Jesus knows that his departure is close at hand. In light of this, he prays to the Father, acknowledging that his disciples are not of the "kosmos" or system of the world, though they will be witnesses to the world. Other sections of scripture, 1 John 2:15 and 1 Corinthians 9:19 provide practical content on areas in which Christians should adopt the practices of the world/culture, and areas in which Christians should be different from the world and culture.

John, a disciple and close friend of Jesus Christ, wrote this gospel to a Greco-Roman audience explaining who Jesus Christ is. Jesus Christ is described by John as "the Word" or the direct revelation of God who is infinite, self-existent and personal and took on humanity for the sake of those who have rebelled against Him. He did this so that through his work on the cross, people could have eternal life. This teaching has a video clip from Joseph Campbell: "When God and Nature Are One."\r\n

At the beginning of Jesus' ministry, the first person John recounts testifying about Jesus is John the Baptist, who pointed people to Jesus once he began His earthly ministry. Jesus gathers followers (disciples) as He begins his earthly ministry. This is the pattern in which Jesus accomplishes God's work, by developing spiritually mature people to independently do God's work once he leaves. Both Jesus and John the Baptist modeled humility and pointing people towards God and His forgiveness.

The first of John's seven recorded signs that confirm Jesus' identity and ministry takes place at a wedding in Cana. Here, Jesus transforms water intended for external washing into wine for internal consumption. Through this miracle, Jesus is expressing a critique of formalism, or focusing on the external. Jesus' purpose was not to fix the external, but to deal with the internal issues of a person's heart. People often want to relate to God with rules and regulations as opposed to a real authentic relationship that He offers through Jesus.

Jesus enters Jerusalem and drives the money changers out of the temple as they are shaming God's house. Afterwards, he speaks about the temple being destroyed and being raised up three days later. Jesus' audience didn't understand that the "temple" he was referring to was his body that would rise again three days after his work on the cross. Jesus' message was to point out that people's issues weren't solved with outward conformity to formalism, but through an inward change of the heart through a relationship with him.

Jesus has a conversation with Nicodemus, a wealthy Pharisee and part of the Sanhedrin, who was both an important political and religious figure in Jesus' time. However, through their interaction, Jesus points out to Nicodemus his need of a new spiritual birth. Jesus then points out the need to believe the testimony of the Son of Man, and that whoever believes in the Son of God will have eternal life. This is the main message of the Bible for people today, that God in his love sent Jesus Christ to pay for all the moral wrongdoing of all people so that we could have a free, personal relationship with God.

Jesus meets a woman at a well while traveling through the town of Samaria. This woman was rejected amidst society and had already had five husbands, and yet Jesus chooses to move towards her. During their conversation, Jesus explains that what the woman really needs is living water that will lead to eternal life. When the woman discovers who she is talking with, she goes and tells everyone in the nearby town. Jesus then tells his disciples that his real work is to accomplish the work of God and encourages them to do the same.

Jesus returns to Galilee where a royal official asked him to heal his sick son. Jesus addresses their attitude of desiring signs and wonders over authentic faith. Biblical faith isn't some mental assent, or feeling of what is true, or whatever we choose to believe. In this event, Jesus speaks a word and the official is willing to act on his word, and after acting God confirms the experience to be true. Biblical faith is the same today: it comes from hearing and acting on God's word, and afterwards experience can follow acting in faith on the word of God. This teaching includes an in-depth interview from Primetime TV from Dianne Sawyer and also includes a skit describing blind faith.

Jesus is in Jerusalem when he runs into a man who has been sick for 38 years. Jesus performs a miracle on the Sabbath and heals the man, who begins to walk again. Jesus performed this miracle to combat the religious mentality and to highlight the desire God has to heal broken lives. Jesus also discusses the authority God has given him to grant eternal life to those who believe in him. God cares more about the heart than outward dedication and wants people to inherit eternal life through Jesus.

Jesus demonstrates four witnesses that authenticated his authority to his Jewish audience: 1) John the Baptist; 2) the miracles and works God had given Jesus the power to perform amidst the people; 3) inner witness of the Holy Spirit; and 4) the Scriptures that predicted Jesus. Jesus proves here that he has authority given to him by God the Father and we as Christians today should listen to him because of his authority.

Jesus is with his disciples near the Sea of Galilee with a great multitude of people come seeking him. When Jesus presented his disciples with the opportunity to feed them, two attitudes from his disciples appear. The first comes from Phillip, who left God's power out of the scenario, and was simply looking to how he on his own could feed the people. The second, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, demonstrates the inadequacy to perform the work, and what little he does have he presents to Jesus. Jesus takes the loaves and fish presented by Andrew feeds the multitude so they are satisfied and even have leftovers. These attitudes are similar to the attitudes Christians can have today when attempting to be used by God, and as we look to move to love others, we ourselves are satisfied.

After feeding the multitude, Jesus approaches the crowds and calls out their attitude for following him to receive temporal blessings. Jesus explains he is worth pursuing because he offers eternal life to those who believe. Jesus then shows how he is the Bread of Life, a metaphor showing the he is the ultimate source of fulfillment in our lives. People need to consider if they will look to Jesus to meet their needs or try and run their lives by themselves. It's important to note that this passage is not describing communion or needing to replace Jesus with human priests, based on the text itself, along with the historical, conceptual and theological context.

Jesus and His disciples are traveling through Galilee on the Feast of Booths when his brothers question why he doesn't make his works know to the world. Jesus tells them that his time has not yet come. There were disagreements concerning who Jesus was: 1) a good man; 2) a deceiver; 3) an insane man; or 4) the Messiah. Jesus also distinguishes the difference between seeking glory for self versus seeking the glory of the Father. This question of who Jesus is must be answered by every person, as his claims have huge weight on eternal life.

This instance in Jesus' ministry has not been found in earlier manuscripts, calling into question the validity of this part of John and why it is in Scripture. The best manuscripts for the Book of John are from the 4th century, but don't include this interaction. However, other early witnesses corroborate what we see in this chapter of John, including: the Didascalia; Apostolic Constitutions; Papias; Didymus the Blind; Ambrose; and Jerome. When the Pharisees brought this woman before Jesus for punishment according to the Old Testament Law, they were trying to trick Jesus so they would have grounds to accuse him. Jesus does not condemn the woman, but uses this as an illustration of his grace to contrast the legalistic and hypocritical attitudes of the Pharisees. His call to the woman is similar to us, that because of the forgiveness he offers, we should live under his grace and live a life of love as opposed to sin. Even when we do sin, we have the freedom to move forward under his grace.

Jesus interacts with the Pharisees again and compares himself to the Light of the World, as opposed to the darkness and confusion that the Pharisees were living in. Jesus warns the Pharisees clearly while also trying to communicate with the multitudes of people gathered around them. They argue back and forth, with the Pharisees and some of the people listening still missing the point that apart from Jesus, they are in complete darkness and alienation before God the Father. Others, on the other hand, come to believe in Jesus, who instructs them to continue on in his word. Jesus came to offer real freedom for those enslaved to sin through his work on the cross.

Jesus sees a blind man and heals his ailment on the Sabbath. As the healed man is taken before the Pharisees, Jesus uses this miracle as a demonstration to combat the Pharisees legalistic perspective. The Pharisees were self-righteous and thought they were put together, whereas the blind man was totally blind and admitted his need for Jesus. The purpose of Jesus' work on the cross was to open the eyes of the spiritually blind when they ask for his forgiveness. However, many are like the Pharisees and suspect they are not in need of assistance.

Jesus visits Lazarus of Bethany, who is very ill and then dies, causing Jesus sorrow. However, Jesus says that God will be glorified through this instance and raises Lazarus from the dead. Jesus calls himself the resurrection and life, saying that those who believe in him shall live even when they die, alluding to his work on the cross that would defeat death itself and allow for eternal life for those who put their faith in Jesus. Death was never the intention for people, but because of the fall of humanity, death is the final foe Jesus wished to defeat at the cross. We as humans have intrinsic value, high levels of consciousness and a real existence of a soul, reflecting that we were never made to simply die and cease to exist. This teaching includes interviews of people asking them about their thoughts on the afterlife.

While with Simon the Leper in Bethany, Jesus encounters a woman who pours an alabaster vial on his head. While some, including the disciples and Judas, criticized the woman for apparently "wasting" what would have been worth much monetarily, Jesus has a different perspective. Those who saw this as a waste had their focus on the temporary, where the woman sacrificed what she had for Jesus. The attitudes of material avarice and pride keep us today from wasting our resources when we could be more radical for God. Similar to the woman, all people need to pour out what they have and receive from Jesus salvation based on faith. This teaching includes a testimony from John Davis.

Jesus enters Jerusalem on a donkey for his triumphal entry, reflecting the humility he would exemplify as he went to the cross. The people of Jesus' time were surprised as they were expecting a conquering King who would bring power and destroy the Romans. Jesus is distinguishing himself from other rulers as he lived a life of radical self-sacrifice, a lifestyle he calls his followers to as well. Jesus was glorified as he gave himself up for the world at the cross. Jesus' mission wasn't to establish the perfect order, but to offer forgiveness for those who want a personal relationship with God.

Jesus is with his disciples before the Passover and is awaiting the hour which he will go to the Cross and take on God's judgment, causing him great agony. While the disciples among him were arguing on who was the greatest, Jesus began to wash their feet, placing himself in the position of servant to serve the needs of the disciples. Jesus did this to serve as an example of radical self-sacrificial love that he wanted his followers to emulate. Today, Christians are called to love one another in the way Jesus did, as it shows the outside world that we are his followers and will lead to real satisfaction in our lives as we look to meet the needs of others. This takes real practice and isn't simply a theoretical, but must be accompanied by action.

Jesus is still with his disciples in the Upper Room as he begins to fill them in on what will happen after he leaves to be with the Father. Jesus tells the disciples that once he leaves, he will leave them with the Holy Spirit and highlights eight different ways the Holy Spirit will minister to believers: 1) empowering; 2) interceding; 3) transforming; 4) sealing; 5) indwelling; 6) regenerating; 7) baptizing; and 8) enlightening. Being led and understanding the role of the Holy Spirit is vital for Christians becoming effective in following God.

Jesus uses an analogy of a vine and branches to describe the type of relationship between him and his followers. Jesus is the life-giving source to which believers must have dependence on in order to really bear fruit for God. This is a love-trust relationship between Jesus and his followers where his followers are dependent on Jesus and as they receive from him, they are able to give out from what they have received (self-sacrificial love towards others). It is as we continually abide in Christ that we are able to love others the way Jesus did and have real character transformation and deep satisfaction in our lives. This passage is essential for Christians to understand how to deepen their relationship with God.

Jesus continues trying to teach his disciples in the Upper Room before he goes to the Cross. From this section, the following are Jesus' main takeaways for his disciples: 1) the world is passing away; 2) the perspective of the Kosmos is skewed; 3) as followers of Jesus, the values we have are at tension with the world's values, and we should expect opposition because of it; and 4) trust the Holy Spirit to reveal more about Jesus, for the inspiration of God's Word, to guide and illuminate us and and to impart joy and peace that comes from God.

Jesus is betrayed by Judas Iscariot and handed over to the chief priests and Pharisees to be arrested. Jesus is aware of Judas' betrayal, and shortly afterwards, Peter denies Jesus three times, something Jesus had also predicted. On the surface, the failures of Judas and Peter seem identical, but their attitudes reflect a difference, what is known as metanoia (repentance or change of heart) versus metamelomai (regret or worldly sorrow). It is these heart attitudes that distinguish Peter versus Judas and why the outcome of their lives looked radically different. This attitude before God is important for Christians to consider when they encounter failure as well.

The most important event in history happened when Jesus Christ went to the cross to take on God's judgment for sin Himself so that all people could have forgiveness and eternal life if they accept Jesus' payment for our sins. What Jesus underwent was not only physical torment through beatings, a crown of thorns around his head and crucifixion; but psychological and spiritual torment as well by enduring the wrath of God to pay for all human sin. Choosing to make a decision concerning Jesus' offer of forgiveness through the cross is the most important decision a person can make.

Three days after Jesus' death on the cross, Mary Magdalene, John and Peter discover his tomb to be empty. Regarding the empty tomb, several theories have been posed to account for the event, but the most rational explanation that also explains the effects after the cross is that Jesus physically resurrected as he had predicted. Without this being true, Jesus' claims would be completely false, his followers would be liars and the Bible would be worthless. Since there is real evidence that his resurrection happened, then Jesus is true; he is the sole authoritative spokesman for God and God accepted his sacrifice as adequate. As a result, there is a basis for an afterlife and having a new life in Christ.

Peter, an outspoken, prideful man became an important figurehead in the early church because he allowed himself to be broken of his self-will. Many of us can relate to Peter: we deny Christ and do not devote ourselves wholeheartedly to God. We have a choice, however. Will we remain that way in a state of self pity, or instead will we choose to deny self and trust God?