Turning Water into Wine ~ Beginning of Miracles

“This was the beginning of His signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory, and His disciples believed in Him.” John 2:11

John records turning of water into wine as Jesus’ first miracle or sign. Jesus performed lots of miracles when He was on earth. The gospel of John records seven . . .

“By believin’ you can have everlastin’ life in His Name”
  1. Turning water into wine—John 2:1-11
  2. Healing of a boy—John 4:46-54
  3. Healing of a man by a pool—John 5:1-9
  4. Feeding of the 5000—John 6:5-13
  5. Jesus walking on water—John 6:19
  6. Healing of a blind man—John 9:1-7
  7. Raising Lazarus from the dead—John 11:38-44

John picked out these miracles as proof that Jesus is truly God, the very Son of God. He states this in John 20:30-31 “Now there’s a whole lot more signs and miracles Jesus did when He was with His disciples that ain’t wrote down in this book, but these here are a Continue reading “Turning Water into Wine ~ Beginning of Miracles”

In the Beginning

“Without Jesus nothin’ was made that has been made”

“Before time was ever started, Jesus was there. Jesus was with God and Jesus was surely God. Before ever any woods or prairies, outfits or herds, He was there. At the very first rodeo when the chute opened He was right there with God. Everything as far as eye can see was made by Jesus, and without Jesus nothin’ was made that has been made. In Jesus was the spark of life, and that life is the light for all folks. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness can’t do anything about it”—John 1:1-5 (The Gospel of John Cowboy Style).

The first person we meet in the Gospel of John is Jesus. John wants us to know right away that Jesus has always existed, even from before the very Continue reading “In the Beginning”

What Does it Mean to Believe?

Whoever believes in Him shall not perish . . .

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only

begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him

shall not perish but have everlasting life”—John 3:16

What does it mean to Believe?

The word, believe in the New Testament is used as a condition for salvation. In Acts 16:31, The Apostle Paul said to the Philippian jailer, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, you and your household.” And in Romans 10:9, the Bible says, “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”

The Biblical meaning of belief is related to faith. In fact, you cannot have one without the other. Believing faith is the very basis for our redemption. The way in which we are justified by God is through believing faith–Romans 4:3b “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”

Ever since the Protestant Reformation, Biblical scholars have grappled with Continue reading “What Does it Mean to Believe?”

Betrayal

Jesus Betrayed by Judas Iscariot

“Jesus became troubled in spirit, and testified and said, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, that one of you will betray Me’ . . . ‘That is the one for whom I shall dip the morsel and give it to him.’ So when He had dipped the morsel, He took and gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. After the morsel, Satan then entered into him. Therefore, Jesus said to him, ‘What you do, do quickly.’”—John 13:21, 26-27.

“Who has not felt the bitter sting of betrayal? If there was one thing a cowboy’s life on the open range depended upon, it was the certainty that his

Betrayal ~ Broken Trust

friends on the trail were looking out for him. That cowboy riding by his side would have his back when a stamped erupted or a snake suddenly struck. Someone would be there if danger threatened from any direction. He was not alone. There were perils on the open range and no cowboy would leave another in harm’s way. Yet that is exactly what happened to Jesus. One who had walked with Him for three years, shared in His ministry, listened to His teaching, and had seen His miracles now will turn on Him as His enemies close in. The Continue reading “Betrayal”

Meeting By An Old Watering Hole

Finding water on cattle drives was an absolute necessity for both cattle and drovers. Most trails like the Good Night Loving Trail, the Great Western Trail and the Chisholm Trail over which cattle were pushed to rail heads in the north had well marked watering places. These watering places whether it was a muddy pond or a fast-moving river were often called ‘watering holes’ by the cowboys.

Watering holes for travelers in the days of Jesus were just as necessary and sought after as those of the wild west.  One such watering hole is that

An old watering hole

described in the 4th chapter of John. It was an ancient well dug by Jacob. It was located at a historical and spiritually significant parcel of land located

between the twin mountains of Mt. Ebal and Mt. Gerizim. At the time of the writing of John’s Gospel it was still in use and provided life-giving water to the residents of the little Samaritan village of Sychar.

It is at this well, an old watering hole where a very famous and life- Continue reading “Meeting By An Old Watering Hole”