The Vine and the Fig Tree

• When is the Holy Spirit first mentioned in the Bible? Jesus said He left us the Comforter in the New Testament, but are there references to the Spirit in the Old Testament?

• I have a friend who says we should pray only to the Father, not Jesus or the Holy Spirit. According to my friend, the Lord’s Prayer is the basis for this. Is it wrong for me to pray to Jesus or the Holy Spirit?

• I’ve heard some people say they have a life verse from the Bible? How do you know what verse out of so many in the Bible is the one for you? How do you find a life verse?

As I grew older, people would tell me, "You look just like your Dad." As a teenager, I argued that I looked nothing like him. Now, I take that as a great compliment. My father, Bob Jobe, who died 22 years ago, has been the most influential Christian in my life. He was a pioneer, a maverick, a pastor, and a missionary. He had a mechanic's hands lined with car oil, but also an open heart.

Followers of Jesus Christ were first called Christians in Antioch (Acts 11:26). But the term they used most often to refer to themselves was "believers" (Acts 2:44; 1 Thess. 1:7; 1 Tim. 4:12; James 2:1). This familiar label indicates how important faith is to the Christian life. Faith is how we access the righteousness of Christ.

We've been studying favorite verses or Bible passages from famous, and not-so-famous, Christ-followers.