by Faith Central & Steve Welsh
“‘… The Works I do in My Father’s Name testify to Me. But you do not believe, because you are not among My sheep. My sheep hear My Voice; I know them, and they follow Me. I give them Eternal Life, and they shall never perish. No one can take them out of My Hand. …'”
“Jesus said: ‘Amen, amen, I say to you … whoever enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. … the sheep hear his voice, as he calls his own sheep by name and leads them … * * * ‘Amen, amen, I say to you, I AM the Gate for the sheep. … Whoever enters through Me will be saved … I came so that they might have Life and have it more abundantly.'”
“… the Lord gives us four basic pictures or teachings of how, as the King of Love, He shepherds us. …”
“Jesus said: ‘I AM the Good Shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. … I AM the Good Shepherd,
and I know Mine and Mine know Me, just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I will lay down My Life for the sheep ….”
“… He stood in their midst and said … ‘Peace be with you.’ … He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. … He said to them, ‘Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer and Rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in His Name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. …”
“On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the Disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’ … He showed them His Hands and His Side. … ‘… As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ … He breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.’ Thomas … was not with them … Jesus said ‘Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.’ …”
“On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the Disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’ … He showed them His Hands and His Side. … ‘… As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ … He breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.’ Thomas … was not with them … Jesus said ‘Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.’ …”
“The Disciples of Jesus recounted what had taken place along the way, and how they had come to recognize Him in the breaking of bread. While they were still speaking about this, He stood in their midst and said to them,
‘Peace be with you. … Look at My Hands and My Feet, that it is I Myself. …’ …”
“… two of Jesus’ Disciples were going to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus … Jesus Himself drew near and walked with them… He said to them, ‘… Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into His Glory?’ … while He was with them at table, He took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them. With that their eyes were opened and they recognized Him … the two recounted what had taken place on the way and how He was made known to them in the breaking of the bread.”
“Christ has been raised from the dead: you also, arise! … It is the Day of the Resurrection, and this beginning of a new world has good auspices! Let us then keep the feast with joy: let us embrace one another with the kiss of peace! … Yesterday I was crucified with Christ; today I am glorified with him; yesterday I died with him; today I live again with him; yesterday I was buried with Christ; today I rise with him. So let us bring our offerings to him who suffered and rose again for us … Let us offer ourselves, the possession most precious to God, and most fitting. Let us give back to the image of God within us the beauty that belongs to this image. Let us recognize our dignity; let us honor our archetype. Let us know the power of the mystery, and for what Christ died. Let us make ourselves like Christ since he made himself like us; let us become God through him since he became man for our sake. …”