In Jesus' final public teaching in the Gospel of John (10:22-42), the people of Jerusalem tried to pin him down. They wanted him to declare openly who he was. In keeping with his indirect public style, Jesus pointed them to his words and works. He also boldly declared, "I and the Father are one." This statement sent them looking for rocks to stone him, since they thought he was a man who made himself out to be God. They grasped that he claimed identity with God, but they got things exactly backwards. (sermon notes)
In John 13:18-38, we pick up the conversation between Jesus and his disciples over dinner. After he had washed their feet, he announced that...
God opened the floodgates of the gospel in Antioch, bringing Jews and Gentiles together in Christ, strengthening their faith such that they sacrificially sent...
In the letter to the church in Philadelphia in Revelation 3:7-13, we read the second of two letters that contains only praise and encouragement...