REAL JOY!!

How about some normal Christianity for a change...                                                        
Just open the apostle Paul’s letter to the PHILIPPIANS in Macedonia... no political in-fighting or immorality or compromise – not even a ‘Senior Pastor’ running the show!  
Just joy amid persecution.

You can read it for yourself but here’s some background...      

Philippi was a Roman colony on the famous battleground that established the Roman Empire, situated on the vital Egnatian highway linking Europe with Asia, and a medical centre popular among army veterans in retirement.                                          

What a master-stroke of the Holy Spirit – directing Paul, Silas, Timothy and Luke here, bringing the gospel to Europe with a BANG! of course... as in earthquake. What else happened on that first day?                    
Prayer, conversions, household baptism, persecution, floggings, then...                  

‘Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises unto God; the prisoners heard them.’

Europe...welcome to the gospel of Jesus Christ! 

Now Paul is elderly, again imprisoned and possibly awaiting execution, when unexpectedly Epaphroditus arrives in Rome with a gift to show that Philippi hadn’t forgotten beloved Paul.
Does he thank them all as ‘the pope in Rome’?  

No, he and Timothy take the humble place of a doulos (slave) of Jesus Christ.

Where’s the doom and gloom with the executioner’s sword hanging over their heads?

No, it is full of JOY – 16 times!...and why not? The gospel had reached all the way to ‘all the palace’ and now many of Caesar’s household believe!                     

Meanwhile there’s none of that ‘soul sleep’ nonsense for Paul...                  

“For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain...to depart and to be with Christ; which is far better”

So where is the reason for real joy?  That comes NEXT!

7 x 7 WRAPS UP JOHN's GOSPEL

Whatever has John’s Gospel got to do with wire-rope arrestor cables on aircraft carriers? Notice there are 7 bundles of 7 strands: ‘7 x 7’... a very strong arrangement of the highest single-digit prime number.... just like John’s Gospel!                       

7 times Jesus identifies as ‘ego eimi’: I AM ...including ch18 where a band of armed Roman soldiers are knocked over backwards by the I AM!                 

7 titles of Jesus... (plus a bonus for the future: the ‘Son of Man’)                                

The Word, God, the Light, the Son of God, the King of Israel, the Lamb of God, and the Messiah/Christ

7 signs/miracles from Jesus – just from His voice!... (plus a bonus 153 great fish!)

• Ch 2: water into wine - “Whatever He says to you, do it!”
• Ch 4: a nobleman ‘believed the word’ – his son was healed
• Ch 5: “Rise, take up your bed and walk”
• Ch 6: The Bread of Life feeds 5000+
• Ch 6: Jesus walks on a stormy sea - “It is I, be not afraid”; instantly their ship arrives!
• Ch 9: Mud in the eye... then: “Go wash”
• Ch 11: “Lazarus come forth”

7x “I am the...”

• The Bread of life
• The Light of the world
• The Door
• The Good Shepherd
• The Resurrection
• The Way, the Truth and the Life
• The True Vine

7 claims by Jesus in chapter 5:

• He works with the Father
• The Father loves the Son
• He gives life like the Father
• The Father has given judgment to the Son – as Son of Man!
• All should honour the Son and the Father
• His words give eternal life to any who believe
• His voice will even raise the dead!                                             

 7 charges laid by Jesus in chapter 8:

• Ye seek to kill Me
• Ye are from beneath… I am from above
• Ye are of this world… I am not of this world
• Ye believe Me not
• Ye are of your father the devil
• God’s words; ye therefore hear them not
• I honour my Father… ye do dishonour Me

That’s 6 sequences of 7. There are lots more in John’s Gospel, so... you can find a 7^th.

What was John’s purpose? “...that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and that believing ye might have life through His Name.”                  

There was double witness to this!... John the Baptist, Jesus’ works, the Father’s public endorsement, and the Scriptures.

What was that warning from John the Baptist?                                                     

“He that believeth NOT the Son…the WRATH of God abideth on him”

Remember the claim John made at the outset?... “the Word was God”          

Finally the disciples were sure: “My Lord and my God!”                                      

John also claimed... ‘Esaias [Isaiah] saw His [Jesus’] glory and spoke of Him’.  Yup...700 years before!                           

The Jews were expecting their new king or Messiah. What they weren’t expecting was God showing up in the person of Jesus – the real temple of God!                   

Why??  Love for the people of the world! ...and that’s how John felt – loved by Jesus.                                                                                    

“For God so loved the world 

that he gave His only begotten Son 

that whosoever believeth in Him     

may not perish but have everlasting life.”

  So why do people claim Jesus was just a good man and not God Manifest?


NEXT: We open apostle Paul's letter to the PHILIPPIANS to find real joy...
http://guvsdesk.blogspot.com.au/2017/03/real-joy.html

"YOU FOLLOW ME"

Jesus meets up with His disciples in Galilee as promised but... not how they expected!
Does He give them a bollocking for running away at His arrest? No.        
...or for not burying His dead body?  No.                                                         
...or for not believing He would rise from the dead?  No.  
...or for not getting out there to tell the world that He has risen?  No.     
He shows these ‘experts’ how to really catch fish – big time!... plus He turns on a beach barbeque of fishburgers!                                          

Now for a walk along the beach... to turn the spotlight on Simon Peter, the son of Jonas! (Jn 21:15- )                                                                                                   
Remember Peter was the first disciple chosen, he is always the first named, and he likes being the spokesman.                                                            
“I will lay down my life for Thy sake”  How brave!                                    

How about this?...

“Though all men shall be offended because of Thee, yet I will never be offended”  Ooo...careful there Peter!

Now poor Peter squirms... ‘Do you really love me?’                         

Notice Jesus’ answer is always: “FOLLOW ME”.                                 

Peter now finds out what he will face at the end... Crucifixion too!

 

(By the way, notice how the early Christians expected Jesus to return during John’s lifetime. The imminent rapture of the Church is not the invention of fundamentalists in the 1800’s – it has always been the hope of true Christians who follow Jesus.)

What about you? Do you love Jesus?   

Will you follow Him too - no matter what?

NEXT: What did we learn from John?
http://guvsdesk.blogspot.com.au/2017/03/7-x-7-wraps-up-johns-gospel.html