Alumni Bible Study

Micah 3:9-12

2011-03-29T13:46:00.000-05:00

Relax, Read and Reflect

Prayer- Lord, Open our hearts and open our minds and help us learn. Go- Fight- Win. Amen.

Micah 3:9-12 (New International Version, ©2011)9 Hear this, you leaders of Jacob,
you rulers of Israel,
who despise justice
and distort all that is right;
10 who build Zion with bloodshed,
and Jerusalem with wickedness.
11 Her leaders judge for a bribe,
her priests teach for a price,
and her prophets tell fortunes for money.
Yet they look for the LORD’s support and say,
"Is not the LORD among us?
No disaster will come upon us."
12 Therefore because of you,
Zion will be plowed like a field,
Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble,
the temple hill a mound overgrown with thickets.

Micah is again fore-telling of the fall of the kingdom and the destruction of the Temple. This could not have been a popular stance, no one likes to hear of destruction of their home. He blames this impending doom on one thing- the rulers. That doesn’t make it any easier to hear, or to preach.
Even today we would rather hear the feel good sermons over the hell fire. This book get’s me to thinking- is this really what we need to hear today?

Questions:
1. Who is responsible for the destruction of Jerusalem?
2. What can the people do?
3. How is this message received today?

Prayer- Lord, help us to hear all you have to say to us, not just the goodie. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

Micah 3:5-8

2011-03-24T07:32:00.000-05:00

Relax, Read and Reflect

Prayer- Lord, Open our hearts and open our minds and help us learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

Micah 3:5-8 (New International Version, ©2011)5 This is what the LORD says:
"As for the prophets
who lead my people astray,
they proclaim ‘peace’
if they have something to eat,
but prepare to wage war against anyone
who refuses to feed them.
6 Therefore night will come over you, without visions,
and darkness, without divination.
The sun will set for the prophets,
and the day will go dark for them.
7 The seers will be ashamed
and the diviners disgraced.
They will all cover their faces
because there is no answer from God."
8 But as for me, I am filled with power,
with the Spirit of the LORD,
and with justice and might,
to declare to Jacob his transgression,
to Israel his sin.

The first part of this passage is that the false prophets are, well, going to hell. The people who take advantage of others when they are themselves full are going to eternal darkness. This could mean a life without light, a life without God. My friend and former co-teacher Lee Friesen has a story about a friend who had a near death experience. The friend did not see a light in this vision, all he saw was darkness, cold, damp, darkness. The friend did not know God, but does now.
So what do these false prophets do? I stated that they take advantage of others, but how? Re-read vs. 5. Could this mean a spiritual deception? If we are full of the Spirit and are reveling in God’s love but do not share, are we doing the same thing? Micah is not afraid. He knows he is doing the things God wants and needs. Are we?

Questions:
1. What is going to happen to the false prophets?
2. Why?
3. What can we do to insure we do not follow them?

Prayer- Lord, help us share. Help us share the blessings you have given us to those who have not received the. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

Micah 3:1-4

2011-03-23T09:07:00.000-05:00

Relax, Read and Reflect

Prayer- Lord, Open our minds and open our hearts and help us learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

Micah 3:1-4 (New International Version, ©2011)Micah 3

Leaders and Prophets Rebuked

1 Then I said,
"Listen, you leaders of Jacob,
you rulers of Israel.
Should you not embrace justice,
2 you who hate good and love evil;
who tear the skin from my people
and the flesh from their bones;
3 who eat my people’s flesh,
strip off their skin
and break their bones in pieces;
who chop them up like meat for the pan,
like flesh for the pot?"
4 Then they will cry out to the LORD,
but he will not answer them.
At that time he will hide his face from them
because of the evil they have done.

Micah has a bone to pick with the Hebrew rulers, and that bone is about to ripped off their backs. Here he gores as far to say that they hate good and love evil. Wow! They must really be jerks. The imagery of the butcher and the wild animal is vivid. What does this mean? Since the leaders of a people are so corrupt the people (followers) must also be impure, just because of their association. Therefore... When our leaders teach false teachings, they are dooming all of us.
This is not just a tax and spend issue here, this is an issue of faith and obedience. That is what God really wants from us.

Questions:
1. What are the leaders acting like?
2. What are their actions being compared to?
3. What will the Lord do when the people cry?

Prayer- Lord, give us the wisdom and understanding to follow you. As we live our lives in this world, let us be examples of life with You. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

Micah 2:12-13

2011-03-22T06:51:00.000-05:00

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Prayer- Lord, Open our minds and open our hearts and help us learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

Micah 2:12-13 (New International Version, ©2011)Deliverance Promised12 "I will surely gather all of you, Jacob;
I will surely bring together the remnant of Israel.
I will bring them together like sheep in a pen,
like a flock in its pasture;
the place will throng with people.
13 The One who breaks open the way will go up before them;
they will break through the gate and go out.
Their King will pass through before them,
the LORD at their head."

It is important to remember the timing of Micah. This was written before the Hebrew nation fell and was forced into exile, and obviously, before the Messiah came. Micah foreshadows both of these events in these two verses. Re-read them and see what he says.
If the kingdom is to be restored, as in these verses, that means that it must first be destroyed. When we think of prophets this is usually the vision we have. Gloom, despair and agony on the people, that the stuff of prophecy. Micah looks past this now, and tells of salvation and restoration.

Questions:
1. How will God act towards the survivors of the collapse of Israel?
2. What will happen to the flock?
3. When will the King come?

Prayer- Lord, strengthen us so that we may weather the storms of life. Help us recognize Your truth. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

Micah 2:6-11

2011-03-21T08:46:00.000-05:00

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Micah 2:6-11 (New International Version, ©2011)False Prophets6 "Do not prophesy," their prophets say.
"Do not prophesy about these things;
disgrace will not overtake us."
7 You descendants of Jacob, should it be said,
"Does the LORD become[a] impatient?
Does he do such things?"
"Do not my words do good
to the one whose ways are upright?
8 Lately my people have risen up
like an enemy.
You strip off the rich robe
from those who pass by without a care,
like men returning from battle.
9 You drive the women of my people
from their pleasant homes.
You take away my blessing
from their children forever.
10 Get up, go away!
For this is not your resting place,
because it is defiled,
it is ruined, beyond all remedy.
11 If a liar and deceiver comes and says,
‘I will prophesy for you plenty of wine and beer,’
that would be just the prophet for this people!

There were false prophets during Micah’s time, just as there are false prophets today. Micah lashes out at them. He says that there preaching is causing the problems of the day. I really like vs. 11. This is the "more beer" candidate. According to the prophet Micah, this is really what the people want to hear.
Have things changed that much? There is lot’s of teaching now that just say live and be happy, that is all we can do. That is what God wants, is for His people to be happy. Really? Our God, our very jealous God just wants us to carry on as long as it feels good to us? Micah says no and I agree. We are not on the earth to please ourselves, we are here to please God and our neighbors.

Questions:
1. What are the false teachers teaching?
2. What is this causing within God?
3. Who is getting hurt?

Prayer- Lord, give us the power and wisdom to see through false prophets and their teaching. Help us concentrate on Your truth. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.
Prayer- Lord, Open our hearts and open our minds and help us learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

Micah 2:1-5

2011-03-17T17:50:00.000-05:00

Relax, Read and Reflect

Prayer- Lord, Open our hearts and open our minds and help us learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.
Micah 2:1-5 (New International Version, ©2011)Micah 2

Human Plans and God’s Plans

1 Woe to those who plan iniquity,
to those who plot evil on their beds!
At morning’s light they carry it out
because it is in their power to do it.
2 They covet fields and seize them,
and houses, and take them.
They defraud people of their homes,
they rob them of their inheritance.
3 Therefore, the LORD says:
"I am planning disaster against this people,
from which you cannot save yourselves.
You will no longer walk proudly,
for it will be a time of calamity.
4 In that day people will ridicule you;
they will taunt you with this mournful song:
‘We are utterly ruined;
my people’s possession is divided up.
He takes it from me!
He assigns our fields to traitors.’"
5 Therefore you will have no one in the assembly of the LORD
to divide the land by lot.
Micah is utterly disgusted with the behavior of his people. Because of their "uncleanness" they are going to have problems from God. How are they unclean? Vs. 2 is specific. The political and religious leaders are literally stealing land, inheritances and anything else they want. In vs. 5 Micah points out that they will not have title for their property before God. (Gulp!)

Questions:
1. How are they people being wicked?
2. What does God think about these actions?
3. What will his judgement be?

Prayer- Lord, help us examine our lives to see if we have been "Unclean." If, so, help us make things right with anyone we have wronged. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

Micah 1:8-16

2011-03-16T08:16:00.000-05:00

Relax, Read and Reflect

Prayer- Lord, Open our hearts and open our minds and help us learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

Micah 1:8-16 (New International Version, ©2011)Weeping and Mourning8 Because of this I will weep and wail;
I will go about barefoot and naked.
I will howl like a jackal
and moan like an owl.
9 For Samaria’s plague is incurable;
it has spread to Judah.
It has reached the very gate of my people,
even to Jerusalem itself.
10 Tell it not in Gath[a];
weep not at all.
In Beth Ophrah[b]
roll in the dust.
11 Pass by naked and in shame,
you who live in Shaphir.[c]
Those who live in Zaanan[d]
will not come out.
Beth Ezel is in mourning;
it no longer protects you.
12 Those who live in Maroth[e] writhe in pain,
a99 waiting for relief,
because disaster has come from the LORD,
even to the gate of Jerusalem. 13 You who live in Lachish,
harness fast horses to the chariot.
You are where the sin of Daughter Zion began,
for the transgressions of Israel were found in you.
14 Therefore you will give parting gifts
to Moresheth Gath.
The town of Akzib[f] will prove deceptive
to the kings of Israel.
15 I will bring a conqueror against you
who live in Mareshah.[g]
The nobles of Israel
will flee to Adullam.
16 Shave your head in mourning
for the children in whom you delight;
make yourself as bald as the vulture,
for they will go from you into exile.

Questions:
1. Why are these things happening?
2. Can the people do anything to protect themselves?
3. Will Jerusalem be spared?

Prayer- Lord, give us peace and wisdom as we work for You. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.Micah is telling how God will devastate the country. One thing you have to admit, he is a hands on prophet. He goes town by town telling how the devastation will be. Micah uses some literary tools that would be a little better known to the people of the time as he goes town by town. Scholars say he uses puns on the names, however-we don’t know the names so that is lost. Bummer-no one likes a good pun more than I. The people will be conquered, lead off and then go into mourning. Happy Thoughts.

Micah 1

2011-03-15T08:12:00.000-05:00

Relax, Read and Reflect

Prayer- Lord, Open up our hearts and open our minds and help us learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

Micah 1:1-7 (New International Version, ©2011)Micah 11 The word of the LORD that came to Micah of Moresheth during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah—the vision he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.
2 Hear, you peoples, all of you,
listen, earth and all who live in it,
that the Sovereign LORD may bear witness against you,
the Lord from his holy temple.

Judgment Against Samaria and Jerusalem

3 Look! The LORD is coming from his dwelling place;
he comes down and treads on the heights of the earth.
4 The mountains melt beneath him
and the valleys split apart,
like wax before the fire,
like water rushing down a slope.
5 All this is because of Jacob’s transgression,
because of the sins of the people of Israel.
What is Jacob’s transgression?
Is it not Samaria?
What is Judah’s high place?
Is it not Jerusalem?
6 "Therefore I will make Samaria a heap of rubble,
a place for planting vineyards.
I will pour her stones into the valley
and lay bare her foundations.
7 All her idols will be broken to pieces;
all her temple gifts will be burned with fire;
I will destroy all her images.
Since she gathered her gifts from the wages of prostitutes,
as the wages of prostitutes they will again be used."

Uh-Oh, Micah say’s that God is mad, and he is coming down to make things right. It doesn’t take the author long to get into the meat of his message. He starts with Samaria. Remember, even in the old testament days Samaria was the backwoods to Judea, so that must be where evil starts? Micah seems to believe that the government and religious leaders are corrupt. That is where the prostitute wages come from.

Questions:
1. Where is God coming from?
2. Where is He going?
3. What is He doing?

Prayer- Lord, we remember that You are always with us, You know us and what we do or where we go. Help us make good decisions. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

Micah Preview

2011-03-14T16:16:00.000-05:00

Relax, read and Reflect

Prayer- Lord, Open our hearts and open our minds and help us learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen

Micah Overview
Next on the list of prophets studied will be Micah. Micah is a contemporary of the prophet Isaiah, which means he lived during the kingdom of Israel after Solomon, during the period of decline. Most historians put him in the rule of Jeroboam II and before the fall of Jerusalem to the Assyrians.
The people of the northern kingdom of Israel were living in the last of the prosperity of the great Jewish kings. In Micah's eyes were the corruption of the capital, and he did not like it. He was a fierce champion of social justice and pure worship of the Lord, as were Amos, Hosea, and Isaiah. He prophecies both judgement of God and forgiveness and hope to the future. This is something we all need to hear.

Questions:
1. Where did Micah live?
2. Was Micah a guy or girl?
3. Who were his contemporaries?

Prayer- Lord, as we study the words of Your prophet Micah, help us understand them in our contemporary age. Strengthen us and help us apply these to our Christian lives. Go-Fight-Win. Amen

Haggai Wrap-Up

2011-03-11T09:46:00.000-06:00

Relax, Read and Reflect

Prayer- Lord, Open our hearts and open our minds and help us learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

Haggai Wrap-Up
What can we learn from this book? Obviously- the main theme in Haggai is rebuild the Temple. Haggai was not alone in this advice, but he was focused. Not only should the Jewish people rebuild God's house, but they should make it bigger and better and do so ritualistically cleansed.
Great, so what does that mean for us today? Haggai thought that the people priorities were off it they built nice homes for themselves before they took care of God. I think it is important that when we do things for God now, this is more than just bigger and nicer worship centers. After all, really who are these for? Is this for God? Does he live in the worship areas we build? No. These are built for us, to impress ourselves and others-not to impress God.
It is important to put God first. Haggai was on to something. When our focus is on worldly things rather than heavenly things, when bad things happen they are magnified. As long as God is our main focus, the bad things still happen but just aren't as devastating.
The Last thing took look at is the last part of Chapter Two. Haggai is convinced that if the just get the Temple started God will send the Messiah and he will kick butt, and all will be good again. Haggai lived around 450 BC, and we all know that means Before Christ. That was quite a wait, even then the Messiah that came-Jesus, was not exactly what the prophet had in mind. Christ will come again, We just don't know when or who. If anyone tries to tell you exactly when or who-run! They are probably lying to you about other things as well.

Prayer- Lord, thank you for the promise you made to come again. Help us remember to put you first in our lives and to live for you. We know that challenges will come, but you are greater than any challenge. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

Haggai 2

2011-03-10T06:22:00.000-06:00

Relax, Read and Reflect

Prayer- Lord, Open our hearts and open our minds and help us learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

Haggai 2

The Promised Glory of the New HouseIn the second year of King Darius,
1 on the twenty-first day of the seventh month, the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai: 2 "Speak to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, to Joshua son of Jozadak,[c] the high priest, and to the remnant of the people. Ask them, 3 ‘Who of you is left who saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Does it not seem to you like nothing? 4 But now be strong, Zerubbabel,’ declares the LORD. ‘Be strong, Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land,’ declares the LORD, ‘and work. For I am with you,’ declares the LORD Almighty. 5 ‘This is what I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt. And my Spirit remains among you. Do not fear.’
6 "This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. 7 I will shake all nations, and what is desired by all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the LORD Almighty. 8 ‘The silver is mine and the gold is mine,’ declares the LORD Almighty. 9 ‘The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the LORD Almighty. ‘And in this place I will grant peace,’ declares the LORD Almighty."

Blessings for a Defiled People

10 On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came to the prophet Haggai: 11 "This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘Ask the priests what the law says: 12 If someone carries consecrated meat in the fold of their garment, and that fold touches some bread or stew, some wine, olive oil or other food, does it become consecrated?’"
The priests answered, "No."
13 Then Haggai said, "If a person defiled by contact with a dead body touches one of these things, does it become defiled?"
"Yes," the priests replied, "it becomes defiled."
14 Then Haggai said, "‘So it is with this people and this nation in my sight,’ declares the LORD. ‘Whatever they do and whatever they offer there is defiled.
15 "‘Now give careful thought to this from this day on[d]—consider how things were before one stone was laid on another in the LORD’s temple. 16 When anyone came to a heap of twenty measures, there were only ten. When anyone went to a wine vat to draw fifty measures, there were only twenty. 17 I struck all the work of your hands with blight, mildew and hail, yet you did not return to me,’ declares the LORD. 18 ‘From this day on, from this twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, give careful thought to the day when the foundation of the LORD’s temple was laid. Give careful thought: 19 Is there yet any seed left in the barn? Until now, the vine and the fig tree, the pomegranate and the olive tree have not borne fruit.
"‘From this day on I will bless you.’"

Zerubbabel the LORD’s Signet Ring

20 The word of the LORD came to Haggai a second time on the twenty-fourth day of the month: 21 "Tell Zerubbabel governor of Judah that I am going to shake the heavens and the earth. 22 I will overturn royal thrones and shatter the power of the foreign kingdoms. I will overthrow chariots and their drivers; horses and their riders will fall, each by the sword of his brother.
23 "‘On that day,’ declares the LORD Almighty, ‘I will take you, my servant Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel,’ declares the LORD, ‘and I will make you like my signet ring, for I have chosen you,’ declares the LORD Almighty."

Haggai continues to give instruction on rebuilding the temple. 2:10-14 deals with the cleansing of the offering to God, and to the construction. 2:15-19 Haggai stresses that once the foundation is laid, God will again bless His people. 20-23 is a little stressful. Once the temple is complete, Zerubbabel, the governor of Judea, would then be able to restore the kingdom.

Questions:
1. Why must the offerings be clean?
2. What would happen once the work is started?
3. Is Zerubbabel the messiah?

Prayer- Lord, as we do your work here on the earth, help us keep our bodies clean and our intentions pure. Strengthen us, lead us, and always love us. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

Haggai 1

2011-03-09T07:52:00.001-06:00

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Prayer- Lord, Open our hearts and open our minds and help us learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen

Haggai 11 In the second year of King Darius, on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua[a] son of Jozadak,[b] the high priest: A Call to Build the House of the LORD
2 This is what the LORD Almighty says: "These people say, ‘The time has not yet come to rebuild the LORD’s house.’"
3 Then the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai: 4 "Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?"
5 Now this is what the LORD Almighty says: "Give careful thought to your ways. 6 You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it."
7 This is what the LORD Almighty says: "Give careful thought to your ways. 8 Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build my house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored," says the LORD. 9 "You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?" declares the LORD Almighty. "Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with your own house. 10 Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops. 11 I called for a drought on the fields and the mountains, on the grain, the new wine, the olive oil and everything else the ground produces, on people and livestock, and on all the labor of your hands."
12 Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest, and the whole remnant of the people obeyed the voice of the LORD their God and the message of the prophet Haggai, because the LORD their God had sent him. And the people feared the LORD.
13 Then Haggai, the LORD’s messenger, gave this message of the LORD to the people: "I am with you," declares the LORD. 14 So the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of the whole remnant of the people. They came and began to work on the house of the LORD Almighty, their God, 15 on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month.

This story takes place after the exile of the Jews during the Babylonian conquest, (Daniel and the boys.) The Persians defeated the Babylonians and allowed the Jews to go back home. Darius was the Persian King. Haggai is a prophet of Israel who has come home to Jerusalem.
Haggai has one major goal- rebuilding the temple! His major premiss is that the people neglected the temple, and God has punished them. Why?, he asks, would you worry about little things like your own homes until the House of God is rebuilt? This may sound silly, but the reasoning is sound:
The People neglected the temple and therefore neglected God.
This caused God to punish the people.
If the people expect to flourish-they need to rebuild there respect in God.
Therefore...Rebuild the Temple.
Not only does Haggai want the temple rebuilt, it needs to be bigger and better.

Questions:
1. Why is rebuilding the temple important?
2. What is our temple?
3. How should we rebuild that?

Prayer- Lord, let us find our own temple to rebuild. As we enter this time of lent, help us keep you first in our lives. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

Acts 4:1-22

2010-09-15T09:50:00.002-05:00

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Prayer- Lord, Open our hearts and open our minds and help us learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen

Acts 4:1-22 (New International Version)

Acts 4

Peter and John Before the Sanhedrin

¹The priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to Peter and John while they were speaking to the people. ²They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. ³They seized Peter and John, and because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day. ⁴But many who heard the message believed, and the number of men grew to about five thousand. ⁵The next day the rulers, elders and teachers of the law met in Jerusalem. ⁶Annas the high priest was there, and so were Caiaphas, John, Alexander and the other men of the high priest's family. ⁷They had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them: "By what power or what name did you do this?"
⁸Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: "Rulers and elders of the people! ⁹If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed, ¹⁰then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. ¹¹He is
" 'the stone you builders rejected,
which has become the capstone.' ¹²Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."
¹³When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. ¹⁴But since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there was nothing they could say. ¹⁵So they ordered them to withdraw from the Sanhedrin and then conferred together. ¹⁶"What are we going to do with these men?" they asked. "Everybody living in Jerusalem knows they have done an outstanding miracle, and we cannot deny it. ¹⁷But to stop this thing from spreading any further among the people, we must warn these men to speak no longer to anyone in this name."
¹⁸Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. ¹⁹But Peter and John replied, "Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God's sight to obey you rather than God. ²⁰For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard."
²¹After further threats they let them go. They could not decide how to punish them, because all the people were praising God for what had happened. ²²For the man who was miraculously healed was over forty years old.

The apostles are causing trouble. Here is the issue: not only did they heal the lame man using the power of Jesus Christ (v.3:6) but the man followed Peter and John into church, and jumped and praised. Can you imagine that? Jumping and praising during prayer time? Obviously something had to be done. Okay, I am being a tad satirical here, but the priests and leaders of the temple had just gone through the troubles Jesus himself caused, now it looked like His followers were not being submissive.
They arrested Peter and John, (but curiously let the former lame man go,) to try and intimidate them. Instead of cowering, the apostles grew bolder. When asked by what power they healed the man Peter quoted scripture. He also tied Jesus to Abraham and Issac, giving their work validity in the eyes of the people. Peter and John were considered uneducated by the priests, (actually a better term would be "ignorant",) but they still understood prophesy and scripture. That could be a problem.
The rulers would release the two apostles, under the condition that they stopped spreading the news about Jesus. Peter and John were not interested in conditions, and basically left anyway. Bold.

Questions:
1. Why were Peter and John arrested?
2. What defense did they give for the day before?
3. Did this arrest and questioning of Peter and John go the way the leaders of the temple thought it would go? Why not?

Prayer- Lord, help us be bold. Help us spread the good news of Your Son, Jesus. Give us strength and wisdom to be modern apostles. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

Acts 3:1-26

2010-09-14T15:20:00.000-05:00

Relax, Read and Reflect

Prayer- Lord, Open our hearts and open our minds and help us learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

Acts 3:1-26 (New International Version)

Acts 3

Peter Heals the Crippled Beggar

¹One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. ²Now a man crippled from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. ³When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. ⁴Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, "Look at us!" ⁵So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. ⁶Then Peter said, "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk." ⁷Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong. ⁸He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. ⁹When all the people saw him walking and praising God, ¹⁰they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

Peter Speaks to the Onlookers

¹¹While the beggar held on to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called Solomon's Colonnade. ¹²When Peter saw this, he said to them: "Men of Israel, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? ¹³The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go. ¹⁴You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. ¹⁵You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this. ¹⁶By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus' name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see. ¹⁷"Now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders. ¹⁸But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Christ would suffer. ¹⁹Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, ²⁰and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus. ²¹He must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets. ²²For Moses said, 'The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you. ²³Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from among his people.'
²⁴"Indeed, all the prophets from Samuel on, as many as have spoken, have foretold these days. ²⁵And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, 'Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.' ²⁶When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways."

After Pentecost Peter and John are going to the temple to pray. They passed a lame, (crippled,) man who spent his days begging to the people going to pray. Peter and John said they had no money to give him, but healed him- THROUGH THE POWER OF JESUS. (This is important.) The man was excited and began to hop around in joy, and this caused quite a commotion. Peter took advantage of the commotion and the crowd that gathered to continue to spread the gospel of Christ. His preaching was that of Jesus, and he referenced many prophecies during the sermon. Surely, this would not get Peter and John in trouble. Or would it? Stay tuned until tomorrow or read Acts chapter 4 on your own.

Questions:
1. Why were John and Peter going to the temple?
2. What did the lame man expect from them?
3. Why did Peter say that this was "no big deal"?

Prayer- Lord, Help us be aware of those around us who need Your healing. Also, help us take full advantage of the commotions you cause.Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

Acts 1-2

2010-09-13T15:52:00.000-05:00

Relax, Read and Reflect

Prayer- Lord, Open our hearts and open our minds and help us learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

Acts 1

Jesus Taken Up Into Heaven

¹In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach ²until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. ³After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. ⁴On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. ⁵For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit."
⁶So when they met together, they asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?"
⁷He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. ⁸But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
⁹After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.
¹⁰They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. ¹¹"Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven."

Matthias Chosen to Replace Judas

¹²Then they returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day's walk from the city. ¹³When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. ¹⁴They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.
¹⁵In those days Peter stood up among the believers (a group numbering about a hundred and twenty) ¹⁶and said, "Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through the mouth of David concerning Judas, who served as guide for those who arrested Jesus— ¹⁷he was one of our number and shared in this ministry."
¹⁸(With the reward he got for his wickedness, Judas bought a field; there he fell headlong, his body burst open and all his intestines spilled out. ¹⁹Everyone in Jerusalem heard about this, so they called that field in their language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.)
²⁰"For," said Peter, "it is written in the book of Psalms,
   " 'May his place be deserted;
      let there be no one to dwell in it,' and,
   " 'May another take his place of leadership.' ²¹Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, ²²beginning from John's baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection."
²³So they proposed two men: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias. ²⁴Then they prayed, "Lord, you know everyone's heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen ²⁵to take over this apostolic ministry, which Judas left to go where he belongs." ²⁶Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles.

Acts 2

The Holy Spirit Comes at Pentecost

¹When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. ²Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. ³They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. ⁴All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
⁵Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. ⁶When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. ⁷Utterly amazed, they asked: "Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? ⁸Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? ⁹Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, ¹⁰Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome ¹¹ (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs-we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!" ¹²Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, "What does this mean?"
¹³Some, however, made fun of them and said, "They have had too much wine."

Peter Addresses the Crowd

¹⁴Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: "Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. ¹⁵These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It's only nine in the morning! ¹⁶No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
¹⁷" 'In the last days, God says,
      I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
   Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
      your young men will see visions,
      your old men will dream dreams.
¹⁸Even on my servants, both men and women,
      I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
      and they will prophesy.
¹⁹I will show wonders in the heaven above
      and signs on the earth below,
      blood and fire and billows of smoke.
²⁰The sun will be turned to darkness
      and the moon to blood
      before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
²¹And everyone who calls
      on the name of the Lord will be saved.'
²²"Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. ²³This man was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. ²⁴But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. ²⁵David said about him:
   " 'I saw the Lord always before me.
      Because he is at my right hand,
      I will not be shaken.
²⁶Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
      my body also will live in hope,
²⁷because you will not abandon me to the grave,
      nor will you let your Holy One see decay.
²⁸You have made known to me the paths of life;
      you will fill me with joy in your presence.'
²⁹"Brothers, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. ³⁰But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. ³¹Seeing what was ahead, he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to the grave, nor did his body see decay. ³²God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact. ³³Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. ³⁴For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said,
   " 'The Lord said to my Lord:
      "Sit at my right hand
³⁵until I make your enemies
      a footstool for your feet." '
³⁶"Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ."
³⁷When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?"
³⁸Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call."
⁴⁰With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation." ⁴¹Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.

The Fellowship of the Believers

⁴²They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. ⁴³Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. ⁴⁴All the believers were together and had everything in common. ⁴⁵Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. ⁴⁶Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, ⁴⁷praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

Okay, you got me! This is a very long post, long scripture over some very important stuff. Here is the truth- Transitions Bible Study started The Acts of the Apostles last week, and we did the first two chapters. Now I am playing catch up.
Why is acts so important? After all, I really think this may be THE most important book in all the bible, after the Gospels. This books tells of the early church and how the men and women who were directly affected by Jesus spread from a handful of followers into the Christian church.
Acts was written by Luke, and is an extension of his gospel. Luke was not a disciple, nor was he Jewish. We was a physician who gave up his medical practice to spread the news of Jesus. Acts can be broken into two different parts. The growth of the church in and around Jerusalem with Peter and Paul's evangelical journeys through out the Roman empire. Both are important.
Chapter one starts with the ascension of Christ. It then goes to the gathering of the disciples and the election of one to fill Judas' spot. Little tidbit from Steve- notice they pray to God for guidance, and then cast lots. This may have left it up to chance, but there was no democratic election involved.
Chapter two involves the day of Pentecost. Jesus told his followers in the first chapter not to venture out until they were baptized by the spirit, equipped if you will. The day of Pentecost was when this happened. This was part of the Jewish calender, so it was natural for the twelve to gather. What was unnatural were the flames coming down and the people speaking in foreign tongues. I won't venture into the easy discussion- but the spirit was equipping the followers for the job. Peter gives a sermon, it was probably a very long one, and thousands came to be saved. Not a bad start.

Questions:
1. What did Christ tell his disciples to do?
2. How did the late comers react to the flames of Pentecost?
3. How does this affect us today?

Prayer- Lord, strengthen us and equip us so that we may become Your apostles and do the acts You would have us do. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

John 13

2010-05-10T10:31:00.002-05:00

Relax, Read and Reflect

Prayer- Lord, Open our hearts and open our minds and help us learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

John 13

Jesus Washes His Disciples' Feet

¹It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love.^a]'>[a]

²The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus. ³Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; ⁴so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. ⁵After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

⁶He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, "Lord, are you going to wash my feet?"

⁷Jesus replied, "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand."

⁸"No," said Peter, "you shall never wash my feet."
Jesus answered, "Unless I wash you, you have no part with me."

⁹"Then, Lord," Simon Peter replied, "not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!"

¹⁰Jesus answered, "A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you." ¹¹For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.

¹²When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. "Do you understand what I have done for you?" he asked them. ¹³"You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. ¹⁴Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. ¹⁵I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. ¹⁶I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. ¹⁷Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

Jesus Predicts His Betrayal

¹⁸"I am not referring to all of you; I know those I have chosen. But this is to fulfill the scripture: 'He who shares my bread has lifted up his heel against me.'^b]'>[b]

¹⁹"I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am He. ²⁰I tell you the truth, whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me; and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me."

²¹After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, "I tell you the truth, one of you is going to betray me."

²²His disciples stared at one another, at a loss to know which of them he meant. ²³One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him. ²⁴Simon Peter motioned to this disciple and said, "Ask him which one he means."

²⁵Leaning back against Jesus, he asked him, "Lord, who is it?"

²⁶Jesus answered, "It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish." Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, son of Simon. ²⁷As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him.

"What you are about to do, do quickly," Jesus told him, ²⁸but no one at the meal understood why Jesus said this to him. ²⁹Since Judas had charge of the money, some thought Jesus was telling him to buy what was needed for the Feast, or to give something to the poor. ³⁰As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was night.

Jesus Predicts Peter's Denial

³¹When he was gone, Jesus said, "Now is the Son of Man glorified and God is glorified in him. ³²If God is glorified in him,^c]'>[c] God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once.

³³"My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come.

³⁴"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. ³⁵By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

³⁶Simon Peter asked him, "Lord, where are you going?"
Jesus replied, "Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later."

³⁷Peter asked, "Lord, why can't I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you."

³⁸Then Jesus answered, "Will you really lay down your life for me? I tell you the truth, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times!

Okay, I know this is a full chapter in one day. We are big people and can handle this. If it is easier; break down the chapter in three days. Look at the headings and you can see the breaks. I would suggest you read the entire chapter first, then do as you will. If you study in three day installments- you may be able to comprehend this better.

Jesus washes the feet. Let's look at this both literally and figuratively. These people walked in a semi-desert land with sandals. You know their feet looked and smelled funky! It was the lowest job a servant could have- to wash someones feet. We may not understand this today, but the disciples would have. Peter shows his human qualities. When Jesus came to wash his feet Peter said "No!" Jesus insisted, saying that if Peter did not allow this Jesus would have nothing to do with him. When Peter decided it was OK he asked Jesus to wash all of him. (Poor Peter-always trying to make Jesus fit Peter's pattern.)

Jesus tells him that is not needed. Only clean what needs cleaning. I read this and think that maybe we as the church try to clean things that are OK, but may not clean the parts of our world that need attention. I know it is easier to do somethings, brush hair instead of washing feet, but if the hair is already fixed-what have we done? Side note- if you want to really show humility today, wash the feet of someone who is driving you crazy.

As Jesus is doing this he then predicts Judas' betrayal. How wild must that have been? Jesus calls them out and then singles out poor Judas as the others were wondering who the betrayer was. We all betray Jesus from time to time. Does this mean it is alright? If Judas had not done what he did, could the Easter story have happened? Why didn't Jesus just say to Judas, "I know what you are thinking-here are the consequences of your actions if you follow through"?

Does God tell us what the long range effects of our actions? Re-read that part of John 13 (18-30.) This is one of those passages that we tend to overlook but that has big results.

Peter goes at it again. Peter is brash and self confident. He just saw Jesus call out Judas and needed to show that he was above such action. Alas, Jesus knew that Peter too would deny Him. Peter had missed the command that Jesus had just stated, (vs. 34-35.) Peter needed to be challenged- so Jesus told him he would deny Him three times.

Questions:

1. Why did Peter refuse to let Jesus wash his feet? Do we ever do the same?

2. Why would Jesus call out Judas and forced his hand? Knowing this, how can we live our lives differently?

3. Do we use Jesus as an example of love? Do we deny him? How can these two questions help our lives and actions?

Prayer- Lord, Help us be in close communion with you always. Give us strength to live our lives to show your love. Thank you for loving us even when we are butt-heads. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

John 11:45-57

2010-04-21T06:12:00.002-05:00

Read,Relax, Reflect

Prayer- Lord, Open our Hearts and Open our minds and help us learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen

The Plot to Kill Jesus

⁴⁵Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, put their faith in him. ⁴⁶But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. ⁴⁷Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin.

"What are we accomplishing?" they asked. "Here is this man performing many miraculous signs. ⁴⁸If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our place^a]'> and our nation."

⁴⁹Then one of them, named Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, spoke up, "You know nothing at all! ⁵⁰You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish."

⁵¹He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, ⁵²and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one. ⁵³So from that day on they plotted to take his life.

⁵⁴Therefore Jesus no longer moved about publicly among the Jews. Instead he withdrew to a region near the desert, to a village called Ephraim, where he stayed with his disciples.

⁵⁵When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, many went up from the country to Jerusalem for their ceremonial cleansing before the Passover. ⁵⁶They kept looking for Jesus, and as they stood in the temple area they asked one another, "What do you think? Isn't he coming to the Feast at all?" ⁵⁷But the chief priests and Pharisees had given orders that if anyone found out where Jesus was, he should report it so that they might arrest him.

Jesus had raised his friend Lazarus from the dead and the word got back to the Pharisees. Actually, now things had gone past just the priests, now the whole council, (Sanhedrin) becomes involved. After word got to them that Jesus is raising people from the dead, the Sanhedrin realized that Jesus could be very dangerous! If people started to believe that He was Messiah, the Jews would raise up and this would upset the Romans.

Caiaphas, the high priest, utters a big prophecy in vs. 49-53. For the sake of the nation-Jesus must die. He was correct, but not as he wished it. Jesus was to die to save a nation, but not the nation of Israel. Jesus was to die for all! The stakes have been raised, now Jesus could not have turned back even if he wanted to. Soon he would have to go to Jerusalem!

Questions:

1. What did the Sanhedrin fear?

2. What was Caiaphas willing to do? (for the sake of the nation.)

3. Do you think the people knew who Jesus was and what he must do? Do we?

Prayer- Lord, We can not ever thank you enough for loving us so much that you sent Jesus as a living sacrifice for us. Give the the strength and courage to spread the news with others. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

John 11:28-44

2010-04-15T06:44:00.003-05:00

Relax, Read and Reflect

Prayer- Lord, Open our hearts and open our minds and help us learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

²⁸And after she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. "The Teacher is here," she said, "and is asking for you." ²⁹When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. ³⁰Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. ³¹When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her, noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there.

³²When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died."

³³When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. ³⁴"Where have you laid him?" he asked.
"Come and see, Lord," they replied.

³⁵Jesus wept.

³⁶Then the Jews said, "See how he loved him!"

³⁷But some of them said, "Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?"

Jesus Raises Lazarus From the Dead

³⁸Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. ³⁹"Take away the stone," he said.
"But, Lord," said Martha, the sister of the dead man, "by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days."

⁴⁰Then Jesus said, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?"

⁴¹So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me. ⁴²I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me."

⁴³When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" ⁴⁴The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.
Jesus said to them, "Take off the grave clothes and let him go."

I will refrain, (kind of,) from making any zombie or mummy comments about this reading. This passage really does show that Jesus was a human, and had human relationships and emotions. Jesus had already talked to Martha, now Mary came to see him as he was making his way to their house. The other mourners followed, thinking Mary was going to the grave to mourn. As she and Jesus visited Jesus became very moved and cried. ( Many people say that John 11:35 is their favorite verse because it showed his human side, but we all know it is because it is only two words long and easy to memorize.)

They go to the tomb and Jesus tells them to move away the rock, (foreshadowing?) but the people hesitate. Laz has been there for four days and is starting to get rank. Jesus tells them that if they believe they would see the glory of God. He then calls Laz to come on out- and he does!

Questions:

1. Why would Jesus cry if he knew he could give life?

2. Both Mary and Martha had told Jesus that they knew he could have healed their brother, why were they hesitant about the dead raising?

3. What does this story say to you about faith in Jesus?

Prayer- Lord, we know that all things are possible in you. We know that you feel our pain, our sadness and our joy. Please be with us as we go through life. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

John 11:17-27

2010-04-13T06:25:00.002-05:00

Relax, Read and Reflect

Prayer- lord, Open our hearts and open our minds and help us learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

Jesus Comforts the Sisters

¹⁷On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. ¹⁸Bethany was less than two miles^a]'> from Jerusalem, ¹⁹and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. ²⁰When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.

²¹"Lord," Martha said to Jesus, "if you had been here, my brother would not have died. ²²But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask."

²³Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."

²⁴Martha answered, "I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day."

²⁵Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; ²⁶and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"

²⁷"Yes, Lord," she told him, "I believe that you are the Christ,^b]'> the Son of God, who was to come into the world."

Lazarus, Jesus' friend, has died. People are already gathering to comfort his family. Martha, Lazarus' sister, meets Jesus as he approaches. She tells Jesus that if he had been hear earlier Lazarus would still be living. Jesus tells her that Lazarus will rise again, and she agrees that on the day of judgement Laz will rise again.

Jesus tells her that He is the resurrection, and who believes in him will never die. He even asks Martha if she believes. She does. What does this mean?

Questions:

1. Does this mean that people who truly believe that Jesus is Christ will live forever?

2. Do our physical bodies wear out? If we live forever the world should get crowded?

3. Is Jesus the judge? What is the evidence that He is looking for?

Prayer- Lord, help us remember that when we accept your love and grace, we will be with you forever. Help us share that great news with the world. Go-Fight-Win. Amen

John 11:1-16

2010-04-06T06:14:00.002-05:00

Relax, Read and Reflect
Prayer- Lord, Open our hearts and open our minds and help us learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

The Death of Lazarus

¹Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. ²This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair. ³So the sisters sent word to Jesus, "Lord, the one you love is sick."

⁴When he heard this, Jesus said, "This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it." ⁵Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. ⁶Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days.

⁷Then he said to his disciples, "Let us go back to Judea."

⁸"But Rabbi," they said, "a short while ago the Jews tried to stone you, and yet you are going back there?"

⁹Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours of daylight? A man who walks by day will not stumble, for he sees by this world's light. ¹⁰It is when he walks by night that he stumbles, for he has no light."

¹¹After he had said this, he went on to tell them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up."

¹²His disciples replied, "Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better." ¹³Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep.

¹⁴So then he told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead, ¹⁵and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him."

¹⁶Then Thomas (called Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with him."

The family of Lazarus was very close to Jesus and His disciples. When Jesus hears that Lazarus is ill, he lingers for a few days instead of rushing to the sick bed. Of course, the Jews in Judea were still upset with Jesus and may have killed him. His disciples wondered why Jesus would even think of going back.

His answer of the twelve hours of daylight and darkness mean that there are things in this world we can not change. If the Jews want to kill Jesus, they will. But it would be when God willed it- not His enemies. He is also using this as another way to show miracles for his followers and the people of Judea.

Questions:

1. Why did Jesus linger away when he heard his friend Lazarus was ill?

2.Why were the disciples scared if Jesus was not?

3. If Lazarus was dead, why did Thomas say "we will go die with him".

Prayer- Lord, help us remember that things happen on your time table. It is your will that we do here on earth, give us the strength to carry that out. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

John 10:31-42

2010-04-01T06:26:00.002-05:00

Relax, Read and Reflect

Prayer- Lord, Open our hearts and open our minds and help us learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

³¹Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him, ³²but Jesus said to them, "I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?"

³³"We are not stoning you for any of these," replied the Jews, "but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God."

³⁴Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your Law, 'I have said you are gods'^a]'>? ³⁵If he called them 'gods,' to whom the word of God came—and the Scripture cannot be broken— ³⁶what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, 'I am God's Son'? ³⁷Do not believe me unless I do what my Father does. ³⁸But if I do it, even though you do not believe me, believe the miracles, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father." ³⁹Again they tried to seize him, but he escaped their grasp.

⁴⁰Then Jesus went back across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing in the early days. Here he stayed ⁴¹and many people came to him. They said, "Though John never performed a miraculous sign, all that John said about this man was true." ⁴²And in that place many believed in Jesus.

Jesus is not doing as many miracles, He is now concentrating on teaching, and some of the people aren't digging it. Again they want to chunk rocks at him. He asks why? The crowd says that they like the miracles and all, they just don't like the blasphemy. Jesus bows up. He reasserts that He is God's son. He then asks them to believe through the things he has done and said. The crowd is not swayed and bum-rushes Jesus, but He escapes. He heads back across the Jordan to where John had been working earlier, and there many people started to believe.

Questions:

1. Why do the people want to kill Jesus?

2. How does Jesus compare Himself to God?

3. Why is it important that Jesus goes to a place where John had been baptising?

Prayer- Dear Lord, Watch over us. Please protect us from evil and help us see the Truth in all we do and say. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

John 10:19-30

2010-03-31T08:46:00.002-05:00

Relax, Read and Reflect
Prayer- Lord, Open our hearts and open our minds and help us learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

¹⁹At these words the Jews were again divided. ²⁰Many of them said, "He is demon-possessed and raving mad. Why listen to him?"

²¹But others said, "These are not the sayings of a man possessed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?"

The Unbelief of the Jews

²²Then came the Feast of Dedication^a]'> at Jerusalem. It was winter, ²³and Jesus was in the temple area walking in Solomon's Colonnade. ²⁴The Jews gathered around him, saying, "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ,^b]'> tell us plainly."

²⁵Jesus answered, "I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father's name speak for me, ²⁶but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. ²⁷My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. ²⁸I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. ²⁹My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all^c]'>; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. ³⁰I and the Father are one."

The people are divided. Some think he is crazy, some think he is the messiah. (There is a fine line between insanity and genius.) The ones who think he is crazy can't believe. The others flat out ask if he is the Messiah. Jesus responds by telling them He has already answered that question, (in the affirmative,) but their lack of faith prevents them believing. Again he uses a sheep metaphor, and closes by saying that He and God, (His Father,) are one.

Questions:

1. Do we find it difficult to accept things we don't understand?

2. If you were around during the Disciples time, would you think Jesus was God, or crazy?

3. What will happen now that Jesus announces he is God again? (and what else do we stone?)

Prayer- Dear Lord, Help us show our beliefs as we work in our world. Strengthen us and be with us always, even when we are far from our normal home and fellowship. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

John 10:1-18

2010-03-30T06:31:00.002-05:00

Relax, Read and Reflect
Prayer- Lord, Open our minds and open our hearts and help us learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

The Shepherd and His Flock

¹"I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. ²The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. ³The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. ⁴When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. ⁵But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice." ⁶Jesus used this figure of speech, but they did not understand what he was telling them.

⁷Therefore Jesus said again, "I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. ⁸All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. ⁹I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.^a]'> He will come in and go out, and find pasture. ¹⁰The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

¹¹"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. ¹²The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. ¹³The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.

¹⁴"I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— ¹⁵just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. ¹⁶I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. ¹⁷The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. ¹⁸No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father."

Christ is our Shepherd. This is wonderful and very true comparison to real life. Jesus says a shepherd would not enter his pen over the sides but use a gate, only a thief would enter over the sides. Christ is the gate-we are the sheep. we enter through him. My variation is that a cow man will not cut his fences to enter his pastures, we use gates,over and over. The rustler cuts the wire and enters the pasture by secret. I understand these verses.

So, we say that Jesus is our Shepard. What does a shepherd do? He takes care of his flock, his herd, his mob. In this illustration the shepherd is the owner of the sheep. The sheep are more than his job-they are his life. The shepherd will do what ever it takes to protect His herd. Unlike the hired man, when danger comes the shepherd will risk his life to protect the herd. The hired hand may say "that's not in my job description," and run away. The shepherd has too much invested.

Jesus is our Shepherd-we are his sheep. When evil comes He will protect us. He uses the gate, (himself,) for us to enter the pastures and pens, which is heaven. Jesus did lay down his life to protect us. He gave up his life that we might live, and live through Him.

Questions:

1. Why would a thief climb the walls of the pen? Who may be a thief?

2.What is the difference between a shepherd and someone watching the sheep?

3. If Christ is our shepherd, why would we fear evil?

Prayer- Dear Lord, thank You for sending Your Son to watch over us as our Shepard. Help us feel that peace that comes from You. Go-Fight-Win. Amen

John 9:18-34

2010-03-29T06:26:00.002-05:00

Relax, Read and Reflect

Prayer- Lord, Open our hearts and open our minds and help us learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

¹⁸The Jews still did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they sent for the man's parents. ¹⁹"Is this your son?" they asked. "Is this the one you say was born blind? How is it that now he can see?"

²⁰"We know he is our son," the parents answered, "and we know he was born blind. ²¹But how he can see now, or who opened his eyes, we don't know. Ask him. He is of age; he will speak for himself." ²²His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews, for already the Jews had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Christ^a]'> would be put out of the synagogue. ²³That was why his parents said, "He is of age; ask him."

²⁴A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. "Give glory to God,^b]'>" they said. "We know this man is a sinner."

²⁵He replied, "Whether he is a sinner or not, I don't know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!"

²⁶Then they asked him, "What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?"

²⁷He answered, "I have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?"

²⁸Then they hurled insults at him and said, "You are this fellow's disciple! We are disciples of Moses! ²⁹We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don't even know where he comes from."

³⁰The man answered, "Now that is remarkable! You don't know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. ³¹We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly man who does his will. ³²Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. ³³If this man were not from God, he could do nothing."

³⁴To this they replied, "You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!" And they threw him out.

Spiritual Blindness

³⁵Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?"

³⁶"Who is he, sir?" the man asked. "Tell me so that I may believe in him."

³⁷Jesus said, "You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you."

³⁸Then the man said, "Lord, I believe," and he worshiped him.

³⁹Jesus said, "For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind."

⁴⁰Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, "What? Are we blind too?"

⁴¹Jesus said, "If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.

The saga of the blind man continues. In the last lesson we learned that Jesus healed a blind man who had been without sight from birth. Jesus did this on the Sabbath, and because he had made mud that he used on the mans eyes, he had violated Jewish law by working on the sabbath.Now the interrogation begins.

First; the Pharisee's wanted to make sure the man was really blind, (it could have been a trick, a well thought out stunt.) They call in the mans parents to ask them. They admit that the man was born blind but were so scared of being excommunicated they would not share if he could see or not."He is of age-ask him." Do we find it difficult to see the truth today if it may cost us ridicule or social standing?

The Man is brought back in and grilled once more. If confesses that he can see because of the miracle that Jesus had performed. The pharisees blame him for sinning and excommunicate him. Jesus hears about this and ministers to him. Re-read vs. 40-41. The Pharisees have visual ability but are blind to the truth.

We fall into the same traps. we can become so jaded to the world that we miss real miracles. We want to see proof, we become driven to prove miracles are hoaxes. Why? Most of us have pretty good physical vision, how is our spiritual vision?

Questions:

1. Why did the parents insist that the pharisees ask their son if he could now see?

2. How did the pharisees justify the miracle?

3. What did Jesus mean when he said "For judgement I have come into this world, so that the blind may see and those who see will become blind."

Prayer- Lord, open our eyes that we may see all of the vision You have for us. Give us the wisdom and strength to share that vision with others. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

John 9:1-17

2010-03-25T06:07:00.002-05:00

Relax, Read and Reflect

Prayer- Lord, Open our hearts and open our minds and help us learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

John 9

Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind

¹As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. ²His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"

³"Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life. ⁴As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. ⁵While I am in the world, I am the light of the world."

⁶Having said this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man's eyes. ⁷"Go," he told him, "wash in the Pool of Siloam" (this word means Sent). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.

⁸His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, "Isn't this the same man who used to sit and beg?" ⁹Some claimed that he was.
Others said, "No, he only looks like him."
But he himself insisted, "I am the man."

¹⁰"How then were your eyes opened?" they demanded.

¹¹He replied, "The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see."

¹²"Where is this man?" they asked him.
"I don't know," he said.

The Pharisees Investigate the Healing

¹³They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. ¹⁴Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man's eyes was a Sabbath. ¹⁵Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. "He put mud on my eyes," the man replied, "and I washed, and now I see."

¹⁶Some of the Pharisees said, "This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath."
But others asked, "How can a sinner do such miraculous signs?" So they were divided.

¹⁷Finally they turned again to the blind man, "What have you to say about him? It was your eyes he opened."
The man replied, "He is a prophet."

Close. Jesus continues to do miracles and teach. He and his disciples come upon a man blind from birth. The Disciples wonder whose sin made the man blind, his or his parents. This shows the ancient thoughts that God punished people by doing bad things to them. Jesus tells them neither; the man has been blind so that Jesus can heal him. Jesus proceeds to make some mud, puts it on the mans bad eyes and presto! he can see!

The man's neighbors did not recognize the former blind man. When he finally convinced them he was the man he told them of the miracle. The People wanted to meet this guy, but Jesus had slipped away. The trouble was just beginning. Jesus did this miracle on the Sabbath, again. I really think Jesus did some of these miracle on the Sabbath to make a point. It did upset the pharisees and they began to investigate.

Questions:

1. Why do we think God is punishing people when they have health issues?

2. Why didn't the neighbors recognize the man?

3. Why would Jesus continue to work miracles on the Sabbath? Does he still?

Prayer- Lord, Thank you for all the miracles you do, no matter when you do them Help us recognize. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

John 8:31-59

2010-03-24T06:13:00.002-05:00

Relax, Read and Reflect
Prayer- Lord, Open our hearts and open our minds and help us learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen

The Children of Abraham

³¹To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. ³²Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

³³They answered him, "We are Abraham's descendants^a]'> and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?"

³⁴Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. ³⁵Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. ³⁶So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. ³⁷I know you are Abraham's descendants. Yet you are ready to kill me, because you have no room for my word. ³⁸I am telling you what I have seen in the Father's presence, and you do what you have heard from your father.^b]'>"

³⁹"Abraham is our father," they answered.

"If you were Abraham's children," said Jesus, "then you would^c]'> do the things Abraham did. ⁴⁰As it is, you are determined to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things. ⁴¹You are doing the things your own father does."
"We are not illegitimate children," they protested. "The only Father we have is God himself."

The Children of the Devil

⁴²Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now am here. I have not come on my own; but he sent me. ⁴³Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. ⁴⁴You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. ⁴⁵Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! ⁴⁶Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don't you believe me? ⁴⁷He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God."

The Claims of Jesus About Himself

⁴⁸The Jews answered him, "Aren't we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demon-possessed?"

⁴⁹"I am not possessed by a demon," said Jesus, "but I honor my Father and you dishonor me. ⁵⁰I am not seeking glory for myself; but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge. ⁵¹I tell you the truth, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death."

⁵²At this the Jews exclaimed, "Now we know that you are demon-possessed! Abraham died and so did the prophets, yet you say that if anyone keeps your word, he will never taste death. ⁵³Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?"

⁵⁴Jesus replied, "If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me. ⁵⁵Though you do not know him, I know him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and keep his word. ⁵⁶Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad."

⁵⁷"You are not yet fifty years old," the Jews said to him, "and you have seen Abraham!"

⁵⁸"I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!" ⁵⁹At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.

Jesus continues his teaching, and it is starting to get ugly. He tells the crowds that they will know him and be set free from sin. Nothing-visualize crickets in the background. Instead, they tell him they are Abraham's children and have never been slave to anyone. (Hello, does the Exodus ring a bell? Even at the time they were saying this they were a conquered nation living at the whim and folly of the Roman government!)

Jesus tries to bridge their thoughts and asks them to open their minds. Sin can imprison us, if we know God, we can be released from this oppression. More crickets. Not only do people not understand the truth, they are swayed to evil. They are indignant. "Jesus claims to be greater than Abraham or the prophets," and there is my favorite, "You are less than fifty years old, how can you say you know Abraham?"

Then they say he is a Samaritan and possessed by demons. Wow! The Samaritan label was an absolute slur. Remember, Samaritans were looked down on by the Jews. This still happens today. Any denomination that has social principles is a cover for communists , same deal. I am not saying that Glen Beck is evil, but the comparison is spot on.

These verses end with the people wanting to stone Jesus. Good crowd gone horribly bad. What happened? As long as Jesus heals, we are all "hey Jesus!", but when He starts to meddle in our lives. I have a confession. I had never really understood these verses until today. The main reason is because I don't think I had really read them. That is why we study continually. I always thought that John 8:32 was kind of an at-a-boy, now I see that it was a challenge. Jesus challenges us daily. One of my biggest faults is that I think I know it all. In fact- I don't! I am not God. I am not Jesus. I am not omnipresent. Luckily, I know God. Sometimes I seek God's advice and use His knowledge in my life. Sometimes.

Questions:

1. What is the Truth? What is it that en-slaves us?

2. Whose children are you?

3. Are there days where you want to throw rocks at Jesus? What do you do?

Prayer- Dear Lord, I am sorry. I am sorry that there are times when I no longer listen for You but lash out against You. Help us, give us the patience to listen and act as You would have us act. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

John 8:12-30

2010-03-23T06:39:00.002-05:00

Relax, Read and Reflect
Prayer- Lord, Open our hearts and open our minds and help us learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

The Validity of Jesus' Testimony

¹²When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

¹³The Pharisees challenged him, "Here you are, appearing as your own witness; your testimony is not valid."

¹⁴Jesus answered, "Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid, for I know where I came from and where I am going. But you have no idea where I come from or where I am going. ¹⁵You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one. ¹⁶But if I do judge, my decisions are right, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me. ¹⁷In your own Law it is written that the testimony of two men is valid. ¹⁸I am one who testifies for myself; my other witness is the Father, who sent me."

¹⁹Then they asked him, "Where is your father?"

"You do not know me or my Father," Jesus replied. "If you knew me, you would know my Father also." ²⁰He spoke these words while teaching in the temple area near the place where the offerings were put. Yet no one seized him, because his time had not yet come.

²¹Once more Jesus said to them, "I am going away, and you will look for me, and you will die in your sin. Where I go, you cannot come."

²²This made the Jews ask, "Will he kill himself? Is that why he says, 'Where I go, you cannot come'?"

²³But he continued, "You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. ²⁴I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be,^a]'> you will indeed die in your sins."

²⁵"Who are you?" they asked.

"Just what I have been claiming all along," Jesus replied. ²⁶"I have much to say in judgment of you. But he who sent me is reliable, and what I have heard from him I tell the world."

²⁷They did not understand that he was telling them about his Father. ²⁸So Jesus said, "When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am the one I claim to be and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. ²⁹The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him." ³⁰Even as he spoke, many put their faith in him.

Jesus really turns up his preaching, and, of course, the people have a very difficult time understanding. The people at Jesus time were used to very literal preaching. If he said he was the light of the world, they thought he was telling them he was one of the lamps that illuminated the temple, and that was crazy talk.

The pharisees did not help, (do things that go against Jesus ever help?) as they tried to disprove the things Jesus was saying to the crowds. Sometimes all someone has to do is plant doubt, then people don't know what is truth and what is fiction. As Jesus talks about His Father they asked "who is your father? and where is he now?"

After Jesus told the people that he was going to a place they could not come, the Pharisees concluded that he was suicidal, which of course is a big sin in Jewish law. Jesus was willing to give Himself up for us so they we do not go to hell, that is what is so ironic about this. In spite of the heckling from the leaders, many believed.

Questions:

1. What does Jesus mean when He says He is the light of the world?

2. Do we really know who Jesus is?

3. Do we, as humans, still try to confuse our world about the Truth?

Prayer- Dear Lord, Give us the patience and discernment to truly understand You and what You want us to do. Help us spread the truth about Your love and grace. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

John 7:53,8:1-11

2010-03-22T06:19:00.002-05:00

Relax, Read and Reflect

Prayer- Lord, Open our hearts and open our minds and help us learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

⁵³Then each went to his own home.

John 8

¹But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. ²At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. ³The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group ⁴and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. ⁵In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?" ⁶They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. ⁷When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." ⁸Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

⁹At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. ¹⁰Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"

¹¹"No one, sir," she said.
"Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin."

Jesus is going home when the mob brings the woman who had been caught committing adultery, (who about the guy she was committing with, did he get away?) The mob asked Jesus what they should do with her, (think Monty Python,) and this was a trap the leaders wanted to use against Jesus latter.

Jesus bent down and started to write in the dirt. Some scholars believe he was writing the sins of each of the men in the mob, (did I forget to mention the mob was all men-ala Monty Python?) Jesus told them that who ever is without sin can chunk the first rock, and one by one-starting with the eldest, the mob left.

The last verse is very important. Jesus asks the woman where are her accusers and she says they left. Jesus does not accuse, but tells her to leave...and stop her sin. He does not give her a pass forever, he forgives her and gives instruction on her future. This is how God acts. He can and does forgive our sins but wants us to change. God expects us to try to live a life that shows the world His love. He understands that sometimes we will stumble, but He does require us to repent and sin no more.

Questions:

1. What did the mob expect Jesus to do?

2. Why was it important for Jesus to defuse the mob?

3. Do we get a free pass when we accept Jesus?

Prayer- Dear Lord, Thank you for forgiveness. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to do the right things and forgiving us when we fall short. Give us the strength and determination to continue to try. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

John 7:32-52

2010-03-18T06:50:00.002-05:00

Relax, Read and Reflect

Prayer- Lord, Open our hearts and open our minds and help us learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

^32-34The Pharisees, alarmed at this seditious undertow going through the crowd, teamed up with the high priests and sent their police to arrest him. Jesus rebuffed them: "I am with you only a short time. Then I go on to the One who sent me. You will look for me, but you won't find me. Where I am, you can't come."

^35-36The Jews put their heads together. "Where do you think he is going that we won't be able to find him? Do you think he is about to travel to the Greek world to teach the Jews? What is he talking about, anyway: 'You will look for me, but you won't find me,' and 'Where I am, you can't come'?"

^37-39On the final and climactic day of the Feast, Jesus took his stand. He cried out, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Rivers of living water will brim and spill out of the depths of anyone who believes in me this way, just as the Scripture says." (He said this in regard to the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were about to receive. The Spirit had not yet been given because Jesus had not yet been glorified.)

^40-44Those in the crowd who heard these words were saying, "This has to be the Prophet." Others said, "He is the Messiah!" But others were saying, "The Messiah doesn't come from Galilee, does he? Don't the Scriptures tell us that the Messiah comes from David's line and from Bethlehem, David's village?" So there was a split in the crowd over him. Some went so far as wanting to arrest him, but no one laid a hand on him.

⁴⁵That's when the Temple police reported back to the high priests and Pharisees, who demanded, "Why didn't you bring him with you?"

⁴⁶The police answered, "Have you heard the way he talks? We've never heard anyone speak like this man."

^47-49The Pharisees said, "Are you carried away like the rest of the rabble? You don't see any of the leaders believing in him, do you? Or any from the Pharisees? It's only this crowd, ignorant of God's Law, that is taken in by him—and damned."

^50-51Nicodemus, the man who had come to Jesus earlier and was both a ruler and a Pharisee, spoke up. "Does our Law decide about a man's guilt without first listening to him and finding out what he is doing?"

^52-53But they cut him off. "Are you also campaigning for the Galilean? Examine the evidence. See if any prophet ever comes from Galilee."

Then they all went home.

Jesus has made the religious rulers, (the pharisees) mad. He is preaching that he is the Messiah, so they send the police to arrest him. He disappears and the people start to grumble. Has he gone to teach the Greek?(gentiles.) Is he a prophet? Is he the Messiah?

The theme of "can the Messiah, (or anything good,) come from Galilee" is continued. Galilee is a very poor part of the country. This would be similar to "can anything good come from Mississippi?" Even worse. Some of the crowd remembers that the prophet predicted the Messiah would come from David, from Bethlehem.

The police do not arrest Jesus and the leaders are hot. Nicodemus, (who has already met Jesus, remember?) asks why are the police trying to arrest Jesus without going through due process. Remember, the Jews had very strict laws on how to live and how to do anything, including how to try people. The leaders, who wanted these laws followed to the letter, were not following the laws when it came to Jesus. For this observation Nick is slandered. "Are you too from Galilee?"

Questions:

1. Why did the leaders send in the police?

2. What did the people say?

3. What did Jesus tell the people on the last day?

Prayer- Lord, help us go throughout our world and SHOW that world who You are by what we do. Let our actions speak for you during this time of lent. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

John 7:14-32

2010-03-17T06:47:00.002-05:00

Relax, Read and Reflect

Prayer- Lord, Open our hearts and open our minds and help us learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

Could It Be the Messiah?

^14-15With the Feast already half over, Jesus showed up in the Temple, teaching. The Jews were impressed, but puzzled: "How does he know so much without being schooled?"

^16-19Jesus said, "I didn't make this up. What I teach comes from the One who sent me. Anyone who wants to do his will can test this teaching and know whether it's from God or whether I'm making it up. A person making things up tries to make himself look good. But someone trying to honor the one who sent him sticks to the facts and doesn't tamper with reality. It was Moses, wasn't it, who gave you God's Law? But none of you are living it. So why are you trying to kill me?"

²⁰The crowd said, "You're crazy! Who's trying to kill you? You're demon-possessed."

^21-24Jesus said, "I did one miraculous thing a few months ago, and you're still standing around getting all upset, wondering what I'm up to. Moses prescribed circumcision—originally it came not from Moses but from his ancestors—and so you circumcise a man, dealing with one part of his body, even if it's the Sabbath. You do this in order to preserve one item in the Law of Moses. So why are you upset with me because I made a man's whole body well on the Sabbath? Don't be nitpickers; use your head—and heart!—to discern what is right, to test what is authentically right."

^25-27That's when some of the people of Jerusalem said, "Isn't this the one they were out to kill? And here he is out in the open, saying whatever he pleases, and no one is stopping him. Could it be that the rulers know that he is, in fact, the Messiah? And yet we know where this man came from. The Messiah is going to come out of nowhere. Nobody is going to know where he comes from."

^28-29That provoked Jesus, who was teaching in the Temple, to cry out, "Yes, you think you know me and where I'm from, but that's not where I'm from. I didn't set myself up in business. My true origin is in the One who sent me, and you don't know him at all. I come from him—that's how I know him. He sent me here."

^30-31They were looking for a way to arrest him, but not a hand was laid on him because it wasn't yet God's time. Many from the crowd committed themselves in faith to him, saying, "Will the Messiah, when he comes, provide better or more convincing evidence than this?"

Jesus had been laying low. He shows up at the temple and begins to teach, and people are listening.As He preaches the truth he tells them that there are those who want him dead. The people cry out-"you're paranoid!"

Jesus responds by by telling more truths. The crowd responds by saying "the Messiah will come from nowhere, it will not be known." Jesus then assures the crowd that they really do not know the real him. They know the boy from Nazareth-not the Son of God. Some of the crowd start to believe. Jesus has played the Messiah card publicly and there is no turning back.

Questions:

1. How often do we think someone who tells the truth is nuts?

2. How well do you know Jesus?

3. Do you believe it is all a conspiracy?

Prayer- Lord- Help us show the world the Truth. Give us strength and courage to carry the name of Jesus to out friends, and our enemies. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

John 7:1-13

2010-03-16T06:22:00.002-05:00

Relax, Read and Reflect

Prayer- Lord, Open our hearts and open our minds and help us learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

John 7

^1-2 Later Jesus was going about his business in Galilee. He didn't want to travel in Judea because the Jews there were looking for a chance to kill him. It was near the time of Tabernacles, a feast observed annually by the Jews.

^3-5His brothers said, "Why don't you leave here and go up to the Feast so your disciples can get a good look at the works you do? No one who intends to be publicly known does everything behind the scenes. If you're serious about what you are doing, come out in the open and show the world." His brothers were pushing him like this because they didn't believe in him either.

^6-8Jesus came back at them, "Don't crowd me. This isn't my time. It's your time—it's always your time; you have nothing to lose. The world has nothing against you, but it's up in arms against me. It's against me because I expose the evil behind its pretensions. You go ahead, go up to the Feast. Don't wait for me. I'm not ready. It's not the right time for me."

^9-11He said this and stayed on in Galilee. But later, after his family had gone up to the Feast, he also went. But he kept out of the way, careful not to draw attention to himself. The Jews were already out looking for him, asking around, "Where is that man?"

^12-13There was a lot of contentious talk about him circulating through the crowds. Some were saying, "He's a good man." But others said, "Not so. He's selling snake oil." This kind of talk went on in guarded whispers because of the intimidating Jewish leaders.

Again I used "The Message" paraphrase for the text today. These passages are a little difficult to understand using more traditional texts. Jesus is going ton hang out in Galilee because the leaders of the church in Judea were mad at him. So he and his followers went to the festival of the booths at home. This was a multi week celebration of the exodus from Egypt, (remember Moses?) His disciples thought this would be a great opportunity to mingle and promote. The scripture say they were doing this because they didn't believe either.

Even though Jesus went to the fair, he went on the down low, and did not do the big miracle show his followers wanted. Some people began to whisper and doubt. We are no different. We want people to witness miracles so they can come to Christ even today. The big things make our witness easier, and when we have doubts, (and we all do,) we ask God for "signs" to make us feel better about our faith. It's not that we don't believe, we just need a lot of assurance.

1. Why did the disciples push Jesus to go to the fair?

2. Why were people not trusting when He finally arrived?

3. How is that different from us?

Prayer- Lord, Help us believe even when there are no great miracles or signs. Help us see the everyday miracles and make our lives signs of your wonder and majesty. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

John 6:60-71

2010-03-15T06:35:00.002-05:00

Relax, Read and Reflect
Prayer- Lord, Open our hearts and open our minds and help us learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

Many Disciples Desert Jesus

⁶⁰On hearing it, many of his disciples said, "This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?"

⁶¹Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, "Does this offend you? ⁶²What if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! ⁶³The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit^a]'> and they are life. ⁶⁴Yet there are some of you who do not believe." For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. ⁶⁵He went on to say, "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him."

⁶⁶From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.

⁶⁷"You do not want to leave too, do you?" Jesus asked the Twelve.

⁶⁸Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. ⁶⁹We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God."

⁷⁰Then Jesus replied, "Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!" ⁷¹(He meant Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, who, though one of the Twelve, was later to betray him.)

This is following the body-bread, blood-life teachings. Many people who had seen miracles and had been fed, (physically and spiritually,) found this lesson too difficult . This was not just difficult to understand, (really- Jesus was going to sustain them as Moses had done with manna, but Jesus was using himself,) but it also meant that if they continued to follow, their life would get tough.

When the fair weather followers started to desert him, Jesus asked the twelve if they too wanted to leave. Simon Peter confirmed that he was in it for the long haul, as did the rest. Vs 70-71 are rather difficult as well, Jesus already knows about Judas and is foreshadowing the betrayal.

Questions:

1. Why was is so difficult to accept that Jesus was the Bread of Life?

2. Are we fair weather disciples?

3. Even though he knew Judas was a betrayer, why did he bring him along?

Prayer- Lord, Give us the strength and courage to follow you all the time. Even though things may get though, we know that the final goal is more than worth any hardship we may face. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

John 6:41-59

2010-03-11T06:36:00.002-06:00

Relax, Read and Reflect
Prayer- Lord, Open our hearts and open our minds and help us learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.
⁴¹At this the Jews began to grumble about him because he said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven." ⁴²They said, "Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, 'I came down from heaven'?"

⁴³"Stop grumbling among yourselves," Jesus answered. ⁴⁴"No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. ⁴⁵It is written in the Prophets: 'They will all be taught by God.'^a]'> Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me. ⁴⁶No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. ⁴⁷I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life. ⁴⁸I am the bread of life. ⁴⁹Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died. ⁵⁰But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die. ⁵¹I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world."

⁵²Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"

⁵³Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. ⁵⁴Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. ⁵⁵For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. ⁵⁶Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. ⁵⁷Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. ⁵⁸This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever." ⁵⁹He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.

People can get caught up in the silliest things. Jesus says he is the bread of life, so the people start to ask, "isn't he a man-just like us? How can we eat him?" The Gospel of John does not have an account of the last supper before Jesus is crucified. Yet in vs. 51-58, we can see those teachings. Jesus is the spiritual bread and wine for us. His body was broken so we can accept his life and we will be with him-FOREVER!

My challenge today, look at the world knowing that Jesus came and died for you. Observe how easy it is to live knowing that you are saved spiritually.

Questions:

1. Did the people really think they had to physically eat Jesus?

2. Can we, two thousand years later, see what Jesus meant?

3. Can we live it?

Prayer- Lord, let us receive the gifts that you give us, especially the Gift of Christ. Help us live our lives spiritually awake, so we can awaken others. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

John 6:25-40

2010-03-10T06:17:00.002-06:00

Relax, Read and Reflect

Prayer- Lord, Open our hearts and open our minds and help us learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

Jesus the Bread of Life

²⁵When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, "Rabbi, when did you get here?"

²⁶Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. ²⁷Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval."

²⁸Then they asked him, "What must we do to do the works God requires?"

²⁹Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent."

³⁰So they asked him, "What miraculous sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? ³¹Our forefathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written: 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'^a]'>"

³²Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. ³³For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."

³⁴"Sir," they said, "from now on give us this bread."

³⁵Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. ³⁶But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. ³⁷All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. ³⁸For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. ³⁹And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. ⁴⁰For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day."

Sometimes we people can get caught up on physical terms. The people who are chaseing, (they all crossed the Sea of Gallalie) can't seem to grasp what Jesus offers. Jesus asks them if they are following just to get bread, like you and I would eat. There is a precedent for this. Remember, during the exudus with Moses God sent manna from heaven to feed the people. Now the Jews are looking for a similar sign, and had just witnessed the fishes and loaves miracle the day before.

Jesus tells them that he is the Bread of Life, and who partakes, (consumes, uses,) this bread will never be thirsty. Remember, he has already told the woman at the well that he is living water. The people wanted to know what they had to do to get this bread of life that would always nurture them. Jesus tells them that whoever comes to Him, will never be hungry or thirsty, because he has come down from Heaven to raise us up.

Questions:

1. Why are the people following Jesus>

2. What is the Bread of Life?

3. How do we get this Bread? What will it do?

Prayer- Lord, We want the Bread of Life. We want to be able to live for and with You, and You with us. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

John 6:16-24

2010-03-09T06:43:00.002-06:00

Relax, Read and Reflect

Prayer- Lord, Open our hearts and open our minds and help us learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

Jesus Walks on the Water

¹⁶When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, ¹⁷where they got into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them. ¹⁸A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough. ¹⁹When they had rowed three or three and a half miles,^a]'> they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were terrified. ²⁰But he said to them, "It is I; don't be afraid." ²¹Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading.

²²The next day the crowd that had stayed on the opposite shore of the lake realized that only one boat had been there, and that Jesus had not entered it with his disciples, but that they had gone away alone. ²³Then some boats from Tiberias landed near the place where the people had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. ²⁴Once the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum in search of Jesus.

Jesus and his crew were tired and the Disciples decided to go to the other side of the lake. This was a trip they had made probably thousands of times, it's not much more than crossing Lake Livingston,(here in East Texas.) It was a night journey and the boats were not the boats of today. A storm rolled in and the Disciples became afraid. I have been on Sam Rayburn in a bass boat when it got stormy, I became scared as well.

Jesus appears walking on water and clams everything. The Disciples had left Jesus on the other side, now he was with them. The next morning the crowds realized that Jesus and his crew were gone, so they set out for the other side of the lake.

There are a few things to learn here. The Disciples left without Jesus. Maybe he said "go on, I'll catch up," but he was not with them. The storms came and they got scared, when he arrived things calmed down. Isn't this a little like life? Sometimes we go on with out Jesus and when storms come, we then call out for Jesus to calm things down.

Another point; when the storms came-Jesus was there! When our lives get stormy Jesus is there as well. It's okay to be scared and call out to Jesus. He is there.

Questions:

1. Why did the Disciples take off that evening?

2.What effect did the sighting of Jesus have on the Disciples?

3.What did the crowd do when they realized Jesus had left?

Prayer- Lord, Thank you for always being there, in good times and during the storms. Help us remember it is alright to cry out for your calming help, and thank you for giving it. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

John 6:1-15

2010-03-08T09:33:00.002-06:00

Relax, Read and Reflect
Prayer- Lord, Open our hearts and open our minds and help us learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand

¹Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias), ²and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the miraculous signs he had performed on the sick. ³Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. ⁴The Jewish Passover Feast was near.

⁵When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?" ⁶He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.

⁷Philip answered him, "Eight months' wages^a]'> would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!"

⁸Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, spoke up, ⁹"Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?"

¹⁰Jesus said, "Have the people sit down." There was plenty of grass in that place, and the men sat down, about five thousand of them. ¹¹Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.

¹²When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, "Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted." ¹³So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.

¹⁴After the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus did, they began to say, "Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world." ¹⁵Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.

This is a miracle we have all heard of, in fact it is the only one mentioned in all four gospels. Let's look at this in a little different light.

When the people came and the service went long, what did Jesus do? First, he asked the disciples if they had bought enough food for everyone. That may seem kind of mean, obviously they had not, and they could never have. As Philip points out, "it would take six months wages to feed this many people. Why would Jesus ask this question when he knew the answer?

He wanted the followers to start looking at the big picture, (the cinema grande.) Jesus knew things were about to get wild, and his disciples needed to be able to think outside the box to keep up.

The boy who had some fish and bread was the hero, but Andrew could have easily keep the boys food secret to quench his own hunger. He turned over what had been given to him, and Jesus did the rest. The lunch was very basic, fish and barley loaves was a meal for poor common folks. The crowd was fed and there was enough left over to fill twelve baskets, one for each disciple.

When the crowd started to rush Jesus, we withdrew. He could have easily used these people as a military base and recruited, (with a few more miracles,) more than enough people to overthrow the Romans. That was not his goal, so he left.

Questions:

1. Do you think the Disciples were mad when Jesus asked if they had prepared for the crowd?

2. What does the fishes and loaves represent?

3. Why did Jesus leave?

Prayer- Lord, Help us remember that you will provide for us always. Help us keep faith in You so that we may think in a great vision. Go-Fight-Win. Amen

John 5:34-47

2010-03-06T10:10:00.002-06:00

Relax, Read and Reflect
Prayer- Lord, open our hearts and open our minds and help us learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

^34-38"But my purpose is not to get your vote, and not to appeal to mere human testimony. I'm speaking to you this way so that you will be saved. John was a torch, blazing and bright, and you were glad enough to dance for an hour or so in his bright light. But the witness that really confirms me far exceeds John's witness. It's the work the Father gave me to complete. These very tasks, as I go about completing them, confirm that the Father, in fact, sent me. The Father who sent me, confirmed me. And you missed it. You never heard his voice, you never saw his appearance. There is nothing left in your memory of his Message because you do not take his Messenger seriously.

^39-40"You have your heads in your Bibles constantly because you think you'll find eternal life there. But you miss the forest for the trees. These Scriptures are all about me! And here I am, standing right before you, and you aren't willing to receive from me the life you say you want.

^41-44"I'm not interested in crowd approval. And do you know why? Because I know you and your crowds. I know that love, especially God's love, is not on your working agenda. I came with the authority of my Father, and you either dismiss me or avoid me. If another came, acting self-important, you would welcome him with open arms. How do you expect to get anywhere with God when you spend all your time jockeying for position with each other, ranking your rivals and ignoring God?

^45-47"But don't think I'm going to accuse you before my Father. Moses, in whom you put so much stock, is your accuser. If you believed, really believed, what Moses said, you would believe me. He wrote of me. If you won't take seriously what he wrote, how can I expect you to take seriously what I speak?"

Jesus is explaining his ministry, and what makes it important to US. John the Baptist is important, because he is the warm up act, he is pointing the people to Jesus, and Jesus is the main event. This is why John is important, according to Jesus. The miracles are also a sign that should show the people that the Christ is coming, (or in this case-Christ is here.) The miracles are not in and of themselves the focus. The focus is on the Man who does them.

I like this translations telling of the importance of scripture. Read 39-40 again. To really get the full importance read these verses in your own bible, (if you don't use The Message as your personal bible.) Yes, scripture is important, it is important for use to read our bibles. The bibles themselves are not salvation. They are a tool to build a relationship with Christ, and that is what causes salvation.

Jesus concludes this chapter with a warning; If we do not believe in Jesus- we do not believe in God. Pretty straight forward.

Questions:

1. Does Jesus say that John is important? Why or why not?

2. Should we read scripture?, (our bibles.) What is the danger Jesus warns against?

3. Does Jesus say that he is God?

Prayer- Help us keep our focus on You and Your Son. We know that all things are possible through you, help us remember that during our day to day world. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

John 5:19-33

2010-03-04T06:19:00.003-06:00

Relax, Read, Reflect

Prayer- Lord, Open our hearts and open our minds and help us learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

What the Father Does, the Son Does

^19-20So Jesus explained himself at length. "I'm telling you this straight. The Son can't independently do a thing, only what he sees the Father doing. What the Father does, the Son does. The Father loves the Son and includes him in everything he is doing.

^20-23"But you haven't seen the half of it yet, for in the same way that the Father raises the dead and creates life, so does the Son. The Son gives life to anyone he chooses. Neither he nor the Father shuts anyone out. The Father handed all authority to judge over to the Son so that the Son will be honored equally with the Father. Anyone who dishonors the Son, dishonors the Father, for it was the Father's decision to put the Son in the place of honor.

²⁴"It's urgent that you listen carefully to this: Anyone here who believes what I am saying right now and aligns himself with the Father, who has in fact put me in charge, has at this very moment the real, lasting life and is no longer condemned to be an outsider. This person has taken a giant step from the world of the dead to the world of the living.

^25-27"It's urgent that you get this right: The time has arrived—I mean right now!—when dead men and women will hear the voice of the Son of God and, hearing, will come alive. Just as the Father has life in himself, he has conferred on the Son life in himself. And he has given him the authority, simply because he is the Son of Man, to decide and carry out matters of Judgment.

^28-29"Don't act so surprised at all this. The time is coming when everyone dead and buried will hear his voice. Those who have lived the right way will walk out into a resurrection Life; those who have lived the wrong way, into a resurrection Judgment.

^30-33"I can't do a solitary thing on my own: I listen, then I decide. You can trust my decision because I'm not out to get my own way but only to carry out orders. If I were simply speaking on my own account, it would be an empty, self-serving witness. But an independent witness confirms me, the most reliable Witness of all. Furthermore, you all saw and heard John, and he gave expert and reliable testimony about me, didn't he?

I used "The Message" paraphrase for this mornings passages. Sometimes that makes it easier to understand. The pharisees are angry at Jesus, first for healing (working) on the sabbath, and second because he is uppity and comparing himself to God. After all, they have followed the law long enough THEY should be the ones closest to God.

Jesus answers by telling them straight up that he has a real relationship with God. He is God's Son, sent to earth to do God's work. He is responsible for do the will and actions of God. Furthermore, if anyone believes with the Son, that person will be blessed with eternal life, (vs. 24.)

He goes on to tell the people that the time is coming where All will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will be alive. It is important that we understand that he is talking about EVERYBODY, not just living Jews, but everyone. He concludes by saying that all authority is not his own, but comes from God.

This can't go over well with the Jewish leaders. Not only is Jesus not saying he's sorry for doing miracles on the Sabbath, he is saying that he is truly the Son of God. That is heresy. Jesus has started the ball rolling that will end in his crucifixion. The good news is that the crucifixion of Christ is not the end of the story for us. The things he tells the pharisees are truth, and if we believe this things, He rose from the dead so that we can live.

Questions:

1. What are the "greater works" Jesus is talking about in vs. 21?

2. If Jesus is doing God's work on earth, what does that mean about God's will?

3. Do you think this is what the pharisees wanted to hear? Is this what we need to hear?

Prayer- Lord, Help us remember that Jesus came to earth to do your work and provide eternal life for everybody. Give us the strength to hear and believe. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

John 5:1-18

2010-03-03T06:03:00.002-06:00

Relax, Read and Reflect

Prayer- Lord, Open our hearts and open our minds and help us learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

The Healing at the Pool

¹Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for a feast of the Jews. ²Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda^a]'> and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. ³Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed.^b]'> ⁵One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. ⁶When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, "Do you want to get well?"

⁷"Sir," the invalid replied, "I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me."

⁸Then Jesus said to him, "Get up! Pick up your mat and walk." ⁹At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.
The day on which this took place was a Sabbath, ¹⁰and so the Jews said to the man who had been healed, "It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat."

¹¹But he replied, "The man who made me well said to me, 'Pick up your mat and walk.' "

¹²So they asked him, "Who is this fellow who told you to pick it up and walk?"

¹³The man who was healed had no idea who it was, for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there.

¹⁴Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, "See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you." ¹⁵The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.

Life Through the Son

¹⁶So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jews persecuted him. ¹⁷Jesus said to them, "My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working." ¹⁸For this reason the Jews tried all the harder to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.
Jesus comes to Jerusalem and continues to do miracles. Near the gates of town there were some pools, basically watering troughs. People needing miracles would hang around these pools, and angles would come down and "stir the water" and whoever got in first would be healed.
As Jesus worked his way through this crowd of people he met a invalid on a mat that had been waiting for a miracle for thirty eight years. Since he had no one to throw him in the water when it became stirred, people always jumped ahead of him. Jesus asked if he wanted to be cured and the man said yes. Jesus then told the man to get up and take his mat and go home. No big show, no organ in the background, not even a prayer. The man got up, picked up his sleeping bag, and went home.
On his way home the religious leaders stopped him and told him he could not be carrying his sleeping bag, it was the Sabbath and a day of rest. The man said the Man who healed me told me to pick up and go home, so that was what he was doing. They asked who told him and he did not know, for Jesus had slipped away.
Jesus came back to the man later to tell him to stop sinning now that he was healed. The healed person ratted Jesus out to the leaders and they confronted Jesus about healing on the Sabbath. Jesus said "My Father works everyday, and I too am working." This meant that Jesus was now saying he was God, and this upset the Jewish leaders.
Sometimes we get used to things happening at particular times, we get into habits. Miracles should happen at church, or when lots of folks gather around and lay on hands. Jesus works all the time! We should be aware of this and be grateful for it.

Question:
1. How could a man wait thirty eight years for a miracle?
2. If you had to wait that long and some stranger said get up and go home, would you?
3. Why did this piss off the religious leaders so much?

Prayer- Lord, help us to see your work everyday. Give us the strength and wisdom to do God's work whenever and wherever we see the need. Go-Fight-Win. Amen

John 4:43-54

2010-03-02T06:27:00.002-06:00

Relax, Read and Reflect

Prayer- Lord, Open our hearts and open our minds and help us learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

Jesus Heals the Official's Son

⁴³After the two days he left for Galilee. ⁴⁴(Now Jesus himself had pointed out that a prophet has no honor in his own country.) ⁴⁵When he arrived in Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him. They had seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, for they also had been there.

⁴⁶Once more he visited Cana in Galilee, where he had turned the water into wine. And there was a certain royal official whose son lay sick at Capernaum. ⁴⁷When this man heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and begged him to come and heal his son, who was close to death.

⁴⁸"Unless you people see miraculous signs and wonders," Jesus told him, "you will never believe."

⁴⁹The royal official said, "Sir, come down before my child dies."

⁵⁰Jesus replied, "You may go. Your son will live."
The man took Jesus at his word and departed. ⁵¹While he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living. ⁵²When he inquired as to the time when his son got better, they said to him, "The fever left him yesterday at the seventh hour."

⁵³Then the father realized that this was the exact time at which Jesus had said to him, "Your son will live." So he and all his household believed.

⁵⁴This was the second miraculous sign that Jesus performed, having come from Judea to Galilee.

After wrapping things up in Samaria, Jesus goes back to his home state, and the home folks welcomed him. They had heard of what he was doing. When he got to the town he had done the water into wine thing in, a "royal " official, (someone loyal to Rome,) came and begged Jesus to come save his dying son. It is important for us to see that this is not a Jew coming to Jesus, this is a gentile.

Jesus tells the crowd that it is important that They see signs, or they will not believe. The official is not worried about signs, he is worried about his sick son. Jesus tells him to go on home, his son will live. As the man is walking home, (somewhat relaxed,) his servants meet him to tell him his boy is OK. The official knows and believes that Jesus had performed another miracle.

Questions:

1. Why is it important that we understand this man was not a Jew, but a gentile?

2. Why was the man walking, not running home?

3. Why did Jesus do his first two miracles in Galilee?

Prayer- Lord, give us the faith to realize that all will be well. Help us look as these stories of Jesus and be able to use them in our world today. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

John 4:27-42

2010-03-01T08:53:00.002-06:00

Relax, Read and Reflect

Prayer- Lord, Open our hearts and open our minds and help us learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

The Disciples Rejoin Jesus

²⁷Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, "What do you want?" or "Why are you talking with her?"

²⁸Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, ²⁹"Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ^a]'>[a]?" ³⁰They came out of the town and made their way toward him.

³¹Meanwhile his disciples urged him, "Rabbi, eat something."

³²But he said to them, "I have food to eat that you know nothing about."

³³Then his disciples said to each other, "Could someone have brought him food?"

³⁴"My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. ³⁵Do you not say, 'Four months more and then the harvest'? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. ³⁶Even now the reaper draws his wages, even now he harvests the crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. ³⁷Thus the saying 'One sows and another reaps' is true. ³⁸I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor."

Many Samaritans Believe

³⁹Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, "He told me everything I ever did." ⁴⁰So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. ⁴¹And because of his words many more became believers.

⁴²They said to the woman, "We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world."

The disciples return and find that Jesus has been talking to this woman, but they say nothing. They do ask Jesus if he is hungry, and tell him he needs to eat. Jesus tells them he has food to eat they do not know about. I like how they think that someone must have brought him food while they were gone. Jesus tells them he has food they do not understand, he must finish his harvest.

I can understand this story. We used to cut hay on the ranch, and when it was time to haul hay, everything waited until we go all the hay safely in a barn, and that was usually late in the evening. Supper had to wait, especially if it looked like it might rain. When we are harvesting we need to take care of that and then tend to the day to day details. Now Jesus is explaining that the disciples need to reap what others have planted.

The woman comes back with other people from town and Jesus teaches. We don't know what he said, but it had a powerful effect. The Samaritans in that city believed.

Questions:

1. What was the food Jesus was referring to?

2. Do you think his disciples understood what he was talking about?

3. Do we?

Prayer- Lord, give us the strength and drive to finish the harvest. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

John 4:1-26

2010-02-26T09:08:00.002-06:00

Relax, Read and Reflect

Prayer- Lord, Open our hearts and open our minds and help us learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

Jesus Talks With a Samaritan Woman

¹The Pharisees heard that Jesus was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John, ²although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. ³When the Lord learned of this, he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee.

⁴Now he had to go through Samaria. ⁵So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. ⁶Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour.

⁷When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, "Will you give me a drink?" ⁸(His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)

⁹The Samaritan woman said to him, "You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?" (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.^a]'>)

¹⁰Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water."

¹¹"Sir," the woman said, "you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? ¹²Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his flocks and herds?"

¹³Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, ¹⁴but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."

¹⁵The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water."

¹⁶He told her, "Go, call your husband and come back."

¹⁷"I have no husband," she replied.

Jesus said to her, "You are right when you say you have no husband. ¹⁸The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true."

¹⁹"Sir," the woman said, "I can see that you are a prophet. ²⁰Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem."

²¹Jesus declared, "Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. ²²You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. ²³Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. ²⁴God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth."

²⁵The woman said, "I know that Messiah" (called Christ) "is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us."

²⁶Then Jesus declared, "I who speak to you am he."

The pharisees, or the religious leaders, had been bitter about John. Now they turn their attention towards Jesus and his disciples. Jesus thinks it may be wise to go home for a while, but in doing so has to go through Samaria. The Jews thought poorly of the Samaritans and vice verse. Not only did Jesus go through this naughty land, but he stopped during the heat of the day, he asked a local woman for a drink.

Why was this odd? First; rabbi's or teachers did not talk to women, especially strange women. Second; since this was during the sixth hour, the heat of the day, this woman was an outcast by her own people. If she was in social graces she would go to the well during the early morning or late afternoon when it was cooler. We find out why she is visiting the well alone.

He tells her that if she gives him a drink of earthly water he will give her living water, a swap. She is intrigued about this living water- would this mean she would not have to come to well again? Jesus gives her a test, he tells her to go get her husband and return. She tells him she has no husband, which is a true statement. We find that she has had five husbands and is currently shacking up outside of marriage, shocking even for a Samaritan. She is impressed that a stranger would know this and asks if Jesus is the Messiah. "I am he," he answers.

Questions:

1. Why did Jesus leave Judea?

2. Why did the Disciples leave him alone, tired and thirsty?

3. Does the Samaritan woman have more faith than a pharisee?

Prayer- Lord, give us your living water so we may no longer thirst for truth. We want to wallow in it and follow you. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

John 3:22-36

2010-02-25T08:20:00.002-06:00

Relax, Read and Reflect
Prayer- Lord, Open our hearts and open our minds and help us learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

John the Baptist's Testimony About Jesus

²²After this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside, where he spent some time with them, and baptized. ²³Now John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water, and people were constantly coming to be baptized. ²⁴(This was before John was put in prison.) ²⁵An argument developed between some of John's disciples and a certain Jew^i]'>[i] over the matter of ceremonial washing. ²⁶They came to John and said to him, "Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan—the one you testified about—well, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him."

²⁷To this John replied, "A man can receive only what is given him from heaven. ²⁸You yourselves can testify that I said, 'I am not the Christ^j]'>[j] but am sent ahead of him.' ²⁹The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom's voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. ³⁰He must become greater; I must become less.

³¹"The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all. ³²He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony. ³³The man who has accepted it has certified that God is truthful. ³⁴For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God^k]'>[k] gives the Spirit without limit. ³⁵The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands. ³⁶Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him."

John, (the baptist,) is still working the crowds and baptizing people. Jesus is in the same area, because there is plenty of water there, (we really don't see that as a factor in revival placement- but in a dry place one needs plenty of water to wash souls.) Some of John's followers became upset that folks were going over to have Jesus baptize them, and they complained to John. The complaint was technically over ceremonial washing, but it was really about control.

John was not upset, in fact he told his followers that his (John's) job was to prepare people for the Christ. John was by the earth, but Jesus was by heaven. The Son, (Jesus) controls the eternal life, and you ever believes gets this life. John adds that whoever rejects Jesus, God's wrath remains on him. It doesn't matter who the messenger is, it's the message that is important. That message is that Jesus is the Son of God, and we are saved for eternity because of Him.

Questions:

1. Why would anyone be mad that Jesus was working in the same area as them?

2. Is the ceremony important?

3. Are we called to prepare people for Christ?

Prayer- Lord, Help us remember that You are the reason we worship, study, and evangelize. Give us wisdom and strength so we can do the best job for You! Go-Fight-Win. Amen

John 3:1-21

2010-02-24T09:26:00.002-06:00

Relax, Read and Reflect

Prayer- Lord, Open our hearts and open our minds and help us learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

Jesus Teaches Nicodemus

¹Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. ²He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him."

³In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.^a]'>[a]"

⁴"How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!"

⁵Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. ⁶Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit^b]'>[b] gives birth to spirit. ⁷You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You^c]'>[c] must be born again.' ⁸The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."

⁹"How can this be?" Nicodemus asked.

¹⁰"You are Israel's teacher," said Jesus, "and do you not understand these things? ¹¹I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. ¹²I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? ¹³No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man.^d]'>[d] ¹⁴Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, ¹⁵that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.^e]'>[e]

¹⁶"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,^f]'>[f] that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. ¹⁸Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.^g]'>[g] ¹⁹This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. ²⁰Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. ²¹But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God."^h]'>[h]

^{This may be the most important blog entry we have ever studied. Many bible scholars think the bible, (especially the New Testament,) can be summarized in these verses. We all know 3:16, but the rest of these verses are very important as well.}

^{Nicodemus was a pharisee, a religious ruler. Jesus' conversation with him gave his ministry legitimacy. In vs. 3 we are introduced to the concept of "born again." Vs. 5 explains that this re-birth is by the spirit, (through Christ.) In vs. 1-15 Jesus explains that physical and spiritual life is different. We are born into the world physically from our mothers, but we are born spiritually through Christ. It is our spirits that will leave this world one day and join Christ in heaven. All people will not be re-born, all spirits will not leave the earth. This is a complex thought and we will discuss it more at Transitions next Tuesday.}

^{Re-Read vs. 16-21. We all know 16, but the verses following explain that verse and it's importance. Jesus was not sent here to condemn, but to save. The light is here, and the Spirit is the light. The problem is that it is more difficult to hide things in the light, and that is why we are afraid of it. Here is good news- We don't need to hide our lives because God knows all! Jesus came to give us the light so that we can find our way from sin and evil, the Light is not for God to see us more clearly.}

^Questions:

^{1. What does Jesus mean by "born again."}

^{2.What does Jesus mean by going to heaven through Him?}

^{3.Why would we chose the darkness of evil over the light of Christ?}

^{Prayer- Lord, Thank you for giving us your Son to show us the way to you. May we use that light to see our paths, both here on earth and in Heaven. Go-Fight-Win. Amen}

John 2:13-25

2010-02-23T06:42:00.002-06:00

Relax, Read and Reflect
Prayer- Lord, Open our hearts and open our minds and help us learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.
¹³When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. ¹⁴In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. ¹⁵So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. ¹⁶To those who sold doves he said, "Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father's house into a market!"

¹⁷His disciples remembered that it is written: "Zeal for your house will consume me."^a]'>

¹⁸Then the Jews demanded of him, "What miraculous sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?"

¹⁹Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days."

²⁰The Jews replied, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?" ²¹But the temple he had spoken of was his body. ²²After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the Scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.

²³Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many people saw the miraculous signs he was doing and believed in his name.^b]'> ²⁴But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all men. ²⁵He did not need man's testimony about man, for he knew what was in a man.

The story of cleansing the temple is told in all four gospels, (compare to Matthew 21:12-17, Mark 11:15-19, Luke 19:45-48,) and that is unusual. Most put this story at the end of Jesus' ministry, but John has it very early.

Sometimes we look at the story of the temple cleansing as one where Jesus looses his temper. It is easy to do this in the other gospels because of the strain of Holy Week, we can see where Jesus knowing that he will suffer may make him tense. John puts the story early, so why be tense? Jesus did not get mad and throw a fit, but as my cheat notes say "he showed the energy of righteousness against religious leaders to whom religion had become a business." This actually makes good logic to me. Jesus was the Son of God; the Temple was the House of God; it is now a market. Jesus understood he needed to clean it up.

We also need to look at verse 19. "Destroy this temple and I will raise it again in three days." What is being foreshadowed here? I believe he is talking about himself and his resurrection.

After passover he still can not trust the people. They see the signs and miracles, but their faith is in the signs and miracles, not the person. Two lessons are booming here. I will put them both in the questions.

Questions:

1. Have we, the church, made God into a business?

2. Is Christ our temple?

3. Do we place our faith in the signs and miracles? Or do we place our faith in the risen Lord?

Prayer- Dear Lord, help us keep your house holy. Help us remember that it is all about your love and grace, not the color of the carpet or how cheap we can get the yard signs for. Give us the strength to place our whole faith in You! Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

John 2:1-12

2010-02-22T08:38:00.000-06:00

Relax, Read and Reflect

Prayer- Lord, Open our hearts and open our minds and help us learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

Jesus Changes Water to Wine

¹On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus' mother was there, ²and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. ³When the wine was gone, Jesus' mother said to him, "They have no more wine."
⁴"Dear woman, why do you involve me?" Jesus replied, "My time has not yet come."
⁵His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you."
⁶Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.^a]'>
⁷Jesus said to the servants, "Fill the jars with water"; so they filled them to the brim.
⁸Then he told them, "Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet."
They did so, ⁹and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside ¹⁰and said, "Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now."
¹¹This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed in Cana of Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him.

Jesus Clears the Temple

¹²After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother and brothers and his disciples. There they stayed for a few days.

This is one of the more mis-understood miracles of Jesus' ministry, it is also his first. First of all- JESUS IS NOT CONDONING THE USE OF ALCOHOL!!! How many times have we heard, "Jesus turned water into wine- not wine into water." The turning into wine is not the miracle here, or should I say that was not the important part.
Jesus was at this wedding, and the reception was about to go bad. The families were about to be shamed because they were running out of rerefreshments. It is unclear what the relationship was between the wedding party and Mary, mother of Jesus, but she asked Jesus to do something.
Mary knew Jesus was special, she had faith that He could save the day. Jesus had not been doing miracles and told his mother such. When Jesus says "Dear Woman" in verse four, (some translations just say "Woman",) he is not rebuking his mother. Actually, this was a form of respect. I do admit I like this translation with the dear in front better.
So why did Jesus do the miracle? Good question. This was a way to get the people's attention without alienating them. It shows that God does care about us, and wants to help. It also shows that we are with God always, not just in the temple or church.
Another significant point of this miracle is that when God works in our lives, he does it in wonderful ways. Not only is the water changed into wine, it is changed into VERY GOOD wine. Anything God does is done right. Therefore, if we do God's work, should we do it the best way we can?

Questions:
1. Should we look for opportunities to do God's work everywhere? Why?
2. Why would Mary believe that there was anything Jesus could do to help?
3. How did the servants show their faith when they took the jars to Jesus?

Prayer- God, Help us be aware that you do great things everywhere. Help us stay aware of the needs and give us the faith and courage to act on them. Go-Fight-Win. Amen

John 1:35-51

2010-02-19T08:37:00.002-06:00

Relax, Read and Reflect
Prayer- Lord, Open our hearts and open our minds and help us learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen

Jesus' First Disciples

³⁵The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. ³⁶When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, "Look, the Lamb of God!"

³⁷When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. ³⁸Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, "What do you want?"
They said, "Rabbi" (which means Teacher), "where are you staying?"

³⁹"Come," he replied, "and you will see."
So they went and saw where he was staying, and spent that day with him. It was about the tenth hour.

⁴⁰Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. ⁴¹The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, "We have found the Messiah" (that is, the Christ). ⁴²And he brought him to Jesus.
Jesus looked at him and said, "You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas" (which, when translated, is Peter^a]'>).

Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael

⁴³The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, "Follow me."

⁴⁴Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. ⁴⁵Philip found Nathanael and told him, "We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."

⁴⁶"Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?" Nathanael asked.
"Come and see," said Philip.

⁴⁷When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, "Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false."

⁴⁸"How do you know me?" Nathanael asked.
Jesus answered, "I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you."

⁴⁹Then Nathanael declared, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel."

⁵⁰Jesus said, "You believe^b]'> because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You shall see greater things than that." ⁵¹He then added, "I tell you^c]'> the truth, you^d]'> shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man."

Jesus starts to gather his disciples, and the first ones have been following John. Andrew introduces Jesus to Simon- Peter, and Christ then decides to call him Cephas, which means rock. (Is Jesus starting to call his disciples by pet names?)

I think it is interesting that Andrew asks where Jesus is staying, but the text does not say where that is, it just says that the first Disciples go there. The next day they pick up Phillip and he tells Nathanael (Bartholomew) that the Messiah is this Jesus from Nazareth. I love Bart's response, "can anything good come from Nazareth?" When Jesus tells him of a meeting under a fig tree where Jesus was evidently not present, Bart believes. Jesus tells them basically that "they ain't seen nothing yet!"

Questions:

1. Do you think John, (the Baptist,) was angry when Jesus took his disciples?

2.How hard must it have been to just start following Jesus? When he walked by Phillip he went with them. He did not go home, he did not pack, he just went.

3. Where do you think Jesus was staying? Where does He stay now?

Prayer- Lord, give us the strength to follow you when you call. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

John 1:19-34

2010-02-18T06:26:00.002-06:00

Relax, Read and Reflect

Prayer- Lord, Open our hearts and open our minds and help us learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

John 1:19-34 (New International Version)

John the Baptist Denies Being the Christ

¹⁹Now this was John's testimony when the Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. ²⁰He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, "I am not the Christ.^a]'>"

²¹They asked him, "Then who are you? Are you Elijah?"
He said, "I am not."
"Are you the Prophet?"
He answered, "No."

²²Finally they said, "Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?"

²³John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, "I am the voice of one calling in the desert, 'Make straight the way for the Lord.' "^b]'>

²⁴Now some Pharisees who had been sent ²⁵questioned him, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?"

²⁶"I baptize with^c]'> water," John replied, "but among you stands one you do not know. ²⁷He is the one who comes after me, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie."

²⁸This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

Jesus the Lamb of God

²⁹The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! ³⁰This is the one I meant when I said, 'A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.' ³¹I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel."

³²Then John gave this testimony: "I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. ³³I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, 'The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.' ³⁴I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God."

So John, (the Baptist,) is down at the river prophesying and baptising. The Jewish leaders came down and flat out asked "are you the Messiah?" This was a loaded question, if he had answered "yes" he would have been quizzed, ridiculed and probably stoned. He told the truth, he was not the Messiah. They then asked if he was Elijah. This is important, because in Jewish teachings Elijah will come back and pave the way for the Messiah. However, John was not Elijah. He did quote the prophet later though.

The leaders then asked how he could be baptizing folks if he had no authority. Does this seem a little close to home. How many times do we think that simple laity can't do God things. I am not going to get in a discussion about clergy involvement in rituals of the church. Remember, the clergy have responsibilities in the "church" and the denomination. Believers have responsibility in the Faith.

Good thing the religious leaders picked another day to come quiz John, because Christ did come later to be baptized by John. It may have been a little awkward if John had responded to the "are you the Messiah?" question with "No, but He is."

The Spirit comes down from heaven and ordains Jesus to begin his ministry.

Questions:

1. Why did the leaders won't to know if John was the Messiah?

2. Even if we are not the Messiah or prophets, by what authority do we do God's business here on earth?

Prayer- Lord, Thank you for sending us the truth. May we use these days of preparation before Easter as a way to study and grasp Your truth in our lives. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

John 1:1-18

2010-02-17T08:32:00.002-06:00

Relax, Read and Reflect
Prayer- Lord, Open our hearts and open our minds and help us learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

John 1

The Word Became Flesh

¹In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ²He was with God in the beginning.

³Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. ⁴In him was life, and that life was the light of men. ⁵The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood^a]'>[a] it.

⁶There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. ⁷He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. ⁸He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. ⁹The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.^b]'>[b]

¹⁰He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. ¹¹He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. ¹²Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— ¹³children born not of natural descent,^c]'>[c] nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.

¹⁴The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only,^d]'>[d] who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

¹⁵John testifies concerning him. He cries out, saying, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.' " ¹⁶From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. ¹⁷For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. ¹⁸No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only,^e]'>[e]^f]'>[f]who is at the Father's side, has made him known.

We are kicking off on the Gospel of John. John does not start with the traditional Christmas story, rather John deals with the ministry of Christ. This Gospel begins with "The Word" which is God, "made flesh". This means that Jesus is God made flesh on the earth. God is everything, and so Jesus is everything. He is the light bringing truth to the world.

First, the Word has to be proclaimed, to be foretold. That is John the Baptists job. John was sent here to prepare for Jesus, and today's reading show how he was preparing.

Questions:

1. Why does John, (the author) need to prepare the reader about Christ?

2. How does John, (the Baptist,) prepare our world for Christs coming?

Prayer- Lord, as we prepare for Christ during this Lenten season, help us concentrate on "The Word." Go-Fight-Win. Amen

Revelation 8-9

2009-11-30T19:57:00.002-06:00

Relax, Read and Reflect

Prayer- Lord, Open our hearts and open our minds and help us learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

Revelation 8

The Seventh Seal and the Golden Censer

1When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.

2And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets.

3Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne. 4The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, went up before God from the angel's hand. 5Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake.

The Trumpets

6Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to sound them.

7The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down upon the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.

8The second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a huge mountain, all ablaze, was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned into blood, 9a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.

10The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water— 11the name of the star is Wormwood.[a] A third of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter.

12The fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them turned dark. A third of the day was without light, and also a third of the night.

13As I watched, I heard an eagle that was flying in midair call out in a loud voice: "Woe! Woe! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the other three angels!"

Revelation 9

1The fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth. The star was given the key to the shaft of the Abyss. 2When he opened the Abyss, smoke rose from it like the smoke from a gigantic furnace. The sun and sky were darkened by the smoke from the Abyss. 3And out of the smoke locusts came down upon the earth and were given power like that of scorpions of the earth. 4They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads. 5They were not given power to kill them, but only to torture them for five months. And the agony they suffered was like that of the sting of a scorpion when it strikes a man. 6During those days men will seek death, but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them.

7The locusts looked like horses prepared for battle. On their heads they wore something like crowns of gold, and their faces resembled human faces. 8Their hair was like women's hair, and their teeth were like lions' teeth. 9They had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the thundering of many horses and chariots rushing into battle. 10They had tails and stings like scorpions, and in their tails they had power to torment people for five months. 11They had as king over them the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek, Apollyon.[

]

12The first woe is past; two other woes are yet to come.

13The sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming from the horns[

] of the golden altar that is before God. 14It said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, "Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates." 15And the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind. 16The number of the mounted troops was two hundred million. I heard their number.

17The horses and riders I saw in my vision looked like this: Their breastplates were fiery red, dark blue, and yellow as sulfur. The heads of the horses resembled the heads of lions, and out of their mouths came fire, smoke and sulfur. 18A third of mankind was killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur that came out of their mouths. 19The power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails were like snakes, having heads with which they inflict injury.

20The rest of mankind that were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk. 21Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.

The seventh seal is about to be opened, (in John’s vision,) and the first thing is quite. This is ominous. If the heavens and angels take a moment of silence, something is about to break loose. It does!

You have fires that burn a third of the earth, floods of blood, blazing stars from heaven, and bitter springs. After the sun and moon were affected as well, an eagle cries woe. What could be worse?

How about a plague of giant locusts? This is starting to follow the plagues that proceeded the exodus. What will follow? How about demonic cavalry? Two hundred million strong they take out another third of the world. So what do the survivors do? They started worshiping false gods. People can be so stupid.

Questions:

1. Why do you think there was quite before the trumpets started to sound?

2. Why would John pick locusts as a plague?

3. How did he count two hundred million, or did he just overhear this ?

4. Why are the people not repenting?

Revelation 6

2009-11-17T10:37:00.001-06:00

Relax, Read and Reflect.

Prayer- Lord, Open our hearts and open our minds and help us learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

Revelation 6

The Seals

1I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals. Then I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice like thunder, "Come!" 2I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest.

3When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, "Come!" 4Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make men slay each other. To him was given a large sword.

5When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, "Come!" I looked, and there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. 6Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, "A quart[a] of wheat for a day's wages,[b] and three quarts of barley for a day's wages,[c] and do not damage the oil and the wine!"

7When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, "Come!" 8I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.

9When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. 10They called out in a loud voice, "How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?" 11Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and brothers who were to be killed as they had been was completed.

12I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, 13and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as late figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind. 14The sky receded like a scroll, rolling up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.

15Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. 16They called to the mountains and the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! 17For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?"

The scroll of life is about to be opened- be afraid. The Lamb-(Christ) open the first six seals. The four horsemen of the Apocalypse are released. The white horse symbolizes a conquering power no one can resist. The red horse symbolizes bloodshed. The black horse represents famine, (and it follows war.) The pale green horse represents pestilence and death, and that follows famine. The pale green does not mean total destruction.

The last part of this chapter deals with the fifth and sixth seals. These deal with the prayers of the martyrs in heaven, and how they affect what is happening on earth. They ask "how long?" and are told to wait a little longer. Gulp!

The sixth seal brings a great earth quake and the sun turns black. This is a great symbolism, but what is it describing literally? One thing- everyone is afraid of what will happen next.

Questions:

1. Is there a reason the first four seals are in that order?

2. Why are the martyrs told to wait?

3. Is the sun turning black because of something natural (volcano perhaps,) or something spiritual.?

Prayer- Lord-Help us remember that we are not immortal. We need you for eternal life, and we look forward to being with you -forever! Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

Revelation 5

2009-11-09T20:10:00.002-06:00

Relax, Read and Reflect

Prayer- Lord, Open our hearts and open our minds and help us learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

Revelation 5

The Scroll and the Lamb

1Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals. 2And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, "Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?" 3But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. 4I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. 5Then one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals."

6Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits[a] of God sent out into all the earth. 7He came and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. 8And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9And they sang a new song:
"You are worthy to take the scroll
and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God
from every tribe and language and people and nation.
10You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God,
and they will reign on the earth."

11Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. 12In a loud voice they sang:
"Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and praise!"

13Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing:
"To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be praise and honor and glory and power,
for ever and ever!" 14The four living creatures said, "Amen," and the elders fell down and worshiped.

What is the scroll? The scroll contains the fixed purposes of God for the future. The scroll is sealed-unopened. Therefore, no one knows what it says, no one knows the future. The angels and the creatures of Heaven were waiting for someone who was worthy to open the scroll. Only the King, the lion, the Messiah would be qualified.

Then the slaughtered lamb appears. You guessed it, the lamb is Christ. Christ sacrificed for us and our sins. As the Lamb prepares to open the scroll the Angels start singing a new song. This signifies that change is coming.

Questions:

1. Why would the Angels wait until John arrived to reveal Christ?

2. What will the scroll reveal?

3. Are we ready?

Prayer- Lord, help us prepare. Even though only you know the future, remind us that we all should strive to have you in our lives daily. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

Revelation 4

2009-11-09T06:53:00.001-06:00

Relax, Read and Reflect

Prayer- Lord, Open our minds and open our hearts and help us learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

Revelation 4
The Throne in Heaven

1After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this." 2At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. 3And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian. A rainbow, resembling an emerald, encircled the throne. 4Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. 5From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. Before the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits[a] of God. 6Also before the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal.

In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. 7The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. 8Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings. Day and night they never stop saying: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come." 9Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, 10the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say:
11"You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they were created
and have their being."

This is the Apostle John's vision, or revelation, of Heaven. He is being given the tour. The 24 thrones and elders probably represent the twelve apostles and the twelve patriarchs of the old testament. The lighting and thunder- that should be God. Then we get into a description of some of the creatures in Heaven, (angels?)They are praising God and singing.

This is what the angel showed John. How does this this vision compare with what your vision of Heaven? I doubt if any of you have the same vision when it comes to angels.

Questions:

1. If the disciples have 12 thrones in heaven, does that mean there is one for Judas?

2. Why would the flying creatures be full of eyes? Why are they singing?

Prayer- Lord, help us keep a vision, or revelation, of what heaven is. Help us use that vision here on earth. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

Revelation 3

2009-11-02T20:40:00.002-06:00

Relax, Read and Reflect

Prayer- Lord, Open our hearts and open our minds and help us learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

Revelation 3

To the Church in Sardis

1"To the angel[a] of the church in Sardis write:
These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits[b]of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God. 3Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you. 4Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. 5He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels. 6He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

To the Church in Philadelphia

7"To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:
These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. 8I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. 9I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars—I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you. 10Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth. 11I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. 12Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name. 13He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

To the Church in Laodicea

14"To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:
These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation. 15I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. 19Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. 20Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. 21To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."

The Spirit is still having John write to the rest of the seven churches. Each still contains an address, a condemnation, (or a commendation,) an admonition and ending with a promise. The churches in the fifth through seventh letter represent a very small church in a small town, (Philadelphia,) and a large church in a wealthy town, (Laodicea.)

Every one of the seven churches have problems. John points these issues out and then warns them to fix these problems.

Questions:

1. Why would John feel obligated to point out the problems in the church when he knows he will not personally be around to see the changes?

2. Are the problems the early church faced different from what we face today?

3. How do we treat criticism of our church?

Prayer- Lord, Help us look at ourselves and our fellowships. Help us create and maintain a vision that will bring us,(and others) closer to you. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

Revelation 2

2009-11-01T21:20:00.002-06:00

Relax, Read and Reflect

Prayer- Lord, Open our hearts and open our minds and help us learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

Revelation 2
To the church in Ephesus

1"To the angel[a] of the church in Ephesus write:
These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands: 2I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. 3You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. 4Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. 5Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. 6But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

To the Church in Smyrna

8"To the angel of the church in Smyrna write:
These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again. 9I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 10Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life. 11He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death.

To the Church in Pergamum

12"To the angel of the church in Pergamum write:
These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword. 13I know where you live—where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives. 14Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality. 15Likewise you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. 17He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it.

To the Church in Thyatira

18"To the angel of the church in Thyatira write:
These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze. 19I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first. 20Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. 21I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. 22So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. 23I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds. 24Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan's so-called deep secrets (I will not impose any other burden on you): 25Only hold on to what you have until I come. 26To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations—
27'He will rule them with an iron scepter;
he will dash them to pieces like pottery'[b]— just as I have received authority from my Father. 28I will also give him the morning star. 29He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

The angel has commanded John to write to the seven churches. The first four are Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum and Thyatira. Each church has orders from John, a condemnation of what they are doing wrong, an admonition, a concluding promise and exhortation to the faithful. As we read these letters it is interesting to see how similar they are to our own churches.

Questions:

1. Paul did a lot of work in these churches, particularly Ephesus. How has his actions effected the churches?

2. Why are these letters so harsh?

Prayer. Lord, as we read about the judgement of the seven churches, help us be aware of similar conditions in our lives. Go-Fight-Win. Amen

Revelation 1:9-20

2009-10-26T21:24:00.001-05:00

Relax, Read and Reflect

Prayer- Lord, Open our hearts and open our minds and help us learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

One like a Son of Man

9I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. 10On the Lord's Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, 11which said: "Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea."

12I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, 13and among the lampstands was someone "like a son of man,"[a]dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. 14His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. 15His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. 16In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.

17When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: "Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. 18I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.

19"Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later. 20The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels[b] of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

John is in exile on a small island in the Aegean because of his faith. He is not happy. An angel comes to him and he is scared, (OK, I would be frightened too.) This angel is "like a son of man". Could this be Christ? He has a two edged sword and seven golden lampstands for seven stars, (seven churches?)

Yes, you guessed it. Revelation is full of numerology. It deals with seven, forty, and 144,000 over and over. It is so into this that it can be divided into seven parallel sections, as well as the prologue and epilogue

What will the Spirit tell John?

What knowledge will this unlock?

Prayer. Lord, let us all read this and let it touch us. Not because we need to know when the earth will end but because we want to know how to prepare here on Earth. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

Revelation 1:1-8

2009-10-25T20:03:00.001-05:00

Relax, Read and Reflect

Prayer- Lord, Open our hearts and open our minds and help us learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

Revelation 1

Prologue

1The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, 2who testifies to everything he saw—that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. 3Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.

Greetings and doxology

4John,
To the seven churches in the province of Asia:

Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits[a] before his throne, 5and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, 6and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.
7Look, he is coming with the clouds,
and every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him;
and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen.

8"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty."

We are starting a new study this week. For the next several weeks we will explore the last book of the Bible-The Revelation to John or Revelation. This book may be one of the most feared and misunderstood book in the Bible. Revelation deals with the Apocalypse-the end of the world. There are really only two books in the bible that are apocalyptic in nature, the other is Daniel in the Old Testament.

Revelation uses prophecy from both the Old and New Testament. It is a fitting end of the Bible because of it’s apocalyptic nature. It has very vivid imagery and is intended to build clear pictures in the readers mind. It was written by John, a Roman follower of Christ who has been exiled to a small island because of his faith. John does not like the Roman Emperor, (who would if you had been banished from your home and many of your friends killed.)

Some of the keys in understanding John’s vision have been lost, and some of his message may be personalized, but this also builds a strong belief that Jesus will indeed come again. Do not be afraid, I think you will find as you read this book that it is not as scary as you may think. It is definitely want of the most visual of all the books.

The Revelation starts with a prologue from John. John states that this message was brought to him by an angel of the Lord. John gives a shout out to the seven churches in western Asia Minor, (present day Turkey.) His letter is the "Alpha and Omega," the beginning and the end.

As we read this and other parts of our Bible, it is important to remember that Jesus is just that- the beginning and the end. All things are through Christ. There is no better ending prayer than that. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

Susanna 60-64

2009-04-03T10:30:00.001-05:00

Relax, Read and Reflect

Prayer- Lord, Open our hearts and open our minds and help us learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

60 With that all the assembly cried out with a loud voice, and praised God, who saveth them that trust in him.
61 And they arose against the two elders, for Daniel had convicted them of false witness by their own mouth:
62 And according to the law of Moses they did unto them in such sort as they maliciously intended to do to their neighbour: and they put them to death. Thus the innocent blood was saved the same day.
63 Therefore Chelcias and his wife praised God for their daughter Susanna, with Joacim her husband, and all the kindred, because there was no dishonesty found in her.
64 From that day forth was Daniel had in great reputation in the sight of the people.

So...What have we learned? Besides always have a good lawyer, this story champions several things. Virtue triumphs in the end. Susanna was virtuous, and even though things looked bad for a while, she was rescued. To trite. The reality was that actually dishonesty worked-until God got involved.
That may be the best lesson in the story. Things may appear open and shut, but there is usually two stories. The elders only heard what the evil men claimed, and that was false. Even the great and wise Daniel did not use Susanna to testify. He let the evil men’s own testimony condemn themselves. (You did not see that until now did you?)
We live in an imperfect and very complicated world. Life is not always black and white. It is usually some shade in between. Laws are, however, written in black and white. It is our job as humans to look at the gray. Christians are people. Do not always assume we live in a black and white world in our religion. There may be two stories, and many times they are not as clear cut good and evil as the book of Susanna.
There is good news, God knows. This is one of that many reasons to always go to God in prayer.
Prayer- God, give us wisdom to see shades of gray. Let us work to do the right thing so that by our reputation we may help others. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

Susanna 44-59

2009-04-02T07:56:00.002-05:00

Relax, Read and Reflect

Prayer- Lord, Open our hearts and open our minds and help us to learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

44 And the Lord heard her voice.
45 Therefore when she was led to be put to death, the Lord raised up the holy spirit of a young youth whose name was Daniel:
46 Who cried with a loud voice, I am clear from the blood of this woman.
47 Then all the people turned them toward him, and said, What mean these words that thou hast spoken?
48 So he standing in the midst of them said, Are ye such fools, ye sons of Israel, that without examination or knowledge of the truth ye have condemned a daughter of Israel?
49 Return again to the place of judgment: for they have borne false witness against her.
50 Wherefore all the people turned again in haste, and the elders said unto him, Come, sit down among us, and shew it us, seeing God hath given thee the honour of an elder.
51 Then said Daniel unto them, Put these two aside one far from another, and I will examine them.
52 So when they were put asunder one from another, he called one of them, and said unto him, O thou that art waxen old in wickedness, now thy sins which thou hast committed aforetime are come to light.
53 For thou hast pronounced false judgment and hast condemned the innocent and hast let the guilty go free; albeit the Lord saith, The innocent and righteous shalt thou not slay.
54 Now then, if thou hast seen her, tell me, Under what tree sawest thou them companying together? Who answered, Under a mastick tree.
55 And Daniel said, Very well; thou hast lied against thine own head; for even now the angel of God hath received the sentence of God to cut thee in two.
56 So he put him aside, and commanded to bring the other, and said unto him, O thou seed of Chanaan, and not of Juda, beauty hath deceived thee, and lust hath perverted thine heart.
57 Thus have ye dealt with the daughters of Israel, and they for fear companied with you: but the daughter of Juda would not abide your wickedness.
58 Now therefore tell me, Under what tree didst thou take them companying together? Who answered, Under an holm tree.
59 Then said Daniel unto him, Well; thou hast also lied against thine own head: for the angel of God waiteth with the sword to cut thee in two, that he may destroy you.

My father has always said the moral of the Book of Susanna is to get a good lawyer. Yes, this is that Daniel-of lions den fame. Since he was the kings chief counsel, he was a good lawyer. More importantly, Daniel was a man of God. The people respected him and God spoke to him. That is about as well respected as you can get.
God heard the cry of Susanna, and had Daniel intervene. He had the elders, (minus the two evil ones,) re-convene. He then told them of his plan to interrogate them separately. Notice that Daniel talks smack before he asks the magic questions. This was to make them anxious before they answered and to get them off their game. It worked.
So, now the elders have answered Daniels questions differently, do you think the other elders will smell a rat? If so, will they be lenient? And what about Joakim? Tomorrow all these questions will be answered.

Prayer- Lord, thank you for hearing our prayers. We know that good things happen when we call to you, but we do not always know what that good might be. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

Susanna 28-43

2009-04-01T09:11:00.002-05:00

Relax, Read and Reflect

Prayer- Lord, Open our hearts and open our minds and help us to learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

28 And it came to pass the next day, when the people were assembled to her husband Joacim, the two elders came also full of mischievous imagination against Susanna to put her to death;
29 And said before the people, Send for Susanna, the daughter of Chelcias, Joacim's wife. And so they sent.
30 So she came with her father and mother, her children, and all her kindred.
31 Now Susanna was a very delicate woman, and beauteous to behold.
32 And these wicked men commanded to uncover her face, (for she was covered) that they might be filled with her beauty.
33 Therefore her friends and all that saw her wept.
34 Then the two elders stood up in the midst of the people, and laid their hands upon her head.
35 And she weeping looked up toward heaven: for her heart trusted in the Lord.
36 And the elders said, As we walked in the garden alone, this woman came in with two maids, and shut the garden doors, and sent the maids away.
37 Then a young man, who there was hid, came unto her, and lay with her.
38 Then we that stood in a corner of the garden, seeing this wickedness, ran unto them.
39 And when we saw them together, the man we could not hold: for he was stronger than we, and opened the door, and leaped out.
40 But having taken this woman, we asked who the young man was, but she would not tell us: these things do we testify.
41 Then the assembly believed them as those that were the elders and judges of the people: so they condemned her to death.
42 Then Susanna cried out with a loud voice, and said, O everlasting God, that knowest the secrets, and knowest all things before they be:
43 Thou knowest that they have borne false witness against me, and, behold, I must die; whereas I never did such things as these men have maliciously invented against me.

There are few things that are disturbing in this trial. Justice is swift, but very blind. The elders ordered Susanna to remove her veil and be exposed. This was very embarrassing for Susanna and her family. They testified that they caught in the act- but could not subdue the man, he was too strong. They did not know who the man was, and Susanna would not tell them, (and why were they in the garden?) The wildest part was-the assembly believed them! Was there no commandment these guys would not break. They coveted, wanted to commit adultery, they bore false witness, stole (broke into the garden,) and even tried to murder. Wow!
Notice Susanna did not testify in her own defense. She couldn’t-she was a girl. The servants and friends did not testify for her. Were they in shock or just scared. Where was her husband?
On a very serious note, there is still false accusations made about people everyday. Even in major court cases-especially ones dealing with morality, people are quick to believe the accuser. Children make up tales, parents hear and the witch hunt begins. Don’t think this can’t happen today- it would just take longer to go to trial and there would be much more coverage.

Prayer- Lord, give us wisdom so that we can understand. Help us be slow to judge and to always consult YOU when forced to make a difficult decision. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

Susanna 15-27

2009-03-31T11:28:00.002-05:00

Relax, Read and Reflect

Prayer-Lord, Open our hearts and open our minds and help us to learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

15-27
15 And it fell out, as they watched a fit time, she went in as before with two maids only, and she was desirous to wash herself in the garden: for it was hot.
16 And there was no body there save the two elders, that had hid themselves, and watched her.
17 Then she said to her maids, Bring me oil and washing balls, and shut the garden doors, that I may wash me.
18 And they did as she bade them, and shut the garden doors, and went out themselves at privy doors to fetch the things that she had commanded them: but they saw not the elders, because they were hid.
19 Now when the maids were gone forth, the two elders rose up, and ran unto her, saying,
20 Behold, the garden doors are shut, that no man can see us, and we are in love with thee; therefore consent unto us, and lie with us.
21 If thou wilt not, we will bear witness against thee, that a young man was with thee: and therefore thou didst send away thy maids from thee.
22 Then Susanna sighed, and said, I am straitened on every side: for if I do this thing, it is death unto me: and if I do it not I cannot escape your hands.
23 It is better for me to fall into your hands, and not do it, than to sin in the sight of the Lord.
24 With that Susanna cried with a loud voice: and the two elders cried out against her.
25 Then ran the one, and opened the garden door.
26 So when the servants of the house heard the cry in the garden, they rushed in at the privy door, to see what was done unto her.
27 But when the elders had declared their matter, the servants were greatly ashamed: for there was never such a report made of Susanna.

The plot begins to thicken. First, the two bad elders, (double meaning,) decide they need to spy on poor Susanna. They become peeping Tom’s. After the people left, the beautiful Susanna decides she needs to bathe, and does so in the garden. She sends away her servants, (modesty is a virtue,) and believes she is alone in her garden. Of course the elders are hiding in the bushes and are checking her out.
They decide to take in a step further, (they are dirty old elders,) and come out to confront Susanna. They make her an offer she can’t refuse. If she will let them have sex with her, they won’t tell the people she has had an affair. Stay with me, she was not having an affair, but if she did, (with two old leches,) the elders would not tell on her. Twisted, but the elders knew the people would believe them. Why would they lie?
Susanna was caught between a rock and a hard place. She was virtuous and put her faith in God, and refused their lame come on. She cried out, the elders cried out, and the servants rushed in. Who will the people believe? Tune in tomorrow- same time, same space.
Payer- Lord, protect us from evil. Help us remember that You are the truth, and the truth is what makes us free. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

Susanna 1-14

2009-03-30T09:40:00.002-05:00

Relax, Read and Reflect.

Prayer- Lord, Open our hearts and open our minds and help us learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen

1 There dwelt a man in Babylon, called Joacim:
2 And he took a wife, whose name was Susanna, the daughter of Chelcias, a very fair woman, and one that feared the Lord.
3 Her parents also were righteous, and taught their daughter according to the law of Moses.
4 Now Joacim was a great rich man, and had a fair garden joining unto his house: and to him resorted the Jews; because he was more honorable than all others.
5 The same year were appointed two of the ancients of the people to be judges, such as the Lord spake of, that wickedness came from Babylon from ancient judges, who seemed to govern the people.
6 These kept much at Joacim's house: and all that had any suits in law came unto them.
7 Now when the people departed away at noon, Susanna went into her husband's garden to walk.
8 And the two elders saw her going in every day, and walking; so that their lust was inflamed toward her.
9 And they perverted their own mind, and turned away their eyes, that they might not look unto heaven, nor remember just judgments.
10 And albeit they both were wounded with her love, yet durst not one shew another his grief.
11 For they were ashamed to declare their lust, that they desired to have to do with her.
12 Yet they watched diligently from day to day to see her.
13 And the one said to the other, Let us now go home: for it is dinner time.
14 So when they were gone out, they parted the one from the other, and turning back again they came to the same place; and after that they had asked one another the cause, they acknowledged their lust: then appointed they a time both together, when they might find her alone.

We will do something different, (suddenly I am all about change.) We will study part of the Apocrypha. Don’t bother looking for these books in your bibles, they are probably not there, unless you are old school catholic. I even had a difficult time finding downloadable versions for this blog, (Biblegateway.com doesn’t have a version with Apocrypha. )
These books come from the Greek teachings, not Hebrew. They are also, obviously, excluded from the protestant bible. Because of this, many people are not familiar and possibly even afraid of these books. This is silly. I am not using these as gospel but they do help teach lessons. Also, as Christians we need to know as much as we can about our bible and the texts that it comes from. I guarantee non believers will read these books and if you are not familiar, you may
look foolish in public eyes.
We will start with the Book of Susanna. This is a great melodrama! My father wanted to write a play based on this book so bad he could taste it. I agree with Dad-this book is low hanging fruit.
It takes place in Babylon during the time of the Jewish exile. Daniel is a major player in this story if that helps you place the time. Susanna is a beautiful and virtuous woman from a well off Jewish family. Her Husband is a man of respect. The elders of the community would gather in his gardens to do business, and obviously to check out his wife.
Two elders became more than a little moved by Susanna’s beauty, they became lustful. They were overwhelmed by this lust and made a plan to come back to her house after work and act on their desires.
I know- you are saying that this belongs on the romance racks in the drugstore, not in the Bible. Maybe, but the two evil elders are false prophets, and they appear in Jeremiah. Also, this little soap opera of ancient times is a good mirror of life even today. We still have lust in our hearts and it can often overcome us. It is proper and right that we, as adults, be able to look at this and apply the lessons that God makes.

Tomorrow- evil plans from evil men!

Prayer, Lord, protect from the evil in the world. Even if it is in our own body. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

Philippians 4:15-23

2009-03-27T08:20:00.002-05:00

Relax, Read and Reflect

Prayer-Lord, Open our hearts and open our minds and help us learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

15Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; 16for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid again and again when I was in need. 17Not that I am looking for a gift, but I am looking for what may be credited to your account. 18I have received full payment and even more; I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. 19And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
20To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Final Greetings
21Greet all the saints in Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me send greetings. 22All the saints send you greetings, especially those who belong to Caesar's household.
23The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen

Paul ends his message with praise. He praises the church at Philippi. He is quick to remind them how much he loves them and why. They supported him when no one else did, and continue to support him-both emotional and financially. He isn’t looking for payment, his account has been paid in full and more. The thanks he gives is followed by assurance that their generosity will be answered by God.
Remember, Paul is in jail during this time. He hopes to get out, but does not know what his future is. During times of uncertainty we all can become more cautious and withdrawn. We are now facing some real economic issues. Should we stop doing what we have done in the past because of fear of the uncertain future? Or, should we be like Paul, thanking for the gifts of the past and being confident the future has great things for us and out church.

Prayer- Lord, Help us remain confident as a church, even in uncertain times. We know we can do all things through You, because You give us that strength. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

Philippians 4:8-14

2009-03-26T08:46:00.002-05:00

Relax, Read and Reflect

Prayer- Lord, Open our hearts and open our minds and help us learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

8Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
Thanks for Their Gifts
10I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. 11I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
14Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles.

All things come from God. And through God, all thing are possible. Paul continues to strengthen and encourage the church. Even if he can not be there to personally touch them, he can still touch them by words, and the promise that he is with them in spirit. Paul would have enjoyed being the pastor at Philippi, but he understood that God wanted him to do other things.
Do we, as a church, sometimes doubt our effect on our world? Sometimes we feel insignificant and don’t think what we do matters. What we do, individually as well as collectively, is what God does here on earth. We are His hands and feet. Never underestimate what you can do, with God who strengthens you.

Prayer- Lord, give me strength, give me courage. Use me to do Your will. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

Philippians 4:4-7

2009-03-25T07:13:00.003-05:00

Relax, Read and Reflect

Prayer- Lord, Open our hearts and open our minds and help us learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

4Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Sometimes we get a group of verses that do not require much commentary. Today is one of those days. Paul is encouraging and motivating the church at Philippi. These four verses pretty well get right to the "lick log."
Sometimes we try to make things complicated. It may be our human instinct to make things legalistic, or a belief that anything great has to be complicated. A Christian life can be very simple, these verses prove that.
I want to make a challenge. If anyone has had a deep conversation with another Christian or a non believer about what it takes to live with God, and you were looking for verses to help-send these to that person.

Prayer- Lord, we do rejoice in you. Give us the peace and understanding that comes from our faith in You. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

Philippians 4:1-3

2009-03-24T07:18:00.002-05:00

Relax, Read and Reflect.

Prayer- Lord, Open our hearts and open our minds and help us learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

Philippians 4
1Therefore, my brothers, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, that is how you should stand firm in the Lord, dear friends!
Exhortations
2I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to agree with each other in the Lord. 3Yes, and I ask you, loyal yokefellow,[a] help these women who have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.

Paul closes his letter with exhortations. He is trying to motivate as he closes. I doing this he gets personal. Two women of the church are sideways, and he pleads with them to start agreeing in the Lord. Do this still happen today?
Unfortunately we as humans tend to disagree about things. I need to repeat that last statement; we disagree about things. We need to be in total agreement about the Lord. When we do get cross with each other, we need to remember we are arguing about things. While it may be important to us what color the carpet is in the sanctuary, God really does not care. Be passionate about the gospel, for the rest be compassionate. That’s the way God wants it.
A sidebar here: Yesterdays devotion I talked about symbols at a children’s sermon.
I need to clarify that the children gave the answer that God carried the flag, not the presenter. The presenter, (a high school sophomore,) skillfully turned the answer to a more appropriate one, soldiers, police, fireman. She was not inferring that God carried the flag. In fact, she did a better job of explaining than I did.
Prayer- Lord, Help us get along. Help us remember that things are not important. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

Philippians 3:17-21

2009-03-23T07:10:00.002-05:00

Relax, Read and Reflect

Prayer- Lord, Open our hearts and open our minds and help us learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

17Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you. 18For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. 20But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

Paul is still re-enforcing the fact that we follow a higher power. In verse 18 he uses the word "many". Is this many Christians ? Or, is this just a generic phrase for all people? It can be both.
We are all citizens of heaven. We may be Romans, Philippians or Americans, but our final allegiance is to God. During yesterdays children’s sermon at church a very dicey point was made. The presenter had various symbols for the kids to identify, a flag, a cross etc. When she brought out the American flag she asked "who carries this symbol?" The answer was God. God does not carry and American flag any more than he would carry an Iraqis flag or Russian. He is above every nation.
Do we, as Americans, understand that we are citizens of heaven? Or are we convinced our country is heaven? Is our God our stomach?

Prayer- Lord, Thank you for giving us all the advantages we enjoy in life. Help us to be a better community of faith by reminding us we belong to the great power- You! Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

Philippians 3:12-16

2009-03-20T11:58:00.002-05:00

Relax, Read and Reflect

Prayer- Lord, Open our hearts and open our minds and help us learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

Pressing on Toward the Goal
12Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
15All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. 16Only let us live up to what we have already attained.

Paul exhorts the church, (that’s us,) to continue towards our goal. We want what Christ has for us. Even though righteousness we are part of God’s kingdom, that does not relieve us from continuing to work towards our goals.
Yes, we are saved because of what Christ did, not because of anything we did. Part of the deal is that we need to spread the gospel and love each other. If we accept the love of Christ but do not show it or spread it, we are behaving like spoiled little children. If we want to be mature christians, we have to act like them.

Prayer- Lord, keep us making positive strides towards You. We want and seek the prize, and we want others to take it as well. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

Philippians 3:7-11

2009-03-19T09:06:00.002-05:00

Relax, Read and Reflect.
Prayer- Lord, Open our hearts and open our minds and help us learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

7But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. 10I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Even though Paul was on the fast track to religious success, he dumped everything to follow Jesus. He walked away from certain glory and power on earth, and considered those things trash. The greatest thing, the highest goal for Paul was a relationship with Christ. By knowing Christ, Paul feels we also know the suffering he felt. We also feel the resurrection in our daily lives.
Is this a fair trade? Is it fine to trade the rewards of the earth for the rewards of the heart? Paul thought it was, and so does God.

Prayer- Lord, Help us remember our priorities as we go through life. Flesh is fine, but glory is forever. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

Philippians 3:4-6

2009-03-18T19:14:00.002-05:00

Relax, Read and Reflect

Prayer- Lord, Open our hearts and open our minds and help us learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

4though I myself have reasons for such confidence. If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; 6as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless.

This is a continuation from yesterdays lesson. It is not often that a verse picks up in mid sentence, but this one did. Paul is telling the church not to have faith in the flesh. Today he tells them that if anyone had the right to have faith in religious deeds and rank-it was him. Remember, he was a jew’s jew. He had done everything right and was a mover in the Temple at Jerusalem.
Even though he had done everything correctly, it was still by faith that he is saved. Nothing he did compared to what Christ did for us. Sometimes all of us feel the same way. We think we are tearing up the world by doing stuff. The stuff we do, (including this blog,) is just stuff. We do not get to Jesus by our flesh. We get to Jesus by admitting that he did the work and we accept it.

Prayer- Lord, Even though we do great things in Your honor, help us remember daily that a relationship with You only comes through our hearts. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

Philippians 3:1-3

2009-03-17T07:24:00.002-05:00

Relax, Read and Reflect
Prayer- Lord, Open our hearts and open our minds and help us learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

No Confidence in the Flesh
1Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you.
2Watch out for those dogs, those men who do evil, those mutilators of the flesh. 3For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh—

Paul continues to warn against false prophets. There must have been a big problem with false teaching in the early church. Have things changed? His main point here is put no confidence in the person teaching, put confidence in Jesus.
When I see big congregations that worship their minister, I get a little nervous. Especially when that minister is preaching financial prosperity through the church. I am not condemning these guys, but I am being safe around them.

Prayer- Lord, Give us the wisdom to see evil. Keep us from false prophets and help us stay pure in Your word. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.