Dec
2
1) How does John 3:16-21 function in John’s gospel? What role does it play?
2) When reading John 3:16 what should the words “For God…” bring to mind?
3) What does the word “so” mean in this verse?
4) What is meant when John tells us that God “loved the world?”
5) Describe God’s love. What event in history best illustrates God’s love?
6) For what purpose was the Son of God sent into the world according to John 3:16?
7) John 3:16 mentions two possibilities for man in terms of eternal destiny. What are they? Discuss them.
8) What act (on mans part) determines whether one will experience destruction or eternal life? In other words, what was John urging the reader to do as he wrote 3:16-21, and the rest of the gospel for that matter (there is one word which appears four times in verses 16-18)
9) Do you love John 3:16 as much as I (Joe) do? Discuss.
Posted in Study Guides Gospel Community Groups
Posted by Joe
Nov
4
Text: John 2:1-11
Notes: emmauscf.org/sermons
1) What was significant about Christ’s presence at the wedding in Cana of Galilee?
2) What is marriage according to the scriptures? Discuss the state of marriage in our culture. How is your marriage, if applicable? If single, what are your hopes concerning marriage in the future?
3) How do “signs” function in John’s gospel? In other words, what are they for?
4) What was the significance of Jesus turning water to wine in the way that he did? What message was he communicating?
5) Do you believe that purification from sin is needed? If so, in what or whom are you trusting? Are you able to articulate to others the need for purification and to point them to Jesus? Elaborate and explain.
Posted in Study Guides Gospel Community Groups
Posted by Joe
Oct
23
Hello Emmaus,
After spending 6 weeks studying the Reformation many have expressed a desire to understand more about church history. Some have asked, “so what happened in the church in the days after the Apostles were alive?” That’s a very important question, and one that will be thoroughly answered in this course.
Join us online or in class (Sunday’s at 8:30am in the DVMS library) from November 9th through February 14th as we study ancient church history. Our instructor will be Dr. Robert Godfrey. The study will take us from approximately AD 100-600.
Each lesson consists of a 23 minute video (or audio), a brief quiz, and an opportunity to interact online via discussion board (optional).
If you wish to read a good book on this subject (not required) I would recommend “The Early Church” by Henry Chadwick, which is available in the Emmaus Bookstore.
I trust that we will be better equipped to understand and respond to the issues of our day after learning from those who have gone before us. Remember, history has a tendency to repeat itself!
Please register for Church History I by going to emmauscf.org/essentials.
God Bless,
Pastor Joe
Posted in Study Guides
Posted by Joe
Sep
23
Brothers and Sisters,
Do you remember how a few Sundays ago I spent a good bit of time introducing the Gospel of John, talking about different views concerning authorship and the dating of the book? All of that eventually lead to the comment, by way of application, that “we Christians need to learn to think critically about the ideas of those who think critically about the Bible.” In other words, we should not blindly buy into the ideas of these liberal scholars who seek to undermine the authority of scripture simply because they have written best selling books, or teach at prestigious universities, or appear on television. They may be brilliant, but that does not meant they are correct. They may have high IQ’s, but do not forget that their hearts may be at war with the living God, and their intellect used, not for the glory of God, but for the defamation of his name.
I would like to recommend an episode on the Reformed Forum podcast in which a number of Christian scholars do this very thing – they think critically about the ideas of those who think critically (in this case, the ideas of Bart Ehrman).
This episode will give you a glimpse into the kinds of debates that take place in scholarly circles in regard to the trustworthiness of the Bible and orthodox Christian belief. This episode is particularly timely in that it deals with the subject of the early churches view of the deity of Christ, John 1:1-14 being a central text in that conversation.
I hope you can listen in. Enjoy!
Pastor Joe
http://reformedforum.org/podcasts/ctc351/
Posted in Good Thoughts from Others Biblical Studies Church History Doctrine of Christ Joe Anady
Posted by Joe
Sep
10
Text: John 20:30-31
Notes: emmauscf.org/sermons
1. What is the benefit of looking at the big picture of a book of the Bible before studying the details?
2. Who do you think wrote the Fourth Gospel? Does knowing the author of a book of the Bible matter, ultimately?
3. Why was this gospel written?
4. If the emphasis of the Gospel of John important today? Is it important for new believers? Is it important for seasoned believers? Why?
5. Have you read through John from beginning to end? If so, what insights were gained from that experience?
Posted in Study Guides Joe Anady
Posted by Joe
Sep
8
Hello Church,
Just a reminder to register for Emmaus Essentials, Reformation Profiles. This study will run 6 weeks starting September 14th. You can engage online, in class (Sundays at 8:30am), or both. Each lesson is about 30 minutes long. If you plan to engage online then please set up an account today. The process should only take a few minutes. This system works well on mobile devices as well as personal computers. Please let us know if you need any help!
Joe
https://emmausrbc.org/essentials
Posted in News Joe Anady
Posted by Joe
Aug
19
Brothers and Sisters,
As you know we will be starting a sermon series through the Gospel of John in the next couple of weeks. I’d like to encourage you all to read through this wonderful book once or twice in preparation for the series. I’ve attached a preaching series outline which also serves as an outline of John’s Gospel. Please read being mindful of the question, “who is Jesus?” That, indeed, was the one question that John was seeking to answer when he wrote – a question that, without a doubt, still needs to be addressed in our day.
Blessings,
Pastor Joe
Preaching Series Outline – Gospel of John
Posted in News Joe Anady
Posted by Joe
Jul
16
1. What connection should we recognize between Jesus and Moses in Matthew’s Gospel in general, and the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7) in particular?
2. What does Jesus do with the law of Moses in applying it to citizens of his kingdom?
3. What does Jesus mean in Matt. 5:21-22 when he says, “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire”?
4. Are you harboring hatred in your heart towards anyone? If so, what ought you to do?
5. Has anyone offended you? If so, what is your obligation according to Matt. 5:23-24?
Posted in Study Guides Gospel Community Groups
Posted by Joe
