Word of Hope Christian Church Podcast

A very happy and blessed New Year! Last week we learned how the Jerusalem church handled doctrinal division by identifying the problem, discussing and praying over it and then delivering the decision. After that Paul was eager to get back on mission. It had been approximately 3 years since his last journey. Paul then said to Barnabas in Acts 15:36, “Let’s go back and visit each city where we previously preached the Word of the Lord.” Notice this wasn’t a divine call or a church commissioning service. So exactly how did God lead Paul? An even bigger question is: How does God lead His people? Let’s find out. Thanks for listening. God bless you! To find out more about our church please go to www.whccnb.org.

It’s hard to believe this is the last Sunday of 2024—where did this year go?!?!?! We are so grateful to the Lord for all He’s lead us to and through and we’re even more excited about what He has in store for us in 2025. So what better way to launch us into 2025 than to resume our journey through the book of Acts. So far we’ve covered the first 14 chapters of this foundational book. Today our journey takes us to Acts 15:1-35 where we’ll talk about: The Simplicity of Salvation. Thanks for listening. God bless you! To find out more about our church please go to www.whccnb.org.

Welcome to Christmas Eve and the last sermon in our series The Cast of Christmas. What an amazing journey we’ve been on the past 4-weeks. If any of you have missed those sermons you can always catch up right here on this media platform. During this journey we’ve heard from the cast that included the Prophets, the Angels, the Shepherds and the Magi. There’s only one group of people left. Who is it you ask? The last group we’re going to talk about in our journey is US and what our response should be to all we’ve been talking about the past 4-weeks. Are you ready? Here we go... Thanks for listening. God bless you! To find out more about our church please go to www.whccnb.org.

What an amazing journey we’ve been on the past 3-weeks. We’ve listened to the Prophets, we’ve heard from the Angels and we were inspired by the Shepherds. Enter now the 4th group of cast members...the Magi. Their message was simple: May our Christmas be filled with the same worship as they experienced as they encountered the King of all kings. This journey is getting underway so let’s join in. Thanks for listening. God bless you! To find out more about our church please go to www.whccnb.org.

In today’s passage this is where Jesus begins His ministry by calling His first followers or disciples. He invites them to come and see where He abides. This passage will show Jesus’ invitation to the curious and the doubter and the different experiences of those first disciples who encounter Jesus. Beloved...let us come and see! Thanks for watching. Blessings and love in Christ! Thanks for listening. God bless you! To find out more about our church please go to www.whccnb.org.

Welcome to part 3 of our sermon series The Cast of Christmas. So far we’ve met 2 groups from the cast, the Prophets and the Angels and we’ve talked about their role in this amazing journey. As you can probably guess the third group of cast members is the Shepherds. They’re going to take us on a journey to help us understand about lasting hope and joy that comes from receiving the truth about Christ. Everyone’s ready to go so, the curtain’s coming up... Thanks for listening. God bless you! To find out more about our church please go to www.whccnb.org.

Today we’re going to continue talking about John the Baptist. This passage (vss 19-34) emphasizes John’s humility and selflessness in prioritizing Jesus’ role as the Savior above his own. Also in John’s message are his words that Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world and the King who brings the Kingdom of God—and His ministry will be marked by both kingly authority and suffering as an atonement for our sin. Thanks for listening. God bless you! To find out more about our church please go to www.whccnb.org.

Answers to the Opening Questions:

1. John the Baptist was a fiery prophet who called people to repentance and prepared the way for the Messiah? True

2. John the Baptist’s parents were Zebedee and Elizabeth? False. His parents were Zechariah and Elizabeth.

3. John lived a comfortable life, wearing linen and eating fish and fruits? False. John lived an austere life in the wilderness, wearing camel's hair and eating locusts and wild honey.

4. John the Baptist’s life was characterized by? E. All of the above.

5. Which of the following statements about John the Baptist are true? C. He was brave and willing to speak truth, even if it meant his own death.

Today we’re going to meet the second group of cast members on our journey. We’re pretty sure you know who they are—They’re the angels. Now these angels made a proclamation of peace and it’s important for us to know what that was and what it means for us today. The cast is ready and our pathway is clear so let’s go. Thanks for listening. God bless you! To find out more about our church please go to www.whccnb.org.

Today we begin with John 1:1-18 which is commonly referred to as the prologue. A prologue is an introductory section that appears at the beginning of a literary piece and provides background information or context for the story. And that’s what is going to happen here. So get those Bibles and/or Bible Apps open to John 1 and let’s begin. Thanks for listening. God bless you! To find out more about our church please go to www.whccnb.org.

 

The Gospel of John Introductory Question and Answers:

1. Who wrote the book of John? John the Baptist or John the Apostle? Answer: John the Apostle.
2. Who were John’s parents? Answer: Zebedee and Salome.
3. (True or False) John had an older brother named James? True.
4. What was the name these two brothers were often referred to as? Answer: The sons of thunder.
5. (True or False) John was the only one of the 12 Apostles at the cross when Jesus was crucified? True.
6. Which of the following events are recorded ONLY in the Gospel of John? Answer: All of the above.
7. Which of the following themes are included in the Gospel of John? Answer: All of the above.
8. How many miracles are mentioned in the Gospel of John? Answer: 8 (7 miracles plus the Resurrection)
9. (True or False) Belief in Jesus as the Messiah and Son of God is the central theme of the Gospel of John? True.
10. (True or False) The fact that Jesus rose from the dead is the foundation of the Christian faith? Answer: True.
11. (True or False) The same power that raised Christ to life can give us the ability to follow Him each day? True.

We’re so excited to share our Advent sermon series titled The Cast of Christmas. During this journey we’ll experience the anticipation of the prophets, the joyful proclamation of the angels, the journey of the shepherds and wise men to honor Jesus and we’ll talk about how this fits in with how we prepare and celebrate for Christmas today. Today we meet our first cast members—the prophets and we’ll focus on their expectation and preparation as it related to the birth of Christ. The cast is ready and the journey is calling. There’s only one thing left to do... Thanks for listening. God bless you! To find out more about our church please go to www.whccnb.org.