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Paul, Tell us what you REALLY think!

Dang - I was doing some study for this weekend and read this.  I have probably read 1 Corinthians 20 times.  I never saw this.  Paul closes out the letter and says:

I write this greeting with my own hand...

So you think its going to be nice - the verse before was really nice.  Then:

22If anyone does not love the Lord—a curse be on him. 

Then he closes with:

23The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you.  24My love to all of you in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Dang!  Dont hold back Paul!  He kind of sneaks a sucker punch in there after all the other can's he opened on them.  Brutal.  I love it.  Im going to open up a few cans Sunday for Monster.  It should be quite fun! See ya Sunday!

8 Days Left

I missed a day - sick as a dog.  Anyway:

John 13 & 14

• Imagine the creator of the Universe giving you a foot bath.
• Peter thought it was inappropriate
  
• Jesus set him straight
• I love Peter - one minute you cant wash my feet - the next minute he wants a full body hose down.
• Jesus even washed Judas' feet. 
  
• A follower of Jesus is a servant of other people.
• The disciples were kind of dense
• I wonder what was going through Judas mind once he knew that Jesus knew
• People will know we are disciples by our love for each other.  I see a lot of backbiting and backstabbing among Christians on the internet - STOP ALREADY
• I love Peter!  Sometimes I act like he does - on fire one minute - cold as ice the next. 
  
• Jesus is preparing a place for me in his father's house - I wonder if it has a big big yard where we can play football?
• Jesus is the way!
• We can ask for anything (in his name) and Jesus will do it.
• Sometimes I dont feel like I ask for big enough things or the right things.
• If you love me - obey me - thats pretty powerful.
• Im glad Jesus didn't leave us here by ourselves - He sent his Spirit to be my guide.
• Jesus is coming back for me!  That rocks!
  

10 Days Left - John 12

John 12

• Lavishing Jesus with expensive things is not a waste.  When we do things for Jesus we should do them with the very best that money can buy.  Dont do church on the cheap!
• We are still not excused from caring for the poor - but that's not our primary mission
  
• Everything Jesus did - down the the smallest detail like riding on a donkey colt - was to fulfill scripture.
• As a seed must die to bear fruit - I too must die in order to bear fruit.
• What would it be like to hear the voice of God?
• Didn't seem to matter - people still didn't believe.
• We have the voice of God today - His word.
• Jesus didn't come to judge the world - he came to save it.

11 Days Left- John 11

John 11

• Sometimes the pain in life is there so that God can do great things -hard to get our minds around.
• Jesus works on HIS timetable not ours
• Jesus allowed some bizarre things to happen so his disciples would believe.
• If we truly believe - what could we accomplish?
• I dont get Thomas - Lets go so we can die with him (Lazarus?  Jesus? Was he expecting a resurrection?)
• Verse 25 and 26 may be one of the most powerful in scripture.

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

• Everyone there said the same thing - if Jesus had been there he could have prevented Lazarus death.
• Verse 35 is tough to memorize - give it a try.
  
• I like the KJV Translation of verse 39 better.  "By this time he stinketh."  Cracks me up when I read that.
• He called Lazarus by name to come out.  I wonder if he just said come out if graves everywhere would have opened and dead people would have been walking.
• I wonder what Lazarus thought about the whole ordeal?
• Its amazing to me that some people still didn't believe.
  
• The Sanhedrin response - if we let him go on like this EVERYONE will believe.
• It was about power for them
• Caiaphas didn't realize the gravity of his prophetic words.
• This event was the last straw for the religious people
• When I think about the resurrection and the fact that I will live forever even though I will die one day I am blown away
• We spend a lot of time and energy trying to preserve our life and delay our death - maybe we should spend our life for Jesus instead because the truth is death is not the end - its just another day on our calendar of eternity.
• Jesus asked Martha a direct question so let me ask it again - Do you believe this?

12 Days - John 10

John 10:

• I am a sheep
• Jesus is my shepherd
• Jesus is a good shepherd
• I need to be a better sheep

14 days left - John 8

John 8:

• How did they catch the woman in adultery.  I think they planned it.  I think one of them may have been guilty.
• Notice the religious response - demand punishment.
• Notice the Jesus response - compassion and forgiveness.
• Ever wonder what jesus wrote in the ground?  I think it was this
• Where was the guilty man?
• The boxing match continued about who Jesus was.
• Jesus was brutal on self righteous religious people!
• The truth will set you free!
• Jesus claimed his father was God.  The pharisees wanted to kill him for it. Their claim - in John 8:41? "We are not illegitimate children," they protested. "The only Father we have is God himself."
• Hypocrites!
• God's children hear him and do what he says.
• You belong to your father - the devil!  BAM!
• Some people, like the pharisees, claim Jesus wasn't really God
  
• Here is the knock out punch - "before Abraham was born, I am!"
• They wanted to stone a woman at the beginning - now they want to stone Jesus at the end - they show their true colors.
  

15 Days Left - John 7

John 7

• Even Jesus' own brothers didn't believe.
• I bet they made fun of him a lot.  Especially at the holidays.  Just like they did in this chapter.
• The things Jesus did created buzz...The church needs to create buzz - but the right buzz for the right reasons.
• How does this man teach having never studied?  He spent time with God. 
  
• I love how Jesus messes with the Pharisees heads - where I am you cannot come.  Thats funny stuff.
• Jesus also created division.  If you haven't made someone mad you probably haven't done anything
  
• Nicodemus shows up again - sort of defending Jesus - he's not fully stepped out yet - but he seems to be a closet Christ follower.  We'll see him again.

Another Thought About John 6

Jesus said some things that were hard for people to get their minds around and they left.  Sometimes people will leave a church too for the same reason - they don't really understand what its all about.  I tend to freak out when that happens.  When people leave - or when attendance is slumped (like now during the holidays)  Jesus didn't freak out when he had a sudden drop in attendance.  In fact he challenged the most faithful among them to see if they wanted to leave.  They didn't - and eventually turned the world upside down.  Here's the point - stop working about the ones that aren't there and challenge the faithful and watch them change the world!

16 Days Left - John 6

John 6

• 5000 men, no telling how many women and children, they are all hungry, all we have is a happy meal from Captain D's and there is food left over. 
  
• Jesus can make much out of my little.
• 12 baskets left - 12 disciples - you'd think they would get it.  they still dont.  Lest I get smug - I say I get it - but do I?
• I never thought about this before - the disciples rowed for 3-1/2 miles - THEN they saw Jesus walking on the water.  He walked 3-1/2 miles on water!!!  In a storm!!!! 
  
• Another miracle is almost hidden here - after he got in the boat it immediately appeared on the other side.  Teleporting a boat!  Incredible.
• We want signs and miracles - God just wants us to believe in Jesus.
• "I shall lose none that he has given me" - there's goes Jesus talking about that eternal security again.
• Im glad my salvation is based on what Jesus did and not what I do!
• The whole "unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood" thing freaked people out. 
  
• The disciples said "this is a hard teaching - who can accept it?"
  
• Its hard for me to come to grips with too - but he makes it clear he's not being literal
• Some still didn't get it and left.
• They left in John 6:66 - coincidence?  Hmm....
• Jesus challenges his followers - will you go too?  Ever felt like giving up?  I have.
• Love Peter's response - where will we go - you have the words of eternal life.
• Among Jesus' disciples there are some devils.  I think I've met some of them.
  

17 Days Left - John 5

John 5:

• How did the invalid get to the Pool of Bethesda?  His claim was he had no on to help him into the pool - but he must have had someone to help him get there. 
  
• Why did Jesus choose to heal him and not the rest of the people there? 
  
• Once again, Jesus breaks tradition telling the man to carry his bed on the Sabbath. 
  
• Once again, Religious people go berserk when Jesus doesn't do things their way
• Same thing happens today - a church does something different and people criticize.
  
• Jesus only did what he saw his father doing - I need to be doing the same thing - work where God is already working
• We have already crossed from death to life.  People who don't believe in "eternal security" of the believer must not get this - you don't keep crossing back and forth.  Once you cross over from death - you are alive.
• The resurrection is going to be the coolest thing in the world.  I'd like to be alive when it happens - but if I'm dead thats ok because I'm busting out too!
• Some people worship the scriptures - but the scripture is to reveal the savior.
• Some people worship their traditions - but the traditions are simply a means to worship the savior
• It's all about the Savior - Jesus is life!
  
• I will live forever - how cool is that?