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How to Run a Bible Study on the Book of John

Kevin Harney
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How to Run a Bible Study on the Book of John

Few books of the Bible reward your careful study the way John does. Its prose might seem plain on the surface — full of short sentences and repeated words — but beneath that simplicity lies a theological depth that has challenged the greatest minds for two thousand years. You will find that John offers something rare: a text that moves a new believer, a seasoned theologian, and everyone in between.

If you are a pastor or a leader preparing to guide a group through John, you are utilizing one of Scripture’s richest teaching tools. This guide will help you understand the book, plan a twelve-week study structure, and lead your people from the ancient text into their everyday lives.

Let’s begin where every good study begins … with the story behind the story.

An Introduction to the Gospel of John

The Gospel of John does not name its author within its pages. Yet early church testimony points to one person: John, the son of Zebedee, remembered tenderly as “the disciple whom Jesus loved” (Jn 21:20–24). The traditions behind this Gospel reach back to around AD 60–65, with the final edition likely published between AD 80 and 100.

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Why does that matter for your study?

Because John was not writing in a vacuum. He wrote from Ephesus where his community experienced severe conflict and faced expulsion from their local synagogues for confessing Jesus as the Messiah. This context of pressure and uncertainty shapes the entire tone of the Gospel. His purpose was pastoral and urgent: to strengthen Christian claims, to clarify doctrine, and to encourage believers who were being pressed by persecution.

Those pressures shaped his themes. John presents a high view of Christ, the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit, the promise of Jesus’ return, and the nature of divine truth. He also holds salvation and judgment in tension. Jesus came to save the world, yet for those who turn away, judgment remains. This is not cold theology. It is the loving warning of a shepherd who wants you to choose life.

How to Teach the ‘Signs’ in John’s Gospel

You may be tempted to read Jesus’ miracles as displays of raw power. John invites you to see something deeper. The miracles in John 1–12, often called the “Book of Signs,” are exactly that: signs. They unveil God’s presence, power, and point beyond themselves to who Jesus truly is.

Let’s consider a few:

  • The feeding of the 5,000 (Jn 6:1–15) reveals Jesus as the bread of life.
  • Walking on water (Jn 6:16–24) shows his authority over creation.
  • Healing the man born blind (Jn 9:1–12) restores physical sight and also suggests spiritual sight (Jn 9:39–41).
  • Raising Lazarus (Jn 11:1–44) displays his power over death, the grave, and the enemy.

Each sign invites you to answer the same question: Do you believe?

How to Teach the “I Am” Statements in the Gospel of John

When Jesus says “I am,” he is doing more than describing himself. He is echoing the name God revealed to Moses in Exodus 3:14. He is claiming divinity. These were bold and dangerous words!

Watch how John layers these declarations:

  • “I am the bread of life.” (Jn 6:35)
  • “I am the light of the world.” (Jn 8:12)
  • “Before Abraham was born, I am.” (Jn 8:58)
  • “I am the resurrection and the life.” (Jn 11:25)
  • “I am the true vine.” (Jn 15:1)

With that last statement, Jesus redefines the old picture of Israel as God’s vineyard and names himself the single source of life and fruitfulness.

To lead a study on John is to help your people hear these words as first-century hearers did — as the voice of God among us.

Weekly Topics: 12 Sessions Through John

The Gospel of John lends itself nicely to a twelve-week Bible study. Below you will find twelve themes from John, each covering 1-2 chapters and focusing on a clear theme.

  1. Not as Expected (John 1): The Word enters the world, and the pattern of discipleship begins.
  2. The Surprising Savior (John 2–3): Miracles as signs, the cleansing of the temple, and spiritual rebirth.
  3. Turning Points (John 3–4): John the Baptist’s humility, the Samaritan woman, and healing from a distance.
  4. A Shift in Perspective (John 5–6): Healing on the Sabbath and Jesus’ divine authority.
  5. Teacher of Truth (John 6–7): The Bread of Life, hard teachings, and Jesus as Living Water.
  6. Confronting Conflict (John 8–10): Spiritual bondage, the healing of the blind man, and the Good Shepherd.
  7. The Beginning of the End (John 11–12): The raising of Lazarus, Mary’s anointing, and the Triumphal Entry.
  8. The Last Supper (John 13): Jesus washes the disciples’ feet and models servanthood.
  9. Jesus’ Final Teaching (John 14–16): The promise of the Holy Spirit, the vine and the branches, grief turned to joy.
  10. Jesus’ Longest Prayer (John 17): Jesus prays for the Father’s glory, for his disciples, and for all believers.
  11. The Passion of Jesus (John 18–19): Peter’s denial, Jesus before Pilate, and the cross.
  12. A New Beginning (John 20–21): The empty tomb, the risen Jesus, and the reinstatement of Peter.

Twelve sessions. One unfolding revelation. From the eternal Word to the empty tomb, your group will trace the whole arc of who Jesus is.

The Study Structure: A Path From Past to Present

Good Bible study should never stop at information or merely reading the text. Life transformation is the goal. The method behind this study moves in clear, named stages, so you and your group always know where you are and where you are headed. Each time you meet, you can structure your meeting with the outline below and cover one of the topics listed in the previous section.

  • Original Meaning. Begin in the past. This stage explores the historical, cultural, and literary world of the text — the U-shaped table at the Passover meal, the customs of the Festival of Tabernacles, the Hebrew greeting “Peace be with you.” Before you ask what a passage means for you today, you need to learn what it meant for them then.
  • Past to Present. Next, you build the bridge. This stage connects the ancient words to eternal truths that still hold today. You can use everyday analogies — familiar stories, common experiences — to make timeless principles land in the present.
  • Reflection and Application. Next, examine your own lives. Reflection questions will invite honest self-examination and apply each truth to daily life. Questions like, “What does it mean to you that God says you are his child?” or “When did Jesus do his ‘pruning’ work in your life?” These are the moments where study fosters discipleship and community.
  • Closing Prayer. Finally, end each session in prayer. This is not a formality. It is the invitation to bring everything you have learned before the Lord and ask him to make it real in you.

This rhythm — from ancient context, to timeless truth, to personal life, to prayer — is what carries your people from the page into their week.

Encouragement for Leaders

Most of us feel the weight when we step into leading others. You want to be faithful. You want it to matter. So let this method help you. Do the historical work honestly. Build the bridge to today with care. And don’t skip the reflection and prayer, because that is where we meet Jesus, not just learn information about him.

Go Deeper With ‘John Bible Study’

John Bible Study NIV Application Resource by Kevin Harney

If you are looking for more guidance for your Bible study on the Gospel of John, the John Bible Study: Knowing What Is True in an Untrue World by Kevin Harney, based on the NIV Application Commentary from Gary Burge, is an excellent resource. Designed to make scholarly insights approachable, this study will walk you and your group through twelve themes John by using the Original Meaning, Past to Present, and Application method discussed in this article.

Pick up this trusted companion, gather your group, and walk through John together with fresh understanding and renewed faith.

How Moses Overcame His Anxiety — and You Can Too

Shannon Bream
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How Moses Overcame His Anxiety — and You Can Too

If the thought of public speaking makes you weak in the knees, you are far from alone. It’s regularly rated as one of Americans’ top fears, and it’s where one of the Bible’s bravest men started out. Moses, a hero of the faith who was the conduit for the earliest foundations of Scripture — a man who boldly stood up to the most powerful man on the planet — started out as an anxious, hesitant defeatist who wanted nothing to do with the task God had assigned him.

Remember, Moses had been uniquely equipped to lead the Hebrew people. His mother spared his life by setting him adrift in the Nile River in a basket at a time when all male Hebrew babies were given a death sentence by Pharaoh. Instead, it was Pharaoh’s own daughter who discovered baby Moses and eventually decided to raise him in the palace. There he was equipped with all the knowledge he needed to succeed in the highest echelons of Egyptian society — education, royal traditions, and political savvy.

But none of that could save his life when Moses killed an Egyptian he saw abusing a Hebrew slave. Moses would spend decades running from his murderous sin, with a death sentence hanging over his own head. Long before the Israelites spent 40 years lost and wandering, Moses would have his own period of isolation and drifting. He worked quietly and faithfully as a shepherd. That seemingly unrelated detour was preparing him for a life spent leading a different kind of flock.

Moses Was Blinded by Anxiety

When God showed up in a burning bush to call him into service, Moses did not jump into action. The Lord didn’t ask — He told.

“So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.”
— Exodus 3:10 (NIV)

The last time we saw anything about a pharaoh and Moses, it was because Egypt’s top leader wanted to kill him. And though the pharaoh God was calling Moses to confront was not the same man, Moses had to wonder whether the story of what he’d done still lingered in Egyptian folklore. Moses’ reply to the LORD makes perfect sense by our human standards — at least by mine!

“But Moses said to God, ‘Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?’”
— Exodus 3:11 (NIV)

Probably the same question I would have asked. LORD, are you kidding me? I’m a shepherd, gone from that life for decades. And my life may be over if I go back!

“And God said, ‘I will be with you…’”
— Exodus 3:12 (NIV)

Moses was ready with his list of excuses as to why he couldn’t possibly do what God was asking. He was anxious and apprehensive, feeling ill-equipped to step up to the challenge.

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Moses’ timid human heart didn’t seem to believe God could achieve the unthinkable — especially through him. He was understandably worried, but it wasn’t just about confronting Pharaoh. It was also about what he believed was his inability to articulate his calling to the very people he was supposed to lead.

Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?”

God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’”

God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’

“This is my name forever,
  the name you shall call me
  from generation to generation.”

— Exodus 3:13–15 (NIV)

I AM. Period. God instructed Moses to gather the elders of Israel and tell them who’d sent him. “They will listen to what you say,” God promised. (Exodus 3:18).

God Reassured and Equipped His Servant

What if they don’t believe you sent me? God had Moses drop his staff and it turned into a snake, then back into a staff when Moses picked it up. Then he had Moses put his hand into his cloak, only to pull it out covered in disease. Another tuck back into the cloak and it was healed. If those two miracles didn’t work, God told Moses to throw water from the Nile (the river where he was sentenced to death) onto the flood and watch it turn to blood.

Moses said to the Lord, “Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.”

The Lord said to him, “Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.”

But Moses said, “Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else.”

— Exodus 4:10–13 (NIV)

Have you ever argued with God? Have you ever told Him He’s wrong about you? How our distrust and frail hearts must sometimes frustrate Him, but He never gives up on us.

God agreed to bring Moses’ brother Aaron onto the team. Moses was instructed to give Aaron the words to say, and the LORD would speak through them. Moses went to get Jethro’s blessing to go after his people and eventually met up with Aaron. Together they gathered the elders and did as God had said, telling them what the LORD had said and performing the signs he’d enabled them to do. The elders were so grateful God had considered their suffering that they bowed down and worshipped.

What came next was a miraculous series of increasingly brutal plagues from the hand of God Himself. Moses grew in spiritual maturity and bravery, repeatedly confronting Pharaoh until his grip on the millions of Hebrew slaves powering Egypt was loosened and they were finally released to go free … until they weren’t.

Just when the freed Hebrew people began to breathe a sigh of relief, Pharaoh changed his mind. Despite the absolute devastation of the plagues, the disappearance of more than a million members of his work force was a jolt to Pharaoh and the Egyptian economy. As the Israelites camped by the Red Sea, Pharaoh and his army showed up in force. Gripped with fear they unleashed their complaints on Moses. Why did you bring us out here to die? Why didn’t you just let us stay and serve the Egyptians?

Moses Matured From Anxious to Authoritative

It’s at this point that we see the full transformation of Moses. Once consumed by self-doubt and terror, he boldly stood and spoke.

“Moses answered the people, ‘Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.’”
— Exodus 14:13–14 (NIV)

The man who tried to talk God out of using him refused to cower before a swarm of chariots and soldiers headed right at him. And the mini-sermon he gave is the very formula we can apply to our 2026 anxieties too.

  • Don’t be afraid. What God has promised you is true. He has no doubts about your future.
  • Stand firm. In moments of trepidation — and they will come — don’t waiver. Remember, the enemy is constantly seeking to intimidate you out of believing what you know to be truth.
  • See His deliverance. Open your eyes. Don’t miss it. Sometimes God chooses a different path than the one we would choose. What the Israelites were about to witness would blow their minds, but they had to be watching.
  • He will fight for you. So many powerful verses come to mind:
    • “The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?” (Psalm 118:6 NIV).
    • “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31 NIV)
  • Be still.You know those Israelites wanted to panic, to gather their little ones and try to make a run for it. They could see nothing but a watery grave in front of them and sure death behind them. Moses, the one-time stuttering coward, confidently told them everything was going to be OK. And it was.

God sent a strong wind to blast back the sea waters and allow the Israelites to travel to safety on dry land. Those same waters flooded over the Egyptians who chased them. According to Exodus 14:28, “not one of them survived”.

The people trusted Moses — a man who trusted neither himself nor the Lord when he was sent on this momentous assignment. It’s neat to remember that Moses wrote this account of what happened. He repeatedly tells on himself, transparently sharing the doubt and defiance he had when talking with the very God of the Universe. After 430 years of captivity, the people of Israel were delivered under the leadership of a man who would rather have hidden out with the sheep.

We get not only encouragement from watching Moses’ story unfold, but also the equipment we need to confront our own anxieties — one faithful step at a time.

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In a Trust Recession, What Makes a Pastor Trustworthy?

Timothy C. Morgan
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In a Trust Recession, What Makes a Pastor Trustworthy?

What does trustworthy pastoral leadership actually look like in 2026? Recent research reveals some surprising findings about which American pastors are more likely to be seen as trustworthy.

Americans may be experiencing a crisis of institutional trust, but Barna Group research suggests pastors haven’t become uniformly untrustworthy. Instead, Barna’s research suggests Americans trust pastors they know personally more, while confidence drops sharply for celebrity pastors and larger, more distant Christian institutions. The challenge is especially striking in 2026: Barna also found that one in three U.S. adults say spiritual guidance from artificial intelligence is as trustworthy as advice from a pastor, a figure that rises to 39% among Gen Z and 44% among Millennials.

Barna’s Trust Survey

In July 2024 and February 2026, Barna Group surveyed 2,001 and 2,000 U.S. adults, respectively, about how much they trust 23 different kinds of individuals, institutions, and organizations. “Comparing the [2026] results with a similar survey Barna fielded in 2024, the data reveals a clear, consistent pattern: trust runs local, and it runs small,” the survey results said in a statement.

“When it comes to Christian leaders and institutions, Americans place the most confidence in who they know and what they can experience personally: pastors in small, neighborhood churches. Confidence drops sharply for anything bigger, more distant, or anonymous, including megachurches and celebrity pastors. That pattern surfaced in 2024 when Barna first surveyed U.S. adults, and in 2026 it’s still holding steady for Christian-related scores.”

Barna used the survey results to create what the organization calls its Trust Index, which scales from 0 to 100, with 100 indicating complete trust. The top five in the index were family members (79), local businesses (65), Christians (61), charities (60), and small churches (61). How do megachurches compare? They scored 36 — a 25-point gap.

Which Pastors Are Trustworthy?

Barna’s survey also offered two options for pastors: Christian pastors or celebrity pastors. Christian pastors scored 55, while celebrity pastors ranked 30 on the index, below the trust ranking for the federal government, celebrities of all kinds, and AI companies. Only politicians ranked lower, with an index score of 26.

At a moment when Americans increasingly question whether pastors are trustworthy sources of spiritual guidance, which pastors are earning reputations for trustworthiness?

Consider Morris Chapman, the Southern Baptist executive leader who died in October 2025. He never seemed to lose his local connections despite spending decades in the upper levels of Southern Baptist life, serving as a pastor and eventually as president and CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee.

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When Chapman died at age 84, longtime Southern Baptist leader Benjamin Cole remembered him not simply as an accomplished denominational executive but as “a trustworthy ballast” during periods of theological and institutional upheaval. Baptist News Global quotes Cole saying Chapman was a source of “unimpeachable personal integrity and administrative stability” and that the closer Cole got to Chapman, “the more I saw that looked like Jesus.” Another leader, Jeff Iorg, president and CEO of the SBC Executive Committee, remembered Chapman as a friend who encouraged him for many years, including after Iorg became president of the Executive Committee.

Chapman’s legacy was not without controversy, though. Abuse survivors and advocates criticized the SBC’s handling of sexual-abuse allegations during his tenure — one of the key factors cited as contributing to declining trust in religious institutions.

There are living examples. Jose Nater, church planter and pastor of Iglesia Bautista Dios con Nosotros in East Hartford, Connecticut, received the Robert H. Brindle Church Planting Award in 2025 for a decade of church planting in New England. Mae Elise Cannon is an ordained pastor in the Reformed Church in America and serves as executive director of Churches for Middle East Peace. In 2025, the organization received the Frank Wolf International Religious Freedom Award, with the award recognizing its commitment to peace, reconciliation, and religious freedom.

Their stories suggest another dimension of pastoral trust that the survey numbers cannot capture: relationships built over time. Trust is not merely a matter of public reputation; it grows when people experience a pastor’s character firsthand. Jesus’ observation in Luke 16:10 — that “whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much” — offers a useful biblical lens for understanding a pastor’s reputation.

America’s ‘Trust Recession’

Barna Group’s findings come amid a broader decline in confidence in American institutions. Barna said Americans are living through a sustained “trust recession” and pointed to a July 2026 Gallup survey as evidence. Each year since 1993, Gallup has surveyed Americans on their level of confidence in 14 “core institutions” in American society, from banks to the medical system, including the category of “the church/organized religion.”

“Americans’ confidence in U.S. institutions remains historically low. Currently, 27% of Americans express ‘a great deal’ or ‘quite a lot’ of confidence in these core institutions, one percentage point above the record-low average in 2023,” Gallup said.

Confidence in the “church/organized religion” category peaked in 1993, when 60% of those surveyed said they had a great deal or a lot of confidence in their churches and religious groups. But 33 years later, in 2026, confidence has fallen to 33%, up slightly since 2023. The U.S. military ranks highest of all 14 groups at 61%, while Congress ranks lowest on the confidence scale at 9.

Gallup’s analysis suggests many reasons for this persistent decline in public confidence in institutions. The Great Recession of 2007-08 and the backlash to COVID-19 policies contributed. Gallup noted that the clergy abuse scandals and the overall decline in religiosity are other likely reasons for the decline in confidence.

Why Trust Matters — and How to Build It

Barna’s 2024 research also explored the relationship between trust and well-being. The study found that people with higher levels of trust were more likely to say that someone believes in them, that they feel deeply cared for by those around them, and that they are satisfied with their life choices.

Barna developed three action steps for religious leaders to take to strengthen or rebuild trust, including:

  • Keep it local.
  • Focus on being known for integrity, more than visibility.
  • Turn small into an advantage.

The survey concludes, “The same qualities behind every high score in this data — small, local, and knowable — are qualities leaders can actively build toward. Trust can be lost quickly. This research suggests it can also be rebuilt, one relationship at a time.”

Trustworthy pastors are people whose private character matches their public ministry. In an age of celebrity pastors, viral sermons, and digitally amplified religious personalities, trust may depend on something decidedly old-fashioned: being known, keeping one’s word, and remaining the same person when nobody is watching.

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3 Misconceptions About Blessings and Answered Prayers

Melissa Miller
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3 Misconceptions About Blessings and Answered Prayers

Have you ever stepped into an answer to prayer, only to discover your new blessing was harder than you expected? You’re not alone. In fact, the Bible is full of people who stepped into God’s “yes,” but their story didn’t come without a mess. Yet, somehow we still seem to hold certain expectations about what it means to be blessed by God or receive His “yes.” 

There is a short story tucked in 1 Chronicles about a man named Jabez who prayed and seemed to receive the answer to his prayer without any bumps in the road: 

“Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, ‘Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.’ And God granted his request.” 
— 1 Chronicles 4:10

Jabez experienced the happily-ever-after we anticipate. We all want the key to unlocking this seemingly mess-free blessing in our lives, but assuming that God’s blessings will always result in smooth sailing can lead to disillusionment if we aren’t careful. 

Here are a few misconceptions about God’s blessings and answered prayers:

Misconception #1: ‘If God Blessed It, It Will Be Easy’

When Nehemiah (the cupbearer to the Persian king) heard that Jerusalem’s walls had been destroyed, the news broke his heart. He wept, fasted, and prayed desperately for days. And he specifically asked God for an opportunity to speak to the king about it: 

“O Lord, please hear my prayer! Listen to the prayers of those of us who delight in honoring you. Please grant me success today by making the king favorable to me. Put it into his heart to be kind to me.”
— Nehemiah 1:11 (NLT)

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Nehemiah’s prayer was answered, and the king granted him a leave of absence so he could rebuild the walls. Nehemiah was confident that God would help his plan succeed, and he rallied the people to begin rebuilding. But his God-given mission wasn’t without opposition. Nehemiah and the workers were mocked and threatened. People said, “Do they actually think they can make something of stones from a rubbish heap?” (Nehemiah 4:2 NLT.).

The mocks and threats weren’t the only challenge; the workers were growing tired because there was so much rubble to move, and they were struggling to feed their families. They worked hard from sunrise to sunset, but eventually, the wall was rebuilt and Nehemiah led people in a time of spiritual renewal. But most of the book of Nehemiah is about the messy middle of trying to walk out God’s “yes” when it was harder than expected. 

There’s a misconception that when we are in God’s will, we will always feel peaceful or be spared from hard work. But just because you have God’s yes (and His grace) doesn’t mean life will be easy or smooth, or free of resistance. 

From the new mom struggling to adjust to sleepless nights to the one who accepted a new job and now feels overworked, living in God’s blessing doesn’t mean the journey won’t be bumpy. 

Misconception #2: ‘If I’m Blessed, I Won’t Need God as Much’

We don’t say this one out loud, but we sure fall into this trap. It’s easy to assume that if we get the blessing we want, we will be satisfied and confident. But the truth is, only the Giver can satisfy our souls, not the gifts. Often, this kind of disillusionment can lead to ingratitude, like the Israelites who had been set free from slavery, only to complain about missing their old lives: 

“And all the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The whole congregation said to them, “Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness! Why is the Lord bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become a prey. Would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt?”
— Numbers 14:2-3 (ESV)

The truth is, we need God in the lows, the highs, and all the valleys in between. We never get to the place where we’ve received enough “blessings” in our lives to be free of our need for God. Yet, somehow it’s easier to remember God in the lows of life, and forget about Him after we get what we wanted. But all the earthly things we perceive as “blessings” will never be enough for the God-sized hole in our hearts. 

Sometimes, it’s not the disillusionment of our circumstances that drives us to depend on God, but the inadequacy we feel as we step into them. In the book of Exodus, it seems like Moses would have felt honored and excited to be chosen as Israel’s leader to the promised land. Instead, he pointed out his shortcomings to God and felt like God picked the wrong person for the job. 

“O my Lord, I am not eloquent … but I am slow of speech and of a slow tongue.”
— Exodus 4:10 (ESV)

Because Moses didn’t feel how a leader “should” feel (confident and capable) he doubted God’s calling. He assumed his stutter disqualified him from being the best person for the job. Moses had to learn how to carry his calling even when his feelings weren’t falling in line.

We usually expect seasons of crisis and tragedy to make us come to the end of ourselves, so it’s surprising to feel unqualified, inadequate, or disillusioned when we get what we prayed for. But stepping into a new season (even a season that is a blessing) can require an overwhelming adjustment period. The good news? It’s an opportunity to depend on God’s strength once again.

God spoke to the apostle Paul, saying, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV).

Misconception #3: ‘I Will Feel Grateful and Happy All the Time When My Prayer Is Answered’

God promises a lot of beautiful things in Scripture. He promises that He will never leave or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). He promises that He will work all things for our good (Romans 8:28). He promises eternal life for those who believe in Him (John 3:16). But God does not promise that we will always have warm, fuzzy feelings when we follow Him and His plan.

Here’s the reality about living in our broken world: sometimes we are holding a gift in one hand and grief in the other. Sometimes, we are handed a blessing, but something hard or painful comes alongside it. 

In 1 Kings 18, Elijah prayed for God to show his power at Mount Carmel, and fire came down from heaven. 

“When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, ‘The Lord—he is God! The Lord—he is God!'”
— 1 Kings 18:39 (NIV)

It was a victorious moment, and he probably thought it would result in a neat and tidy resolution to his prayer, like Jabez’s “God granted his request.” But instead, Elijah was thrown a curveball. He was sent a death threat that made him so fearful and discouraged that he actually asked God to take his life. He was sent a death threat that made him so fearful and discouraged that his next move was not celebrating; it was hiding. If you’ve ever wondered, Why now, God?, you are not alone.

Sometimes life is a messy mix of the beautiful and the broken, and we have to learn how to hold the tension of both. It’s okay to take time to express gratitude and joy for your new blessings, and find the space you need to grieve, process, or allow God to hold your heart through what’s hard. Proverbs 14:13 reminds us, “Even in laughter the heart may ache.” 

A Few Simple Steps Forward

If you’ve found yourself struggling in a new season of answered prayers, here are a few steps to find your way forward: 

1. Read and memorize verses about God’s unchanging nature. 

When you feel overwhelmed by big changes in your life, remembering God’s unchanging nature is a powerful truth to anchor to:

  • “I the Lord do not change.” (Malachi 3:6)
  • “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8)
  • “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.” (Isaiah 40:8)

2. Grow in gratitude by flipping complaints into prayers of thanks. 

When you’re overwhelmed in a new season, gratitude can be harder to access (like it was for the Israelites in the wilderness). Try flipping complaints into thanksgiving:

  • Your child is in a mood. Thank you God, for this child I prayed for.
  • The laundry is piling up. Thank you God for all the clothes I have. 
  • The gas prices are high. Thank you, God that I have a car to drive today.

3. Pray with the three R’s. 

  • Read: Read through a verse once out loud. 
  • Reflect: Repeat the verse out loud, much more slowly, pausing to reflect on each phrase. 
  • Respond: Turn the verse into a prayer.
    • Example: 
      • Verse: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8)
      • Prayer: “God, thank you that you are the same yesterday, today, and forever. Although seasons change, you are constant.”

Your prayer was answered. Now what?

But I Prayed for This by Melissa Miller

The spouse you prayed for is here, but a sadness sets in that you can’t explain. The job you prayed for came through, but now you are overworked and overwhelmed. The baby you prayed for has arrived, but you haven’t slept since. You wonder, Isn’t an answer to prayer supposed to feel better than this?

But I Prayed for This: What to Do When Living in God’s Yes Is Harder Than You Expected, by Melissa Miller, provides a pathway to care for your soul, permission to be in process, and reassurance that God’s love is big enough for both your gratitude and your grief.

We Know Jesus Loved the Psalms. But How Did He Use Them?

Kristin Nave
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We Know Jesus Loved the Psalms. But How Did He Use Them?

I had always loved the Psalms. I turned to them for comfort, truth, praise, and to know God more deeply. Like many Bible readers, I also knew that Jesus quoted the Psalms more than any other Old Testament book. But eventually I found myself asking a different question:

How did Jesus actually use the Psalms?

The more I studied the New Testament, the more fascinating that question became. Across its 260 chapters, there are roughly 100 direct quotations from the Psalms and more than 400 references or allusions to them. No other Old Testament book is woven into the New Testament as extensively. If the Psalms were so central to Jesus and the early church, I wanted to understand why. And if Jesus knew them so intimately, I wanted to know them that way too.

I decided to study a psalm every weekend, no matter what book of the Bible I was studying during the week. Before then, I often reserved my deepest Bible study for other books of Scripture. But giving that same attention to the Psalms changed everything. I began to notice that Jesus didn’t just quote the Psalms. He turned to them in different moments throughout His ministry. Jesus used the Psalms to reveal His identity, explain His mission, prepare His disciples, and even express His heart in His deepest suffering.

The Psalms have long been treasured for their comfort, praise, prayers, and beautiful poetry. They trace the story of Scripture from creation to redemption and touch nearly every major theological theme in the Bible. But one of the richest discoveries for me was seeing how Jesus Himself used them beyond the most familiar ways.

Jesus Used the Psalms to Reveal His Identity

One of the clearest examples comes in Matthew 21. As Jesus entered Jerusalem, children filled the temple courts crying, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” (verse 15, ESV). The chief priests and scribes were indignant that children were publicly declaring who Jesus was.

Instead of silencing them, Jesus quoted Psalm 8:2: “Out of the mouths of babies and infants, you have established strength because of your foes” (ESV).

David originally wrote those words to celebrate God’s majesty displayed through the praise of the weak. Jesus applied that very psalm to Himself. The praise of those children was not misplaced. It revealed the identity of the One standing before them. Every time I picture this scene, I get chills. Jesus doesn’t silence the praise of children but magnifies it.

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Only one chapter later, Jesus turned to another psalm in an entirely different setting.

In Matthew 22:41–46, and the parallel passages in Mark 12:35–37 and Luke 20:41–44, Jesus questioned the Pharisees by quoting Psalm 110:1: “The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool” (ESV).

Everyone expected the Messiah to be the Son of David. Jesus asked a simple question: If the Messiah is merely David’s son, why does David call Him “Lord”?

The religious leaders had no answer. Knowing the Gospels, we realize this wasn’t the silence of humility. It was the silence of hearts unwilling to acknowledge who was standing before them.

Using David’s own words, Jesus demonstrated that the Messiah was far more than David’s descendant. He was David’s Lord. The Psalms became a powerful apologetic, revealing His divine identity from Israel’s own Scriptures. Perhaps the Psalms aren’t the first place we would think to turn for apologetics (hand raised here). Yet here we see Jesus using them to reveal one of the greatest truths of all: His own identity.

Jesus Used the Psalms to Explain His Mission

On the night before His crucifixion, Jesus prepared His disciples for the rejection that was about to unfold.

In John 15:25, He quoted Psalm 35:19: “They hated me without cause.”

Jesus wanted His disciples to understand that His rejection was not evidence that God’s plan had failed. It was the fulfillment of what had been written centuries earlier. David’s experience as the righteous sufferer ultimately pointed to Christ, the perfectly righteous One who would be rejected without cause.

This scene has become one of my favorites to imagine. We aren’t told what Jesus was feeling, and we don’t want to read emotions into the text. But I picture Him sitting with His closest friends, knowing what was coming in just a few hours. There is something deeply moving about the intimacy of that moment. As He prepared them for His suffering, He also let them see something of His own rejection. And when He chose words to express it, He reached for the Psalms.

Again and again, Jesus showed His disciples that the Psalms were not merely songs from Israel’s past. They were the story He was living.

Jesus Used the Psalms in His Deepest Suffering

Perhaps the best-known example that many of us are familiar with comes from the cross.

As Jesus bore the weight of humanity’s sin, He cried out the opening words of Psalm 22: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matt. 27:46, ESV).

As I studied this passage more closely, something struck me that I had never considered before. Humanly speaking, severe suffering can affect our ability to think clearly and even recall information. Yet in unimaginable agony, the words that flowed from Jesus’ lips were Scripture. He wasn’t simply familiar with the Psalms. They had become part of Him.

And Psalm 22 was not a cry of despair alone. It is one of Scripture’s clearest Messianic psalms, describing details of the crucifixion centuries before it happened while ultimately ending in hope and victory.

Even Jesus’ final recorded words came from the Psalms. In Luke 23:46, He prayed Psalm 31:5: “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit” (ESV).

The songs He had prayed throughout His life became the words He prayed as He gave His life.

What Jesus’ Use of the Psalms Means for Us

Studying how Jesus used the Psalms changed the way I read them.

I no longer saw them as only a place to find comfort when life was difficult or words for worship when my heart overflowed with praise. I began to see them the way Jesus did. They reveal who He is, why He came, prepare us for suffering, and teach us how to pray. From beginning to end, they point us to Christ.

Perhaps that’s why, after His resurrection, Jesus pointed His disciples back to “the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms” (Luke 24:44, ESV). He wanted them to see what He had seen all along: that these songs had always been telling His story.

If Jesus knew the Psalms this deeply, filled His mind with them, and turned to them throughout every season of His ministry, perhaps we should too. To live a life immersing ourselves in them until they form the way we think, pray, worship, and even suffer.

The more we learn to read the Psalms through the eyes of Jesus, the more we discover they are far more than songs to sing. They are an invitation to know and be like the Savior who loved them.

Experience meaningful time with God through the songs Jesus loved.

20 Minute Bible Studies in Psalms by Kristin Nave

Between work deadlines, school pickups, laundry piles and endless responsibilities, many women wonder: Can God really meet me in the little the little time I have?

Kristin Nave’s 20 Minute Bible Studies in Psalms is your invitation to let God multiply your moments, whether few or abundant. Through this study of 40 psalms, you’ll discover that even twenty minutes with God’s Word can renew your heart. The Psalms speak to every season and emotion; joy, grief, hope, weariness, gratitude, and praise, reminding us that God meets us in each one.

Know Jesus, Know Yourself: The Life-Changing Power of His Identity

Susie Larson
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Know Jesus, Know Yourself: The Life-Changing Power of His Identity

Jesus and His disciples stirred up dust on the gravel roads as they approached the region of Caesarea Philippi. Picture the back-and-forth banter, the questions, and stretches of thought-provoking silence.

Suddenly, Jesus turned to His disciples and asked, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”

“Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets” (Matthew 16:13–14 NLT).

Jesus halted the group, and they all gathered around Him. They sensed that another essential lesson was about to unfold. Jesus opened His hands before them and asked, “But who do you say I am?” (v. 15, emphasis mine). Look what happened next:

Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

Jesus replied, “You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being. Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it. And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.” (Mt. 16:16–19 NLT)

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Notice what occurred. People who knew and experienced Jesus from a distance had all kinds of ideas about who He might be (and the same is true today). But Peter — beautifully imperfect as he was — stayed on Jesus’ heels. He followed Him closely and loved Him fiercely. So when Jesus asked the question about His identity, Peter was ready to speak out in faith: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

Heaven came down and influenced Peter’s response. God revealed the truth to Peter about His one and only Son! Peter was chosen to declare this truth aloud. Because Peter received a revelation of who Jesus was, he was positioned to better understand who he was. Thus, Jesus continued to speak to Peter, addressing not only his identity but also his calling.

Go back and read that passage again, noticing how Jesus addressed Peter’s identity and calling. He referred to Peter as a “rock” before Peter ever acted like one. He called out Peter’s God-given destiny while it was still in its infancy. Peter was positioned to hear about who he could become because he was postured in faith with an ear turned toward heaven.

Here, Jesus is standing at the gates of hell in Caesarea Philippi by the altar of the god Pan. The disciples knew this was a very demonic area full of pagan worship. Jesus displayed His ultimate power over the principalities and idols of the world at that moment. He revealed that Peter will have access to this power through the Holy Spirit!

What Would You Do?

Picture yourself standing there with Jesus in a place of demon worship. Imagine Jesus putting his hands on your shoulders, looking over His shoulder, and then back into your eyes and saying, “The gates of hell will not prevail against My kingdom! Far greater is My Spirit in you than all the demons of hell combined. Soon, I will be alive in you, and you will minister with the authority you’ve seen in Me.”

What would you do with such a moment?

Your most authentic self — the one filled with the Holy Spirit, closely following Jesus, addressing the fleshly tendencies He reveals in you, and seeking to know God in ways that transform you forever — is made for a deeper relationship with God. You are called to be a vessel of honor, filled with His Spirit, walking in His ways so that you are continually transformed from glory to glory, allowing others to see Him for who He truly is.

Here’s where the story takes a turn. After Jesus confirmed His identity as the Son of the living God and told the disciples that the gates of hell would not prevail against the church, He began to prepare them for the road ahead.

He didn’t mince words; He spoke plainly. He needed to go to Jerusalem, where He would suffer greatly at the hands of leading priests and teachers of the religious law. He would be brutally killed, but on the third day, He would rise from the grave, for even death could not stop Him!

Picture those same dusty roads, this jarring conversation. Picture Peter running ahead of Jesus, turning around, stretching out his arms to block Jesus’ path, and saying, “Heaven forbid, Lord. … This will never happen to you!” (Matthew 16:22 NLT).

How did Jesus respond? “Get away from me, Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s” (v. 23).

If you’re wrong about Jesus’ identity, you’ll be wrong about your own.

The Problem of Fear

By the way, how did this encounter go from a history-making, divine revelation to Peter’s fleshly, earthbound reaction in such a short time?

Fear.

Fear binds us, blinds us, and prevents us from seeing things as they truly are. In essence, Jesus said to Peter (and He also says to us), When you live from a place of fear, you become a dangerous trap to Me. You see things only from a human perspective and not from God’s. I must fulfill My destiny so you can fulfill yours. Fear has no place in your heart or your perspective.

Dr. Rob Reimer writes this:

“What you believe about yourself and others will shape how you live. But it isn’t enough to have knowledge of the truth; your life must be built upon this foundation of truth, and it must be deeply integrated into your daily existence. This never happens accidentally. You need to build your life on the foundation of who God says you are. This is your identity in Christ, and when this foundation is properly set in your soul, your life can be well constructed.”

Jesus wasn’t calling Peter “Satan.” He was addressing the same spirit that tempted Jesus in the wilderness and attempted to derail His destiny (Matthew 4:1–11). Peter was an easy target for the Enemy due to his impetuous and hasty nature.

How We Let the Enemy In

The Enemy targets Christians every day of the week. When we operate in fear or control, or react anxiously, the Enemy is right there to leverage our circumstances against us. When we harbor bitterness or anger, the Enemy gains a foothold (Ephesians 4:27). When we disobey God, sin intentionally, gossip, betray others — the list goes on — we open the doors and windows of our souls to Satan’s influence. The Enemy acts as a legalist. If we grant him legal ground to occupy our territory, he will take it.

That’s why we need to deal with our fleshly tendencies; they tell us something about what we believe and who we trust. We don’t need shame or condemnation to help us discern our weak spots. We need the loving, life-giving Holy Spirit to shine His light in our hearts so we see what we need and then follow His lead. The fear of the Lord is truly the beginning of wisdom.

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”
— Proverbs 9:10 (NKJV)

Trust in God’s Purpose

Everyone’s heart needs healing in some way. Are you open to transformation? God has so much more for you than you can imagine. But it begins with a humble, receptive heart. It begins with your willingness to follow Jesus wherever He leads. God is not predictable, but He is purposeful. You can trust Him.

As we put our hope in Him, we will be changed. The degree by which we learn to submit to His rule and reign will determine to what degree we walk in His power, purpose, and authority. The more we grasp who Jesus is, the more we comprehend all we were created to be.

Adapted from More Than You Can Imagine by Susie Larson, out now from W Publishing.

More Than You Can Imagine by Susie Larson

Did you know you have a real enemy — and he’s threatened by your willingness to trust God? His strategy is intentional: if he can undermine your identity, he can dismantle your trust. He whispers lies about you, tempting you to question who God is. And when your identity feels shaky, your confidence in God is never far behind. But when you remember who God is — and who you are in Him — everything changes.

When you begin to see yourself as He sees you, trust becomes not only possible but powerful — steady, resilient, even supernatural. In More Than You Can Imagine, bestselling author and dynamic Bible teacher Susie Larson invites you to push back against the enemy’s lies, reclaim your God-given identity, and rest securely in the goodness of the Lord. No longer defined by fear but by Jesus’ promises, step into a deeper faith, a stronger sense of identity, and the abundant life God created you to live.

How a Medieval Saint Can Solve Our Contemporary Spiritual Crisis

Ian Morgan Cron
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How a Medieval Saint Can Solve Our Contemporary Spiritual Crisis

Outside Assisi, Italy, there’s a small stone chapel called San Damiano. It isn’t much to look at, really. It has a plain rosette window, rickety pews worn smooth by eight centuries of use, a Byzantine crucifix hanging over what’s left of an altar. According to legend, it was here that a restless young man named Francesco Bernardone heard Jesus speak to him from the cross. “Francis,” the voice said, “go and repair my house. You see it is falling down.”

Francis took those words literally. He spent the next several months hauling stones to patch San Damiano’s crumbling walls. Only later did he realize the house Jesus meant was a lot bigger than one chapel. It was the whole of Christendom, worn thin and badly in need of rebuilding, in an age that wasn’t so different from our own.

I started writing my novel Chasing Francis because I kept having the same conversation, over and over, with people who told me they were disappointed in the church. Almost without fail, they’d go on to describe the kind of Christian they wished they could become instead: someone with less to prove and more room in their life for wonder, someone who loved his neighbor more than he needed to win a theological argument with him.

Every time, I’d think, “you’re describing Francis of Assisi, and you don’t even know it!” Most of them had no idea. To a lot of modern evangelicals, Francis is a garden statue with a bird on his shoulder, not the man who singlehandedly helped rebuild a church in crisis eight hundred years ago. I wrote the book to introduce him to my evangelical friends, because I’d become convinced his example is exactly what today’s church needs.

A Church That Needed Rebuilding Before

When Jesus told Francis the church was falling down, it had never looked stronger from the outside. It was, in its day, the most powerful institution in Europe. It was wealthy, politically connected, culturally influential. Nothing about it looked like it needed repairing.

That was, of course, the problem.

All of this sounds familiar, right? Today, church attendance is sliding. Trust in institutions has frayed. A lot of good people now describe themselves as “spiritual but not religious.” Meanwhile, on paper, American Christianity has never looked more powerful, with its megachurches, bestseller lists, hit movies, and music. But a church can be impressive and in need of repair at the very same moment. That was true of Francis’s church, and it’s true of ours. Which, when you think about it, is oddly encouraging. It means somebody has already solved this exact problem once before.

Why We Need to Look Backward, Not Just Forward

Most conversations about renewing the church reach for something new. We come up with fresh strategies, rebrands, a more winsome gospel presentation. Francis suggests something different and almost embarrassingly simple. He just lived a better story, and people couldn’t look away.

If the church wants to repair its reputation and raise up Christians who can speak prophetically to the world again, it needs to look back to Francis, who rebuilt a similarly broken church in the Middle Ages, not with a program, but with a life.

A Faith Built to Be Explained, Not Inhabited

In the novel, my main character, Chase, is a pastor who built his church on, in his words, “a belief in a God who could be managed and explained.” Chase is fictional. I gave him that line because I’d heard it from Christians in every kind of church imaginable: a tidy, confident, well-defended faith that works beautifully right up until life gets complicated. A God small enough to be fully explained has a way of turning out to be too small for real grief, real doubt, or real love.

Jesus told a parable about exactly this problem. “No one pours new wine into old wineskins,” he said. “Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined” (Mark 2:22, NIV). A faith that exists only to defend itself gets brittle. It cracks precisely when you need it to bend. Francis doesn’t offer a sturdier defense or a better program. He offers a different wineskin: a faith spacious enough to hold mystery instead of trying to manage it.

Descending Deeper Instead of Climbing Higher

Francis’s genius wasn’t really intellectual. It was directional. His culture measured holiness by how high you climbed: more power, more wealth, more certainty. Francis went the other way. He gave away his inheritance and, eventually, his father’s name. He begged for his bread. He knelt down and dressed the wounds of lepers he used to cross the street to avoid. He discovered, the way saints tend to, that the way up is down.

That reversal is the calculus of the gospel. Paul writes that anyone united with Christ becomes new: “the old has gone, the new is here” (2 Corinthians 5:17, NIV). Not an upgrade. A death, and then a birth. Francis took Paul at his word. Instead of patching up his old life, he let it be torn down and rebuilt from the foundation, the same way San Damiano was rebuilt with one stone at a time.

That’s probably why every generation rediscovers him right when it needs him most. Not because he left behind a five-step plan (he’d have hated the idea), but because he proved a collapse could become a foundation, if you let it.

3 Things Francis Knew That the Church Needs Again

Francis has a lot to offer the modern church. Here are three places to start.

Simplicity Quiets the Anxious Heart

Francis stripped his life down to almost nothing, and everyone who knew him described him as strangely, almost irrationally joyful. I don’t think that’s a coincidence. He’d taken Jesus at his word: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. … Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them” (Matthew 6:25–26, NIV). Most of us read that passage as a nice piece of poetry. Francis read it as an instruction manual.

In the novel, Chase writes in his journal that Francis “chose a life of poverty because it created the optimal conditions for your soul to mature.” A life crammed full of stuff doesn’t leave much room for anything else, including God. You don’t need to take a vow of poverty to test this theory. Just notice how much quieter your soul gets the moment you stop trying to shop, achieve, or acquire your way to peace.

God’s Creation Is Not an “It”

Francis preached to birds, talked a boy out of selling a cage full of doves at market, and wrote a canticle in praise of Brother Sun and Sister Moon. It sounds a little kooky until you realize what he was actually doing was refusing to treat any part of creation as a mere object. The philosopher Martin Buber later described two ways of relating to the world: impersonally, as an “I-It,” or personally, as an “I-Thou.” Francis related to the entire created order as “I-Thou,” seven hundred years before Buber had the vocabulary for it.

He wasn’t inventing this out of thin air. Scripture had already said as much: “The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it” (Psalm 24:1, NIV). If that’s true, creation deserves our reverence and care, not our indifference. Francis’s imagination simply took the psalm at its word, and the rest of the church has been catching up to him ever since.

Peace Is Made, Not Just Wished For

In 1219, in the middle of the Fifth Crusade, Francis walked, unarmed, across a battlefield in Egypt to meet Sultan Al-Kamil, the very man Christian armies were trying to defeat. He wasn’t there merely to negotiate a peace treaty. He was there to preach the gospel, because he believed “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God” (Matthew 5:9, NIV) was meant to be practiced, not just admired from a safe distance. Instead of losing his head, which is what his own men were fairly sure would happen, he won the sultan’s respect.

You could read that as a strange bit of medieval trivia and leave it there. Or you could sit with the question underneath it. Jesus said, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44, NIV), and most of us, on whichever side of whatever fight we’re currently having, have quietly decided that verse doesn’t apply to us. Francis treated the Sermon on the Mount like a field manual instead of a devotional.

Next time you’re at war with somebody — a relative, a fellow church member, a stranger online — Francis has an uncomfortable question for you: What would it cost you to walk toward them unarmed?

Bring Your Own Stone

Francis’s repair of San Damiano didn’t stay confined to one chapel. Word got around Assisi, and before long, people started showing up with stones of their own to donate, drawn in by the strange, magnetic joy of a man who’d given up everything and somehow ended up richer for it. Peter says this is how the church is supposed to work: “As you come to him, the living Stone … you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house” (1 Peter 2:4–5, NIV). Not a museum you visit once a week. Not a machine you keep oiled and running, but a living structure built one willing, imperfect stone at a time.

I didn’t write Chasing Francis to take a swing at the church. I wrote it because I kept running into people, inside the church and drifting away from it, who were hungry to become exactly the kind of Christian Francis turned out to be: unguarded, joyful, more interested in loving the person in front of him than winning an argument about theology. If that sounds like the Christian you’d like to become too, Francis has been waiting eight hundred years to show you how it’s done. Come find him. Oh, and bring a stone.

Chasing Francis by Ian Morgan Cron

In Chasing Francis, bestselling author Ian Morgan Cron’s modern and penetrating novel, the timeless wisdom of Saint Francis of Assisi is blended with the very real struggles of a modern-day pastor. When faced with the tragic death of a young girl in his congregation, pastor Chase Falson finds his faith unraveling. Questions about God, suffering, and his purpose consume him, but Chase is afraid to confide in anyone. When his doubts spill out in a moment of vulnerability in front of his entire church, Chase is left humiliated and cast out.

Desperate for clarity, Chase accepts an invitation from his uncle Kenny, a Franciscan priest in Italy. What begins as an escape becomes a transformative pilgrimage as Chase retraces the footsteps of Saint Francis of Assisi — a man whose radical love for Jesus changed the history of the world. Immersed in the beauty of Italy and the wisdom of Franciscan spirituality, Chase begins to confront his doubts, rediscover his faith, and reimagine what it means to follow Jesus.

Christian Groups Advocate for Religious Freedom as China’s ‘Unity’ Law Extends Reach

Timothy C. Morgan
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Christian Groups Advocate for Religious Freedom as China’s ‘Unity’ Law Extends Reach

This year marks the 30th anniversary of IDOP, the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church, which in 2026 falls on Sunday, Nov. 1, although churches may observe the annual event on either the first or second Sunday of November. By some estimates, 500,000 churches in more than 100 countries will participate.

The anniversary comes at what some are calling a critical crossroads for the international religious freedom movement. The Everett Center for Global Religious Freedom, an initiative at Dallas Baptist University, noted a global rise in authoritarianism and intolerant ideologies in recent years while at the same time, the U.S. and Europe have drawn back on promoting international religious freedom protections, despite a period of strong growth during both the first Trump administration and the Biden administration.

Another report, this one by International Christian Concern (ICC), highlighted the rise of house churches and encrypted online gatherings in high-surveillance states like Iran and China.

How China’s ‘Ethnic Unity’ Law Threatens Religious Communities

Of particular concern, China this year is continuing its campaign to strengthen state control over ethnic and religious life under President Xi Jinping’s vision of the “China Dream” of national rejuvenation. The Communist Party has enacted a new Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress, granting the state broad new powers to require religious and ethnic groups to embrace a vision centered on “the great motherland, the Chinese people, Chinese culture, the Chinese Communist Party.” The law took effect July 1.

Human rights advocates are greatly concerned about Article 63 in the new law because it appears to give Chinese authorities a legal basis to act against foreign individuals or organizations that undermine ethnic unity and progress or create ethnic division. “The law gives state power to a campaign to ‘forge’ a single national identity,” said Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) and Miriam Lexmann, a member of the European Parliament from Slovakia, in a joint statement.

“In practice, that means Mandarin-first education, ideological indoctrination, pressure on religious communities to conform to Party doctrine and punishment for those accused of ‘damaging ethnic unity.’”

In Congress, a bipartisan group of four U.S. senators introduced a resolution (S.Res. 791) condemning China for undertaking “coercive assimilation” of ethnic and religious groups and ‘‘sinicization,’’ requiring schools, religious institutions, families, media, and cultural organizations to align their activities with Party-mandated ideology.

Christian Groups Advocate for Religious Freedom in China

In a related development, the Everett Center for Global Religious Freedom launched its “Two Empty Chairs” campaign to draw renewed attention to the detention of one Christian and one Uyghur leader in China. Pastor Ezra Jin Mingri, founder of the large underground Zion Church, faced charges of “illegal use of information networks.” He was arrested during a 2025 crackdown to suppress unregistered Zion church congregations. The Uyghur leader is human rights lawyer and economist Ilham Tohti, imprisoned in China since 2014 after being convicted for “separatism.”

Following public advocacy by human rights groups, President Trump raised Jin’s case with President Xi Jinping during his May visit to China. In early July, Pastor Jin was released and rejoined his family in Los Angeles. Other Zion church workers who were arrested with Jin remain in custody, according to China Aid.

The Everett Center hopes to draw more Christian leaders and their churches into the fight for greater religious freedom for all faiths. It published the Covenant for ALL the Persecuted to “articulate the biblical basis for Christian prayer and advocacy.” The covenant proclaims, “We believe that God calls all Christians to act against religious persecution regardless of faith or nationality.” It cites more than 30 Old and New Testament passages to support religious freedom, including that all persons are made in God’s image (Gen. 1:27); God cares about justice (Micah 6:8); Jesus’ command to love our neighbors (Luke 10:25); and Christian concern for others (Phil. 2:3-4).

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Fears of Transnational Repression

Among the new Chinese law’s most worrisome provisions is one that appears to allow Chinese officials to reach beyond their borders to inhibit individuals who speak out against the Communist Party, President Xi Jinping, and the nationwide campaign of ethnic and cultural unity. This year already, there is evidence of efforts by Chinese officials to censor or intimidate individuals who have criticized China for its human rights record.

This summer, Fenggang Yang, a Purdue University professor and expert on religion in China, said Chinese officials pressured the US-China Catholic Association to revoke its invitation to him to address its summer conference at the University of St. Thomas, a Catholic institution in Houston, Texas. Yang’s name disappeared from the conference website, and the association leaders asked him to keep quiet after his invitation was withdrawn — a request he declined.

“China’s long-arm repression is well documented,” wrote Massimo Introvigne, founder of the Center for Studies on New Religions, in a web article in Bitter Winter. “The troubling element in this case is the cooperation of a US-based Catholic organization with demands originating from Chinese authorities. The consequences extend beyond one conference. They concern the integrity of academic life and the freedom of religious institutions in the United States.”

Xi’s Dream of Rejuvenation

President Xi Jinping, starting around 2012 when he became General Secretary of the Communist Party, popularized the phrase “China Dream” to express his goal of the “great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.” The vision is generally associated with the 2049 centennial of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.

The new ethnic unity and progress law is part of a broader portfolio of national and global initiatives under Xi, including the Belt and Road Initiative and the so-called “sinicization” of ethnic and religious groups within China.

As an officially atheist state whose population is about 91 percent Han Chinese, China’s Communist Party has made ethnic unity a central element of its national policy. The Chinese state recognizes five major religions and formally guarantees freedom of religious belief. But critics argue that Beijing’s policies increasingly subordinate religious practice to the interests and ideology of the Party.

“Sinicization, or the complete subordination of religious groups to the CCP’s political agenda and Marxist vision for religion, has become the core driving principle of the government’s management of religious affairs,” said Dylan Schexnaydre, Policy Analyst at the U.S. Commission on International Religious Liberty, in a statement from 2024.

“Government officials have installed CCP loyalists as leading religious figures, altered houses of worship with CCP-approved architecture, integrated CCP propaganda into religious doctrines, and otherwise criminalized non-CCP-backed religious activities, all with the goal to ensure the stability of CCP rule.”

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How Jesus’ Prayer for Building Community in His Church Applies to Ministries Today

Bill Donahue
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How Jesus’ Prayer for Building Community in His Church Applies to Ministries Today

Prior to his arrest in John 18, Jesus prayed fervently for himself, his relationship with his Father, his disciples (who are certainly experiencing confusion and perhaps fear), and for all who would become believers in Jesus for their salvation.

But what was the overall focus of his prayer? What was on his heart as he faced a cruel and unjust death by crucifixion? His family? His mother? Or perhaps his closest disciples, the ones who would be leading the mission in the years beyond Jesus’ crucifixion. Was he concerned about their ability to carry the mantle of leadership?

Or was he thinking about his death and how terrible that would be? Certainly facing an execution in the form of crucifixion was one of the worst horrors among forms of Roman capital punishment. Perhaps we might understand that, as fully man and fully God, it could occupy much of his thinking.

Before we dig further into the Scriptures, let’s imagine for a moment what might fill our thoughts. Would it be our families? The false accusations against us? Or, if you were Jesus, would you think of tapping the power you have to overcome the Roman and Jewish leaders, never facing any of this terror?

Let’s look at John 17:13-26 and see if it gives us insights or teachings that might help us understand Jesus’ focus regarding his mission and followers.

How Jesus Prays for His Disciples

Starting in John 17:13, notice how Jesus prays for his disciples. He longs for them to share life together, like Jesus and his Father, along with the Spirit, finding a rich, deep community that has existed before all time. Christ is thinking of his Church, and what may happen after he leaves, as the movement progresses and moves forward.

But he’s not primarily focusing on how many followers will soon be attending (as we often do), or the kind of church buildings they might need to erect, or similar matters.

No, he is focused primarily on the kind of people who will make up the church, people whose lives emulate the ways and teachings of Jesus, and the Father and the Spirit. People who practice what it means to be a follower of Jesus living in a challenging and difficult world. He wants a new kind of Community to emerge, one based not on laws but rather on grace and truth (see John 1:14). These followers will have the kind of life that will draw people toward.

Jesus Wants to Share His Joy With You

What does Jesus want to see? The same kind of life he has shared with the Spirit and the Father.

“I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them” (John 17:13 NIV, emphasis added).

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Jesus tells the Father he wants the same joy they share to be present in his followers, in his growing church. This is a confusing prayer to some extent. He’s headed to the cross, yet he says he wants his followers to have the joy that he shares in that moment with the Father. How could anything related to crucifixion produce an ounce of joy?

We read elsewhere in Scripture (Heb. 12:2) that for the joy set before him, he endured the cross. Could it be that it’s not the cross but what’s on the other side of it — and not just the resurrection, but what is purchased on that cross, who is set free, how the Kingdom of God advances despite the efforts of the evil one?

It seems that Jesus wants us to find joy as we pick up our crosses and go after him, filled with his joy — not a light happiness or momentary rush or thrill, but something that resonates from deep within, borne of the Spirit, energized by the Son, guided by the Father.

The Joy of Jesus’ Community

How is it that we can at times experience joy that is a deep, spiritual, God kind of thing? Others might look and wonder how we find such a joy, but we know that we share it with Jesus who fills us with something beautiful and wonderful, and that resonates within us so that we may face the world with such joy.

I remember my daughter performing with about six other girls in a recital when she was in second grade.  She was not following the choreography, not doing the dance steps the others were doing. Other parents were watching and wondering, “What’s wrong with that girl?” Her instructor saw only this utter failure.  A quick glance at my wife and I, smiling through the lens of our video recorder, suddenly registered with others in the room. They knew.

We were thrilled. We experienced a deep, unstoppable joy. Not because of her performance (which was totally out of sync with the others). We smiled because she is ours, she belongs to us, in that parental relationship where deep within, is a joy some experience when others only see failure.

And so Christ finds deep, abiding joy in the disciples, knowing that he will be with his followers forever, and together with the triune God, we will celebrate Community — and we will smile.

Putting Truth Into Practice

Now we move to verses 14 and 17 in his prayer: “I have given them your word and the world has hated them, … Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth” (John 17:14, 17 NIV, emphasis added).

The truth is at the core of any Christian community, especially biblical truth. It cleanses, purifies, encourages, grounds us and speaks with strength in the face of evil. And believers — as well as others — know it has transforming power. But it has to be put into practice.

Remember Jesus’ exhortation at the end of the Sermon on the Mount in Matt. 7:26-27:

“Everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

I was leading a Bible study of businesspeople and one of the participants shared a powerful story about putting truth into practice. He described how he came home one night and opened up his bag and saw a note from his executive assistant inside. The note read something to this effect.

I’ve been working as your assistant for about six months now and wanted to give you a little feedback. In other places I have worked it was pretty common to hear snide jokes and negative comments about women’s bodies and other demeaning gestures and comments. I’ve been paying close attention to how you speak, act, and treat me as a woman in the office. I am pleased to say that you have been a stark contrast to my previous experiences. You often encourage me and you never speak down at me. You certainly don’t make comments about me as a woman in negative sorts of ways. It’s so refreshing. I just wanted to let you know and I’m grateful to be working for you. Thank you.

Jesus certainly desires his followers to engage with the world with integrity, honesty, truth, and consistent and positive language toward others. It’s the kind of church he prayed about and dreamed about.

The Impact of Prayer Against the Evil One

In John 17 Jesus also raised the value and impact of prayer, especially in verses 15 and 16. In verse 15 he specifically focuses on prayer against the evil one.

“My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it” (John 17:15–16 NIV, emphasis added).

He could’ve prayed for their healing, their protection, the strong and vibrant growth of the church, or any number of things. But he focused on protection from the evil one.

Why was this so essential?

Because the evil one wants to divide and conquer — to destroy and break down the power of community, to foster division and arguments and fights. These activities are in stark contrast to the oneness and community Jesus prays about and longs for in his church. In verse 11 of this chapter he asks the Father,

“I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one” (John 17:11 NIV).

The “oneness” Christ is praying about can also be described as transformational community, something Christ modeled among the disciples throughout his ministry, and especially for extended periods of time in the upper room where he modeled this oneness. He prays against the evil one because he seeks to destroy and break down peace and create division. Ever since his efforts in the Garden of Eden, he has been attacking God’s people in these ways.

Christ Is Sent From the Father, and in Turn Sends Us

Now Jesus shifts to the Church’s mission. Few things bring people together in a more unified way than sharing a common mission, a common cause, one that is worth living and dying for. Jesus had such a mission and cause. And he asked his followers to line up with this and follow him and remain committed to it even when he would be gone.

“As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified” (John 17:18–19 NIV, emphasis added).

Verses 18-19 emphasize sending the disciples as Christ was sent into the world. Christ was set apart and sanctified for his mission. He was prepared. He was focused and he sought to share his love, truth, and mission to the world. A mission takes us beyond ourselves. It calls a group of people together to work together and create change and impact for the cause of Christ. It keeps us from being self-centered and prevents us from being inner-focused.

  • Self-centered nations are isolationist.
  • Self-centered corporations are greedy.
  • Self-centered families are dysfunctional.
  • Self-centered churches are sinful.

Jesus emphasizes oneness again in verses 21-23 because there is power in small groups. This is why I devoted my life to helping churches and other organizations build small groups and effective teams that are dedicated to growth and a transformational mission.

But that mission cannot be accomplished alone. Again, this is why Jesus focuses so much on oneness, coming together in his name, practicing loving community, and sharing that with the world. Most churches started out small but multiplied and traveled across the world in small groups and teams, showing what Christlike community looks like in action.

Groups clearly are powerful, and I have spent most of my life helping churches and other organizations use small groups for discipleship and growth. My new book, How to Lead a Life-Changing Small Group, is filled with resources to help people accomplish that goal.

Listen to anthropologist Margaret Mead on the power of groups: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

The Church Must Return to the Practice of Community

Finally, let’s complete our study of John 17:13-26, and turn to Jesus’ final request to his Father to share Christ’s glory, and end the prayer calling for his love to be in his Church just as the Father’s love is in Jesus.

“Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them” (John 17:24–26 NIV, emphasis added).

It’s time to refocus our churches on this practice of community. This is why it was so much on Jesus’ mind and heart, even as he faced crucifixion. In many cases, we have drifted from this oneness community. We started in the right direction when the church was birthed in Jerusalem. In Jerusalem it was a lifestyle; in Rome it became an institution; in Europe it became a culture; and in America it has become an enterprise. Along the way we …

  • Institutionalized it, overemphasizing structures and strategies.
  • Theologized it, emphasizing the brand over the bride.
  • Politicized it, separating Left and Right.
  • Televised it, emphasizing the popularity of certain churches or leaders.
  • Romanticized it, believing we should reproduce the first-century church because it was so wonderful and pure.
  • Sanitized it, making sure people cleaned up before they were invited in.
  • And franchised it, emphasizing our model over our mission.

The early church was a movement, not a monument. It was known as People of the Way, gathering in larger meetings and in smaller groups for deeper fellowship, mission focus, and prayer and worship.

So today we must ask ourselves, “Do we want to be People of the Way or are we just getting in the Way?” Let’s continue what Jesus started, what he prayed for even as he was headed to the cross: emphasizing community and mission.

Step into your leadership calling with confidence.

How to Lead a Life-Changing Small Group by Bill Donahue

We are created for community — for connection that nurtures true spiritual growth. But growth doesn’t happen by accident. As a leader, you need practical, trusted guidance to create an environment where the people in your group feel safe to share, grow, and experience God’s grace together. This resource provides the biblically based tools you need to lead transformational groups while deepening your own faith along the way.

Whether you’re stepping into a small group leader role for the first time or you’re a seasoned minister, your heart’s desire is the same: you want to see lives transformed. How to Lead a Life-Changing Small Group is your essential companion on this leadership journey.

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