Author: Chuck & Deb

Calling All Prayer Warriors

I want to recruit 100 people to pray for the Navigator Army Ministry on a daily basis. One of the ways I would like to encourage our men and women laboring among our soldiers is by showing a tangible effort on our part to pray for them. If you’ve noticed I’ve posted on my Blog a new format including Prayers of the Day. Would you please consider joining our prayer team and help us advance the gospel of Jesus and His Kingdom into the Army, the Nation, and the Nations.

If you’d like to join the team, please leave a comment in the comment section below each blog entry (even if its just your initials) at www.tobelikejesus.com . This will give a good indicator of how we are doing. Thanks for praying for us!

Prayer

Help us remember that Jesus has overcome the world

Embolden our faith as we read and trust your words

Help us to pass on this great confidence in the person of Jesus Christ as our example for life and ministry

Observations on John 16.29-33

Jesus had quite the impact on the Disciples when He started speaking plainly (would it have been the same if He hadn’t started with the mysterious approach?) 29

Jesus had laid the ground work for faith with His words and works but now makes it easier on them as He speaks plainly 30

It seems Jesus did not have complete confidence in their faith by His response to their statement 31-32

He predicts that they will abandon Him 32

He expresses His confidence and peace in the Father 32

Although He may not have complete confidence in their faith, He intends His words for the bolstering of their faith and encouragement in times of trouble 33

Jesus has overcome the world 33

Prayer

As disciplers we will know when to be quiet

As disciplers we will be acutely aware of the intake abilities of the disciples

That the HS will reveal the Truth to us

John 16.12-15

Jesus had a lot to say to the disciples 12

He didn’t tell them everything because they could not handle it 12

He was aware of their inability to take in any more information 12

He depends on the HS to reveal more information later 13

He Calls the HS the Spirit of Truth 13

He says He only speaks what the Father wants 13

He says the HS will tell them the future 13

He says the HS’s job is to glorify Him (Jesus) 14

He will reveal things of Jesus to them 14

He says the Father gives info to the Son and the Son to the HS 15

Prayer

That we would listen carefully to the words of Jesus and we wouldn’t fall away

The Father would protect us from the world but we’d be willing to be persecuted for the Name of Jesus

That the Holy Spirit will work powerfully in us and the people around us

Observations on John 16.1-11

Jesus spoke these words to keep the disciples from falling away 1

He says they will ostracize them from religious meetings 2

He says people will think they are doing God a favor by killing His disciples 2

He says the world does these things because the world doesn’t know Him or the Father 3

He spoke these things so that at the right time they will remember 4

He didn’t tell these things because He was with them 4

He tells them He’s going to be with the Father 5

He says none is asking where is He going 5 (?)

He spoke these things and it made them sad 6

He said it was to their advantage that He’s going away because they will have the HS 7

He says when the HS comes He will convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment 8

He says the HS will convict of sin because they don’t believe in Jesus 9

He says the HS will convict of righteousness because He’s leaving to be with the Father 10

He says the HS will convict of judgment because Satan has been judged 9

Prayer

· Our ministries would be known for loving one another

· That we would go and bear fruit that remains

· I would speak well at a fund raising banquet for the Ft Bliss Ministry tonight and people would be generous

Observations on John 15.12-17

Jesus commands us to love one another the way He loved us 12

He says there is no greater love than to lay down your life for friends 13

He tells them they are His friends if they do (obey) what He commanded 14

He doesn’t call them slaves any more 15

He says slaves have no knowledge of what a master is doing 15

He calls them friends because He has made know the Father’s words 15

Jesus says he chose them 16

He appointed them to go and bear fruit that would remain 16

He says this so that what ever we pray to the Father in His name He will give us 16

He reiterates His command to love one another 17

John 13.1-4

Jesus is acutely aware of timing 1

He knew He was going back to the Father 1

He loved His own to the end 1

He knew that God had given Him all things 3

With this since of timing and assurance He washes the disciples feet 4

Washing the Disciples feet was a very calculated and timely act of Jesus

Are we calculated and timely in our fellowship or discipling of another?

The Wise Master Builder (Part 25)

If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is… (1 Cor 3.12-13)

And now we come to a very tricky component of disciplemaking. Generally, what people are looking for is the “how to” of discipleship; tools, methods and techniques. But one of the problems with consumer Christianity is that the latest spiritual growth fad that promises instant spiritual growth fails to deliver. Unfortunately, after falling victim to a series of these glitzy programs people become suspect and tired (and well they should). This is not to say that we shouldn’t have a plan for disciplemaking (Heb 10.24-25). But it does mean that we need to be wary of any promise for instant spirituality. Our safest methods can be discovered by viewing the principles Jesus modeled in His life and then developing tools for our context. Once we understand the principles they will guide us to meaningful methods. We’ll continue this theme in the next chapters.