January 11, 2004


1 John 1 and 2


This is the message that we heard from Christ, in a nutshell. God is pure light without a trace of darkness in Him.

If we say that we know God but keep living the same old life, then we are lying.


If we admit our sins he will forgive us and clean us up.

If we do sin, we have a Priest in the presence of God, Jesus, He has taken care of our sin problem once and for all.

This is how we can be sure that we really know God: We will obey His commandments. If we say we know God, but don't keep His commandments, then we are a liar, and we don't know Him at all. This is the very theme of the Bible. Obey God.


If you are filled with hate, then you don't know God.


If you hate other Christians ~ your brothers and sisters ~ then you don't know God. Live in God's light by loving other Christians.

Hatred blocks the light from others and blinds the hater into darkness.


1 John 1:5-2:11
APV
Inspired by The Message Bible



January 8, 2004


Mark 16
The Resurrection of

Sunday morning, three days after Jesus had died on the cross, His mom and two of His home girls, Mary and Salome, showed up at His grave -a cave with a big stone rolled over it. They were worrying about who they could get to roll that big ol stone out of the way, as they wanted to put spices on His body to embalm Him.

But, when they showed up at the cave, the stone had already been rolled away.
They walked into the tomb/cave and there was an angel sitting there on the place that they had layed Jesus.

The angel said; "Don't be scared! Jesus isn't here, He's alive! Go tell all His friends that He is going to meet you in Galilee!"

Well, Jesus' Mom, Mary and Salome were so stunned they couldn't even speak! They didn't tell anyone what they had seen.

One of Jesus best friends, Mary Magdelene, went back to the empty tomb to cry. As she was sitting there sobbing, a voice behind her said "Mary, why are you crying?" It was Jesus! Mary ran all the way back to His friends and with sobs, told them all she had seen, and that Jesus was alive!

They didn't believe her. They always thought she was a little nuts anyway.


Later, when two of His friends were hanging out in the country, Jesus showed up and talked to them. They ran back and told the others, but no one believed them either.


That night at dinner time, when the eleven closest friends of Jesus were eating dinner, Jesus showed up. He chewed them all out for not believing the ones that He had sent to tell them He was alive.

Jesus said to the eleven that night:


"Go on out there in the world.
Tell everyone everything I told you!
Tell them the Good News about Me.
If they believe you and get babtized they will be saved!
If they don't, they won't.

This is how everyone will know that you are really my friends, and have my permission to teach this Good News:

These are the signs that will follow your teaching:

You will throw out demons in My name!

You will speak in tongues.

You will hold poisonous snakes in your hands, and not get bit.

You will drink poison and not even get sick.

(Many Christians were thrown into snake pits and forced to drink poison soon after this was spoken due to severe persecution, with miraculous historical accounts of not being harmed. Even today there are Christians all over the world surviving persecution.-see the book "Jesus Freaks" and "Jesus Freaks2" by dcTalk)

You will lay your hands on someone and that person will be cured and healed.



After Jesus told them all of this, His feet gently lifted from the ground and He began to float up to the sky! He kept going higher and higher as His friends, gaped in amazement. Jesus had sat down right next to God in the place of Highest Honor!


The friends of Jesus went all over the world, telling everyone about Jesus and His Good News, and the signs and wonders that He had talked about followed them as they taught.


Mark 16 APV {Ann's Paraphrased Version}
Inspired by The Message Bible~www.messagebible.com
A few of todays friends of Jesus that have these signs following their message:

TBN ~ Trinity Broadcasting Network {http://www.tbn.org}
Benny Hinn {http://www.bennyhinn.org}
Karen Wheaton/Chosen {http://karenwheaton.com}

Current news on Persecuted Christians from Voice of the Martyrs:
http://www.persecution.com


~.~.~.~.~.~.~.


Deuteronomy 11:
APV
"Take all the words from the bible and read them.

Then put them inside of your heart.
Get them way down deep inside.

Talk about them wherever you are!
If you are sitting at home with your family...

or walking around in the mall with your friends.

As soon as you wake up in the morning, start talking about these words you have buried in your heart!

Let them be the last words whispered in the night when you lay your head on your pillow and go to sleep.

Carve them on your front door,

and on the bumper of your car.

You will have a long and happy life."

Deuteronomy 11

~.~.~.~.~.

John 1
APV

First, there was the Word.
The Word was with God.
God was with the Word.
The Word WAS God.

Everything that has ever been made has been made through Him.

What was made was Life and

Brightly blazing out of the darkness

Nothing can put out the Light.
A man named John was sent to tell of the coming Light.
The Light was there, and everything that has ever been made was made through Him, but no one noticed, until John pointed Him out.

Who ever believes that He is who He claims to be, and that He will do what He said He will do, is born again into the Kingdom of God.
The Word
The Life
The Light
Is Jesus.

God loved the world so much, He gave His one and only Son to us.
Why would He do that?
That whoever believes in Jesus, won't die, but live forever in heaven as a child of God.
God's Light filled the earth, but people ran into the darkness to hide.
They hid because they didn't want to clean up their life.
They wanted to keep sleepin around,
and smokin pot,
hangin out at the bars.
They wanted to keep all their money for themselves and not have to share it with 'the losers that wouldn't get a job.'
They wanted to keep flippin people off and losin their temper.
They liked cussin up a storm.
God's Light came into the world and the people ran and hid.
A few believed, and trusted in God's Light, Jesus.
Everyone that trusts in God and His Light Jesus is forgiven for everything they ever did, and saved.


No matter how bad it was.
Drug addicts,
partiers,
even Satan worshippers.
Anyone that comes into the Light and says to Jesus gets in on everything that God has, a Life forever in the Light, and nothing can put out the Light.


The Light will put out the darkness.
The darkness cannot put out the Light.
John 1
APV
Ann's Paraphrased Version
Inspired by The Message Bible

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