Around the world, Christians suffer. In Pakistan, Christian women are gang raped. In China, men are set outside naked in the winter and doused with cold water, left to freeze to death because they shared Christian literature. In the Sudan, children are hacked open with machetes and their mothers have their hands hacked off, all for claiming Christ as the only one who can save them from their sin. Why are Christians persecuted so mercilessly, and without cause? In John 15, Jesus tells us why following Jesus draws persecution like blood in the water for a shark.

John 15:18-27 - Persecution - Quicktime and iPhone Audio - M4A
John 15:18-27 - Persecution - Manuscript - PDF
John 15:18-27 - Persecution - Sermon Handout - PDF
John 15:18-27 - Persecution - Small Group Work Sheet - PDF

Monday comes and the rat race begins. Evenings are missed dinners as parents scurry to baseball, softball, and football with the kids. Husbands and wives are like ships, passing in the night. Sunday comes and we take care of our religious obligations. Before we know what happened, youth and vigor are spent and we are marking time on a calendar in a retirement home waiting our grave. After a lifetime of work, did our lives make any kind of lasting difference? In John 15, Jesus teaches us the difference between a life that is busy and a life that makes a difference.

John 15:1-16 - My Life Can Make a Difference - Quicktime and iPhone Audio - M4A
John 15:1-16 - My Life Can Make a Difference - Manuscript - PDF
John 15:1-16 - My Life Can Make a Difference - Sermon Handout - PDF
John 15:1-16 - My Life Can Make a Difference - Small Group Work Sheet - PDF

An alcoholic swears off the bottle. Three days later he grabs another case of beer at the corner gas station. A husband looses his temper with his wife again. He hates himself for it. Why does he keep losing his temper? Why can't he change? As Christians, we become frustrated when we want to obey Christ but we keep drifting away. Where does the power come from for lasting change? In the second half of John 14, Jesus introduces his disciples, and us, to the Holy Spirit and the crucial role he plays in changing our life.

John 14:15-31 - The Holy Spirit - Quicktime and iPhone Audio - M4A
John 14:15-31 - The Holy Spirit - Manuscript - PDF
John 14:15-31 - The Holy Spirit - Sermon Handout - PDF
John 14:15-31 - The Holy Spirit - Small Group Work Sheet - PDF

A recent Pew Forum survey revealed 57 percent of evangelical church attenders say many religions lead to eternal life. 70 percent of Americans with a religious affiliation share that view. Today, we don't believe everyone has a right to their opinion but we now believe all opinions are equally right. In John 14, Jesus prepares his disciples for his departure and for what they need to know to keep them on the mission once he is gone. A big part of that is understand how unique Christ is. As we study this chapter, we won't just learn what kept the disciples on mission but we learn how to stay on the mission Jesus gives to us today.

John 14:1-14 - On Mission - Quicktime and iPhone Audio - M4A
John 14:1-14 - On Mission - Manuscript - PDF
John 14:1-14 - On Mission - Sermon Handout - PDF
John 14:1-14 - On Mission - Small Group Work Sheet - PDF

Facebook and Twitter are the rage. What make them so popular? Connection. We are desperate to connect and hungry for love. In John 13, Jesus gives his disciples a new command, the command to love one another as he has loved them. Jesus' vision for the church is of a place where the love God is tangibly felt through God's people. Join us as we discover how God cultivates love in our life.

John 13:18-38 - Love One Another - Quicktime and iPhone Audio - AAC
John 13:18-38 - Love One Another - Manuscript - PDF
John 13:18-38 - Love One Another - Sermon Handout - PDF
John 13:18-38 - Love One Another - Small Group Work Sheet - PDF