This is the story of a collection of people who follow Jesus. We live in Littleton. We encounter people in the name of Jesus, we allow Jesus to turn us into disciples, we gather often, and we equip people to love and serve other people better.

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Hey friends, anyone ever read any of these?

-200604152

The helper by Catherine Marshall
To be a leader by Lloyd lewan
The idea of a Christian college by Arthur Holmes
Liberation management by tom Peters
Follow me by Jan Hettinga
The road ahead by bill gates
Three power of the poor in history by Gustavo Gutierrez

Posted via email from Mark Kraakevik

Sunday, September 09, 2012

Today's sermon - John 9

John 9

9:1  As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

*******the disciples have only two categories based on an assumption.  Bad things happen to bad people.  A bad thing happened to this man.  He is a bad person (or his parents are bad - since he came out blind).

3 “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4 As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

******This happened so that the work of God might be displayed.  Wherever Jesus goes, there is light.  He brings light.  He is light.  

******Darkness is coming????  Three days in the grave?  Hell???  When is "the night?"

6 After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. 7 “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.

****** After saying this, he put mud in the guys eyes - insult to injury
****** Sent him to go wash - he is blind!!!  He did not lead him to the pool, he sent him
****** first act of obedience.  Baptism?
****** first person to respond in the man, who responds with obedience - and is healed

8 His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some claimed that he was.

Others said, “No, he only looks like him.”

But he himself insisted, “I am the man.”

****** second group to respond is the neighbors - who have mixed responses, some believe, some do not

10 “How then were your eyes opened?” they asked.

11 He replied, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.”

12 “Where is this man?” they asked him.

“I don’t know,” he said.

****** The once blind man continues his "progress" as a disciple.  He know tells everything he knows.  I once was blind and now I see.  As to where he is, I don't know.

The Pharisees Investigate the Healing

13 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. 14 Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man’s eyes was a Sabbath. 15 Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. “He put mud on my eyes,” the man replied, “and I washed, and now I see.”

******* This is a crazy meeting.  The Pharisees want Jesus dead, and they want his "miracles" discredited."
******* The blind man continues his growth as a disciple, by now testifying in a hostile environment.  His testimony is now shorter and to the point.  But it is still "the story"

16 Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.”

But others asked, “How can a sinner perform such signs?” So they were divided.

****** We now get the response of the Pharisees.  And to their credit, some are at least asking the right question.  "How can a sinner perform such signs?"

17 Then they turned again to the blind man, “What have you to say about him? It was your eyes he opened.”

The man replied, “He is a prophet.”

****** Now the new disciple is starting to draw some conclusions of his own... this man is a prophet.  Its not rocket science, but it is further down the road towards truth than the Pharisees are willing to go.

18 They still did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they sent for the man’s parents. 19 “Is this your son?” they asked. “Is this the one you say was born blind? How is it that now he can see?”

20 “We know he is our son,” the parents answered, “and we know he was born blind. 21 But how he can see now, or who opened his eyes, we don’t know. Ask him. He is of age; he will speak for himself.” 22 His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders, who already had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue. 23 That was why his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”

***** Now we get the final group to respond to the miracle.  The parents.  The neighbor's question.  The Pharisees confront.  The parents can't take the heat.

24 A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. “Give glory to God by telling the truth,” they said. “We know this man is a sinner.”

25 He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!”

26 Then they asked him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?”

27 He answered, “I have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples too?”

***** Give glory to God by telling the truth - which is exactly what he does.  The heat keeps getting turned up, and the new disciple just keeps doing his thing.  Telling the truth that he knows, and not speculating on what he does not know.  As the motives of the Pharisees become obvious, the man starts to respond.  What is it you guys want?  I don't thing you are seeking truth."

28 Then they hurled insults at him and said, “You are this fellow’s disciple! We are disciples of Moses! 29 We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don’t even know where he comes from.”

30 The man answered, “Now that is remarkable! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. 31 We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does his will. 32 Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”

34 To this they replied, “You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!” And they threw him out.

***** This is the climax of the story
***** Truth has been spoken, light has shown brightly, and darkness has been revealed.  

35 Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”

36 “Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.”

37 Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.”

38 Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.

***** The disciple now comes full circle - from obedience, to witness, to worship

***** This is probably as far as we will get today.  Next week we will break down the difference between those who know they are blind, and those who claim they can see.  

***** Today the point is this:  The Glory of God shines when truth is identified and proclaimed.  Every moment of our life has the seed of God's glory in it.  Every single moment.  And to say, "someday it will be glorious, is to say, "my sin has ruined this moment."  Or "my parents sin ruined this moment."  Or "my life had potential, until I screwed it up." or "my life had potential until my parents screwed me us" is to approach our lives like the disciples approach this man...."who sinned, that this life before us is so ugly, so irreparable."  

That is a lie.  Your life today radiants God's glory.  Everything about your life today is a gift from God.  And if you question it, stop!  If you challenge it, stop!  If you are afraid to testify, stop!  Be come a disciple today.  Obey.  Then tell someone.  Then worship GOD!  

For next week:

39 Jesus said,[a] “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.”

40 Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, “What? Are we blind too?”

41 Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.

Mark Kraakevik

of 8776 West Geddes Place, Littleton, CO 80128
Mark can be reached at 720-308-4051
Mark's blog can be found at www.markkraakevik.posterous.com

Posted via email from Mark Kraakevik

Monday, September 03, 2012

Happy Labor day

2012-09-03_10-59-47_249

Annika on rocks

Sent from my Verizon Wireless Droid

Posted via email from Mark Kraakevik