Okay, this is a little new for us. Jesus breathed the Holy Spirit into them, but at the same time, he asked them to receive the Holy Spirit. We know that later in Acts the idea of the Holy Spirit is explained and experienced in greater detail. But here we have Jesus bequeathing the Holy Spirit directly into his disciples. Mission, or sending is at the heart of discipleship, and therefore, the givi...  Read More

There it is! The admonition to be sent. We say it often here at Crosswalk, we are saved to be sent, not to sit! And that is the message Jesus had for his disciples. The training is over, it is time for you to go and change the world with the message of the gospel, this message of hope and love and to lovewell. The world will only change at the pace we leave our comfort areas and move into the hard...  Read More

“They were filled with Joy. . . “ I mean, why wouldn’t they be. But even with joy comes confusion at times. Jesus put out his hands in order for them to be able to see the wounds, which would have been a verification of what he had gone through. I wonder what they looked like? Would they have been clean? Would they have been just as bloody as they were when he hung on the cross? I know this is a g...  Read More

The disciples were very human in their responses to what was happening around them. They were deeply nervous about what would happen to them. Afterall, their leader had been crucified as an enemy of the state and as an enemy of their faith. Needless to say, they were scared, anxious, and probably had every right to be. So they did what most of us would have done, they hid. You have to remember tha...  Read More

Mary found the disciples in the place she had left them. As she came running back to them to let them know that she had seen the Lord, she must have been filled with an incredible excitement and a purpose that she had not had in a little while. Can you imagine having that information? What would it do to you? It has a fantastic and unreasonable quality that has to be recognized. She was talking ab...  Read More

INTRODUCTIONThe following is a guide to help facilitate discussion. Feel free to add or subtract or change questions to fit the conversation, and pray for the Spirit to lead in all things.OPENThink about and share a time when you had a family reunion or you reunited with some dear loved ones. What were those moments like for you?HEADRead John 21:1-25 together and share any wisdom, insights, or que...  Read More