The Prayer of Jesus

If you want to know what was important to Jesus, just read what he prayed about.  He prayed for you and for unity among you.

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John 17                  The Prayer of Jesus
 ¹ After saying all these things, Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son so he can give glory back to you. ² For you have given him authority over everyone. He gives eternal life to each one you have given him. ³ And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth. ⁴ I brought glory to you here on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. ⁵ Now, Father, bring me into the glory we shared before the world began.  ⁶ “I have revealed you^[a] to the ones you gave me from this world. They were always yours. You gave them to me, and they have kept your word. ⁷ Now they know that everything I have is a gift from you, ⁸ for I have passed on to them the message you gave me. They accepted it and know that I came from you, and they believe you sent me.
 ⁹ “My prayer is not for the world, but for those you have given me, because they belong to you. ¹⁰ All who are mine belong to you, and you have given them to me, so they bring me glory. ¹¹ Now I am departing from the world; they are staying in this world, but I am coming to you. Holy Father, you have given me your name;^[b] now protect them by the power of your name so that they will be united just as we are. ¹² During my time here, I protected them by the power of the name you gave me.^[c] I guarded them so that not one was lost, except the one headed for destruction, as the Scriptures foretold.
 ¹³ “Now I am coming to you. I told them many things while I was with them in this world so they would be filled with my joy. ¹⁴ I have given them your word. And the world hates them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. ¹⁵ I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. ¹⁶ They do not belong to this world any more than I do. ¹⁷ Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth. ¹⁸ Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world. ¹⁹ And I give myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by your truth.
 ²⁰ “I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. ²¹ I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.
 ²² “I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. ²³ I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me. ²⁴ Father, I want these whom you have given me to be with me where I am. Then they can see all the glory you gave me because you loved me even before the world began!
 ²⁵ “O righteous Father, the world doesn’t know you, but I do; and these disciples know you sent me. ²⁶ I have revealed you to them, and I will continue to do so. Then your love for me will be in them, and I will be in them.”
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Christians often say, “Why doesn’t God send revival?” or “Why doesn’t God give us some fruit for our labors?” Of course I do not have any final answer for that question, but John 17 suggests one reason could be that unresolved interpersonal conflicts have destroyed the unity that God uses to bring blessing and revival. Perhaps we need to pray for healing and restored relationships as well as revival. This text suggests that one is necessary for the other.
If the watching world observes the love of God holding believers together, they are confronted with the glory of God in his people. It is the glory of God that penetrates the darkness of their lives so that they are brought to a point of decision. But if they see broken relationships, schisms, gossip, and people exploiting one another, a message about God’s power and love will have little effect. The glory of God and the impact of his gospel are tied to solidarity in his body.
–by Duane Elmer
“If you plan to do evil, you will be lost; if you plan to do good, you will receive unfailing love and faithfulness.” Proverbs 14:22 NLT

Economy of the Heart

Bible Reading: (click to view in web browser)
Colossians 3:12-14


Focus verse: "Bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another."  Colossians 3:13a

In his book, The Gift of Forgiveness, Charles Stanley wrote, "Forgiveness is something each of us has had to deal with one way or another. What might take you just a short time to work through might be a process that takes someone else time, prayer, and godly counsel. But it is a process we cannot ignore, not if we want to be free to become the persons God created us to be."1

Stanley went on to say that if we refuse to deal with the bitterness and resentments that put us in bondage, we cannot have the fellowship with our Father we are supposed to have.

It's not easy to forgive another. Some wounds are deep and last for decades. But hatred and bitterness are bars we use to imprison ourselves. When we place the other person in God's hands and release the bitterness to Him, we're set free, just as truly as being released from jail.

Forgiveness is the economy of the heart. A Christian will find it cheaper to pardon than to resent. Forgiveness saves the expense of anger, the cost of hatred, the waste of spirits.
From The Berean Magazine, November 21, 1826

1Charles Stanley, The Gift of Forgiveness (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1991), 105.

~Dr. David Jeremiah, Today's Turning Point

Prosperity Gospel: A different gospel

http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevinwax/2012/02/15/an-african-prophet-standing-against-the-prosperity-gospel/
Click link above.

Preachers of a Different Gospel reads like an extended sermon in which Adeleye, like an African prophet, seeks to correct his brothers and sisters and bring them in line with the gospel that was once for all delivered to the saints. And, like a good preacher, Adeyele turns some striking phrases, such as the polarity between “the God man uses” rather than “the man God uses.”

A Life of Worship

Bible Reading:  Colossians 3

Focus Verse: Colossians 3:23  "And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men."

Some people come to church with great expectations of what they can get out of it.  But they fail to realize that God wants them to contribute to the service.

If these people have not been worshipping God the other 6 days of the week, then they cannot effectively worship Him on Sunday.  They need to be in a right relationship with God for worship to take place.  The word worship comes from the old English word meaning "worthship."  This means you worship something because it merits (or is worthy) of our worship.

Many people in the world today are worshipping the wrong thing.  I see people worship money, success, other people, their home, their business, sports teams, maybe even themselves.   It's not wrong to have these things, but if it is more important than God it is wrong.  Only God is worthy of our worship.

We worship when we glorify God with our lives in all we do and say.  We all have different gifts from God.  Maybe you cook, build homes, fish, operate your business, or you do your school work well.  If we do all these things well for the glory of God, then this is a form of worship to Him.  Don't do just enough to get by, but do your best as unto the Lord.  Keep in mind who we are serving.  Even if you have a boss, ultimately you are doing your job for Jesus, because He gave you the ability to do it.  This will be a testimony and a witness for Him.  We can live an effective life of worship to Him every day.

~Bobby Johnson

Forget The Past

Bible Reading:  Philippians 3

Focus Verse:  Philippians 3:14  "I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

If there was anyone in the Bible that needed to forget the past it was Paul.  You may remember that Paul was there and gave his approval when Stephen was stoned and put to death for being a Christian.  Acts 7:54-60. Paul had done a lot of bad things before he became a Christian.  We also need to forget the bad things in our past.  Satan will try to remind you of all your failures.  He will tell you that you can't be an effective Christian because of what you have done.  But you can remind Satan that your sins are covered with Jesus blood, and that God will not hold your sin against you. Isaiah 43:25 "I even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake, and I will not remember your sins."  But this can only happen if we have trusted Jesus for salvation.  All of us that are Christians are running a race.  We are looking at the prize at the end of our lives.  We will get to live with God in heaven forever.  I hope each of us will hear God say "well done good and faithful servant."
~Bobby Johnson