The House You're Building

       Orient  John 10:22-42 An unspecified time goes by (from fall to winter) and Jesus is once again engaging in dialog with the religious leaders at a gathering of the Jews in Jerusalem.  This festival was the Feast of Dedication otherwise known as Hanukkah.  We don’t find information about this festival in our Bible as it was established during the intertestamental period (between Malachi and Matthew).  The Jews once again press Jesus to reveal who He is to them and don’t like His answer, of being one with the Father, a claim to diety.  They attempt to stone Him and He once again slips through their hands, ending up across the Jordan, where John the Baptizer started his ministry.  Deep doctrinal statements are found in this section regarding election, eternal security, the plan of salvation, and the unity of the Trinity.     Introduction How do you build trust with someone?  When you ...

        Orient  John 10:1-21 Following restoring the blind man’s vision, Jesus begins a well-known discourse of spiritual leadership.  As the Pharisees had just shown themselves foolish leaders, Jesus teaches about His spiritual guidance through the metaphor of door and shepherd, contrasting Himself against the religious rulers.  Theological elements include His cross and resurrection, as well as His sacrifice bringing in Gentiles to faith.  As we’ve seen as a pattern to Jesus’ teaching, His discourse ends with division among the rulers.     Introduction Recently our family introduced a rescue-cat into our home.  Our other pet is a mild-mannered senior Weimi.  She’s lived with cats before and thinks that every visitor, human or otherwise, is part of her pack.  Last time we brought in an adult cat, they were friends in weeks, even snuggling together on the bathroom rug.  This exp...