February 3, 2025
LOVING LIKE JESUS
As we partake of the loaf and the cup, we remember the One who loved us enough to die for us. Let us strive to love as he loved so we can be as close to him as possible.
Articles for tag: John 4
October 31, 2024
The Laws of Giving and Receiving
John 4 tells the story of a divine appointment that began with a woman far from God, but ended with many coming to know Jesus as the Savior of the world.
February 5, 2024
Feb. 11 Lesson | Signs and Wonders
The Bible has a love/hate relationship with signs or miracles. On the one hand they can engender faith (John 10:25). On the other hand they can derail faith in the miracle worker (John 6:26). . . .
December 11, 2023
Dec. 17 Lesson | The Water that Gives Life
In his encounter with the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well, Jesus shattered gender, ethnic, religious, social, and cultural barriers. . . .
September 28, 2022
1990 NACC President Richard D. Hogan Dies
Dr. Richard D. Hogan, 88, died Tuesday in Bella Vista, Ark. He was a longtime minister with First Christian Church in Council Bluffs, Iowa, and then with NewLife Christian Church in Bella Vista, Ark. He served as president of the 1990 North American Christian Convention and was a longtime member of the Publishing Committee at Standard Publishing.
July 7, 2020
Discovery Questions for July 12, 2020
(These Discovery questions go with the Bible lesson for July 12, 2020: “Perfect Love Living in Me” For a detailed explanation of how to use Discovery Bible Study, click here.) By Leigh Mackenzie 1. Name one thing for which you are grateful today. 2. What challenges did you encounter last week as you sought to walk in obedience to God’s Word? • Did you share God’s love with anyone this past week? If so, tell us more about it! Ask three people—two readers and one reteller—to help. Ask the two readers to read 1 John 3:24 one after the
July 17, 2015
Mel McGowan’s Thought Leaders
We asked 35 Christian leaders, “Who is the influencer with the biggest impact on your life and ministry?” Most of these leaders listed several influential thinkers, writers, innovators, and leaders more of us should get to know. This response is from Mel McGowan, president of Visioneering Studios, Irvine, California. ________ Eric O. Jacobsen: He has been one of the best theologians of space and an “interpreter” of our contemporary cities and communities through his advocacy of “New Urbanism,” which describes the maturing of the American suburban dream into a denser, more diverse, polycentric, postmodern reality. Dave Gibbons: David is my Jedi kung
May 20, 2015
The Myth of the Supreme Leader
By Jim Tune In 2007 a Southern California woman named Jacqueline Gagne claimed she made 16 holes in one””10 of them in less than a four-month period. A statistician determined the odds of that occurring to be 12 septillion to 1. As far-fetched as that sounds, Gagne holds nothing on Kim Jong-il, the former “Supreme Leader” of North Korea. During his reign as the unchallenged leader of the secretive nation, Kim, according to official North Korean state media reports, routinely shot three or four holes in one per round of golf. But Kim”s greatest feat occurred the very first day
March 15, 2015
Balm in Gilead
By Jay Engelbrecht There is balm in Gilead, To make the wounded whole; There”s power enough in heaven, To cure a sin-sick soul. The opening line of an old African-American spiritual answers Jeremiah”s rhetorical question, “Is there no balm in Gilead[?]” (Jeremiah 8:22, King James Version*). In Marilynne Robinson”s novel Gilead, I discovered balm for my soul. The novel”s narrator, a fictional Iowa preacher named John Ames, is dying. He uses his remaining days to write an account of his life for his young son. Three sentences in Gilead changed the way I view 1 Corinthians 15:51-53, which reads: Listen,
March 4, 2015
Life Starts Now
By Jim Tune Most people live their whole lives on either side of now. In her memoir, Eat, Pray, Love, Elizabeth Gilbert writes about a friend who, whenever she sees a beautiful place, exclaims in a near panic, “It”s so beautiful here! I want to come back here someday!” Gilbert writes, “It takes all of my persuasive powers to try to convince her that she is already here.” Often we”re so trapped in thoughts of the future or the past that we forget to experience, let alone enjoy, what”s happening right now. Most negative thoughts concern one”s past. Most anxious
January 10, 2015
A Healthy Church Is Evangelistic
By David Bycroft About 20 years ago during a doctor”s visit, I learned I had some serious health problems. My doctor described my problems and what would happen if I did not address them. Part of me wanted to ignore the situation and go on living like nothing was wrong. After all, everything on the surface seemed just fine. Instead, with the urging of my wife, we began making some lifestyle changes that would improve my quality of life and give me a better chance at quantity of life. It would have been foolish to ignore my doctor”s advice and
December 18, 2012
Merry Christmas
By Boyce Mouton Merry Christmas! This is among the most familiar phrases in the English language. It brightens the eyes of little children, brings cheer to those imprisoned on beds of suffering, and gives hope to those in dungeons of despair. In spite of political correctness, these precious words still echo throughout every city and village in America. Even those who do not read, speak, or understand the English language, can say these words with a smile and find blessed relief from the difficulties of life. Merry Christmas! These words are music to the ears of our brave men and
April 16, 2012
Lesson for April 22, 2012: Samaritan Woman Finds Living Water (John 4:1-42)
This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. ______ By Sam E. Stone Early in Jesus” ministry he reached out to those ignored or snubbed by others. The Samaritans were such a group. Considered “half-breeds,” these were the children of Jews who had intermarried with pagans. Many from the Northern Kingdom were exiled years before, but some remained in the land. They married Gentiles brought to live there by the conquering Assyrians, and became known as Samaritans. Today”s lesson takes place early in Jesus” ministry in Samaria””the central part
September 30, 2011
My Appetite
By Chris DeWelt “My food . . . “ It was quite tasty. A large whole lamb fixed in a traditional Albanian way””stuffed with rice. Really good rice. It even had some almonds and bits of liver mixed in. The college students all looked my way with some degree of uncertainty. Maybe it was because the whole lamb was present (minus the wool and hide). Fish with the head attached is one thing, but this definitely was stretching the comfort zone, and here in Durres, Albania, we had already been stretched quite a bit. Perhaps I was a bit
October 14, 2007
Finding and Focusing on Living Water
By Greg Allen Jesus had traveled half the distance between Judea and Galilee, and was resting in Samaria beside a very famous well. A Samaritan woman arrived at the same well. We do not know her name, but I call her Sam. Jesus and Sam had a short conversation about water, which gave Jesus the opportunity to tell Sam something that could change her life. He told her if she continued to drink only well water, she would continue to be thirsty. But if Sam would drink from the living water Jesus gives, her thirst would be quenched . .
