Having revisited the "4 Bridges to Nowhere" we have seen that nowhere is really nowhere and nowhere is a dead end, a terminal aloneness and an empty eternity. As we quoted at the end of each they were found “...too dangerous to continue on so we make a u-turn called repentance and on the other side of that repentant exchange for forgiveness lies the vision of a new bridge, Bridge 5, the Bridge to Eternity.”

We know that Bridge 5 is the Lord Jesus Himself. This is not a bridge that…

Bridge 4. Love. Jn.12:25 “Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.”

What makes this bridge of 'love for life' so different from the identity, saving and lifestyle bridges that precede it? In order to answer that question we have to allow the overall context of John's…

Bridge 3. Lifestyle. Lk.17:33 “Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it.” In Luke a lifestyle is hung onto but then lost.

Lifestyle...It's the way we choose to put our ducks in a row everyday so that we can say to ourselves and others 'This is the way to live.' One way we express that is in how we dress for others simply because 'they' will have an opinion about me as soon as they see me. Who are we dressing for? Who are we playing…

Bridge 2. Moment. Mk.8:35-36 “For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” In Mark each moment of life seems saved then lost.

The emphasis on this bridge is found in Mark using the same expression as Matthew (Gk. eneken emou, for my sake) but with a slightly different flavor. Mark is more direct. He uses it to say 'for me.' He sees…

Now we come to the true bridge. But first we need to revisit the other four that lead to nowhere. The reason will become obvious as we move toward them again and see if they are the ones we might have traveled across. Those travels could very well be a testimony waiting to be shared.

Bridge 1. Identity. Mt.10:39 “Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.” In Matthew an identity is found that then is lost.

Bridge 2. Moment.…

4 Bridges Continued

You've probably heard the term “cut flower Christianity.” In our visit to the 4 bridges leading to nowhere this term is a good description when you take perfectly good blessings from the Lord God, separate them from Him and, like flowers cut from their roots, they end up withering and dying. It's subtle as it travels from God's…

Something new is happening here as it will throughout the Gospel. Jesus has declared His being the promised Messiah. He declared it to a woman. He declared it to her alone. He declared it to her because it was His Father's will at that moment, in that way and in those words. With Jesus we must remember everything He said and did was His Father's will (John 12:49-50). The Father was bringing Jesus to to give a whole new perspective to human living, a spiritual perspective that would depend on…

It's All About You

It's all about you. This very moment is about you. It's about you because you are important and I want to get you to think about why that is so. In fact, when you do think about it, everything that is written is written to get your attention. People write to get your attention. Politicians want your attention, businesses want…

Bridge 4

Remember the first three bridges to nowhere:

First, find. Mt.10:39 “Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.” In Matthew an identity is found (Gk., euron) that then is lost. Bridge…

Bridge 3

First, find. Mt.10:39 “Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.” In Matthew an identity is found (Gk., euron---find) that then is lost. Bridge One.…

Bridge 2

The four bridges are find, save, keep and love. We have crossed the first bridge 'find', the bridge of identity and the desert appeared. Now we come to another bridge called 'save.' Where will it bring us?…

We have just come through the primary theme of the Gospel of John, thinking, trusting and acting spiritually. Receiving Jesus as personal Savior and Lord enables us to be born spiritually which is our second birth. That means we have His Word to spiritualize our mind, His attitude to spiritualize our heart and His faith to give our spirit new motivation. By being born a second time spiritually means the image of God in us has been spiritualized, given new life. With this in mind we return to…

Part 1 Is There a Rainbow At the End of Rose Street?

When you come right down to it there are only two kinds of life, life with God spiritually centered in Him and life sinfully self-centered without Him. Life with Him is personal, spiritual and eternal. Life without Him is one big question mark, lonely, confusing, anxiety ridden and exhausting, ending with the last beat of the physical heart. Life with God brings clarity about what you can't see and clarity about how to handle what…

First, we want to look at the background for Chapter 3 that will give us a foundation for the rest of John's Gospel.

Pharisees (Hebrew---'separated ones.'). Basically the fundamentalists of their day. They were the opposite of the Sadducees. As to origin, probably back to the Maccabean revolt in 2nd century BC. Politically, the Pharisees were the religious conservatives and the Sadducees were liberal and less spiritual, therefore more willing to compromise with external powers.…

“What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul (Mk.8:36)?”

You go to the Kentucky Derby. It's all about the horses but then it's also about the hats and then the bets, the winnings, the horses' next races, the pageantry and the ability to say “I was there for the race.”

You go to the Super Bowl, the World Cup, the Master's, Wimbledon, the Olympics and the College Championships (pick a sport). It's the same. And think of the cost for all of it not…

Gospel of John 2 Outline

Now, About John the Baptist.......

Think about the common practice that dominates our cell phone use, 'selfies.' Suppose every time we look in a cellphone to take a 'selfie' we see Jesus. That is the basic purpose of the Gospel of John.

Continuing ideas from the Gospel of John to keep in mind: Beginning, Word, Uniqueness, Newness, Looking Forward, Availability, Spiritual Thinking, Jesus Consciousness, Every Next Moment (Event), Life, Light…

Matthew 25:1-13

The context is the end of time as we know it and the return of Jesus. The theme is preparation for His return. But it is also something else that has to do with right now. What is the goal and substance of that preparation? You'll have to have the parable in front of you as your read this.

Let's take it a section at a time:

“At that time” refers obviously to the moment of the Lord's return but suppose we are in a situation of conflict or one where a…

There is an old two box cartoon that makes a point. The first box shows two psychiatrists passing each other in a hallway. They each say 'Good morning.' In the second box the balloon over each of their heads conveys the same thought, “I wonder what he meant by that?” A lot can be drawn out of it: a wry statement about psychiatric methodology, the aloneness we all have when we try to figure each other out, the way words carry unique meaning for us in terms of past experience. Even doctors of…

The Gospel of John is designed to get us to think spiritually. When you allow your mind to take that trip it opens up the reality the Lord wants for us. Paul's realization of this fact gives us a starting point to put John's Gospel in a premier context especially when you see the connectedness that occurs in all of Scripture. Follow along on this theme:

Php.4:7, “And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” is the basis…

The Gospel of John

A common theme in 1:1-4:54 is the idea of newness. In Jesus something new happened. Actually newness is the theme of the whole Gospel not only in John but in the '-New-' Testament as well. It is a change in perspective. There has been a shift, a replacement of the old with the new, a new revelation from the physical to the spiritual, from Law to heart, from institution to relationship, from 12 tribes (bloodline) to 12 disciples (heartline). The point is that newness…