Prairie Bible Church

When the Gospel of John uses the word “believing,” it is always as a verb (98 times). That cannot be a coincidence. For John, believing is an action, and it drives every other action in our lives. When we go astray, there is often something we are believing wrongly about God. For this reason, what you believe is the most important thing that you do in your life.   Thomas had been loyal to Jesus be...

Among the greatest evidence for Christ’s resurrection is the rapid change in His followers. The disciples went from a group of timid, fearful men to bold followers who died for Jesus. How do we explain this? The answer lies in the fact that they saw the risen Christ after His death. Over a period of 40 days between Christ’s resurrection and ascension, He appeared to as many as 500 eyewitnesses. “I...

It’s hard to fathom how Jesus’s followers felt immediately after his death. When He secretly appeared to His saddened followers on the road to Emmaus, they said, we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel (Lk 24:21). When Jesus died, their hopes died with him. But at the empty tomb, hope was found again! The empty tomb remains the Christian’s symbol of hope. Whenever we are tempted to see C...

Jesus’s death and burial means that I must die to myself. I won’t experience His power until I surrender my former way of life. To be raised to new life, the old self must die and be buried. That means coming to Jesus is about surrender. For “those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” (Gal. 5:24).  When we met Nicodemus in John 3, he was a scared and l...

When Jesus gets up on the cross, He gets up on His throne. Jesus is King because He did what no one else can do. No one else can say they’ve never sinned. No one else has perfectly kept the law. No one else has completed a greater act of love than the cross. Christ’s cross marked a turning point in history. It changed the world. But have you allowed it to change your life? When you begin to grasp...

True authority is God-given. It is not based on position or title. Anyone looking in on the meeting between Pilate and Jesus from a worldly perspective would see Pilate as the authority, and they would be wrong. The carpenter’s Son from a disrespected town and a poor family is the real authority in the room.   We not only live in a post-truth society, we also live in a post-authority society. The...

We still talk about the Roman Empire to this day—but did you know that the Bible speaks of the Roman Empire too? Daniel 7:7 says, “…behold, a fourth beast, terrifying and dreadful and exceedingly strong . It had great iron teeth; it devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it…” The Roman Empire was a kingdom known f...

The trial of Jesus is really a trial of all those around him. Peter hits rock bottom as he denies Jesus three times, and Annas fails to grasp his own need for Jesus. Peter’s story is our story: repeated failing, yet restored by the faithfulness of Christ. His story reminds us that Jesus can bring us back from the brink if only we would turn to Him. Our God is high and lifted up, but He also has co...

As Jesus stared down the barrel of a horrific death– drinking the cup of the wrath of God against all sin– He exhibited stunning courage. Even Judas and the soldiers were compelled to bow at the force of His proclamation, “I AM.” Their forced response to Jesus’ courage should be our voluntary response: to fall down before Jesus in awe. Christ’s courage at the end of His life compels the worship of...

Jesus knew that His people would struggle with staying together. When we quarrel with other Christians over trivial matters, we look just like the divided world around us. The Bible teaches that there are times when divisions are necessary, and we need the courage to separate when it is for God’s glory. But may we only separate from professing Christians when the Bible tells us to do so. As the Hi...

Jesus knew that His Apostles’ battle would continue after He ascended to heaven. Satan would go after them and seek to destroy them. But Jesus prayed to His Father, “I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.” He wanted them to be in the world, but to be different from the world. Jesus’ prayer for His closest followers reflects His desires for us: t...

Jesus devotes more of His longest recorded prayer to the Apostles than anyone else. He spent a major portion of His ministry on them, because He knew that they would be trusted with continuing His work. Christ’s discipleship model was the opposite of a mile wide and an inch deep. He wanted a few committed followers more than fans. In this prayer, Jesus does not ask His Father to take the Apostles...

Jeremiah 29:11 has had books and countless sermons preach on it over the years. o  Why? Because it’s so aspirational, _____-______ and encouraging! §  But for that verse to carry its full impact, you must understand the ____________… Context of the book of Jeremiah: o  God’s people found themselves in a deep hole… a hole that for the most part, they had dug for ____________! o  It was while in thi...

John 17 is Jesus’ longest prayer in all the Gospels. Think of all the mornings and nights that Jesus spent praying to His Father. It is here, in John 17, that we get a glimpse into the content of those prayers. Jesus was the most selfless person to ever live. He spent His ministry pouring into and praying for others. Yet Jesus also prayed for Himself. John 17:1-5 provides a fascinating look into J...

A good memory is a skill, not a talent, and there are tools/techniques that can help you to develop that skill. In our scripture for today, God is using one of those tools to help us remember one of the most important truths in the world! Isaiah 46:3-11 “To whom will you alien me too, and compare me, that we might be alike? Those who lavish gold from the purse and weigh out silver to the scales, h...

There is no way around trouble and suffering in this life. Jesus said, “In the world you will have tribulation.” Yet He also told us, “But take heart; I have overcome the world.” To take heart means to be courageous. When faced with trouble, we can be courageous because we follow Someone who conquered everything the world threw at Him. Jesus calls His people not merely to survive but to thrive. “I...

  Most ingredients of any recipe are often distasteful by themselves.   But put them all together and you get something WONDERFUL!   So it is with the ingredients of Easter!  The Ingredients of Easter:   Palm Sunday   Like sugar its sweet, but strangely unsatisfying. The Last Supper   Like milk, wholesome and healthy, helping to keep us strong Judas’ betrayal   Like vanilla extract, bitter and ove...

Many want to skip over Good Friday and get right to Easter. We want to skip the cross and get right to the empty tomb. But the gospel is a message about blood and sacrifice. To deal with sin, Jesus had to endure sorrow, grief, rejection, torture and death. If we remove these aspects of the gospel, we damage the gospel itself. Without the shed blood of Jesus on the cross, we could not have peace wi...

Take Home Message: It is better for me that Jesus left, because He has sent the Spirit.  The Work of the Holy Spirit | John 16:4-15 It is better that Jesus left, because…  The Spirit is now with me (4-7).  The Holy Spirit…   Makes me new and holy   Convicts me of sin   Comforts me in hardship   Teaches me what is true   Intercedes for me in my prayers   Equips me with spiritual gifts   Seals me fo...

Jesus said, “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first.” Followers of Jesus shouldn’t be surprised when we are hated, because the very Founder of our faith was hated. We do not fit into this world, because we do not belong to this world. This means that life will be hard and our faith will cost us something. But that should not surprise us either, because Jesus’ faithfulness cost Him...

Most of us have an “unbiblical” model of prayer! For example, many of us mistakenly believe that prayer is simply lifting our request unto God… which it is!   But prayer is also “listening”!   In other words, prayer is the center of our “relationship” between us and God! John 15:16 “You did not choose me, I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should a...

We all have something that we believe will give us life.  Exercise, diets, money, accomplishments, family, status, and so much more.  The problem is—all of those things will either leave us empty or wanting more.  This is where the command of Jesus to abide in Him is so precious.  What we will see in these verses is Jesus calling us to find life—true, abundant, fruitful life—in Him.  How?  By abid...

When God shows up, the whole situation changes. His powerful presence has the ability to conquer everything that would take our peace. In John 14, Jesus reminds His disciples and us that God’s presence is all we need to have true peace. Jesus tells us, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afra...

Have you ever felt ill-equipped to serve God? If you have, that feeling may actually be your super-power! ·   Today’s passage will show us how…  In verses 21 and 23 Jesus makes very similar statements. To paraphrase He says: “They who hear my words and keep my commandments, love me and my Father loves them.” ·   Some have wrongfully interpreted that verse as “work’s righteousness”. o   There is on...

Jesus doesn’t leave you on your own when times get tough. He provides you with Himself and His powerful promises. The disciples were in the greatest storm they’d ever experienced. Jesus had just told them He was leaving and they couldn’t follow Him now. Soon they would see their Lord betrayed, arrested, tried and crucified. Yet Jesus knew that because they were connected to Him, they could live wi...