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What does it mean to ask "in his name"?

(102) What does it mean to ask "in his name"? Several times now, Jesus has promised his disciples that a “helper” will come. Why did they really need this promise at this time? Why do we really need it, and how often do we remind ourselves of the promise ? Read John 16:1-4 1.        Who famously believe he was doing God’s work when he attacked the disciples? Read Acts 9:1-2 2.        Who, in more recent years, have attacked whole denominations of disciples, believing it was God’s work? 3.        Who do you feel attacked by, and who are you attacking ? 4.        Is faith meant to be easy? Why do some people feel betrayed by God when faith turns out to be painful? Read John 16:5-11 1.        Who asked Jesus where he was going in earlier passages? Read John 8:21-22, 13:35-37 2.        Why did nobody ask him now? When is it right to stop asking questions? 3.        What did Jesus’ death gain for us, besides forgiveness of sins? 4.        Verses 8-11 define
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Revelation - John's Description of Heaven

4: Revelation 4 & 5: John’s description of Heaven Imagine trying to describe something that can’t be described. Heaven must surely be beyond our power of description, and beyond the author, John’s. Comic artists render action with symbols familiar to all our children – star-shapes with “POW” and “BAM” written on them imply somebody being hit. “BANG” is usually a gun. Light-bulbs drawn over heads imply inspiration and ideas. The symbols John used in his writing would have been just as familiar to early readers, and to readers intimately acquainted with the Old Testament. When we read without the same understanding of the symbols, we might expect to struggle to understand – just as an alien might struggle to understand our children’s comic books. John has just written Jesus’ letters to the churches. The rest of the book might be expected to give an explanation of what the warnings and promises were all about. The story starts with images very reminiscent of the temple in Jerusa
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How Many Types of Locusts Are There Anyway?

With five weeks to go in our Bible study series, I'm wondering if we'll make it to the end of those prophets. I think we might, but we'll see. This week we look at Joel (with his armies of locusts) and flip back to Isaiah, but the pages are turning forward in history. We'll see Isaiah through eyes of a re-established Jerusalem, then the rest of Zechariah, then Daniel through the eyes of those who used his book to repel invasion, then onward to John - it's where we've been headed for almost 2 years. It will be cool to see where it leads. Anyway, following on from last week, here, at last, is Joel: (47) Joel’s Army and Isaiah’s Messiah As with many minor prophets, it’s hard to pin down when Joel was speaking. But he prophecies at a time when Jerusalem has a Temple ( Joel 2:17 ). And he doesn’t mention a king when he calls the nation to prayer and fasting. so it’s likely he wrote at a time when there was no king. He emphasizes the role of priests, as did Mal
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