MEETING AGENDA
- OPENING PRAYER – Ask one person to open the meeting in prayer.
- GROWTH QUESTIONS – Ask everyone the Growth Questions.
- ATTENDANCE – Take attendance through the DG Attendance System.
- TODAY’S LESSON – Go over this week’s DG lesson.
- GIVING – Encourage everyone to give on the App.
- CLOSING PRAYER – Ask for prayer requests and pray.
THE WORD, THE LIFE, THE LIGHT
TODAY’S PASSAGE:
John 1:1-5 (NLT) 1 In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He existed in the beginning with God. 3 God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. 4 The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.
- Jesus was there in the beginning, before anything existed.
- John’s opening line “In the beginning…” intentionally echoes the creation account we find in Genesis 1:1.
Genesis 1:1 (NLT) – In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
- John wanted to make it clear from the start of this book about Jesus, that Jesus was and is God.
- He also made it clear that Jesus is the Word.
- The “Word” comes from the Greek term logos, which had deep meaning to both the Jewish and Greek audience that John was writing to.
- In the mind of the Jews, the phrase “the word of God,” could be used to refer to God Himself.
- The Greeks viewed logos as the very power that set the world in perfect order and kept it going in perfect order.
- John knew that everyone all around the world would recognize that he was writing about God when he used the term “the Word” to describe Jesus.
- He is essentially saying, “Let me introduce you to the One who created it all!”
- Jesus created all things that were created.
Colossians 1:16 (NLT) – For through him God created everything, in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see — such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him.
- Jesus is the source of all life, not just temporary life here on earth, but eternal life.
- DEFINITION – life (zoe): the absolute fullness of life which belongs to God through faith in Christ alone; the blessed life that begins in this world and continues for eternity after the resurrection; a life that is dedicated and devoted to God; a happy life.
1 John 5:12 (NLT) – Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life.
- Jesus is the one and only source of life. If you have Him, you have life. If you do not have Him, you do not have real life.
- Without Jesus, all of us would be lost in the darkness.
- To John’s Jewish audience, light was the ultimate value. All good things were said to be “light” and all evil was called “darkness.”
- John wanted everyone to know that Jesus was the ultimate good! He is the Light of the World!
- Jesus Himself, told everyone that He was the Light!
John 8:12 (NLT) – Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”
- The Light of the World, Jesus, has come to lead us to an abundant, eternal life.