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Author Interview – Aisha Darwesh
How long have you been going to CLC?I’ve been going to CLC since August 2011 (and have loved every minute of it!). What do you enjoy the most about writing for CLC Starter?What I enjoy most about writing for CLC Starter is getting the opportunity to really marinate in the verses I’m writing about. It’s…
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John 12:9-11
By Carrie McFarland The Word “The large crowd of the Jews then learned that He was there; and they came, not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He raised from the dead. But the chief priests planned to put Lazarus to death also; because on account of him many of the…
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John 12:3-8
By Scott Fiddler The WordJohn 12:3-83 Mary then took a pound of very costly perfume of pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.4 But Judas Iscariot, one of His disciples, who was intending to betray Him,…
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John 12:1-3
By Ji Yun I. The Word “1 Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was who had been dead, whom He had raised from the dead. 2 There they made him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him. 3…
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Introduction – Journey to the Cross
Within our society, it is easy to find ourselves too busy to take a deep breath and sit still. We find it difficult to spend time in God’s Word and to bask in His presence. Sometimes, we may need something to slow us down as we are going too fast in our daily lives. In…
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Our Story Your Story
By Scott Fiddler “One generation commends your works to another; They tell of your mighty acts.” Psalm 145:4 Introduction Pastor Chris gave an excellent summary of the history of City Life Church on Sunday, but there is so much one can say in thirty minutes. Ji asked if I could fill in some gaps as someone who…
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The Plot of the Jews
By Jason Scherzer I. The Word: John 11:53-57 (ESV) 53 So from that day on they made plans to put him to death. 54 Jesus therefore no longer walked openly among the Jews but went from there to the region near the wilderness, to a town called Ephraim, and there he stayed with the disciples. 55…
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Death to Life
By Aisha Darwesh I. The Word: John 11:45-52 45-48 That was a turnaround for many of the Jews who were with Mary. They saw what Jesus did, and believed in him. But some went back to the Pharisees and told on Jesus. The high priests and Pharisees called a meeting of the Jewish ruling body.…
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Mourning to Mayhem
Mayhem to Miracle By Blesson Selvanesan The Word: 38 Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. 39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has…
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He Sees You
By Joslyn Jayaram John 11:28-37 28 When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary, saying in private, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” 29 And when she heard it, she rose quickly and went to him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha…
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Jesus, Our Hope
By Stefan Johnsson John 11:17-27 (NIV) Jesus Comforts the Sisters of Lazarus 17 On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. 18 Now Bethany was less than two miles[a] from Jerusalem, 19 and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss…
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Answered Prayers
By Scott Fiddler The Word: John 11:1-16 1 Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 It was the Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. 3 So the sisters sent word to…
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Significance of John the Baptist
By Jason Scherzer The Word: John 10:40-42 (ESV) 40 He went away again across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing at first, and there he remained. 41 And many came to him. And they said, “John did no sign, but everything that John said about this man was true.” 42 And many…
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Standing on His Word
By Aisha Darwesh The Word: John 10:31-39 31 The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. 32 Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?” 33 The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that we…
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Can You Handle the Truth?
By Blesson Selvanesan The Word: John 10:22-30 (ESV) 22 At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the colonnade of Solomon. 24 So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are…
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His Authority to Give
Joslyn Jayaram John 10:17-21 English Standard Version (ESV) 17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again.18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have…
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Good and Perfect Shepherd
By Stefan Johnsson John 10:7-16 (NIV) 7 Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. 9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They…
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Jesus, the Shepherd
By Scott Fiddler The Word: John 10:1-6 1 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber. 2 “But he who enters by the door is a shepherd of the sheep.…
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Blindness
By Jason Scherzer The Word: John 9:39-41 Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.” Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, “What? Are we blind too?” Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin;…
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How God Sees Us
By Aisha Darwesh The Word: John 9:35-38 35Jesus heard that they had put him out [of the synagogue], and finding him, He asked, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” 36He answered, “Who is He, Sir? Tell me so that I may believe in Him.” 37Jesus said to him, “You have both seen Him,…
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Mocking a Miracle
By Blesson Selvanesan The Word: 26 They said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” 27 He answered them, “I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?” 28 And they reviled him, saying,…
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What’s Your Story?
By Joslyn Jayaram 18 The Jews[a] did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight, until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight 19 and asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?” 20 His parents answered, “We know that this is…
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Spiritual Blindness
By Stefan Johnsson John 9:13-17 (NIV) The Pharisees Investigate the Healing 13 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. 14 Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man’s eyes was a Sabbath. 15 Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight.…
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Jesus, the Sent One
By Scott Fiddler The Word: John 9:1-12 1 As He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth. 2And His disciples asked Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?” 3Jesus answered, “It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that…
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I AM
By Jason Scherzer John 8:48-59 48 The Jews answered him, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?” 49 Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me. 50 Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is One…
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What do you think about Jesus?
By Aisha Darwesh The Word: John 8:39-47 (The Passion Translation) 39 “What do mean?” they replied. “Abraham is our father!” Jesus said, “If you are really Abraham’s sons, then you would follow in the steps of Abraham. 40 I’ve only told you the truth that I’ve heard in my Father’s presence, but now you are…
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Freedom in Knowing the Truth
By Blesson Selvanesan The Word: 31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 33 They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How…
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Who’s Your Rabbi?
By Joslyn Jayaram The Word: John 8:21-30 21 So he said to them again, “I am going away, and you will seek me, and you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come.” 22 So the Jews said, “Will he kill himself, since he says, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come’?” 23 He said to them, “You are from below; I…
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Refuse to See the Light
By Stefan Johnsson John 8:12-20 (NIV) Dispute Over Jesus’ Testimony 12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” 13 The Pharisees challenged him, “Here you are, appearing as your own witness;…
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Was It Perfect Set Up?
The Word: John 8:1-11 1But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2Early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people were coming to Him; and He sat down and began to teach them. 3The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery, and having set her in…
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Yes! Jonah!
1. The Word John 7:45-53 45 The officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, “Why did you not bring him?” 46 The officers answered, “No one ever spoke like this man!” 47 The Pharisees answered them, “Have you also been deceived? 48 Have any of the authorities or the…
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The Eternal Fountain
The Word: John 7:37-44 37 On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” 39 By this he meant…
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Jesus Persecuted
By Blesson Selvanesan The Word: John 7:32-36 32 The Pharisees heard the crowd muttering these things about him, and the chief priests and Pharisees sent officers to arrest him. 33 Jesus then said, “I will be with you a little longer, and then I am going to him who sent me. 34 You will seek me and you…
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Do You Know Him?
By Joslyn Jayaram John 7:25-31 25 Some of the people of Jerusalem therefore said, “Is not this the man whom they seek to kill? 26 And here he is, speaking openly, and they say nothing to him! Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Christ? 27 But we know where this man comes from, and when the Christ appears, no one…
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Purpose of the Law
By Stefan Johnsson John 7:10-24 (NIV) 10 However, after his brothers had left for the festival, he went also, not publicly, but in secret. 11 Now at the festival the Jewish leaders were watching for Jesus and asking, “Where is he?” 12 Among the crowds there was widespread whispering about him. Some said, “He is…
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Let’s Talk About Stress
By Scott Fiddler The Word: John 7:1-9 1After these things Jesus was walking in Galilee, for He was unwilling to walk in Judea because the Jews were seeking to kill Him. 2Now the feast of the Jews, the Feast of Booths, was near. 3Therefore His brothers said to Him, “Leave here and go into Judea,…
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Trust and Dependence
By Jason Scherzer The Word: John 6:60-70 60 When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?” 61 But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, “Do you take offense at this? 62 Then what if you were to…
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Spiritual Hunger
By Aisha Darwesh The Word: John 6:41-59 (ESV) 41 So the Jews grumbled about him, because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42 They said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?”…
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Jesus, Greater than Moses
By Blesson Selvanesan The Word: 32 Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”…
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Why Do You Believe?
By Joslyn Jayaram John 6:22-31 22 On the next day the crowd that remained on the other side of the sea saw that there had been only one boat there, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone. 23 Other boats from Tiberias came near the place where…
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The Greater Plan
By Stefan Johnsson John 6:15-21 (NIV) 15 Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself. 16 When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, 17 where they got into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now…
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Jesus, the Problem Solver
By Scott Fiddler The Word: John 6:1-14 1After these things Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee (or Tiberias). 2A large crowd followed Him, because they saw the signs which He was performing on those who were sick. 3Then Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat down…
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Eternal Life
By Jason Scherzer The Word: John 5:39-47 39 You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life. 41 I do not receive glory from people. 42 But I know…
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Hopelessness
By Aisha Darwesh The Word: John 5:32-38 (ESV) 32There is another who bears witness about me, and I know that the testimony that he bears about me is true. 33You sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth. 34Not that the testimony that I receive is from man, but I say these…
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Death, Resurrection, and Judgement
By Blesson Selvanesan The Word 25 “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to…
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By Joslyn Jayaram Jesus Is Equal with God 18 This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God. The Authority of the Son 19 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do…
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What He Really Meant Was…
By Stefan Johnsson John 5:10-17 (NIV) 10 and so the Jewish leaders said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat.” 11 But he replied, “The man who made me well said to me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’ ” 12 So they…
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What’s Your Problem?
By Scott Fiddler The Word: John 5:1-9 1 After these things there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 2Now there is in Jerusalem by the sheep gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew Bethesda, having five porticoes. 3In these lay a multitude of those who were sick, blind,…
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Jesus Had To Be There
By Jason Scherzer The Word: John 4:46-50 46 So he came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine. And at Capernaum there was an official whose son was ill. 47 When this man heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son,…
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Testimonies Matter
By Aisha Darwesh The Word: John 4:39-45 39So there were many from the Samaritan village who became believers in Jesus because of the woman’s testimony: “He told me everything I ever did!” 40Then they begged Jesus to stay with them, so he stayed there for two days, 41resulting in many more coming to faith in…
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Jesus Christ the Evangelist
By Blesson Selvanesan The Word: John 4:27-38 27 Just then his disciples came back. They marveled that he was talking with a woman, but no one said, “What do you seek?” or, “Why are you talking with her?” 28 So the woman left her water jar and went away into town and said to the people, 29 “Come,…
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By Joslyn Jayaram The Word: John 4:15-26 15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” 17 The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying,…
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Living Water
By Stefan Johnsson John 4:10-14 (NIV) 10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” 11 “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is…
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