Athey Creek | Audio Podcast Brett Meador

Jesus attracts the negative attention of the religious leaders after He breaks one of their legalistic rules by healing a man on the Sabbath. As they question Him in John 5, Jesus begins making claims about who He is, why He came, and the final authority He has to judge – which will ultimately draw their ire even more.

In John 5:1-16 we meet a man who has been crippled for 38 years and is utterly helpless in his attempt to find a remedy. However, his life changes when he encounters Jesus at the Pool of Bethesda. As we study his story, we learn what this man did to deserve this miracle, how he and others responded to his healing, and how the grace and mercy he received are also available to us through Jesus Christ.

After encountering Jesus at the village well, a Samaritan woman rushes to share the good news with her fellow townspeople, resulting in many believing in Jesus. Later in John 4, we see an example of false faith from the people of Galilee, and conversely, true faith in action as a nobleman’s son is miraculously healed. As we watch all these events unfold, we see a beautiful model of evangelism, Jesus’ compassion on people from all walks of life, and where genuine faith comes from.

Jesus does something radical in John 4:1-29 when he takes a planned detour to Samaria – a place where Jews typically would not travel – to speak to a woman who typically would not be spoken to. As we see this story unfold, we learn why Jesus did such a shocking thing, what the living water He offered the woman was, and how we, too, can obtain it as we receive salvation from Jesus Christ.

During a nighttime encounter, Jesus explains to Nicodemus what it means to be born again – a concept that still causes confusion today. As we study this essential doctrine of the Christian faith in John 3, we see how God established this plan from the beginning, what we must do to experience it, and learn that salvation and eternal life are only found in Jesus Christ.

Three things in John 3 are prefaced with the term “must,” indicating they are essential to the Christian faith. Join us as we search the Scripture together to learn what must happen for salvation to be available, how we must respond to Jesus, and how we must strive to live in light of what He has done for us.