jesus. He will be glorified, but will we turn and be justified?
Jesus ends his public ministry with a summation. Will we believe or persist in unbelief?
For the good of the local church, elders are servant leaders while deacons provide compassionate care. Together, they exercise authority under the ultimate authority, Jesus Christ.
Jesus declares himself the resurrection and the life, precisely while in the midst of death and weeping. If true, he must change every aspect of our lives, even our grief.
Jesus takes the divine name of God—the great “I AM”—leaving us with a choice: reject him completely or receive him as Lord and Savior.
When we overcome our own prejudices against people different than us, we can befriend them. By this, God creates the true church - representatives from every tribe, tongue, and nation…
Humans search endlessly, working to fix themselves and earn God’s favor. And yet, the only “work” God requires is faith in His Son.
Jesus is God. He has the authority to give life and to judge. And so, we cannot be right with God without believing and honoring Jesus.