Greater Love Hath No Man

I just saw this article online.  The link below is to a story from last night about a 15-year-old boy named Zaevion Dobson who, in the midst of a gang shooting, jumped on top of three little girls to protect them from bullets.  He died from his injuries, and all three girls were saved from harm.  Amazing, selfless love.  I’m praying that God will bless and comfort his family.

Here’s the link: http://www.knoxnews.com/news/crime-courts/Police-investigating-2-shootings-in-7-hours-362913061.html

This is an incredible illustration of Jesus’ words in John 15:13 about the greatest love being shown through laying down one’s life for his friends.  It also would powerfully illustrate many passages about Jesus’ sacrifice for us, like John 10:11, Romans 4:25, Romans 5:8, Ephesians 5:2,  1 Peter 3:18, and many more.

You could also share this illustration with youth who don’t think that they can make a difference before they are adults.  Zaevion Dobson proved that wrong.

 

Tags: Love, Sacrifice, Redemption, Gospel, John 10, John 15, Romans 4, Romans 5, Ephesians 5, 1 Peter 3, Youth

Two Prayer Guides from John 15

Click below for two prayer guides from John 15 that I used recently in our church’s Wednesday prayer meeting.  I’ve been working through portions of the doctrinally-heavy section of John’s Gospel right before Jesus’ arrest.

John 15, 1-8 – Prayer Meeting 07082015

John 15, 9-17 – Prayer Meeting 07222015

Tags: Prayer, Prayer Meeting, John 15

IMB Commission Stories: Harper Family

Yesterday I received a publication in my mailbox called “Commission Stories,” from the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention.  Here is a PDF of the document.  Pages 18-20 tell the story of the Harper family (name changed), who went to a very dangerous place in Southeast Asia to share the gospel.  There are actually two amazing stories about them in the publication – the first about their gospel witness in the face of government opposition (and the local believers who partnered with them, risking and giving their lives for the gospel), and the second about Mary Harper’s return to the US in the face of a diagnosis of Lou Gehrig’s disease – which ultimately took her life.

After Mary passed, her husband John spoke Job’s words: “Blessed be the Name of the Lord.  Though He slay me, I will trust in Him” (Job 1:21, 13:15).  You should read the two short articles.  They are great examples of faith in the Lord in the face of persecution, suffering, and death.  Not only that, John is a self-professed “hillbilly,” who speaks with amazement of how the Lord used even him.

These powerful stories could be shared together or separately – depending on the nature of your biblical text, how much time you have, and the main point(s) you are making.

Some passage ideas for the first article, which focuses on their witness in a hostile place: Jeremiah 38, Daniel 3, Matthew 16:24-28, Matthew 24:9-14, Mark 8:31-38, Mark 13:9-13, Luke 14:25-35, Luke 21:10-19, John 15:18-25, Acts 4, Acts 5, Acts 7, Acts 9, Acts 12, Acts 14, Acts 16, Acts 19, Acts 28, Philippians 1:12-20, Philippians 1:27-29, Hebrews 12:1-13, Revelation 2, and Revelation 6:9-11.

The second article, which focuses on trusting the Lord in the midst of suffering and death: Job 1, Job 2, Job 13, Romans 8, 2 Corinthians 11, 2 Corinthians 12, Philippians 1:21, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, and James 1:2-4.

Finally, John’s statements about the Lord using him in spite of him being a self-professed “hillbilly” could help illustrate passages that talk about God using us in spite of ourselves: Exodus 3 and Exodus 4 (the call of Moses), Judges 6 (the call of Gideon), 1 Corinthians 1:26-31, 1 Corinthians 15:9-11, and 1 Timothy 1:12-17.