The Gospel of John for Readers

Lightheart

Informations

• Publié par: ewloo
• Publié le: 08 décembre 2010
• Nombre de lectures: 46
• Langue: English

Extrait

The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Gospel of John for Readers, by Lightheart

This is a COPYRIGHTED Project Gutenberg ** eBook, Details Below ** ** Please follow the copyright guidelines in this file. **

Copyright (C) 2002 by Lightheart

This header should be the first thing seen when viewing this Project Gutenberg file. Please do not remove it. Do not change or edit the header without written permission.

Please read the "legal small print," and other information about the eBook and Project Gutenberg at the bottom of this file. Included is important information about your specific rights and restrictions in how the file may be used. You can also find out about how to make a donation to Project Gutenberg, and how to get involved.

**Welcome To The World of Free Plain Vanilla Electronic Texts**

**eBooks Readable By Both Humans and By Computers, Since 1971**

*****These eBooks Were Prepared By Thousands of Volunteers!*****

Title: The Gospel of John for Readers

Author: Lightheart

Release Date: May, 2004 [EBook #5656] [Yes, we are more than one year ahead of schedule] [This file was first posted on August 4, 2002] [Most recently updated August 31, 2002]

Edition: 10

Language: English

*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK, THE GOSPEL OF JOHN FOR READERS ***

Copyright (C) 2002 by Lightheart.

The Gospel of John for Readers

Editor's Preface

"We must know before we can love. In order to   know God, we must often think of Him. And when we come to love Him, we shall then also think of

Him often, for our heart will be with our treasure " … Brother Lawrence's The Practice of the Presence of God.

The way to know God is by reading the gospels. Gospel is interpreted Good News - God's good news to His world. It is the new testament and perspective we must have in order to know and love Him as He means us to know and love Him.

The gospel of John is called the gospel of love. And, indeed, it is a love story, written by that disciple whose heart was totally surrendered. Brother Lawrence, whose heart was also totally surrendered, was a great believer in doing what was most practical, simple, and direct.

The Gospel of John for Readers is the KJV lovingly and faithfully adapted to a flowing narrative style to allow for easy reading enjoyment. May it help us all to see the exquisite beauty and simple yet practical message of God's good news through eyes of love.

in His gentle service, Lightheart PracticeGodsPresence.com August 2002

The Gospel of John

1. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same

was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him. Without Him was not any thing made that was made. In Him was life; and the life was the light of men. The light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came to bear witness of the Light that all men through Him might believe. John was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not. He came unto His own, and His own received Him not. But as many as received Him, to them He gave power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name: those who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. And we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten son of the Father, full of grace and truth.

John bore witness of Him and cried, saying, This was He of whom I spoke. He that cometh after me is preferred before me because He was before me. We have all received of His fullness, grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. No man hath seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, hath declared Him.

And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou? And he confessed and did not deny. He confessed, I am not the Christ. And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No. Then said they unto him, Who art thou that we may give an answer to them that sent us? What sayest thou of thyself? He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as was said by the prophet Esaias. And they who were sent by the Pharisees asked him, Why baptizest thou then if thou be not that Christ nor Elias nor that prophet?

John answered them, saying, I baptize with water but there standeth One among you, whom ye know not. He it is, who, coming after me, is preferred before me and whose foot straps I am not worthy to unloose. These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan where John was baptizing. When John saw Jesus coming toward him, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God who taketh away the sin of the world. This is He of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me because He was before me. I knew Him not except that He should be made manifest to Israel. Therefore I come baptizing with water. John bore record saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon Him. I knew Him not except that He who sent me to baptize

with water said to me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending and remaining on Him, this is He which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. I saw Him, and bare record that this is the Son of God.

The next day John and two of his disciples saw Jesus as He walked. John said, Behold the Lamb of God! The two disciples heard John speak and followed Jesus. Jesus turned, saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said to Him, Rabbi, (which is interpreted, Master) where dwellest Thou? He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where He dwelt and abode with Him that day. It was about the tenth hour.

One of the two which heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. First he findeth his own brother, Simon, and saith to him, We have found the messias, (which is interpreted, the Christ) and he brought him to Jesus. When Jesus beheld him He said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona. Thou shalt be called Cephas (which is interpreted, a stone).

A day later, Jesus went forth into Galilee and findeth Philip and saith unto him, Follow me. Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip findeth Nathanael and saith unto him, We have found Him of whom Moses in the law and the prophets did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. And Nathanael said unto him, Can any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto

him, Come and see.

Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him and saith of him, Behold an Israelite in whom is no guile! Nathanael saith unto Him, Whence knowest Thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. Nathanael answered and saith unto Him, Rabbi, Thou art the Son of God. Thou art the King of Israel.

Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee I saw thee under the fig tree believest thou? Thou shalt see greater things than these. And He saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.

2. Three days later there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee. The mother of Jesus was there. And both Jesus and His disciples were called to the marriage. And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto Him, They have no wine. Jesus saith unto her, But what am I to do? Mine hour is not yet come. His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever He saith unto you, do it.

Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece. Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. They filled

them up to the brim. Then He saith unto them, Draw out now, and carry them unto the governor of the feast.

When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine and knew not whence it was, (but the servants which drew the water knew) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom. He saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine, and, when men have well drunk, then that which is worse, but thou hast kept the good wine until now! This beginning of miracles Jesus did in Cana of Galilee. He showed forth His glory and His disciples believed on Him.

After this He went down to Capernaum, He, His mother, His brethren, and His disciples. They continued there for a few days. The passover was at hand. Jesus went up to Jerusalem and found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves and changers of money sitting. And when He had made a scourge of small cords, He drove them all out of the temple and overthrew the tables. He said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence. Make not my Father's house a house of merchandise. Here His disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.

Then answered the Jews and said unto Him, What sign showest Thou unto us, seeing that Thou doest these things? Jesus answered and said unto them,

Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt Thou raise it up again in three days? But He spoke of the temple of His body. When, therefore, He was risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them and they believed the scripture and the word which Jesus had said.

When He was in Jerusalem at the passover feast day, many believed in His name when they saw the miracles which He did. But Jesus did not commit Himself.

3. There was a man named Nicodemus, a Pharisee and a ruler of the Jews. He came to Jesus by night and said unto Him, Rabbi, we know that Thou art a teacher come from God because no man can do these miracles that Thou doest unless God be with Him. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto Him, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mother's womb and be born?

Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth

where it listeth and thou hearest the sound but cannot tell whence it cometh and whither it goeth. The same is as I have said of the Spirit.

Nicodemus answered and said unto Him, How can these things be? Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel and knowest not these things? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak what we know, testify that we have seen, and ye receive not our witness. If I have told you earthly things and ye believe not, how shall ye believe if I tell you of heavenly things?

No man hath ascended up to heaven except He that came down from heaven, the Son of man. As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness even so must the Son of man be lifted up so that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world but that the world, through Him, might be saved. He that believeth on Him is not condemned. But he that believeth not is condemned already because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

This is the condemnation: light is come into the world and men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. Every one that doeth evil hateth the light and cometh not to the