No Fear: Ordinary people can now hold a conversation with God

Luke 2
Luke 2:52 ~ "And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man."

Nearly every time an angel appears in the Bible, his first words are, “Don’t be afraid!” Little wonder. When the supernatural makes contact with planet Earth, the human observers usually end up flat on their faces in fear.

But Luke tells of God appearing in a form that does not frighten. In Jesus, born in a barn and laid in a feeding trough, God uses a mode of approach that causes no fear. What could be less scary than a newborn baby?

Imagine becoming a baby again: giving up language and muscle coordination and the ability to eat solid food and control your bladder. That gives a mere hint of the “emptying” that Jesus chooses to undergo.

Promises, Promises

Genesis 22 ~ God promised to give Abraham all that he longed for ... and more

Genesis 22:18 ~ "Through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me."

Human beings haven't changed much in 4,000 years. The longing for children and the desire for land still surge up with surprising emotional power.

Consider the estimated six million American couples-one in seven would-be parents-who are unable to have children. For most of them, this brings deep anguish. Or think about the people who work double shifts, sacrificing their free time in order to own a home rather than rent.

Abraham would have understood. When God wanted his attention, he promised him land and more sons than he could count. To a Babylonian emigrant, 75 years old and childless, owning nothing but his tents and animals, the promises sounded wonderful. In fact, they sounded impossible. Yet, because God himself was making the promise, Abraham "believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness" (Genesis 15:6).

One Final Meal Together: The Longest Night of Jesus' Life

Today's reading: John 14

John 14:27, "Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."

John devotes one-third of his book to the 24-hour period immediately preceding Jesus' death. Chapters 13-17 describe one of the scenes from that long day and night, and nothing like these chapters exists elsewhere in the Bible. In their slow-motion, realistic detail, they provide an intimate memoir of Jesus' most anguished evening.

Leonardo da Vinci immortalized the setting in his famous painting The Last Supper, with the participants arranged on one side of the table as if posing for the artist. John himself gives few physical details; instead, he focuses on a whirlpool of emotional currents.

John holds a light to the disciples' faces, and you can almost see the awareness flickering in their eyes. All that Jesus has told them is slowly settling in. As for Jesus, "having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end" (John 13:1).

Jesus Prepares to Leave

Never before has Jesus been so direct with them. Around the table he avoids parables and painstakingly answers the disciples' redundant questions. The world is about to undergo a convulsive trauma, and the 11 fearful men with him are his hope for that world.

Jesus patiently explains until at last the disciples show signs of understanding. God's Son, having entered the world to reside in one body, will soon leave the earth to return to the Father. Yet someone else-the Spirit of truth, the Advocate-will come to live inside them.

Yes, Jesus is planning to die. He is leaving them. But in some mysterious way, he is not leaving. He will not stay dead. For the disciples, caught up in the excitement of the Passover but sobered by Jesus' haunting focus on death, it is all too much to grasp. This night Jesus gives them an intimacy with the Father such as they have never known; even so, he promises an even greater intimacy to come. He seems aware that much at which they now nod their heads will not make sense until later.

Life Question

How would you describe Jesus' reaction to impending death? Panic? Confidence? Sober concentration? Resignation? Concern for others

Can Believers Fall Away

This week's reading: Luke 8:13

It would seem so, according to this verse. But some see another possibility: that this verse looks at how people appear, rather than their true spiritual condition. They suggest the appearance of falling away (that is, turning away from the faith entirely and decisively) reveals that the person never had true faith.Others, however, say it's possible to believe for a while. They say the New Testament warns believers to persevere in their faith-a warning different from that given to unbelievers. They say God gives people a free will-something they still have when they commit to Christ.

The debate goes on, so it is perhaps best to emphasize what both sides agree on: In the end those who believe will be saved, and only the seed that bears fruit will reach its goal.

Catastrophes Through God's Eyes

Today's reading: Isaiah 21

An endless cycle of war and death-what did it mean?

Isaiah 21:3 ~ At this my body is racked with pain, pangs seize me, like those of a woman in labor; I am staggered by what I hear, I am bewildered by what I see.

There is one easy way to picture the Middle East of Isaiah's day: Simply follow today's newspaper headlines and project backward in time. Then, as now, one nation would invade its neighbor, leveling cities and devastating the land and its people. The prophet Isaiah longed for an end to the cycle, much as modern-day residents of Lebanon or Israel do today.

Isaiah looked at the world with a kind of split vision. Around him he saw spiritual decay and the dreary cycle of war and death. Yet God had given him a clear vision of what his nation could one day become: a pure people, faithful to God, living in peace with "war no more."

Which Religion is the Right One?

With so many religions in the world, does it really matter what you believe? A growing number of people believe that all religions in the world are essentially the same and that truth is universal. Many now believe that no matter what religion you practice, as long as you are a decent and moral person, you will be rewarded in the next life.

Is it okay just to be 'good' or is there a true way of life? If there is only one right religion, what happens to those who do not believe it? In this issue of Teen Bible Study Guide we will discuss what God says about true religion and His Church.

The TRUE Way

John 14:6
"Jesus said...'I am the way, the truth, and the life...'"

John 18:37
"...For this cause I [Jesus Christ] was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice."

John 17:17
"Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth."

1. Where does truth come from? John 12:49 (For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.)
2. What was the truth Christ brought and about which He spoke so much?
3. To whom has God given His truth?