David Young's Blog (428)

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John 21:15-18

At the very end of the Gospel of John 

Jesus asked Simon Peter a crucial question of discipleship.…

My book, SIGNS, is out!

Please pray with me for God to use it as He desires

"SIGNS: Stories highlighting the signs recorded in The Gospel of John," is…

The three of them were at the end of their endurance, but they ran on through the thickening trees. They hoped the woods had discouraged their pursuers. Dhanua, who was in the lead, was Malayali and roughly familiar with this part of India. But he did not know where they were now. As they came to the darkest part of the jungle, all three fell on their faces in exhaustion. Their pursuers would eventually find them if they were still on…

Justinian, the servant of Pontius Pilate, rose in the middle of the night to accompany his master to the private baths belonging to the Ponti family. He was used to Pilate not being able to sleep. It began sometime before Tiberius recalled him in anger from the Province of Syria over the Samaritan fiasco. It did not surprise Justinian when Pilate’s sleep problems continued here in Rome, even though Tiberius had died before they reached…

“‘I AM,’ He replied, as from the burning bush.”*

Baruch looked up in displeasure as Temple guards stumbled into his inn. They had never come in this early. He hated the fact that the tough guards had run off most of his evening business. And now, here they were in the morning. No other…

His studies for the day completed, Jan Hus made his way through the town square, singing for alms to pay for his lodgings and to cover his tuition at the university. Today he ambled from place to place sometimes singing only one hymn before changing his location. In addition to hymns he sang gospel choruses in the Cezch language and even a few folk songs. His Latin hymns were the most popular. He stopped in a likely place and let his strong…

Things were going well in the Macedonian city of Philippi. We had been frustrated as we traveled across Asia, not because the people opposed us but because the Spirit of Jesus would not let us enter any of the towns we came to. We passed through the regions of Phrygia and Galatia without being allowed to speak the word. Not knowing what else to do, we went all the way to Troas…

Charles Wyvern returned home early from a successful foray into the Carolinas. He had sold and contracted to ship goods in a hundred settlements along the coast. He had even managed to invest with several others in what would surely become a prosperous plantation. He was pleased with himself. In all his dealings he had managed to maintain the reputation of an honest tradesman, only departing from fair…

In John 17:19 Jesus said, 

“And for their sake I consecrate myself, 

that they also may be sanctified in…

My father sent me to the market that morning. I was in no hurry. He left at the same time to sail for Athens on business. My mother and sisters left the week before to visit family in Troas. They took the house servants with them. I was the only one left at home. As I came near the market I saw a group of my friends…

This week I want to write on the conclusion of John 15:7-8. In many ways these are the most important words in these verses, as I suppose I can say about everything I have written on this passage. 

“If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, 

ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for…

The two men walked along the road by the sea on their way from Smyrna to Pergamum. The older man’s step was quite as spry as the younger. The elder was Jewish. The younger man was obviously Greek. Despite the differences in their backgrounds and ages they carried on a lively conversation as they walked. John often used their travels to plant his life and all that he knew of…

The cover of one of my earlier books shows ripe fruit overflowing a plate. Fruitfulness is certainly at the heart of God’s purpose for prayer in our lives. In John 15:7,8 Jesus spoke to this in a wonderful promise.

“If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By…

Theos was tired and footsore when he came to the little fishing village on the coast of Asia. He had been sent by Timothy, the bishop of the church in Ephesus, to find Mary, who was with a group ministering somewhere along the road to the north. He doubted if he would find a place to eat and spend the night in this village, but he might find the evangelistic team here. In keeping with his assignment, he approached a stooped old man on…

John 15:7,8 gives us some crucial insight into answered prayer.

“If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, 

ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 

By this my Father…

Phillip walked with Simon the leper and his wife Martha from the Temple Service where the church that had sometimes been uncomfortable with Philip’s Greek name had encouraged him and prayed for him as he prepared to leave. Many had gone out from the Jerusalem church. Some were driven more by the danger of persecution than they were by the final command of Jesus, but all of them went with the gospel in their hearts. Martha had seen her…

I began this blog series earlier. If you click on http://watchinginprayer.blogspot.com/ and scroll down you can see the previous post. The series is on keys to answered prayer taken from John 15:7,8.

“If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, …

The two men were walking home from the temple after their baptism. Much had changed in their lives after the resurrection of Jesus. Like many who had been afraid to come to Jesus while He taught in their cities, they both now believed wholeheartedly in the risen Christ. 

Jonathan said, “Simon, I can’t understand how I…

You may be familiar with the word about praying in the will of God in 1John 5:14-15.

“And this is the confidence that we have towards him, 

that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. …

Several of us who were baptized in that first week after the Spirit came upon the church were remembering things we had heard Jesus say before we believed and understood. We were still having some difficulty understanding. Dorcus suggested that we ask some of the apostles to explain these things. That made sense to the rest of us, and we began searching the temple area for apostles. We found several of them praying in Solomon’s…