John's Gospel for Danehill 1 Leaders

Here are some jottings for some of the things I plan to say at our camp training day in the morning:

An introduction to John’s Gospel

with some learnings for Danehill 1 2010

and some things I’ve been wanting to say about Camp!

The key to John – reading the last page first – 20:30-31 – the purpose of the Gospel

Wouldn’t it have been wonderful to be one of the first disciples in that upper room…

Doubting Thomas – seeing is believing - 20:24 / reading is believing - 20:29!

John (and the Scriptures) give us “more blessed” / happy access to meeting with the risen Jesus today for ourselves – we are more privileged than the first disciples because we have a Bible!

so it is to the Scriptures we must go, and to which we must direct the Pathfinders

The purpose of John (and the Scriptures) is that we should:

(a) (begin to) believe in Jesus (for the first time) AND / OR ?

(b) go on believing in Jesus

which is our purpose for the Pathfinders – remember both:

(a) those who are not yet Christians and

(b) those who are already believers

We are about: Conversion & Discipleship; Evangelism & Nurture; Mission & Maturity

Belief / trusting Jesus brings us real “life” – quality & quantity of life, now and for ever – 10:10; eternal life, knowing God - 17:3

The authority of the Bible – Scripture cannot be broken – 10:35 – Jesus appeals to the exact words

The point of the Bible is to come to Jesus in faith – 5:39-40 – not just academic knowledge etc.

Meeting Jesus (for the first time or afresh, being transformed by him) – people who meet Jesus in John e.g. Disciples, Nicodemus, Samaritan woman, Royal official, paralysed man, crowds

A new vision of the greatness of Jesus – The Christ, The Son of God, Word (1:1), I AM (way, truth, life, resurrection, door, good shepherd, light of the world, bread of life, true vine), signs, glory etc.

Jesus is the ultimate answer to all our needs and all the Pathfinders’ needs

The example of John the Baptist – The voice - 1:23; We want to cry “Behold, the Lamb!” – 1:29, 35; - Shine our little spotlight on Jesus The Light – 5:32-34 – Witness pointing others to Him - 1:7-8 – Humility - 1:15, 27, 30; - Jesus must become greater, we must become less - 1:30 – rejoice if the Pathfinders make much of Him and little of us

Humble self-sacrificial service – Jesus’ example - wash one another’s feet – 13:14-17

Love - 13:34-35; 15:12, 13, 17; mutual care, thoughtfulness, helping out, carrying one another’s’ burdens – a powerful witness – our lives must match our lips, walk and talk, words and actions

Unity in the truth – 17:20-23; 17:17 – the word of truth; “In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, love” – distinguish primary and secondary issues; set aside personal preferences, denominational distinctives etc. – CPAS Basis of Faith sets out some essentials

Expecting struggle / hardship / grief - 11:35 / persecution - 15:20 / failures / set backs / misunderstandings, QQ - 8:27; 10:6; 12:16; 20:9 / knowing our weakness and need - 6:5-13

Dependence on the power of the Spirit – new birth - 3:5-8; 16:7-11