“And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there, 23 except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me. 24 But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.” (Acts 20:22-24)
Paul is led by the Holy Spirit to Jerusalem.
ONLY GOD CAN FORGIVE SIN
“And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.’ 6 Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, 7 ‘Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?’” (Mark 2:5-7, ESV)
Imagine a scenario for a moment: A small group of people break into your house while you are away and steal whatever it is that they want.
“But the angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he is risen, as he said. Come see the place where he lay.” (Matthew 28:5-6)
Tomorrow is the day in which large numbers of Christians around the world celebrate the crucified Son of God being raised from the dead. The implications of the resurrection are countless and could be thought on for the rest our lives with no fear of coming to the end of what the resurrection of Jesus meant and means.
The study of Bible translations is helpful mainly because it provides a good base for understanding why the Bible you use reads like it does. Through experience we know the New International Version (NIV) does not read like the English Standard Version (ESV) and the New American Standard Bible (NASB) does not read like the King James Version (KJV) and yet they are all the word of God.
“Jesus answered him, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.’” (John 3:3, ESV)
John 3:3 is the verse that George Whitefield most often preached from during his life. When asked why he always preached that people had to be born again, he responded saying, “Because, you must be born again.”
Here in John 3 we are introduced to Nicodemus.
“Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” (John 20:30-31)
In the 20th chapter of John’s gospel, the Apostle gives us the reason for why he wrote. John writes that Jesus performed many other signs while he was here. He even goes so far at the end of the gospel to say that had every one of the things that Jesus did been written down, the world would not have enough room to contain all of the books that were written.
“Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” (John 20:30-31)
In the 20th chapter of John’s gospel, the Apostle gives us the reason for why he wrote. John writes that Jesus performed many other signs while he was here. He even goes so far at the end of the gospel to say that had every one of the things that Jesus did been written down, the world would not have enough room to contain all of the books that were written.
“Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” (John 20:30-31)
In the 20th chapter of John’s gospel, the Apostle gives us the reason for why he wrote. John writes that Jesus performed many other signs while he was here. He even goes so far at the end of the gospel to say that had every one of the things that Jesus did been written down, the world would not have enough room to contain all of the books that were written.
“Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” (John 20:30-31)
In the 20th chapter of John’s gospel, the Apostle gives us the reason for why he wrote. John writes that Jesus performed many other signs while he was here. He even goes so far at the end of the gospel to say that had every one of the things that Jesus did been written down, the world would not have enough room to contain all of the books that were written.
“Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.” (Matthew 3:8, NIV)
There is a way for a person to show oneself to be as one who has never repented (turned from that which is far from God and moved towards God). This type of person was written about by the Apostle John in 1 John 2:18-19. This (false repentance) happens to be the same reality that John the Baptist is warning against in his call to the Pharisees and Sadducees when he called them to produce fruit in keeping with repentance.
