GREENE STREET LETTERS: John Chapter 17

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

John Chapter 17

This is one of my most favorite chapters in all of the Bible.
Why?
Because it truly is the LORD'S Prayer.
It is the last night before Jesus' Crucifixion and Jesus has finished having a passover meal with his disciples.
He is now in the garden of Gethsemane, disciples nearby (asleep), alone and is praying to the Father in heaven.

Verse 9 -
My prayer is not for the world, but for those you have given me, because they belong to you.
Jesus' focus and heart was for the ones that had been a part of his life for the last 3 years. He died for the world, but his love is of those who enter into salvation. Yes, he is grieved when people turn their backs on him to go after the things of this world. Yes, he is pained when people reject him, but he knows that a way has been laid for those who are under judgement of hell to enter into relationship with him.

Verse 17-
Make them pure and holy by teaching them your words of truth.
Make them holy? Yep..not a word you hear a lot about these days..........holiness.
Holiness is not a lifestyle.
It is a way of life that is attained only by God at work in me. God's holiness is accredited to me, and it is through the work of the Holy Spirit that I am changed.
I think where we miss it today if very simple. The verse said, "Make them holy by teaching them your words of truth." Somehow Scripture has gotten lost in the shuffle. People seem to want to hear messages that will give them heaven now here on earth. And when I say "heaven", I mean the material kind...blessings and prosperity. If I remember right the Word says that we should "prosper" as our soul prospers.I hold fast to the idea that we don't grow in God through our experiences. Those supernatural moments where the Spirit of God falls upon us or in a room or at a conference. Don't get me wrong, I love it when such times happen. But the real growth comes by reading and hearing the Word of God. Romans 10:17 reads "Faith comes by hearing and hearing the Word of God." Get it? Faith comes....faith appears.....faith rises up within a heart that has given up when the Word of God is heard not just with human ears but with human hearts. The message of the cross is the power of God. Power to change lives and transport us from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light.
Praise God that is THE good news. I don't have to life in my old ways anymore. Full of bitterness and jealousy and strife. I am now a part of the Kingdom of God.

God on you....
mb

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Looking At The World Through Cracked Lens

As ol' Paul wrote in his Corinthian letters.."We see in part and we know in part." Now what piece of this bit of wisdom do we not get? I wish to not run around acting and trying to be some sort of Biblical G00-Ru (I meant to spell it wrong). Or a sage of sages.

I simply want to be able to communicate some of what God has given to me. Why? Do I think what I get is better than what you may have received from Him? Nope. But I do think encouragement comes when we share our daily story of struggle and victory in an effort to encourage each other.

Thanks for letting me share.

Time to soldier on..

mbb

Our Statement of Faith

We believe that God is the eternal king. He is an infinite, unchangeable Spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, goodness, justice, power and love. From all eternity He exists as the One Living and True God in three persons of one substance, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit equal in power and glory. we believe that God created mankind in His image, male and female, for relationship with Himself and to govern the earth. Under the temptation of Satan, our original parents fell from grace, bringing sin, sickness and God's judgment of death to the earth. Through the fall, Satan and his demonic hosts gained access to God's good creation. Creation now experiences the consequences and effects of Adam's original sin. Human beings are born into sin, subject to God's judgment of death and captive to Satan's kingdom of darkness. We believe that Jesus, God's Son, was sent to this world, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin, Mary, fully God and fully man in one person. He is humanity as God intended us to be. Jesus was anointed as God's Messiah and empowered by the Holy Spirit, ushering in God's kingdom reign on earth, overpowering the reign of Satan by resisting temptation, preaching the good news of salvation, healing the sick, casting out demons and raising the dead. Jesus' atoning death on the cross took God's judgment for sin which we deserved as law-breakers. Jesus' resurrection and ascent back to heaven opened the door for those who received salvation to begin a relationship with God.

Little Nets Into Deep Waters

Fishing nets were designed for one purpose only. To catch fish. Nets are no good if they stay on the boat. Nets serve no purpose if they are never used. I think maybe God sees us this way. We are all created for a purpose (by the way, the creator gets to define what our purpose is). Any other use besides the one we were created for does us no good. But when the creator places His hands upon us, casting us out into those scary, dark places with deep waters, it is then we can see the reality of our purpose. He knew there would be a catch waiting for us. I think I will be the net God has called me to be.

The Twelve Steps

As a community of people in recovery, we affirm that our higher power is Jesus Christ. He did for us what we could not do for ourselves. Just as God told the children of Israel He was going to give them a promised land, He has revealed to us that He desires to give us a "Promised Life." When Israel got to the promised land, God instructed them to go and in a possess it, fight for it and claim it. In recovery, the 12 Steps are the directions given to us on how to fight, possess and claim this promised life.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

John Chapter 17

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THE REALITY OF THE NAME OF GOD