John 12

Inspirational illustration of John 12:31-46 -- Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.

"Dear Beloved Disciple, What would it be worth to have someone precious to you raised from the dead? I don't ask this question to be morbid or..."

"Dear Child of God, What drew you to follow Me? What called your heart to open up to Me? What convinced you that We — Father, Son, and Spirit..."

"But despite all the miraculous signs Jesus had done, most of the people still did not believe in him. This is exactly what Isaiah the prophet had..."

"[Jesus continued,] "I will not judge those who hear me but don't obey me, for I have come to save the world and not to judge it. But all who reject me..."

"[About his upcoming crucifixion, Jesus continued,] "Now my soul is deeply troubled. Should I pray, 'Father, save me from this hour'? But this is the....."

"Some Greeks who had come to Jerusalem for the Passover celebration paid a visit to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee. They said, "Sir, we want..."

Go ahead, plant a seed. See it disappear into the dirt. But, don't forget! Phil Ware continues his four week series on seed, towel, promise, and torchlight focusing on the power of the Seed to overcome dirt, darkness, and death.

"[As the crowd with palm branches was praising Jesus, he] found a young donkey and rode on it, fulfilling the prophecy that said: "Don't be afraid,....."

"[Jesus continued,] "The time for judging this world has come, when Satan, the ruler of this world, will be cast out. And when I am lifted up from the...."

"[When Jesus referred to his crucifixion, the] crowd responded, "We understood from Scripture that the Messiah would live forever. How can you say the...."

"Six days before the Passover celebration began, Jesus arrived in Bethany, the home of Lazarus — the man he had raised from the dead. A dinner was..."

"When all the people heard of Jesus' arrival, they flocked to see him and also to see Lazarus, the man Jesus had raised from the dead. Then the leading..."

"[After Mary anointed Jesus' feet with expensive perfume,] Judas Iscariot, the disciple who would soon betray [Jesus], said, "That perfume was worth a...."

"[After saying his time had come, Jesus continued,] "I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone....."

"Many in the crowd had seen Jesus call Lazarus from the tomb, raising him from the dead, and they were telling others about it. That was the reason so...."

Jesus had many opportunities to walk away from the shame and pain of the cross, but he chose the Father's will and our need over his comfort. James Nored and Phil Ware remind us of the dark night that began the long, painful, and lonely journey of Jesus through his Passion to bring us to God.

"The next day, the news that Jesus was on the way to Jerusalem swept through the city. A large crowd of Passover visitors took palm branches and went....."

"Jesus shouted to the crowds, "If you trust me, you are trusting not only me, but also God who sent me. For when you see me, you are seeing the one who..."

"[When Judas said the expensive perfume Mary used to anoint Jesus should have been sold and the money given to the poor,] Jesus replied, "Leave her..."

"Many people did believe in [Jesus], however, including some of the Jewish leaders. But they wouldn't admit it for fear that the Pharisees would expel...."

Yes, the seed is still enough of a mystery to keep me interested while I wait for the full blessing of its secrets to reach full bloom. Phil Ware begins a four week series on seed, towel, promise, and torchlight as he looks at Jesus' last hours on earth and what they mean for us.

Can you communicate love across races, cultures, and language? God communicated his love in a way that people of every language can understand: he did it through Jesus' death on the Cross.

"Dear Precious One, Each of My disciples is precious to Me. I hate for any of them to have to go through unfair trials and difficulties...."

"[Jesus continued,] "I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the dark.""

"Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in God's name! Yes! The King of Israel!"

"I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds."

"Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me."

"I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness."

"Evermore the worldling's cry is, "Who will show us any good?" He seeks satisfaction in earthly comforts, enjoyments, and riches. But the quickened..."

"He is to be envied. It was well to be Martha and serve, but better to be Lazarus and commune. There are times for each purpose, and each is comely in...."

"Dear Disciple, If you have been following along with My story in the gospels, you know that I am headed for Jerusalem. You also know that I am on a....."

Inspirational illustration of John 12:46 NIV -- I have come into the world as light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.

Inspirational illustration of John 12:26 -- Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.

Inspirational illustration of John 12:24 -- I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.

Jesus had many opportunities to walk away from the shame and pain of the cross, but he chose the Father's will and our need over his comfort. James Nored and Phil Ware remind us of the dark night that began the long, painful, and lonely journey of Jesus through his Passion to bring us to God and helped define the way of Jesus through the cross to the empty tomb.

Are we willing to take the risk and reach outside our comfort zones to connect people with Jesus? Phil Ware continues his series on 'The Andrew Effect' and connecting people with Jesus, this time focusing on including people of other cultures, races, and languages.

If you could ask your fellow believers one thing, what would that be? Tom Norvell makes a plea to fellow believers to think before speaking and acting and try to line up both with our example of how Jesus spoke and acted toward others.

Do you care what everyone thinks of you? We need to be willing to put our faith in God, even when it's not popular to do so. We need to be willing to stand up for what's right, no matter what others may say. We need to seek the glory that comes from God rather than the praise of men.

Do you think James was really there through all of this mess? Phil Ware shares some insight and background on James the brother of Jesus and how he disbelieved, but came to faith.

Why is this such a big deal to us? Phil Ware continues to share the values of his dad with his children and wants them to know that prejudice and racial hatred is not acceptable or tolerabe.

What's your grade going to be? While we may be flawed, God is compassionate, loving, and forigiving, and through Jesus, he will find ways to save us!

How much glory should we expect? From Mother Teresa comes a very simple lesson on humility and graciousness.

What do you do when darkness descends and envelopes everything? Phil Ware continues his series on The Story and this week focuses on the The Hour of Darkness, Jesus' time on the cross and his crucifixion and passion.

Why not listen to the old story and look for something fresh and new? Sometimes we trust too much in what we've learned in the past and things we have learned from our parents rather than seeking the truth ourselves and then living it.

How have you been conditioned? So many of us have been conditioned to not see the call of the cross in our lives!

Status-seeking and a lust for superiority and power over others cannot be part of the Jesus lifestyle! Demetrius Collins and Phil Ware lead us in online virtual worship through words and music using YouTube videos to call us to have a heart for God's people and to serve them in love.

Can we really expect to meet Jesus! Phil Ware continues his series on The Andrew Effect and reminds us that Jesus promised to be present with us as we live out the four moves of the Andrew Effect.

Can we really expect to meet Jesus? The sad reality is that many folks give up on meeting and experiencing Jesus, personally. Phil Ware invites into the "Andrew Effect" and reminds us that Jesus promised to be present with us as we live out the four moves of Phil calls the Andrew Effect

What do these words mean and whose words do we trust? Phil Ware weaves in the 7 sayings of Jesus on the cross with the sense of forgiveness and mission that should be ours in the cross and resurrection of Jesus.

How can we do it when it is often so hard? Phil Ware continues his SHIFT series by talking about Nicodemus and how he was moved to minister selflessly to Jesus after he really understood God's love and Jesus' sacrifice at the cross.

The real question is whether or not we will choose to follow Jesus from the cross, to the tomb, and into the new life that Jesus' resurrection brings? Phil Ware reminds us that Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea were indisputable eye witnesses to the death of Jesus so the resurrection could be assured!

Do spooky things scare you? There are scary things in this world, but we need not fear any of them. The one who is in us is greater than the powers of this world.

God drew near to us in Jesus, so why would we not come to him with our challenges, troubles, and trials? Max Lucado reminds us that Jesus longs for us to draw near to him in our times of troubles, problems, challenges, pain, and trials.