Uncategorized – Page 35

A DISCIPLE HAS FAITH IN JESUS

Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.”
(John 6:29)

I was dangling underneath a helicopter on a rope 100 feet off the ground. Needless to say, I was a little nervous and the thought had crossed my mind more than once was, “is all this equipment strong enough to hold me?” It took a lot of mental discipline to trust my equipment and training and by the time I hit the ground, I had worked up a pretty good sweat. Trusting Jesus can be a lot like my experience. Sometimes, when people talk about faith in Christ, they make it sound so easy. Well, for those of us who have been down the trail a little bit and have had to wade through some of the tougher things in life, we know that faith takes a little work. It’s resolve in the fact that Jesus has our best interest at heart. It’s enduring and pressing on because we know He holds the victory. And ultimately it’s believing He will use our lives to advance His kingdom.

You can receive “Following Jesus” via email by subscribing below.
Enter your Email

Preview | Powered by FeedBlitz

A DISCIPLE LOVES LIKE JESUS DID

Naked Mole Rat

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
(John 13:34–35)
Have you ever tried to love the unlovable? Sure you have. And if you’re like me, you found it very difficult. We’re confronted every day with people who are rude, insensitive, and downright mean. But we know better than to write them off, because when we take a close look in the mirror, we can see some of the same characteristics in our own lives. The Scripture says that “…while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God” (Rom 5.10). We really didn’t have the image of a cute little puppy. It was probably more like trying to hug a buzzard. In fact, our actions proved us to be hostile to Him (maybe more like a ticked-off Naked Mole Rat). And yet, He loved us…to death. That is how Christ loved us and how He commands us to love others. We have the ultimate example to follow. Keep loving the unlovable.

You can receive “Following Jesus” via email by subscribing below.
Enter your Email

Preview | Powered by FeedBlitz

A DISCIPLE SUBMITS TO JESUS AS LORD

“You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am.”
(John 13:13)

So you’re smokin’ down the interstate and suddenly you see a Trooper’s car in the median. What is your automatic response? Apply the breaks to slow down, Right? Even if you’re doing the speed limit, it’s an automatic response. Why? Because you know the Trooper in the car has the authority to give you a ticket. There is a healthy sense of fear attached to violating the law. But in today’s prevalent preaching of grace without the balancing principle of responsibility, there is almost no such reaction when we sin. I believe we have lost the sense of Jesus’ lordship in place of not grace, but licentiousness. So in many cases in American Christianity the State Trooper is treated with more respect than the Creator of the universe. We need to regain the reality of the “Kingship” of Jesus and rightfully have Him rule and reign over our lives. Those who do not may be in for a very unpleasant surprise (Mat 7.21-23).

You can receive “Following Jesus” via email by subscribing below.
Enter your Email

Preview | Powered by FeedBlitz

A DISCIPLE IS A SERVANT

“If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you.”
(John 13:14–15)

It was going to be a long night — especially since there would be no sleep involved. On top of that I had missed dinner. I was looking at the double whammy of sleeplessness and hunger pains for the next 12 hours. But just as I had resolved to be miserable for the duration, my friend Randy and his wife Carol brought me a huge home cooked fried chicken dinner. Randy had taken me under his wing and was discipling me. One of the things he was good at was seeing a need and meeting it. He showed me how to be a servant and love people into the kingdom. I ate that meal more than 30 years ago and I’ve never forgotten that act of kindness. Jesus calls His disciples to serve those around them in powerful ways. Let’s serve others the way He served us.

You can receive “Following Jesus” via email by subscribing below. Enter your Email

Preview | Powered by FeedBlitz

A DISCIPLE GLORIFIES THE FATHER

My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.
(John 15:8)

When I ask people “What is the Christian’s ultimate purpose in life?”, the number one answer I get is “To glorify God”. I would whole heartedly agree with that answer (Isaiah 43.7, 1 Corinthians 10.31). Amazingly, when I ask “How does one do that?” the answers are usually pretty vague. Jesus gives us both a clear answer and example of how to glorify God. Jesus said, “I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do.” (John 17:4) But Jesus had not yet gone to the cross. What was the work He accomplished? In the context, it was raising up obedient disciples (John 17:6–7). Just two chapters earlier, He tells them (and us) how we can glorify the Father: bear much fruit. (John 15.8). In other words, if we want to do what almost every Christian says we ought to be doing, “glorifying God”, a clear and surefire way to do that is by being and making disciples of Jesus!

You can receive “Following Jesus” via email by subscribing below. Enter your Email

Preview | Powered by FeedBlitz

A DISCIPLE BEARS MUCH FRUIT

Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.
(John 15:2)

I recently heard a speaker from India ask the question, “When a mango drops to the ground and the seed is planted, what does it produce?” To which the crowd immediately responded “Mangos!” The speaker quickly replied, “Wrong! Mango trees!” His point is well taken. Jesus is not looking for His disciples to simply make one disciple, dust off their hands, and check that block. No, they are to bear much fruit. When Jesus recruited His men to Himself, He intended to make them fishers of men, to preach the gospel to the world (Matthew 4.19; 28.18-20 John 15.16). Jesus wants to make us super fruitful. That happens when we abide in Him and He prunes us (John 15.1-8). So as we pray let’s ask the Father to make us into “disciple trees” that reproduces more “disciple trees.”

You can receive “Following Jesus” via email by subscribing below. Enter your Email

Preview | Powered by FeedBlitz

A DISCIPLE OPENLY IDENTIFIES WITH CHRIST

Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven.
(Matthew 10:32)

I walked up behind my wife and wrapped my arms around her and whispered in her ear, “Give me a quarter”. I needed some money for an ice cream cone and what better way to get a little change than giving your honey a big hug? But there were two problems: she didn’t have a quarter and she wasn’t my wife! It was a case of mistaken identity and one of the most embarrassing moments of my life. There should be no mistaking a real disciple of Jesus. Our lives are to be so wrapped up in following Him that you can spot us from a mile away. We readily talk about Him; but more importantly, we act like Him. As His disciples, we are quick to recruit others to Him because of the amazing difference He has made in our lives. We are Christ-ones, Jesus-people, men, and women of the Messiah and the world knows it.

A DISCIPLE IS FREED BY THE TRUTH

And you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.
(John 8:32)

I was elbow deep in cleaning the sixth commode of the morning. As a Private, cleaning toilets was now a major part of my life-style. This was not exactly what I was aiming for when I dropped out of High School and joined the Army. I wanted to get away from home and be free. Free!? Somehow cleaning toilets didn’t seem very liberating. But, as I obeyed my leaders and grew as a soldier, it became a perfect fit for me (and I got to do a lot more than clean the latrine). Being a soldier is not for everyone but the truth is. Jesus tells us if we start practicing what He says, we will know the truth and it will set us free. On the outset it may not look like freedom but more like a bunch of rules. As we grow in the truth by obeying His word, we are liberated from things that enslave us. Following Him brings us into a perfect fit with our Creator and this truly sets us free!

You can receive “Following Jesus” via email by subscribing below. Enter your Email

Preview | Powered by FeedBlitz

A DISCIPLE OBEYS HIS WORD

So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine
(John 8:31)

Have you ever tried to take a grilled cheese sandwich apart? I dare you. Just try and separate the bread from the cheese after they have been grilled together. You end up with a grilled cheese messwich. That’s exactly what happens when you try and separate being a disciple of Jesus and obeying His word. According to Jesus Himself, there’s no such thing as a disciple who doesn’t study, know, and practice His word. To illustrate this, I ask guys to hold up their hand in front of them, as I do the same. Then I ask them to follow the motions of my hand with theirs. It’s really pretty easy. Then I ask them to close their eyes and follow my hand. Impossible! You must be able to see Jesus in order to follow Him. To see Him today, we must get into the Word. Then we can adequately follow Him. Make it a daily habit to read the Scriptures.

Photo by Dave Frahm

You can receive “Following Jesus” via email by subscribing below. Enter your Email

Preview | Powered by FeedBlitz

A DISCIPLE PROCLAIMS THE KINGDOM

But He said to him, “Allow the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim everywhere the kingdom of God.”
(Luke 9:59–60)

It has finally happened to me! The uncontrollable urge to tell everyone I meet about my grandchildren. I used to think this was an annoying quirk I had to endure when I was around old people. But now I’m finding that even as a young guy, I’m having a blast! I’ll even show pictures to perfect strangers! I don’t have to work hard at bringing the grandkids into the conversation. I’ll just naturally cram it into what ever we’re talking about. Jesus says His disciples are a lot like zealous grandparents – they want to make sure everyone around them knows about the Kingdom of God. They will go across the street or across the ocean. They will talk to a friend or a foreigner. They will tell you about the King and His rule morning, noon, and night. Grandparents and disciples of Jesus have one thing in common – they will tell you about their passion!

Did I mention this picture is of our grandson for whom I’m praying – that he will know the King and advance His Kingdom? And did I mention we have two more grandbabies on the way? Just thought you needed to know :)

You can receive “Following Jesus” via email by subscribing below. Enter your Email