Grace Upon Grace Journal

  This study reminds us that  healing, faith, and understanding God’s Word  require both willingness and an open heart to receive what God offers. Bible Study Recap – Wednesday, March 11 Text: John 5 Division of the Text: The Healing at Bethesda (John 5:1–15) Jesus’ Authority and Unity with the Father (John 5:16–30) The Four Witnesses About Jesus (John 5:31–47) 1. The Healing at Bethesda (John 5:1–15) We discussed why Jesus asked the man, “Do you want to be made well?” before performing the miracle. This question shows that faith and willingness are essential for healing. Not everyone receives miracles in the same way, and Jesus works uniquely in each situation. We described the man’s whole situation —his illness, isolation, and long-term paralysis—which helped us understand the depth of Jesus’ compassion and the significance of personal response to God’s intervention. 2. Jesus’ Authority and Unity with the Father (John 5:16–30) In this section, Jes...

DEATH AND DYING Both science and faith, each in its own way and in its proper place, should help us live, and therefore also help us face death, with greater courage and dignity. Death is a consequence of life. In other words, death is an integral part of life. Life and death form a continuous line. Death should not be seen simply as the final point at the end of life. If we see it that way, it becomes a tragedy that seems to rob life of its meaning. On the contrary, death gives life a deeper sense of urgency and reality. Because we do not have unlimited time, and because we do not know the hour of our death, every moment of life becomes uniquely precious. Each moment is the only one we truly possess. Either we live it well, or we risk letting it slip away. In this sense, dying is a task that is built through living. Just as in nature, where we begin the process of dying the very day we are born, because our bodies are temporary, our challenge is to live in such a way that each day...

  Encounter at the Well Based on Gospel of John Chapter 4 This Wednesday, we had a great time studying the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman, focusing on grace, identity, and transformation. We started our study with a warm-up game using Wordwall , where we recalled events that are found specifically in the Gospel of John . It was a fun way to review key stories and help everyone remember how unique this Gospel is in presenting Jesus’ identity and ministry. Right after the game, we compared John chapter 3 and John chapter 4 . In chapter 3, Jesus meets Nicodemus , a religious leader who came to Jesus at night, representing religious authority, knowledge, and social status. In contrast, in chapter 4, Jesus meets a Samaritan woman during the day, representing social exclusion and marginalization. Nicodemus comes privately, while the Samaritan woman meets Jesus in public space at the well. These two encounters show that Jesus is for everyone — religious and non-religious, respe...