By Emily Ma, InterHigh Mentor, Sophomore @ UC Berkeley
How does Jesus define friendship, and what is the difference between a “friend” and a “servant”? Which do I relate to more?
A servant does not know what His master is doing and must blindly obey. God does not want us as minions to do His bidding – He has revealed a lot to us if we would but pause to spend time with Him, as we do with any other friend, in prayer and reading His Word, His precious journal for us. …

By Alex Cho, InterHigh Mentor, Senior @ UC Berkeley
John 14:5-7

“Jesus’ reply is the ultimate foundation for a satisfactory philosophy of life. First, it is personal. He did not claim merely to know the way, the truth, and the life as a formula he could impart to the ignorant; but he actually claimed to be the answer to human problems. Jesus’ solution to perplexity is not a recipe; it is a relationship with him[…] He is the truth because he has the perfect power of making life one coherent experience irrespective …

By Ellen Yu, InterHigh Mentor, Senior @ UC Berkeley
John 13:6-9
What may have been going on in Peter’s mind as he refused Jesus’ offer to wash his feet?
Peter was probably overcome with a mix of emotions—confused that the Son of God would want to perform such a menial task by washing his feet, embarrassed that the Son of God was kneeling down at his feet, and maybe even angered that Jesus, the King of kings, would be humiliated in this way. The root of all of Peter’s mixed responses, though, was …

By Ellen Chiu, InterHigh Mentor, Junior @ UC Berkeley
What is the fundamental difference between Mary and Judas as revealed by his objection to what she did?
Mary had her life savings in the form of this expensive perfume poured over Jesus’ feet. This act of utmost humility and reverence for Jesus was objected by Judas, however. The difference between Mary and Judas is that Mary was God-centered while Judas was self-centered. Her bottle of expensive perfume equaled to that of a year’s worth salary, and through Judas’ eyes, it was a …

By Michael Chen, InterHigh Mentor, Junior @ UC Berkeley
What were some ways in which God has redeemed painful experiences in my life “for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it?”  Are there any hopeless situations in my life through which Jesus may be glorified?
When I think about how Mary & Martha must have felt not being able to do anything about their brothers death as they watched him suffer, I’m reminded of myself standing by my father’s hospital bed fifteen years ago as he was dying …

By David Park, InterHigh Mentor, Junior @ UC Berkeley
Just as sheep “follow [the shepherd] because they know his voice,” have I learned to recognize Jesus’ voice?
In the past couple of years, a major part of growing in my relationship with Jesus has been learning to recognize his voice and then following it. It’s been learning to recognize whether my thoughts, desires, or actions are in line with what Jesus desires from my life. It’s been tough, because it’s never easy when you realize the way you’ve been living and the …

By Azusa Hanashima, InterHigh Staff
What about the cross (where Jesus was “lifted up”) causes people to know that Jesus indeed is the one that he claimed to be?  Is it possible to know who Jesus is apart from the cross?  How often do I meditate on Jesus and his death on the cross?
The cross causes people to know that Jesus is indeed the one that he claimed to be, because through it he accomplished what he claimed he came to do, to forgive our sins and bring restoration and …

By Wynn Susilo, InterHigh Mentor, Junior @ UC Berkeley
What did Apostle Paul consider in making his future plans? What are some experiences of God at work in my life that I need to consider in making my plans?
Apostle Paul made the work that the Lord gave him as the most important factor in making his future plans. Paul left no room in his plans for his own personal agendas, prioritizing first and foremost the work to which God has called him to. From the way he wrote to the Corinthian …

By Tabby Lee, InterHigh Student, 10th grade
What is the test of genuine faith based on these verses?
Based on the verses, the test of genuine faith is if one perseveres in the Christian faith. Christian life is not an easy one; there are many difficulties one must face. For example, at school it is very difficult for many Christian teenagers to live out their faith. They don’t want to be known as a Christian because being a Christian means you are weird. They don’t want people to see them as a …

By Ken Yun, InterHigh Mentor, Junior @ UC Berkeley
Give examples of the mind being “unfruitful” in the midst of spiritual activities. What is the danger of this? Is there evidence of this kind of mindless involvement in spiritual activities in my life?
As Apostle Paul noticed that the Corinthians sought to speak tongues in order to sound spiritual, he became concerned that Christians in the Corinthian church were being mindless and therefore unfruitful in their spiritual activities. Christian minds can be unfruitful in the midst of spiritual activities when one is …

By Chanhee Kim, InterHigh Mentor, Junior @ UC Berkeley
1 Corinthians 13:4-7
Think about the life of Jesus based on this passage.  Reflect on how he perfectly fits the description of love.
Looking at the paragraph before this passage, it describes someone who has great spiritual gifts, being able to perform miracles, having a complete knowledge of the Word, and sacrificing everything that he has. However Paul said that all of these things are pointless without love. Jesus was able to do all these things perfectly, performing miracles, knowing the Word, and even …

By John Kwon, InterHigh Mentor, Junior @ UC Berkeley
Given that “God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be” (v.18), have I embraced my part in the body of Christ?

The whole chapter of 1 Corinthians 12 seems to revolve around the theme of unity among believers.  In the first portion of the text, Apostle Paul focuses on the distribution of spiritual gifts and how we should not envy others for their gifts.  Paul notes in verse 7 how the “manifestation …

By Tina Chan, InterHigh Mentor, Senior @ UC Berkeley
Reflect on the spirit Apostle commends here of gentle yielding of rights for others and for the sake of not unnecessarily causing negative reactions in others within the church. What “rights” or ‘freedom” do I insist on which can potentially threaten the unity of the church?
Paul asks, “Is it proper..?” What is proper for me to do in the context of a church? Given the urgency of the Great Commission and allowing the gospel to manifest in my life, it is only …

By Bob Kim, InterHigh Mentor, Sophomore @ UC Berkeley
1 Corinthians 10:23-24
How does Paul’s response to those who are saying “everything is permissible” show the proper basis for decision making in Christian life?  What are some examples of modern day people who still seek to experience maximum license in their behavior by considering everything “permissible” which has not been expressly prohibited by scripture?
By what criterion do I decide what is permissible in my life?
Paul completely destroys any legalistic notion that Christian living is guided by commandments alone, by some all-important list …

By Smith Chung, InterHigh Student, 11th grade
1 Corinthians 9:1-15
In what ways did Apostle Paul and Barnabas deny themselves of the many privileges which they themselves had a perfect right to claim? Are there people who labor in the Lord on my behalf while denying themselves certain “rights” they can easily claim?
An apostle was usually supported by the church. Apostle Paul talks to the Corinthians about how it is only right that a soldier should be paid to go to war and a farmer should be able to eat …

By Jane Cho, Interhigh Mentor, Senior @ UC Berkeley
1 Corinthians 8:1-4
Reflect on the contrast between knowledge that puffs up and love that builds up.
We Christians can know a lot about the Bible, doctrine, church life, etc.but we are in danger of arrogance if that keeps us from building others up. Having grown up in the church, I fall into this danger a lot. I often use my knowledge of Christianity to critically judge other believers and feel superior to them instead of using what I know to encourage them towards …

By Annie Strother, Interhigh Mentor, Senior @ UC Berkeley
1 Corinthians 7:10-24
What “situation” do I need to “remain in” and not to allow it to “trouble me?”  What may God want to teach me through my present situation?
It’s appropriate to remain where we are because God has plans for this place in our lives.  He may want to to train us, teach us something or grow us up.  And even though it may not be somewhere we want to be, we can be assured that God will use it for our …

By Kristen Lee, Interhigh Student, 10th Grade
Why does Apostle Paul list very specifically what the Corinthians used to be? How might they have felt as they heard this list? And, how might they have felt as they heard the words washed, sanctified, justified after hearing the list that described their previous lives?
Apostle Paul seems to list very specifically what the Corinthians used to be, because he wants them to see how much they fell short in their old lives. By no means at all were they holy or perfect—they …

By Amy Le, Interhigh Mentor, Junior @ UC Berkeley
Notice that the church had the authority, and the responsibility to excommunicate this man who was unrepentant in this sin.  How does this square with people’s view of the proper extent of spiritual authority in the church today?
Because of today’s predominant culture of acceptance and tolerance, people find it offensive when judgments are cast that challenge their beliefs. Everyone should be allowed to express themselves in the way that they see best and no one should judge. We are living in an …

By Stephen Sun, InterHigh Student, 11th grade @ Alameda High
According to v. 2, what is the crucial criterion for ministry? Is this in agreement with what I think is the crucial criterion for ministry?
According to Apostle Paul in v. 2, it is faithfulness that is crucial. It is more important that someone is faithful to their area of ministry than that person bringing in hundreds of people everyday to church, but ultimately doing it for the wrong reasons, such as to just be able to spend more time with their …