“No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God.” (1 John 3:9)

John continues to hammer the truth into our hearts. To believe in God or as he now phrases it – to be born of God – means we have been changed. Listen to John’s description of those who are born of God:

• everyone who does what is right has been born of Him (1 John 2:29)
• no one who is born of God will continue to sin (1 John 3:9)
• he cannot go on sinning, because he is born of God (1 John 3:9)
• everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God (1 John 4:7)
• everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God (1 John 5:1)
• everyone born of God overcomes the world (1 John 5:4)
• anyone born of God does not continue to sin (1 John 5:18)

No difference remains between word and deed. Belief and action become perfectly united. The new life God brings breathes consistency. This is the miracle of rebirth!

In his gospel, John quotes Jesus saying, “I tell you the truth, unless a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3) Jesus describes a spiritual process. “Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’” (John 3:6-7)

Deadened by sin, my true self – my spirit – requires regeneration. Being born of God refers to transformation of the spirit brought about by God’s Spirit.

God in heaven, I believe Your Spirit has the power to change me. Show me how to live in the reality that I have been born of God. Amen

Question: How has the miracle of rebirth been evident in your life?

Are you struggling in your marriage? There is hope!

One of the rulers of the synagogue whose name was Jairus fell at the feet of Jesus and said, “Please come to my daughter who is dying. Come and lay your hands on her so that she will be healed and live” (Luke 8:40-56; Mark 5:35-43, NIV).

The twelve year old girl was not able to come to Jesus, she was too sick. So her father went on her behalf. He brought Jesus to her.

When Jesus, Peter, John and James neared the house, there was loud weeping and wailing. The little girl had died. The situation looked hopeless to all but Jesus. He walked up to the girl’s bed, grasped her hand and said, “Little girl, I say to you, get up.” Instantly her spirit returned and she stood up and walked around. Then Jesus told her parents to give her something to eat.

Some of our children and friends are like that little girl. They cannot come to Jesus on their own. Maybe they are too hurt, too mired in false doctrine and unbelief. They are spiritually dead.

That’s where our prayers come in–we can bring Jesus to them. He understands the problem completely and he’s the one who can help them. He can open blind eyes and deaf ears. He can cause the spiritually dead to come to new life. “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26, NIV).

So, let’s keep praying for them. Let’s keep bringing Jesus to them.

Dear Jesus, I pray that you will come to …………………….  (include name) in a very personal and profound way so that he/she will know that you are real and that you care. May they come to new life in Christ.  Amen.

Questions: Has there been a situation in your life where you were too weak to go to God on your own but someone went for you and God heard that prayer? Can you tell us about it? What lesson can we learn from Jairus?

In the final study of our “Portraits of the Christ” series, we once again have opportunity to visit a word picture given to us by Jesus Christ Himself. We take an imaginary journey to a place of growth and fruitfulness, and are reminded that close connection to the vine is required if we are to live life to the fullest. Join us as we focus on the words of Jesus in John 15, where He declares “I am the Vine.”

Key passage – John 11

Take time to revisit a scene in the earthly life and ministry of Jesus, the Christ. Gaze at the people found there. Imagine their thoughts and emotions, and ask God to clearly see Jesus for who He is. Put yourself in their sandals, and consider the events of that day with me. What can you learn about Jesus in this account? How will you as an individual respond to this one who is called “the Christ”?

Key passage – John 14

Imagine yourself with a good friend or a close family member. You’ve done nearly everything together for the past several months or years. You’ve grown to know each others likes and dislikes, and you may even be able to finish parts of each other’s sentences. You have grown in respect for one another, and you might even say you love this individual.  You may even say that you’d be willing to die for this one, but then you hear, “I’m going away, but we’ll meet again.”

When, you ask? Where? How will you know where to find this friend? Let’s rejoin the followers of Jesus, shortly before his death, as they express similar questions and concerns. In this study we turn to the Gospel of John. For background, we’ll briefly highlight the events of chapter 13, and then we’ll camp out in John 14 for most of this study.

Although the camera had not yet been invented, the Bible gives us a number of word pictures to portray Jesus, the Christ. Each captures a different facet of His character, His life and His mission. In this study, we turn our attention to “the good Shepherd,” Jesus Christ. Join us as we consider this description found in John 10.

Although the camera had not yet been invented, the Bible gives us a number of word pictures to portray Jesus, the Christ. Each captures a different facet of His character, His life and His mission. In this discussion we will highlight encounter with a man who had been blind from birth. Let’s focus our gaze on this portrait and attend to what God teaches us about Himself and our relationship to Him.

Although the camera had not yet been invented, the Bible gives us a number of word pictures to portray Jesus, the Christ. Each captures a different facet of His character, His life and His mission. Join us as we focus our gaze on these portraits and attend to what God teaches us about Himself and our relationship to Him.

This study and the next will be closely tied together. We will focus our attention on John 10, where Jesus talks about a shepherd and his sheep. At the close of this study, we will ask: What does this portrait or word picture tell us about Jesus? What does it tell us about ourselves? Keep this in mind as we go through the discussion.

Although the camera had not yet been invented, the Bible gives us a number of word pictures to portray Jesus, the Christ. Each captures a different facet of His character, His life and His mission. Join us as we focus our gaze on John chapter six and attend to what God teaches us about Himself and our relationship to Him.

In this study we begin to look at a number of snapshots in the life of Jesus Christ. The story of the first is found in John 6. There was growing interest among the people of Israel in this new teacher and miracle-worker. After all, God had seemingly been silent for over four hundred years at this time, and now there was a growing interest in this teacher. Some seemed to think he’d been sent from God. For years there had not been the kind of miracles that they were hearing about in recent weeks. They said this man had turned water into wine at a wedding, and people were being healed.

Looking through an old photo album can lead us on a trip down memory lane. We are reminded of events that we might otherwise forget. We have an opportunity to treasure special moments we’d spent with special friends and family members, recalling a smile, a laugh, an encouraging conversation or even a challenge they’d given us!

Long before the advent of photography, artists would render portraits of special people or events. Even words can “paint a picture.” Let’s look together at some word pictures and several events that show us “the Christ.” Wonder anew at who He is!