Tom Allen

     Put yourself in the shoes of Jesus' followers.  They were there and saw him die.  But, that's not what was supposed to happen.  Everything the was going so right, now has gone all wrong.  Their minds were racing.  Their hearts were broken.  He was supposed to be the King of the Jews.  He was supposed to change everything.  He was supposed to make everything right.  Put together what was broken.  And then...everything that could go wrong, did. Read John 19.

     Jesus had one last request to make before his death.  He knew what he was facing the following day, but his final prayer was not for himself, but for you.  Jesus' prayer is a wonderful window into God's will for us.  Why not make the choice to be the answer the Jesus' prayer this week?  Go through is prayer line-by-line to see just how to do it.  Look for practical ways to be one with God and one with each other.  Make Jesus' prayer your prayer, that the world will recognize his glory and come to know him through our unity and our love. Read John 17.  

As Jesus and his disciples leave the Upper Room and head to the Garden of Gethsemane, their rout takes them through the vineyards of Jerusalem.  Jesus sees the opportunity for an object lesson.  The purpose: To make sure we know who we are...and who we are not. Jesus wants us to know we are the branches.  We have one job and one job only...holding on to the vine.  That's Jesus.  Our Heavenly Father is the gardener.  He does all the work on us, while Jesus, the vine, does all the work in us.  Our job:  Just hang on.  The Result:  We bear fruit.  But we must remember, our job is not bearing fruit, it's holding on, staying connected to Jesus.  The Father does the pruning.  And Jesus provides everything needed for us to bear great fruit. Think about that today: My job is to cling to, remain in, connect to Jesus.  When I do that, good things happen! Read John 15.

Jesus has just set the example of the service and love they will need from one another in the days to come.  Now, he turns to giving them promises.  Promises that will not fail even though he leaves them.  In fact, promises that will not be empowered unless  he leaves. Jesus promises them and us  a place prepared for us in heaven, the ability and availability to speak to him any time they desire in prayer, the gift of the Holy Spirit, God himself living, not just with them, but i n them, and the promise of peace that denies and defies any and all circumstances. Read John 14.

Sorry for the late start, but there were technical difficulties.  As always. This passage illustrates one of Jesus' main purposes for his life on earth, to be a human example of how God would have us to live.  Jesus didn't say, "Do as I say", but rather, "Do as I do".  The most incredible part of this account is that even with the incredulous claims of his disciples, his foretelling of his betrayal and the bickering of his disciples about who would be the greatest, he still simply exemplifies the greatness of a servant. Read John 13.

Easter is less than three weeks away!  If you are someone who calls Crosspoint Church "home", we are asking that for Easter weekend you serve one day.  We are expecting over 2,000 and we want to be ready for them to show up and experience the best Easter ever!  Just email info@crosspointchurch.tv and we will get you plugged in today!