Sometimes Christians say things that are meant to be a comfort to others but aren't theologically sound. Shocking, I know. Some of my favorite videos to watch are when the guest has to guess if it's something that comes from the Bible or a quote. Today on the podcast, we prove the comforting ideas found in Matthew West's song "Me On Your Mind" come from Scripture.
We'll study a wonderful prayer of Jesus to encourage us that He, indeed, had us on His mind.
In this week's episode, I discuss:
Taking a B.I.T.E. out of Scripture - this week's Bible Interaction Tool Exercises include:
Exploring when Jesus' hour "had not yet come" compared to the hour that has come at the time of Christ's prayer
John 2:4
John 7:30
John 8:20
"Glory" and "glorification" and what they mean
Eternal life through Christ - John 17:2-3
Christ's role in bringing attention to God's character through His obedient life
What it means that Christ "manifested" the name of God - John 17:6
Highlighting themes of sanctification and unity in addition to glorification
A pattern we can follow from this prayer (see the Fire Bible Amazon Paid Link)
Pray that they may know Jesus Christ and his Word intimately (John 17:2-3, 17, 19)
Pray that God may protect them from the evil influences of the world, keep them from turning away from him and give them discernment to recognize and reject ungodly beliefs and false spiritual teaching (John 17:6, 11, 14-17)
Pray that they may constantly possess the full joy of serving Christ (John 17:13)
Pray that they may live by God's standards of purity and truth in thoughts, actions, and character (John 17:17)
Pray that they may be unified in love and purpose, just as Jesus and his Father are (John 17:11, 21-22)
Pray that they may lead others to Christ (John 17:21, 23)
pray that their faith will endure so they will one day be with Christ in heaven (John 17:24)
Pray that they may constantly experience God's love and presence (John 17:26)
Am I following Christ's pattern in my own life? Do I look at my obedience to God's ways as a way to magnify His character, or as something I'm supposed to do?