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Sometimes as we look at God’s instruction book the Bible together and we update the words to make them meaningful to us today. But as we look at this passage Jesus is not only praying to our Father God for his disciples but he also takes the time to pray for you and me. I don’t think the words need updating we just need to understand that Jesus is praying for us today. I am going to read his words again but I will put my name in certain places. As I put my name in put your name in it its place and hear how much Jesus loves you.

Father I'm praying not only for the disciples. But also for Suzy. Because of her and her witness about me. The goal is that she becomes one heart and mind—Just as you, Father, are in me and I in you, So Suzy might be one heart and mind with us. Then the world might believe that you, in fact, sent me. The same glory you gave me, I gave Suzy, So Suzy will be as unified and together as we are—I in Suzy and you in me. Then Suzy will be mature in this oneness, And give the godless world evidence That you've sent me and loved Suzy In the same way you've loved me. 24-26Father, I want Suzy who you gave me to be with me, right where I am, So she can see my glory, the splendor you gave me. Amen

Author - Max Cross, Uncategorized | No Comments »

I am like the disciples in so any ways. They have come across a problem; they don’t understand what Jesus has said to them. So what do they do? They ask each other, what’s this all about. You want to shout out hey guys Jesus is standing next to you ask him you muppets. But hey aren’t I just like them to? Aren’t you like them to? You’r plodding along at college and you come across a problem, what do you do? I’m plodding along with my life in my own merry way and I hit a problem, what do I do? I look at the problem and ask myself, “right how can I work this out?” How can I solve this problem? I ask my mate, “can you help” with this? And then finally when we have tried every other option, some bright spark says hey how about praying? It’s at that point I want to shout to myself “hey muppet pray at the beginning, not when every other option fails.” Remember Jesus is standing alongside you and he really doesn’t mind you asking him questions.

Author - Max Cross, Uncategorized | No Comments »

So up to now Jesus had been babysitting the disciples, but finally it’s his time to go. Jesus lays down the truth because after he is gone they will be on their own. He says I am telling you the truth about the world because soon I am going to hang on a cross. Yep they will not be able to turn to Jesus and say where now? No, when they get stumped by a question their friends ask they will no longer be able to point to a physical Jesus and say ask him. You could say that they will become just like us. When our mates ask us why God allows suffering to happen, we can’t walk up to Jesus with them and ask him to tell them. When we have a real tough time we don’t get the option to walk up to Jesus and say where now? And that happens in other areas of our life doesn’t it? At some point we will leave our parents and get on with life. At some point we will move on from our groups and onto new areas. When we do, we will find out if our belief in Jesus is ours, or did we just go to Church because of our parents. We will find out if we have the guts to continue to follow Jesus’s teachings, or if we just liked the fun we had in our groups. Thankfully although just like the disciples we will be on our own, Jesus did not leave us alone. Jesus left us with the Holy Spirit, so when we have moments when we are not sure what to do we can shout out to our Father God. We can shout in prayer, what should I do? Where now?

Author - Max Cross, Uncategorized | No Comments »

Do you have people take the mickey out of you? Do people wind you up because you say you are a Christian? Maybe worse still you get bullied because you are a Christian? Hey good news, Jesus says don’t be surprised, they hate him too. “Oh that’s OK then, phew I thought I was the only one, why didn’t you say so before, no worries.” But that’s no help really, is it? Just because we know people ridiculed and beat Jesus, it doesn’t make it any easier when they ridicule and hit us. And if these things don’t happen to us, we hear stories that they happen to other people, and then start panicking that it may happen to us. So what is the answer? Well I’m not sure I have one. I could say love Jesus and you will never have another problem again. But Jesus didn’t say that. He did say what these people are doing is because of him and not because of you. He did promise that you will party with him in Heaven if you accept him as your saviour. He did say that you will have the Holy Spirit with you, and Jesus did say that God would listen to your prayers. So I guess we have only one example to follow, and when we are afraid or worried about these things we should pray to God, and ask not only for his help but for his peace.

Author - Max Cross, Uncategorized | No Comments »

Once again Jesus is talking to a bunch of people who grow their own crops and know about grapes; so he talks to them about fruit and how their lives are like growing fruit. If he was talking directly to us today, I am sure he would use different pictures to get his message across, but his message would be the same. Jesus might say something like, I am the games console and my Father is the games master. Those players who ignore the games master will lose lives; they won’t complete the levels and will lose the game. Every player that listens to the games master will receive hints and tips from him. The games master will teach you, and whilst it may take several attempts to win a level, eventually you will win the game. When we read and pray to God we are listening to the Farmer, we are listening to the Games Master. Listening to God will show with the actions we take in our lives, and we will bear fruit, we will win levels. When we listen to God and remember the ultimate cheat in game playing, we will love one another and it will not be “game over” it will be “game on.”

Author - Max Cross, Uncategorized | No Comments »