Written So You May Believe
Month 12: Risen & Sending · Family Worship
Today's Scripture
Read together: John 20:30-31
30 Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book. 31 But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.
Memory Verse
“Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.””— John 20:29 (BSB)
📖 Bible-in-a-Year (optional)
Today's reading: Hebrews 8-11
Reading the whole Bible in a year — do this when you have extra time. (The new covenant, the once-for-all sacrifice of Christ, and that great gallery of the heroes of faith in chapter 11.)The Heart of It
John recorded so many wonders. Water turned to wine. The blind seeing. Lazarus walking out of the grave. The empty tomb. Thomas crying, "My Lord and my God!" Then the apostle pauses to tell us why he wrote it all down. "These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name" (). John admits he left out far more than he put in (v. 30). He wasn't trying to write a complete life story. He was handing us a doorway. Every miracle, every conversation, every time the risen Lord appeared, John chose it and kept it with you in mind. He wanted a family in a living room two thousand years later to read it, believe, and live.
This is the heart of family worship. We gather around the written Word so that each of us comes to life in His name. Notice both halves of what John wanted. First, that we would believe. We would believe that Jesus is the Christ, the promised Savior, the Son of God. And second, that believing, we would have life. Not just facts in our heads. Real, abundant, never-ending life flowing from Jesus Himself. That's the goal of this whole year you've spent following Jesus through the Gospels. Not that your kids would simply know the stories. That they would know Him, and live. Tonight, as a family, you get to do exactly what John hoped his readers would do. You read his witness, and you say yes to the One it points to. The Bible isn't a dusty record of the past. It's God's living invitation, written so that you may believe.
Around the Table
John wrote down all these true stories about Jesus just so that YOU could read them and believe Jesus is real and alive! The Bible is God's letter to us.
Let's do it: Give the family Bible a gentle hug and say, "Thank You, God, for writing this so I can believe!"
John didn't write down everything. He picked the stories that would help us believe and have life in Jesus. The Bible has a purpose. It brings us to Jesus.
Let's talk: Which Bible story about Jesus this year helped you believe in Him the most? Why that one?
John tells us plainly why he wrote. Believing leads to life in Jesus' name. Scripture isn't given just to fill our heads with facts. It's meant to bring us into a living relationship with Christ.
Let's go deeper: Looking back over this year in the Gospels, how has your picture of who Jesus is changed?
💬 Conversation Starter
If you were writing a book to help someone believe in Jesus, which one true story about Him would you absolutely have to include? John faced the very same choice. And he chose carefully, for you.
🛡️ Defending the Faith
The Gospels aren't anonymous myths floating free of history. John tells us he wrote as an eyewitness with a clear purpose. Witnesses wrote these documents. They wrote within living memory. They named real people and real places. That is exactly the kind of record historians take seriously.
For Dad · Go Deeper
There's a quiet ambition tucked into , and it should shape every family worship night you ever lead. The Bible was written to do something, not merely to be known. John had twin goals. That we believe, and that we have life. Those two goals guard us from two failures. One failure is treating Scripture as mere information. You drill facts your kids could ace on a quiz while their hearts stay cold. The other failure is treating it as mere inspiration, a warm feeling with no real truth underneath. John refuses both. He gives us solid truth. Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. And he aims that truth at the heart, so that you may have life. As you near the end of this year in the Gospels, take stock honestly. You've handed your children a year of stories about Jesus. The deeper question is whether they're coming to know Him and to live. Keep praying toward that. Not just informed kids, but converted, Spirit-filled, alive ones. That's why John wrote. And it's why you read.
Draws on: D. A. Carson, The Gospel According to John (Pillar New Testament Commentary).
Let's Pray Together
"Father, thank You for John and everyone who wrote down the good news of Jesus. Thank You that we get to read it and believe. We do believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. Give each of us real life in Him. Not just stories in our heads, but Jesus in our hearts. In Jesus' name, amen."
The Bible was written so I may believe. And believing, I truly live in Jesus' name.