Campus Blogs

Then Jesus said to his disciple, “Behold your mother.” And from that hour that disciple took her into his home. - John 19:27 Jesus in this moment of dying for your sins and mine gives his disciple, John an assignment to care for his mom. He gives his mom great news that she’s not going to be left alone for John now is her son. So when we come to this verse, we see what I call the ministry of giving. It’s the ministry that’s been initiated by God the Father. First of all, what you see in this text is God the Father gives his only begotten son to die for the sins of the world. Secondly, we see the son giving himself sacrificially on the cross to take your place for your sins and mine. Thirdly, we see Jesus giving somebody to care for his mom, whom he knew would need to be cared for. Isn’t this powerful? What a powerful ministry, for it tells you and me that God has given us as gifts to one another, to care for one another, to live in community with each other. That my brothers and sisters is true friendship. I like this also because John now has an awesome responsibility. Not only to care for his teacher’s mom, but his lord and savior’s responsibility that he had on earth is now John’s. You know what, I wonder today. I wonder if you look at your friends and your ministry opportunities. I wonder if you look at your brothers and sisters, and your parents, as ministry opportunities from God. That’ll change your family dynamics. Ponder these things, hold them to your heart and let’s go out really loving our families and being kind, gentle and meek toward one another. Let’s see what Christ wants to do in our lives. Let’s pray: Eternal God, our Father, thank you. Thank you for our families, thank you for the ministry that we have to them in our homes. Help us to love them and to appreciate them and to be kind and affectionate toward them. Lord, many of us have difficult homes in which we come from so we need to be reminded that our brothers and sisters, our mothers and fathers are made in the image of God and that we ought to care for them and love them. Help us to be like John and willingly accept this assignment to care for those whom you love. Now God, bless us today teach us how to do this and we’ll be mindful to give you the honor glory and praise. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

When Jesus therefor saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing by he said to his mother, “Woman, behold your son.” - John 19:26 Now we see on the cross that Jesus observing mom also observes someone else at the cross that day—John, his beloved disciple and the writer of this story. Jesus says to his mother, “Woman, behold your son.” What a powerful ministry, for it in we see the ministry of giving. That’s right; Christ is giving his mom comfort in that John is now going to care for her. Now why is this important? Well, in Jewish history, if the eldest son was left in charge of the family after the death of the dad, it was his responsibility to care for the mom. In this case, Mary’s husband Joseph is gone, Jesus is now giving up his life and Jesus has the responsibility to make provision and care for his mom. So he turns to his disciple and he gives his disciple an assignment—he is now to care for his mom. What a powerful statement about ministry. What a powerful gift that he would give a grieving mom in the time of need. And I just believe that Jesus is calling you and I to think like this on earth when it comes to our own family and our own communities. Are we giving in their time of need? Are we meeting their darkest need? Are we ministering to them and are we available to care for them? John now would have to take Mary into his home to care for her and Mary would have to be willing to allow John to minister to her. This is a ministry of friendship, of divine friendship. So, as we ponder on these thoughts, how does this apply to your life? In what ways can you see yourself giving so that somebody else may benefit from your love and your grace? Let’s pray: Father God, thank you. Thank you for what we’re learning in this text and how we’re being challenged and pushed to serve out of our comfort zones to serve others. Help us to have an eye for those in need and an eye for those who are lacking family and support in tough and difficult times. Help us to be your hands and feet and help us, like John, to answer the call. Thank you for our time today, bless every student strengthen them as they continue to grow in your grace. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Now there stood by the cross of Jesus, his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas and Mary Magdalene. - John 19:25 When we come to this particular verse, we see the Master hanging on the cross of Calvary and Calvary was a bloody mess. As Jesus was hanging there, dying for your sins and mine, the text reminds us that his mom is present, and his mother’s sister and Mary Magdalene. This is very important for us to take note of because what you see here in this particular writing of John is the ministry of friendship, Mary is not alone. Though her son, the Savior of humanity is dying, present to minister to her is her sister and her girlfriend Mary Magdalene, and together they teach us how to walk with one another in community. They model for us what it looks like to be a friend in a very difficult time. See, only true friends will walk with you in times of calamity. Only true friends will be there for you when your son is dying or when you’re going through a very, very tough time in life. And I’m reminded of a story, my very own story. In 1995 when my brother Gearld was killed it was two of my best friends, Minister Rodney Croom and Minister Michael Green, that came to my aid and ministered to me in my crisis. Today I’m grateful for brothers in the ministry like that. How about you? What kind of friend are you for those in your circle? What kind of friend are you in those of your extended community? Do you love like this? Are you caring for one another like this? This is what we learn in this text today, how to minister to those who are in need. Let me pray for you now: Father, thank you. Thank you for this new study, help us to grow in your grace and to learn what it means to be a friend in the ministry and serve those who are hurting in a difficult time of life. May we grow from this, may we learn, may we bring you honor, glory and praise. We love you, in Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

If one has lived or travelled in developing countries one is often struck by the amount of trash that seems to be everywhere. City governments around the world are overwhelmed by the natural waste, much less the non-biodegradeable waste that piles up every day. Traveling through a country like India can often be a depressing experience, simply seeing the amount of plastic rubbish on the side of every street. Vietnam seems different. The government puts a huge effort into cleaning up trash as a public health campaign. Every night neighbors bring out their waste to the curb when they hear a bell ring. A trash collector, often a woman, comes by with a cart and collects the trash, separating out the biodegradable and recyclable from the non-recyleable. The carts go around every neighborhood in every major city; when they are full they are dumped into garbage trucks and taken out of the city. Another woman comes and sweeps the street clean - every morning. A bit of propaganda doesn't hurt either. In the neighborhood in which we are staying I saw the following sign.      A rough translation is that "Hai Chau District actively implements the 'Clean Green Sunday' movement." I'm not sure exactly what that is, but it sounds like a government attempt to convince the people that they must all participate in keeping their neighborhoods looking nice.  Things could be worse.                      

You are my friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants for a servant does not know what his master is doing, but I have called you friends for all the things that I have heard from my father I have made known to you. - John 15:14-15 In this particular verse, Jesus is now calling his disciples friends. For his own death on the cross has proved his love for them and now they would prove their love for him by loving one another and loving the entire world. See friends each other and they help each other, and the obedience of Christ that flows through the believer ought to be on display for a sick and dying world. Guess what family? God is calling on us to love our neighbors, to love one another and to be the example of Christ on the earth. So, because we are his friends and he abides in us, we too ought to abide in him and do the things we’ve seen him do. In scripture we’re reminded that Abraham was God’s friend and God told him the plans he had for a fallen world. And so today I want to remind you that you too are a friend of God and he has shared his plan with you; for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life. Let’s pray: Eternal Father, our God, thank you. Thank you for the love you have for us and love you’ve shown abroad in our hearts. Thank you for dying on the cross for our sins, rising victoriously from the grave and giving to everyone freely, the wonderful gift of eternal life by believing and confessing in your son Jesus. Thank you so much for this great university, bless our cohorts as they study and learn together. Thank you for our administration, our faculty, our staff, but most of all thank you for these students that help to show us the way as well. We love you, in Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no man than this, than to lay down his life for his friends. - John 15:12 When we come to the text today we see that Jesus is charging the believer to do something. He’s charging us to obey and demonstrate our love through the brethren. The words “to love” here is a command and is written in what we call the present active tense. That means it’s something you keep on doing and it’s not something that you do just one time. In other words, you don’t stop no matter what the outcome is in the object of the thing in which you are loving. For example, my professor, Dr. Elwell, says that John uses this language over four times in the book of John and he’s writing it because it’s a word that’s powerful to him. He says ‘I’m giving you a new commandment that you love one another, just as I have loved you,’ in John 13:4. Now according to Dr. Elwell, the disciples were being encouraged to love their enemies because they were living in a hostile time as followers of Christ. Dr. Elwell also suggests that Jesus’ command to love is for those who are in his body; we are to love one another as brothers and sisters in Christ. Now, this would provide proof to a fallen world that we were his believers, his followers, his sons and daughters—if we love one another. So their love and our love would provide proof , evidence, that we are followers of Christ—do you have that evidence today? Do the people in your cohort know that you love them today? How about your families? What about your communities? How about your neighborhoods? Does your neighbor know that you love them today? If not, here’s the love challenge this month: love somebody in spite of how they respond to you. Can I pray for us now? Let’s pray: Father thank you so much. Thank you for our cohorts, thank you for this great university. Thank you for the opportunity to study about your love. Thank you for the reminder that greater love has no man than this, that he would lay down his life for a friend. Teach us to know what this means, teach us how to live this out. Teach us to be brothers and sisters that truly love one another and we’ll give honor, glory and praise. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. - John 15:12 Here in this passage we see a new call to action from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It’s a call to demonstrate what one believes and cherishes about love. It’s a call to love in a difficult time, beyond our grievances, above all accusations and in spite of all disappointments. See instead of what one’s flesh would do, this demonstrative act of sacrificial love is being taught to us by the Christ. Here’s what I’ve come to believe: this type of love trumps any other kind of love. This kind of love that Jesus is talking about is not fickle; it’s not sometimes on and sometimes off. In fact, this type of love is a sacrificial commitment that involves the whole being of a person and literally cost a person their life. What is Christ talking to us about today? Well, I believe he’s calling us to encounter him through this marvelous act of love. See Jesus in this passage is pressing his way to the cross to pay for the sins of the world and it’s the last night before he is going to be betrayed and be handed over to those who would kill him. These powerful words and this powerful command is instruction that’s given to his disciples so that they would know exactly what God is calling them to do in a fallen world. Well my beloved, this is what I want you to know: as you’re studying in your cohorts, as your serving one another in your communities, your churches and your families, remember to love one another because it is a commandment from God. So, how do we place this in active relation to everything that we’re doing? First of all, forgive the one who has offended you. Serve the one who is least likely to be served. And whatever you do, put God first in every area of your life. Let’s pray together: Eternal God, our Father, thank you. Thank you for this amazing privilege to study your word as a family, to study and serve here at Fresno Pacific. We pray for our faculty, we pray for our staff, we pray for our cohorts; bless every student. Help us to love in difficult times and help our love to reflect that of Christ. Bless our school, bless all that we plan to do and how we align our lives up with you. We thank you for it. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.