The Gospel Sync – #5 – Luke 1:5-25 

Rather listen? Click here…

ENGLISH / ESPAÑOL

Welcome Back! Today, we’ll be looking at the Gospel of Luke to see how we as disciple makers ought to respond to doubt.

So let’s dive in.

(Click here to get a copy of the Gospel Sync document) 

 

Luke 1:5-25

In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah, and whose wife Elizabeth was a daughter of Aaron. Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and decrees of the Lord. But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well along in years. One day while Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. And at the hour of the incense offering, the whole congregation was praying outside. Just then an angel of the Lord appeared to Zechariah, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and gripped with fear. But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He shall never take wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb. Many of the sons of Israel he will turn back to the Lord their God. And he will go on before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” “How can I be sure of this?” Zechariah asked the angel. “I am an old man, and my wife is well along in years.” “I am Gabriel,” replied the angel. “I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. And now you will be silent and unable to speak until the day this comes to pass, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled at their proper time.” Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he took so long in the temple. When he came out and was unable to speak to them, they realized he had seen a vision in the temple. He kept making signs to them but remained speechless. And when the days of his service were complete, he returned home. After these days, his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. She declared, “The Lord has done this for me. In these days He has shown me favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.”

My Thoughts

It appears that Zacharias was having some serious doubts!

 “How can I be sure of this?” Zechariah asked the angel. “I am an old man, and my wife is well along in years.” “I am Gabriel,” replied the angel. “I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. And now you will be silent and unable to speak until the day this comes to pass, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled at their proper time.” 

 In other words, Zacharias had an angel right before him delivering this incredible message, yet he still doubted. This is key for us as disciple-makers, because everyone has doubts, even the best disciples. Listen to Matthew 28:16-17:

 “Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them…When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted.” 

Doubt is part of discipleship, so dealing with it must be a prime tool in our toolbox.

So how do we as disciple-makers handle doubt? First, keep them in God’s Word. Romans 10:17 says, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Make sure they’re saturated in Scripture themselves; it will increase faith and decrease doubts.  

Another way is to help them track answered prayers. James 1:17 reminds us, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” All the good things we prayed for that we’ve received, even those we didn’t pray for, come from the Father above. Recounting these should lift us from the gloom and shadow of doubt.

Next, have them reflect on God’s promises and how He’s fulfilled them. This ties to answered prayer. 2 Corinthians 1:20 says, “For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen.” God’s promises are as sure as concrete; you can take them to the bank – they are “Yes” and “Amen” in Christ. Reflecting on God’s fulfilled promises is a way out of the corners and doldrums of doubt.

Finally, as disciple-makers, we need to tend to our own doubts. Perhaps be honest when doubting, showing weakness to those we disciple. It’s okay to be honest rather than pretending perfection; a big part of disciple-making is acknowledging we struggle with the same issues. We want to model overcoming doubt too. Like in Mark 9 when a disciple couldn’t cast out a demon, and the boy’s dad pleaded with Jesus, “I do believe; help my unbelief!” As disciple-makers, we must acknowledge our own doubts, deal with them openly, and model becoming victorious over doubt.

My Story

Here is your outline turned into a story about being assigned to Korea as a soldier in 1982 and experiencing doubts about God’s presence before being reassured by Scripture:

In 1982, I received orders to report for duty in Korea. As a Christian, I intellectually knew the concept of God’s omnipresence – that He is everywhere at all times. But as my deployment date approached, doubts began to creep in. Would I really be able to experience God’s presence that far away from home? 

When I landed in Korea after the long flight, I was jet lagged and disoriented. In those first few moments, I didn’t feel God’s presence at all. I felt utterly alone in a strange land. Even after a couple of days of getting acclimated to my new surroundings, that aloneness persisted. Where was God? I wondered if I had left His presence behind when I left American soil.

Then one day, I remembered certain verses in the Bible. His presence goes everywhere, even to the uttermost parts of the earth. I was reminded of David’s prayer in Psalm 139:7-10:

“Where shall I go from your Spirit? 

Or where shall I flee from your presence?

If I ascend to heaven, you are there!

If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!

If I take the wings of the morning

and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,

even there your hand shall lead me,

and your right hand shall hold me.”

God did not remain stateside – Those powerful words reassured my doubting heart. God was just as present in Korea as He was back home. As I opened my eyes to see His hand at work, I began experiencing His blessings through the fellowship of believers and answered prayers. The doubts started fading quickly. I realized my feelings of aloneness stemmed from my own fleeting perspective, not reality. No matter how far I traveled, I could never escape the Lord’s presence. He was with me in that foreign land, just as He had promised.

Our Action Plan

Now it’s time for application. Here’s some ideas;

• Ask those you are discipling; “What prayers has God recently answered?”
• Ask them; “What promises of God are you holding on to in these difficult times?”
• Share when you had doubts and how you overcame them.

Dealing with doubt is an essential part of discipleship. As disciple-makers, we must equip those we are discipling with the tools to overcome doubt by keeping them grounded in God’s Word, recounting answered prayers, reflecting on God’s promises, and being transparent about our own struggles with doubt. When we model honestly working through doubts while still clinging to faith, it provides a powerful example for those we are discipling to follow.

Lo Dudo…

 La Sincronía del Evangelio – #5 – Lucas 1:5-25

¡Bienvenido! Hoy, vamos a ver el Evangelio de Lucas para ver cómo… Con el propósito de…

Asi que comencemos.

(Click here to get a copy of the Gospel Sync document) 

 Lucas 1:5-25

“Hubo en los días de Herodes, rey de Judea, un sacerdote llamado Zacarías, de la clase de Abías; su mujer era de las hijas de Aarón, y se llamaba Elisabet. Ambos eran justos delante de Dios, y andaban irreprensibles en todos los mandamientos y ordenanzas del Señor.  Pero no tenían hijo, porque Elisabet era estéril, y ambos eran ya de edad avanzada.  Aconteció que ejerciendo Zacarías el sacerdocio delante de Dios según el orden de su clase, conforme a la costumbre del sacerdocio, le tocó en suerte ofrecer el incienso, entrando en el santuario del Señor.  Y toda la multitud del pueblo estaba fuera orando a la hora del incienso.  Y se le apareció un ángel del Señor puesto en pie a la derecha del altar del incienso.  Y se turbó Zacarías al verle, y le sobrecogió temor.  Pero el ángel le dijo: Zacarías, no temas; porque tu oración ha sido oída, y tu mujer Elisabet te dará a luz un hijo, y llamarás su nombre Juan.  Y tendrás gozo y alegría, y muchos se regocijarán de su nacimiento; porque será grande delante de Dios. No beberá vino ni sidra, y será lleno del Espíritu Santo, aun desde el vientre de su madre.  Y hará que muchos de los hijos de Israel se conviertan al Señor Dios de ellos. E irá delante de él con el espíritu y el poder de Elías, para hacer volver los corazones de los padres a los hijos, y de los rebeldes a la prudencia de los justos, para preparar al Señor un pueblo bien dispuesto.  Dijo Zacarías al ángel: ¿En qué conoceré esto? Porque yo soy viejo, y mi mujer es de edad avanzada.  Respondiendo el ángel, le dijo: Yo soy Gabriel, que estoy delante de Dios; y he sido enviado a hablarte, y darte estas buenas nuevas.  Y ahora quedarás mudo y no podrás hablar, hasta el día en que esto se haga, por cuanto no creíste mis palabras, las cuales se cumplirán a su tiempo.  Y el pueblo estaba esperando a Zacarías, y se extrañaba de que él se demorase en el santuario.  Pero cuando salió, no les podía hablar; y comprendieron que había visto visión en el santuario. Él les hablaba por señas, y permaneció mudo.  Y cumplidos los días de su ministerio, se fue a su casa.

Después de aquellos días concibió su mujer Elisabet, y se recluyó en casa por cinco meses, diciendo:  Así ha hecho conmigo el Señor en los días en que se dignó quitar mi afrenta entre los hombres.

Mis pensamientos

¡Parece que Zacarías tenía serias dudas!

“¿Cómo puedo estar seguro de esto?” —preguntó Zacarías al ángel. “Soy un hombre viejo, y mi esposa tiene muchos años”. “Yo soy Gabriel”, respondió el ángel. “Estoy en la presencia de Dios, y he sido enviado para hablarles y traerles esta buena noticia. Y ahora estaréis mudo y sin poder hablar hasta el día en que esto suceda, porque no creísteis mis palabras, las cuales se cumplirán a su debido tiempo”.

En otras palabras, Zacarías tenía un ángel delante de él entregando este increíble mensaje, pero aún dudaba. Esto es clave para nosotros como hacedores de discípulos, porque todo el mundo tiene dudas, incluso los mejores discípulos. Escuchemos Mateo 28:16-17:

“Entonces los once discípulos se fueron a Galilea, al monte que Jesús les había señalado… Cuando lo vieron, lo adoraron; pero algunos dudaban”.

La duda es parte del discipulado, por lo que para lidiar con ella debemos tener una herramienta primordial en nuestra caja de herramientas.

Entonces, ¿cómo manejamos la duda nosotros, como hacedores de discípulos? Primero, manténgalos en la Palabra de Dios. Romanos 10:17 dice: “ Así que la fe es por el oír, y el oír, por la palabra de Dios.“. Asegúrense de que ellos mismos estén saturados de las Escrituras; esto aumentará la fe y disminuirá las dudas.  

Otra forma es ayudarlos a hacer un registro de las oraciones contestadas. Santiago 1:17 nos recuerda: “ Toda buena dádiva y todo don perfecto desciende de lo alto, del Padre de las luces, en el cual no hay mudanza, ni sombra de variación.“. Todas las cosas buenas por las que oramos y que hemos recibido, incluso aquellas por las que no oramos, vienen del Padre de arriba. Relatarlos debería sacarnos de la oscuridad y la sombra de la duda.

A continuación, pídales que reflexionen sobre las promesas de Dios y cómo Él las ha cumplido. Esto se relaciona con la oración contestada. 2 Corintios 1:20 dice: “Porque todas las promesas de Dios son en él Sí, y en él Amén, por medio de nosotros, para la gloria de Dios.“. Las promesas de Dios son tan seguras como concretas; puedes llevarlas al banco: son “Sí” y “Amén” en Cristo. Reflexionar sobre las promesas cumplidas de Dios es una forma de salir de los rincones y el estancamiento de la duda.

Finalmente, como hacedores de discípulos, necesitamos atender nuestras propias dudas. Tal vez se honestos al dudar, mostrando debilidad a aquellos a quienes discipulamos. Está bien ser honesto en lugar de pretender la perfección; Una gran parte del hacer discípulos es reconocer que luchamos con los mismos problemas. También queremos modelar la superación de la duda. Como en Marcos 9 cuando un discípulo no pudo expulsar a un demonio, y el padre del niño le suplicó a Jesús: “Yo sí creo; ¡Ayuda a mi incredulidad!” Como hacedores de discípulos, debemos reconocer nuestras propias dudas, tratarlas abiertamente y modelar el hecho de salir victoriosos sobre la duda.

Mi Historia

Aquí está su bosquejo convertido en una historia sobre el tiempo cuando fui enviado a Corea como soldado en 1982 y experimentar dudas sobre la presencia de Dios antes de ser tranquilizado por las Escrituras:

En 1982, recibí órdenes de presentarme para el servicio militar en Corea. Como cristiano, conocía intelectualmente el concepto de la omnipresencia de Dios, que Él está en todas partes en todo momento. Pero a medida que se acercaba la fecha de mi salida, las dudas comenzaron a aparecer. ¿Realmente sería capaz de experimentar la presencia de Dios tan lejos de casa?

Cuando aterricé en Corea después del largo vuelo, tenía jet-lag y estaba desorientado. En esos primeros momentos, no sentí la presencia de Dios en absoluto. Me sentía completamente solo en una tierra extraña. Incluso después de un par de días de aclimatarme a mi nuevo entorno, esa soledad persistió. ¿Dónde estaba Dios? Me pregunté si había dejado atrás Su presencia cuando dejé suelo estadounidense.

Entonces, un día, recordé ciertos versículos de la Biblia. Su presencia va a todas partes, incluso a los confines de la tierra. Me acordé de la oración de David en el Salmo 139:7-10:

” ¿A dónde me iré de tu Espíritu?

¿Y a dónde huiré de tu presencia?

Si subiere a los cielos, allí estás tu!

   Y si en el Seol hiciere mi estrado, he aquí, allí tú estás.

Si tomare las alas del alba

   y habitare en el extremo del mar,

aun allí me guiará tu mano,

   y me asirá tu diestra.”

Dios no se quedó en los Estados Unidos – Esas poderosas palabras tranquilizaron las dudas en mi corazón. Dios estaba tan presente en Corea como lo estaba en casa. Al abrir los ojos para ver Su mano obrando, comencé a experimentar Sus bendiciones a través de la comunión de los creyentes y las respuestas a sus oraciones. Las dudas comenzaron a desvanecerse rápidamente. Me di cuenta de que mis sentimientos de soledad provenían de mi propia perspectiva fugaz, no de la realidad. No importaba lo lejos que viajara, nunca podría escapar de la presencia del Señor. Él estaba conmigo en esa tierra extranjera, tal como lo había prometido.

Nuestro Plan de Acción

Ahora es el momento de la aplicación. Aquí hay algunas ideas:

1.             Pregúntales a aquellos a quienes estás discipulando; “¿Qué oraciones ha contestado Dios recientemente?”

2.             Pregúntales; “¿A qué promesas de Dios te aferras en estos tiempos difíciles?”

3.             Comparte cuándo tuviste dudas y cómo las superaste.

Lidiar con la duda es una parte esencial del discipulado. Como hacedores de discípulos, debemos equipar a aquellos a quienes estamos discipulando con las herramientas correctas para vencer la duda manteniéndolos cimentados en la Palabra de Dios, relatando las oraciones contestadas, reflexionando sobre las promesas de Dios y siendo transparentes sobre nuestras propias luchas con la duda. Cuando modelamos honestamente trabajando a través de las dudas mientras nos aferramos a la fe, esto proporciona un poderoso ejemplo a seguir por aquellos a quienes estamos discipulando.

Translation by Norma Klingler

#4 – John 1:9-14

Rather listen? Click here…

ENGLISH / ESPAÑOL

Welcome Back! Today, we’ll be looking at the Gospel of John to see how people will respond to Jesus and His gospel. 

So let’s dive in.

(Click here to get a copy of the Gospel Sync document) 

  John 1:9-14

 “The True Light, who gives light to every man, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God—children born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

My Thoughts

There are several applications for disciple makers in this section. The first is not to get in between the Son and His disciples. John introduces Jesus as the True Light entering the world (John 1:9). We are called to reflect His light to the world, letting our light shine so others may see our good works and glorify the Father (Matthew 5:14-16). However, we must be careful not to cast a shadow in Christ’s radiance by becoming spiritual gurus and inadvertently taking His place in the disciple’s life. Our role is to reflect Jesus’s light, not obstruct it – a ‘soular’ eclipse occurs when we get between the Son and cast a shadow on His followers.

The second lesson for us as disciple makers is to warn those we are discipling that not all will embrace the good news we share. We will encounter many “red lights.” The world failed to recognize its Creator, despite being made through Him. Even His own people, the Jews, did not receive Jesus when He came (John 1:10-11). This must have been tremendously disappointing – imagine coming to your own family and no one knowing who you are. As disciple makers, we must prepare those we are mentoring for unbelievers to reject the gospel.  Jesus said, “I send you out as sheep among wolves.” (Matthew 10:16) But what do we do when “believers” are embarrassed or ashamed when we share the gospel? Deb and I call these Christian Red Lights. We have to train those we are mentoring to be prepared for rejection even among fellow believers. We need to help them focus on obeying Christ’s command to proclaim the gospel faithfully. The reception is up to the hearer and the Holy Spirit’s work.

We also need to prepare those we mentor to see Green Lights! As they share the gospel they will encounter those who do receive and believe in His name, Jesus grants the privilege of becoming children of God, born not by human desire but by God’s will (John 1:12-13). People are receiving this free gift of eternal life in Christ (Romans 6:23). Our role is to embolden their faith and reassure them that the gospel changes lives. 

And finally as disciple makers, we need to help them be able to grow in their understanding of deeper theological truths and answer others questions using the Word of God. The profound truth in John 1:14 is that the eternal Word became flesh and dwelt among us, revealing God’s glory, grace and truth. As disciple makers, we must be prepared to wrestle with mysteries like Christ’s divine-human nature. It’s okay for us to admit uncertainty on these deeper issues but at the same time be committed to finding answers and anchor everything in Scripture as the foundation of our faith.

My Story

Deb and I have shared the gospel with over 3000 people over the past 13 years. We have encountered Red, Yellow, and Green lights along the way. But truth be known, mostly red lights. So what keeps us going? Why do we keep sharing? Three reasons. First, Jesus commands us to share the gospel. (Matthew 28:18-20,Mark 16:15) And second, we have experienced the pure joy of obeying Jesus in this area. We don’t want to miss out on the blessing. And finally, we’ve found that sharing the gospel with others is a constant reminder to us that God loves us and it transforms us as we share with others.

Our Action Plan

In terms of action plans, we’ve discussed several key lessons for disciple makers. 

• Assess if you are being a light without overshadowing the Light—always pointing others back to Jesus, the Word, and the Spirit. 
• Evaluate how you interact with believers who may feel ashamed of the Gospel and develop a strategy to help others navigate such situations.
• Help those you are discipling to expect people to believe and come to Christ. 
• Prepare yourself to tackle the tough questions disciples may ask.

There are many responses to the gospel. The real question is are we training people to share it and leave the results to God?

Luces; Verde o rojo

#4 – John 1:9-14 – Lights; Green or Red – Google Docs

#4 – Juan 1:9-14

¡Bienvenido! Hoy, veremos el Evangelio de Juan para ver cómo responderá la gente a Jesús y a Su evangelio.

Así que comencemos

(Haga clic aquí para obtener una copia del documento de Gospel Sync)

El Evangelio – Juan 1:9-14

Aquella luz verdadera, que alumbra a todo hombre, venía a este mundo. En el mundo estaba, y el mundo por él fue hecho; pero el mundo no le conoció.  A lo suyo vino, y los suyos no le recibieron.  Mas a todos los que le recibieron, a los que creen en su nombre, les dio potestad de ser hechos hijos de Dios; los cuales no son engendrados de sangre, ni de voluntad de carne, ni de voluntad de varón, sino de Dios. Y aquel Verbo fue hecho carne, y habitó entre nosotros (y vimos su gloria, gloria como del unigénito del Padre), lleno de gracia y de verdad.

Mis Pensamientos

Hay varias aplicaciones para los hacedores de discípulos en esta sección. La primera es no interponerse entre el Hijo y Sus discípulos. Juan presenta a Jesús como la Luz Verdadera que entra en el mundo (Juan 1:9). Estamos llamados a reflejar Su luz al mundo, dejando que nuestra luz brille para que otros puedan ver nuestras buenas obras y glorificar al Padre (Mateo 5:14-16). Sin embargo, debemos tener cuidado de no ensombrecer el resplandor de Cristo convirtiéndonos en gurús espirituales e inadvertidamente tomando Su lugar en la vida del discípulo. Nuestro papel es reflejar la luz de Jesús, no obstruirla: un eclipse “de alma” ocurre cuando nos interponemos entre el Hijo y proyectamos una sombra sobre Sus seguidores.

La segunda lección para nosotros, como hacedores de discípulos, es advertir a aquellos a quienes estamos discipulando que no todos aceptarán las buenas nuevas que compartimos. Nos encontraremos con muchas “luces rojas”. El mundo no reconoció a su Creador, a pesar de haber sido hecho a través de Él. Ni siquiera su propio pueblo, los judíos, recibieron a Jesús cuando vino (Juan 1:10-11). Esto debe haber sido tremendamente decepcionante: imagínate venir cerca de tu propia familia y que nadie sepa quién eres. Como hacedores de discípulos, debemos preparar a aquellos a quienes estamos asesorando para que tengan cuidado con los incrédulos que rechazan el evangelio.  Jesus dijo: “Os envío como ovejas en medio de lobos”. (Mateo 10:16.) Pero, ¿qué hacemos cuando los “creyentes” se sienten avergonzados cuando compartimos el Evangelio? Deb y yo llamamos a estas personas Luces Rojas Cristianas. Tenemos que capacitar a aquellos a quienes asesoramos para que estén preparados para el rechazo, incluso entre compañeros creyentes. Necesitamos ayudarlos a enfocarse en obedecer el mandato de Cristo de proclamar el Evangelio fielmente. La aceptación depende del oyente y de la obra del Espíritu Santo.

¡También tenemos que preparar a aquellos a los que asesoramos para que vean Luces Verdes! A medida que compartan el Evangelio, se encontrarán con aquellos que reciben y creen en Su nombre, Jesús les concede el privilegio de convertirse en hijos de Dios, nacidos no por el deseo humano sino por la voluntad de Dios (Juan 1:12-13). La gente está recibiendo este regalo gratuito de la vida eterna en Cristo (Romanos 6:23). Nuestro papel es animar su fe y asegurarles que el Evangelio cambia vidas.

Y finalmente, como hacedores de discípulos, debemos ayudarlos a ser capaces de crecer en su comprensión de verdades teológicas más profundas y responder a las preguntas de otros usando la Palabra de Dios. La verdad profunda en Juan 1:14 es que el Verbo eterno se hizo carne y habitó entre nosotros, revelando la gloria, la gracia y la verdad de Dios. Como hacedores de discípulos, debemos estar preparados para explicar misterios como la naturaleza divino-humana de Cristo. Está bien que admitamos la incertidumbre sobre estos temas más profundos, pero al mismo tiempo que estemos comprometidos a buscar respuestas y a anclar todo en las Escrituras como el fundamento de nuestra fe.

Mi historia

 Deb y yo hemos compartido el evangelio con más de 3000 personas durante los últimos 13 años. Nos hemos encontrado con luces rojas, amarillas y verdes en el camino. Pero la verdad sea dicha, en su mayoría encontramos semáforos en rojo. Entonces, ¿qué es lo que nos hace seguir adelante? ¿Por qué seguimos compartiendo? Tres razones. Primero, Jesús nos ordena compartir el Evangelio. (Mateo 28:18-20, Marcos 16:15) Y segundo, hemos experimentado el gozo puro de obedecer a Jesús en esta área. No queremos perdernos la bendición. Y, por último, hemos descubierto que compartir el Evangelio con los demás es un recordatorio constante para nosotros de que Dios nos ama y nos transforma a medida que compartimos con los demás.

Nuestro Plan de Acción

En términos de planes de acción, hemos discutido varias lecciones clave para los hacedores de discípulos.

–   Evalúe si está siendo una luz sin eclipsar la Luz, siempre señalando a los demás hacia Jesús, la Palabra y el Espíritu.

–  Evalúe cómo interactúa con los creyentes que pueden sentirse avergonzados del Evangelio y desarrolle una estrategia para ayudarlos a navegar tales situaciones.

–  Ayuda a aquellos a quienes estás discipulando a esperar que la gente crea y venga a Cristo.

–  Prepárese para enfrentar las preguntas difíciles que los discípulos puedan hacer.

Hay muchas respuestas al evangelio. La verdadera pregunta es: ¿estamos entrenando a las personas para que lo compartan y dejen los resultados a Dios?

Translated by Norma Klingler 

ENGLISH ESPAÑOL

Welcome Back! Today, we’ll be looking at the Gospel of John to see how mystery fits into discipleship and where we should be pointing disciples to find the answers.

So let’s dive in.

(Click here to get a copy of the Gospel Sync document) 

The Gospel – John 1:1-5

 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him, all things were made; without him, nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.”

My Thoughts 

Let’s continue our study of the Gospel synchronization, combining all four gospels into a single narrative. It’s important to remember that in Gospel sync, we’re not examining one gospel at a time; instead, we’re trying to integrate them together. But today, we’re focusing on the introduction of the Gospel of John as a unique section. We’ve already explored Luke and Mark, and now we’ll turn our attention to John, the author of the fourth gospel. 

Now, the Apostle John hailed from the north side of the Sea of Galilee, and was a fisherman by trade. In fact, he was a business associate with Peter, Andrew, and James. The Apostle James was John’s brother, making this a family affair. 

John became a disciple of John the Baptist, and one day, John the Baptist introduced Jesus to John and his friend Andrew. The Baptizer introduced Jesus as “the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” From that point on, John followed Jesus as His disciple, and later, his brother James joined the apostolic band as well.

Subsequently, we see that Peter, James, and John became Jesus’s closest disciples. This is evident in the healing of Jairus’s daughter in Mark 5:37, the Mount of Transfiguration in Mark 9:2, and the Garden of Gethsemane in Mark 14:33. 

John’s Gospel, which he authored, is quite different from the other three gospels—Matthew, Mark, and Luke—which we call the synoptics because of their similarities. John’s gospel, on the other hand, stands apart and fills in many gaps. The Apostle John witnessed Jesus’s ministry from the very beginning to the end, a claim that cannot be made for Mark and Luke, who weren’t part of the twelve. Matthew joined early but not at the very start. Therefore, John saw it all, which is quite intriguing.

We notice a significant difference immediately with the introduction that John provides. It’s very mystical, mysterious, and much like how Jesus taught in parables. It’s akin to a riddle: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” This is mysterious and not very clear, but John is taking a page right out of Jesus’s book in terms of discipleship. This serves as a great lesson for disciple makers: we don’t have to make everything crystal clear. I’m not suggesting we intentionally muddy the waters, but we don’t need to explain everything to the nth degree because the spiritually hungry will ask questions and be tenacious until they get answers. Those are the kind of people we’re looking for—spiritually hungry individuals. If you encounter such people as a disciple maker, they’re almost discipling themselves, especially when all you have to do is point them in the right direction.

When John speaks in this mysterious manner, he uses two terms: “word” and “light.” These should pique curiosity immediately. What does he mean by “the word” and “the light”? Both terms are used to whet the appetite for more information, more data. Some missed it, and some got it. 

The individuals we’re truly seeking are those who look beyond the miraculous, beyond the emotional highs and the healing of every booboo. They are singularly focused on one thing: they yearn to know God. These are the kind of people we are trying to find to disciple. When I encounter someone whose primary concern is a vibrant, real relationship with Almighty God, it significantly eases my role as a disciple maker. Jesus encapsulates this in His prayer in John 17:3, saying, “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” Spiritually hungry people seek to know God, and in knowing God, as Jesus states, they receive eternal life. To know God is to gain life, and that is the pursuit of the spiritually hungry—they seek God, they seek life.

As I mentioned earlier, my task as a disciple maker becomes straightforward if I simply guide these spiritually hungry individuals in the right direction. For me, that direction points to four sources: The Father, His Son, His Spirit, and His Word. The first person I direct them to is Jesus Christ Himself, which makes perfect sense. One of Jesus’s primary roles in coming to Earth was to reveal the Father, to disclose God not only through words but also by modeling what it means to be God and to be godly. In Matthew 11:27, He explicitly states this as part of His mission.

Jesus Himself points us to two additional sources: the Word and the Spirit. When you engage with Jesus’s teachings, it becomes apparent that He is deeply rooted in Scripture; His words often reflect the Word of God. The Word of God is our most reliable and extensive resource, available for us to read or hear daily and dedicate our lives to understanding God. I encourage young disciples to start by reading the gospels every day. While all Scripture is essential, the gospels provide clarity on who Jesus is. As Jesus is God incarnate, revealing the Father, that’s our goal as spiritually eager individuals—we want to know God.  

In doing so, I seek daily input, a sufficient volume of the Word to ward off worldly influences, demonic oppression, and the myriad voices that vie for our attention. Everyone seems to want to “disciple” the person you’re mentoring, but often in a worldly or ungodly manner. To be effective disciple makers, we need to give them enough of the Word to fend off all that interference. Thus, volume is crucial—input volume and focus. We can get caught up in various details, like genealogies or the specifics of the plagues of Egypt, which, while interesting, are not necessarily transformative. There are major themes and topics in the Bible that we should help disciples grasp, with Jesus, Himself, being a primary focus among many others.

Interpreting Scripture through the lens of other Scripture is also vital, so interpretation is an important skill to develop. We have the Word, we have Jesus, and now we have the Spirit as our primary sources to direct those we disciple. 

Let’s talk about the Spirit. I believe that a disciple of Jesus needs to be confident in their baptism in the Holy Spirit, their filling with the Holy Spirit, and their ability to hear and accurately discern what the Holy Spirit is telling them to do—and then to obey it.  

Now, let’s be honest about the role of the Holy Spirit. For some of us, we’ve thrown the Holy Spirit out with the bathwater due to abuses or misunderstandings. But we must return to Scripture; we cannot ignore the Holy Spirit’s role in every believer’s life. Just because there are some abuses does not give us the license to neglect teaching the crucial role of the Holy Spirit in every disciple’s life. We need to understand what baptism in the Holy Spirit is, what it means to be filled, how to accurately hear and be influenced by the Spirit, and most importantly, what it looks like to obey the Holy Spirit.

There are four sources we point young disciples towards: The Father, His Son, His Spirit, and His Word. By doing so, I’m not positioning myself as the guru or the answer man—God is. God is the one discipling; He’s doing the heavy lifting. I’m merely pointing them in the right direction. This approach makes spiritual leadership much easier than trying to control people to help them become ‘good boys and girls.’ That’s not what discipleship is about. Discipleship is about becoming like Jesus, and the best way to do that is by looking at Him, being in His Word, and by following, knowing, hearing, and obeying the Holy Spirit.

My Story

I was discipled by a man who wasn’t the greatest communicator but he did point us to the Word of God. He would emphasize saturation by reading at least four chapters in the Scriptures daily; two in the Old Testament, one in the Gospels, and one in the New Testament. He based his teaching on Deuteronomy 6:6-9;

These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

At first it was a challenge to read that much every day and to tell the truth, many days I only read one. But I was consistent and over the years I reached the goal of reading all four chapters. It was about my tenth year of reading the Bible this way and it was as though someone flipped a switch! I began to connect the dots and many of the concepts that had previously alluded me. It was a whole new experience of reading the Scriptures! I am so thankful for a disciple maker that pointed me to the Word of God.

Our Action Plan

Okay, I’m preaching now, so let’s consider an action plan. Ask yourself these questions this week: 

• How are you doing at pointing the people you’re discipling to the Father, His Son, His Holy Spirit and His Word? 
• Assess your performance, write it down, and then determine how you can do a better job of pointing them to those resources. 
• Place that reminder somewhere prominent. Look at it often during the week.

In guiding young disciples, the focus is not on human authority but on directing them to the divine sources: The Father, Son, Holy Spirit, and Scripture. This method of discipleship simplifies spiritual leadership, as it encourages personal growth and transformation into Christ-likeness through a direct relationship with God and adherence to His Word.

Comienzos Misteriosos – 3

¡Bienvenido otra vez! Hoy, veremos el Evangelio de Juan para ver cómo encaja el misterio en el discipulado y hacia dónde debemos dirigir a los discípulos para encontrar las respuestas.

Así que comencemos..

Juan 1:1-5

En el principio era el Verbo, y el Verbo era con Dios, y el Verbo era Dios.  Este era en el principio con Dios.  Todas las cosas por él fueron hechas, y sin él nada de lo que ha sido hecho, fue hecho.  En él estaba la vida, y la vida era la luz de los hombres.   La luz en las tinieblas resplandece, y las tinieblas no prevalecieron contra ella.

Mis Pensamientos

Continuemos nuestro estudio de la sincronización del Evangelio, combinando los cuatro evangelios en una sola narración. Es importante recordar que en la sincronización del Evangelio, no estamos examinando un evangelio a la vez; en cambio, estamos tratando de integrarlos juntos. Pero hoy, nos estamos enfocando en la introducción del Evangelio de Juan como una sección única. Ya hemos explorado Lucas y Marcos, y ahora dirigiremos nuestra atención a Juan, el autor del cuarto Evangelio.

Ahora, el Apóstol Juan provenía del lado norte del Mar de Galilea, y era pescador de oficio. De hecho, fue socio de negocios de Pedro, Andrés y Santiago. El Apóstol Santiago era hermano de Juan, por lo que este era un asunto de familia.

Juan se convirtió en discípulo de Juan el Bautista, y un día, Juan el Bautista presentó a Jesús a Juan y a su amigo Andrés. El Bautista presentó a Jesús como “el Cordero de Dios que quita los pecados del mundo”. A partir de ese momento, Juan siguió a Jesús como su discípulo, y más tarde, su hermano Santiago también se unió al grupo apostólico.

Posteriormente, vemos que Pedro, Santiago y Juan se convirtieron en los discípulos más cercanos de Jesús. Esto es evidente en la curación de la hija de Jairo en Marcos 5:37, en el Monte de la Transfiguración en Marcos 9:2 y en el Huerto de Getsemaní en Marcos 14:33.

El Evangelio de Juan, del que fue autor, es muy diferente de los otros tres evangelios: Mateo, Marcos y Lucas, a los que llamamos sinópticos debido a sus similitudes. El evangelio de Juan, por otro lado, se destaca y llena muchos vacíos. El Apóstol Juan fue testigo del ministerio de Jesús desde el principio hasta el final, una afirmación que no se puede hacer para Marcos y Lucas, que no formaban parte de los doce. Matthew se unió temprano, pero no al principio. Por lo tanto, Juan lo vio todo, lo cual es bastante intrigante.

Notamos una diferencia significativa inmediatamente con la introducción que John proporciona. Es muy místico, misterioso y muy parecido a cómo Jesús enseñó en la parábolas. Es similar a un acertijo: “En el principio era el Verbo, y el Verbo estaba con Dios, y el Verbo era Dios”. Esto es misterioso y no está muy claro, pero Juan está tomando una página del libro de Jesús en términos de discipulado. Esto sirve como una gran lección para los hacedores de discípulos: no tenemos que dejar todo muy claro. No estoy sugiriendo tampoco que intencionalmente empañamos las cosas y no necesitamos explicar todo a la enésima potencia porque los espiritualmente hambrientos harán preguntas y serán tenaces hasta que obtengan las respuestas. Ese es el tipo de personas que estamos buscando: personas espiritualmente hambrientas. Si te encuentras con tales personas como hacedor de discípulos, casi se están discipulando a sí mismos, especialmente cuando todo lo que tienes que hacer es señalarlos en la dirección correcta.

Cuando Juan habla de esta manera misteriosa, el usa dos términos: “palabra” y “luz”. Estos deberían despertar la curiosidad de inmediato. ¿Qué quiere decir con “la palabra” y “la luz”? Ambos términos se utilizan para abrir el apetito por más información, más datos. Algunos perdieron el significado y otros lo entendieron.

Las personas que realmente estamos buscando son aquellas que miran más allá de lo milagroso, más allá de ellos con emocionales altas y la curación de cada herida. Ellos están singularmente enfocados en una cosa: anhelan conocer a Dios. Este es el tipo de personas que estamos tratando de encontrar para discipular. Cuando me encuentro alguien cuya principal preocupación es una relación vibrante y real con Dios Todopoderoso, facilita significativamente mi papel como hacedor de discípulos. Jesús resume esto en Su oración en Juan 17:3: diciendo, “Y esta es la vida eterna: que te conozcan a ti, el único Dios verdadero, y a Jesucristo, a quien has enviado.” Las personas espiritualmente hambrientas buscan conocer a Dios, y al conocer a Dios, como dice Jesús, reciben la vida eterna. Conocer a Dios es ganar vida, y esa es la búsqueda de los hambrientos espirituales: buscan a Dios, buscan la vida.

Como mencioné anteriormente, mi tarea como hacedor de discípulos se vuelve sencilla si simplemente guío a estas personas espiritualmente hambrientas en la dirección correcta. Para mí, esa dirección apunta a cuatro fuentes: El Padre, Su Hijo, Su Espíritu y Su Palabra. La primera persona a la que los dirijo es Jesucristo mismo, lo cual hace perfecto sentido. Uno de los papeles principales de Jesús al venir a la Tierra fue revelar al Padre, revelar a Dios no solo a través de palabras, sino también modelando lo que significa ser Dios y ser piadoso. En Mateo 11:27, Él declara explícitamente esto como parte de Su misión.

Jesús mismo nos señala dos fuentes adicionales: la Palabra y el Espíritu. Cuando te involucras con las enseñanzas de Jesús, se hace evidente que Él está profundamente arraigado en las Escrituras; Sus palabras a menudo reflejan la Palabra de Dios. La Palabra de Dios es nuestro recurso más confiable y extenso, disponible para que lo leamos o escuchemos diariamente y dediquemos nuestras vidas a entender a Dios. Animo a los jóvenes discípulos a que comiencen leyendo los evangelios todos los días. Si bien todas las Escrituras son esenciales, los evangelios proporcionan claridad sobre quién es Jesús. Como Jesús es Dios encarnado, revelando al Padre, esa es nuestra meta como individuos espiritualmente ferviente: queremos conocer a Dios.

Al hacerlo, busco información diaria, un volumen suficiente de la Palabra para protegerme de las influencias mundanas, la opresión demoníaca y la multitud de voces que compiten por nuestra atención. Todo el mundo parece querer “discipular” a la persona a la que estás asesorando, pero a menudo de una manera mundana o impía. Para ser hacedores de discípulos efectivos, necesitamos darles suficiente de la Palabra para defendernos de toda esa interferencia. Por lo tanto, el volumen es crucial: volumen de entrada y enfoque. Podemos quedar atrapados en varios detalles, como las genealogías o los detalles de las plagas de Egipto, que, si bien son interesantes, no son necesariamente transformadores. Hay temas y tópicos importantes en la Biblia que debemos ayudar a los discípulos a comprender, siendo Jesús mismo un enfoque principal entre muchos otros.

Interpretar las Escrituras a través de la lente de otras Escrituras también es vital, por lo que la interpretación es una habilidad importante a desarrollar. Tenemos la Palabra, tenemos a Jesús, y ahora tenemos al Espíritu como nuestras fuentes primarias para dirigir a aquellos a quienes discipulamos. 

Hablemos del Espíritu. Creo que un discípulo de Jesús necesita tener confianza en su bautismo en el Espíritu Santo, en su llenura del Espíritu Santo y en su capacidad de escuchar y discernir con precisión lo que el Espíritu Santo le está diciendo que haga – y luego obedecerlo.

Ahora, seamos honestos acerca del papel del Espíritu Santo. Para algunos de nosotros, hemos tirado el Espíritu Santo con el agua de la bañera debido a abusos o malentendidos. Pero debemos volver a las Escrituras; no podemos ignorar el papel del Espíritu Santo en la vida de cada creyente. El hecho de que haya algunos abusos no nos da la licencia para descuidar la enseñanza del papel crucial del Espíritu Santo en la vida de cada discípulo. Necesitamos entender qué es el bautismo en el Espíritu Santo, qué significa ser lleno, cómo escuchar y ser influenciado por el Espíritu con precisión y, lo más importante, cómo es obedecer al Espíritu Santo.

Hay cuatro fuentes a las que dirigimos a los jóvenes discípulos: El Padre, Su Hijo, Su Espíritu y Su Palabra. Al hacerlo, no me estoy posicionando como el gurú o el hombre de la respuesta – Dios lo es. Dios es el que discipula; Él está haciendo el trabajo pesado. Simplemente les estoy señalando la dirección correcta. Este enfoque hace que el liderazgo espiritual sea mucho más fácil que tratar de controlar a las personas para ayudarlas a convertirse en ‘buenos niños y niñas’. De eso no se trata el discipulado. El discipulado se trata de llegar a ser como Jesús, y la mejor manera de hacerlo es mirándolo, estando en Su Palabra y siguiendo, conociendo, escuchando y obedeciendo al Espíritu Santo.

Mi Historia

Fui discipulado por un hombre que no era el mejor comunicador, pero sí nos señaló la Palabra de Dios. Enfatizaba la saturación leyendo al menos cuatro capítulos de las Escrituras diariamente; dos en el Antiguo Testamento, uno en los Evangelios y uno en el resto del Nuevo Testamento. El basó su enseñanza en Deuteronomio 6:6-9;

Y estas palabras que yo te mando hoy, estarán sobre tu corazón;  y las repetirás a tus hijos, y hablarás de ellas estando en tu casa, y andando por el camino, y al acostarte, y cuando te levantes.  Y las atarás como una señal en tu mano, y estarán como frontales entre tus ojos;  y las escribirás en los postes de tu casa, y en tus puertas.

Al principio fue un reto leer tanto todos los días y a decir verdad, muchos días solo leí uno. Pero fui constante y a lo largo de los años alcancé la meta de leer los cuatro capítulos. Era como mi décimo año de leer la Biblia de esta manera y fue como si alguien hubiera accionado un interruptor. Empecé a conectar los puntos y muchos de los conceptos que antes me habían aludido. ¡Fue una experiencia completamente nueva de leer las Escrituras! Estoy muy agradecida por un hacedor de discípulos que me señaló la Palabra de Dios.

Nuestro Plan de Acción

Bien, estoy predicando ahora, así que consideremos un plan de acción. Hazte estas preguntas esta semana:

–       ¿Cómo te está yendo señalando a las personas que estás discipulando hacia el Padre, Su Hijo, Su Espíritu Santo y Su Palabra?

–       Evalúa tu desempeño, escríbelo y luego determinas cómo puedes hacer un mejor trabajo al dirigirlos a esos recursos.

–       Coloca ese recordatorio en un lugar destacado. Míralo a menudo durante la semana.

Al guiar a los jóvenes discípulos, el enfoque no está en la autoridad humana, sino en dirigirlos a las fuentes divinas: el Padre, el Hijo, el Espíritu Santo y las Escrituras. Este método de discipulado simplifica el liderazgo espiritual, ya que fomenta el crecimiento personal y la transformación a la semejanza de Cristo a través de una relación directa con Dios y la adhesión a Su Palabra.

Translated by Norma Klingler

ENGLISH ESPAÑOL

Welcome Back! Today, we’ll be looking at the Gospel of Mark to see how the gospel writers defined the gospel. 

So let’s dive in.

(Click here to get a copy of the Gospel Sync document) 

The Gospel – Mark 1:1

 “The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” 

My Thoughts 

We continue our series on the Gospel synchronization, and today, we’re examining Mark 1:1—a brief yet profound verse. Previously, we introduced Luke; now, we turn to Mark, the author of the second Gospel. Mark, also known as John Mark, is first mentioned in Acts 12:12. After the resurrection, the disciples gathered for prayer in the house of Mary, John Mark’s mother. He is also identified as Barnabas’s cousin in Colossians 4:10. He may have made reference to himself as “the young man who ran away naked” in the Garden of Gethsemane. (Mark 14:51-52)

John Mark joined Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey. However, he left the team in Perga, leading to a fallout between Paul and Barnabas during their second journey. Barnabas took Mark to Cyprus, while Paul and Silas went to Asia Minor. Fortunately, Paul and John Mark later reconciled, and Mark went on to write one of the four Gospels, emerging as a significant figure in the New Testament.

John Mark’s story teaches us an important lesson about discipleship. It’s crucial not to burn bridges, as we might disciple that person in the future. While we may not focus on them immediately due to current circumstances, as they repent, Jesus welcomes them with open arms—and so should we.

Mark emphasizes “the beginning,” indicating that his entire narrative constitutes the Gospel.

To clarify, while I believe discussing Jesus’s death, burial, and resurrection is essential when sharing the Gospel, these events are not the entirety of it. The Gospel, meaning “good news,” encompasses Jesus’s life and teaching even before the Crucifixion. For instance, Matthew 4:23 describes Jesus preaching the Kingdom’s good news, healing diseases and sicknesses.

Similarly, John the Baptist’s exhortations, including calls for repentance and warnings of God’s coming wrath, are part of the Gospel narrative. These “bad news” elements are vital for understanding our spiritual state before God.

Lastly, Luke 9:2 recounts Jesus sending out the twelve apostles, further illustrating the Gospel’s breadth beyond the Crucifixion.

Jesus instructs to preach the kingdom of God, and as His followers do so, they are essentially preaching the Gospel. The Gospel and the Kingdom are synonymous; the Kingdom is an integral part of the good news. The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus are the climax of the Gospel, but the Kingdom is woven throughout the narrative.

When Mark states, “This is the beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” he refers to the entire story—the whole narrative is the Gospel. In studying the Gospel, as presented in the Gospels and Acts, one should note the various synonyms used for the Gospel. For example, in Acts chapters 18 through 20, different terms are employed to describe the Gospel.

A key verse that resonates with this concept is Colossians 1:6, which speaks of the Gospel bearing fruit and growing worldwide, not just geographically but also within us. As disciple makers, it’s vital to share the Gospel in a simple manner. For those new to the faith, here’s the Gospel succinctly: God loves you, but we’ve sinned against Him. Sin leads to death, but the good news is that Jesus Christ lived a sinless life, died for our sins, and rose again, demonstrating His power over sin and death. He invites us to repent, turn from our ways, and follow Him for eternal life.

My Story

Although a person can certainly believe, repent, and come into the kingdom through a succinct gospel presentation, this brief presentation may not suffice for everyone. For some, like myself, it took a year of reading the Bible, reflecting, and recognizing sin before surrendering to Christ. The short Gospel presentation is a starting point, but often it’s the beginning of a deeper conversation about Jesus.

For those who have been following Jesus for a while, the Gospel remains relevant. It aids in understanding God’s love and justice, our individual and corporate identity in Christ, the priesthood of the believer, life after death, and more. The Gospel is foundational to our Christian walk, not just at the start but throughout our lives.

The Gospel is not merely the start of our journey with Jesus; it’s a lifelong process. Mark’s message, “This is the beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God,” invites us to consider the entire narrative of the Gospel as essential to our daily lives.

We must be cautious not to deviate from the core message. A friend once posed a thought-provoking question on Facebook: “Is it a movement of the Gospel or the gospel of movement?” This highlights how easily we can stray just a few degrees from the true message and make it about something other than Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Our Action Plan

As we conclude, I propose an action plan with some critical questions:

1. Are we exemplifying the sharing of the Gospel with others? As we disciple others, we should teach them to share the Gospel comprehensively, including the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, and encourage them to delve into the Scriptures to learn more about Jesus and the Gospel.
2. Is the Gospel still transformative in my life? Is it growing within me? Am I demonstrating the transformation the Gospel brings? It’s vital to model both the sharing of the Gospel and its ongoing relevance in our lives.

Our focus should remain on Jesus—the bullseye of our faith. The Gospel is about Jesus and our relationship with God through Him. We should share the crescendo of His death, burial, and resurrection as we present the good news to others but also recognize the gospel is a whole lot more.

Es Solo el Comienzo – 2

¡Bienvenido! Hoy, veremos el Evangelio de Marcos para ver cómo los escritores de los evangelios definieron el Evangelio.

Así que comencemos.

Marcos 1:1

 “El principio del Evangelio de Jesucristo, el Hijo de Dios“.

Mis Pensamientos

Continuamos nuestra serie sobre la sincronización del Evangelio, y hoy estamos examinando Marcos 1:1, un versículo breve pero profundo. Anteriormente, presentamos a Lucas; ahora nos dirigimos a Marcos, el autor del segundo Evangelio. Marcos, también conocido como Juan Marcos, se menciona por primera vez en Hechos 12:12. Después de la resurrección, los discípulos se reunieron para orar en la casa de María, la madre de Juan Marcos. También se le identifica como primo de Bernabé en Colosenses 4:10. Es posible que se refiriera a sí mismo como “el joven que huyó desnudo” en el huerto de Getsemaní. (Marcos 14:51-52).

Juan Marcos se unió a Pablo y Bernabé en su primer viaje misionero. Sin embargo, dejó el equipo en Perge, lo que provocó una pelea entre Pablo y Bernabé durante su segundo viaje. Bernabé llevó a Marcos a Chipre, mientras que Pablo y Silas fueron a Asia Menor. Afortunadamente, Pablo y Juan Marcos se reconciliaron más tarde, y Marcos pasó a escribir uno de los cuatro Evangelios, emergiendo como una figura significativa en el Nuevo Testamento.

La historia de Juan Marcos nos enseña una lección importante sobre el discipulado. Es crucial no quemar puentes, ya que podríamos discipular a esa persona en el futuro. Si bien es posible que no nos concentremos en ellos de inmediato debido a las circunstancias actuales, a medida que se arrepienten, Jesús los recibe con los brazos abiertos, y nosotros también deberíamos hacerlo.

Marcos enfatiza “el principio”, indicando que toda su narración constituye el Evangelio.

Para aclarar, si bien creo que discutir la muerte, sepultura y resurrección de Jesús es esencial cuando se comparte el Evangelio, estos eventos no son la totalidad. El Evangelio, que significa “buenas nuevas”, abarca la vida y las enseñanzas de Jesús incluso antes de la crucifixión. Por ejemplo, Mateo 4:23 describe a Jesús predicando las Buenas Nuevas del Reino, sanando enfermedades y dolencias.

De manera similar, las exhortaciones de Juan el Bautista, incluiyendo sus llamados al arrepentimiento y las advertencias de la ira venidera de Dios, son parte de la narrativa del Evangelio. Estos elementos de “malas noticias” son vitales para entender nuestro estado espiritual ante Dios.

Por último, Lucas 9:2 relata que Jesús envió a los doce apóstoles, ilustrando aún más la amplitud del Evangelio más allá de la Crucifixión.

Jesús instruye a predicar el reino de Dios, y a medida que sus seguidores lo hacen, esencialmente están predicando el Evangelio. El Evangelio y el Reino son sinónimos; el Reino es parte integral de las buenas nuevas. La muerte, sepultura y resurrección de Jesús son el clímax del Evangelio, pero el Reino está entretejido a lo largo de la narración.

Cuando Marcos dice: “Este es el principio del Evangelio de Jesucristo”, se refiere a toda la historia: toda la narración es el Evangelio. Al estudiar el Evangelio, tal como se presenta en los Evangelios y en los Hechos, uno debe notar los diversos sinónimos que se usan para el Evangelio. Por ejemplo, en los capítulos 18 al 20 de Hechos, se emplean diferentes términos para describir el Evangelio.

Un versículo clave que resuena con este concepto es Colosenses 1:6, que habla de que el Evangelio da fruto y crece en todo el mundo, no solo geográficamente sino también dentro de nosotros. Como hacedores de discípulos, es vital compartir el Evangelio de una manera sencilla. Para aquellos que son nuevos en la fe, aquí está el Evangelio sucintamente: Dios te ama, pero hemos pecado contra Él. El pecado lleva a la muerte, pero la buena noticia es que Jesucristo vivió una vida sin pecado, murió por nuestros pecados y resucitó, demostrando su poder sobre el pecado y la muerte. Nos invita a arrepentirnos, a apartarnos de nuestros caminos y a seguirlo para la vida eterna.

Mi Historia

Aunque una persona ciertamente puede creer, arrepentirse y entrar en el reino a través de una presentación sucinta del evangelio, esta breve presentación puede no ser suficiente para todos. Para algunos, como yo, tomó un año de leer la Biblia, reflexionar y reconocer el pecado antes de rendirme a Cristo. La breve presentación del Evangelio es un punto de partida, pero a menudo es el comienzo de una conversación más profunda sobre Jesús.

Para aquellos que han estado siguiendo a Jesús por un tiempo, el Evangelio sigue siendo relevante. Nos ayuda a comprender el amor y la justicia de Dios, nuestra identidad individual y corporativa en Cristo, el sacerdocio del creyente, la vida después de la muerte y más. El Evangelio es fundamental para nuestro caminar cristiano, no solo al principio, sino a lo largo de nuestras vidas.

El Evangelio no es simplemente el comienzo de nuestro camino con Jesús; es un proceso que dura toda la vida. El mensaje de Marcos, “Este es el comienzo del Evangelio de Jesucristo, el Hijo de Dios”, nos invita a considerar toda la narrativa del Evangelio como esencial para nuestra vida diaria. 

Debemos tener cuidado de no desviarnos del mensaje central. Un amigo planteó una vez una pregunta en Facebook que invitaba a la reflexión: “¿Es un movimiento del Evangelio o el evangelio del movimiento?” Esto pone de relieve la facilidad con la que podemos desviarnos unos pocos grados del mensaje verdadero y hacer que se trate de algo que no sea Jesucristo, el Hijo de Dios.

Nuestro Plan de Acción

Para concluir, propongo un plan de acción con algunas preguntas críticas:

1. ¿Estamos ejemplificando el compartir el Evangelio con los demás? Al discipular a otros, debemos enseñarles a compartir el Evangelio de manera integral, incluyendo la muerte, sepultura y resurrección de Jesús, y alentarlos a profundizar en las Escrituras para aprender más sobre Jesús y el Evangelio.

1.              ¿Sigue siendo el Evangelio transformador en mi vida? ¿Está creciendo dentro de mí? ¿Estoy demostrando la transformación que trae el Evangelio? Es vital modelar tanto el compartir el Evangelio como su relevancia continua en nuestras vidas.

Nuestro enfoque debe permanecer en Jesús – el eje de nuestra fe. El Evangelio trata de Jesús y de nuestra relación con Dios a través de Él. Debemos compartir el crescendo de Su muerte, sepultura y resurrección a medida que presentamos las buenas nuevas a los demás, pero también reconocer que el Evangelio es mucho más.

Translated by Norma Klingler

English | #1 | Luke 1:1-4

Hello friends!

I’m going to start a new series. I have been working on this project for about six years, which is a synchronization of the gospel. A Harmony of the Gospels is a side-by-side comparison of the text of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. What I have done is take that Harmony and combine it into a narrative so that the four gospels are read as a single story.

I was memorizing John 17 and it talks about Jesus praying and He says, “I gave them Your Word,” so I can’t think of anything better than to give you the word of God, so in combination with my project and giving people the Word of God, I thought this was a good marriage. I did my best to synchronize things in terms of chronology and timeline and try to match everything perfectly. Any good theologian will tell you that it’s impossible, to align everything in a perfect timeline between the Gospels, so it is a work in progress.

I want to focus on Jesus and the disciples and discipleship. I want to point out some really cool things from the text and apply it to our lives today as disciple makers.

I’m going to let her read this first section of Luke 1:1 -4:

“Many have undertaken to compile an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were transmitted to us by the first eyewitnesses and servants of the Word. Therefore, after having carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good to me also to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught…”

So the Gospel of Luke was written by a doctor, Paul’s doctor named Luke. Luke joined the apostolic group in Troas during the second missionary journey. And what is interesting about Luke is that he is Greek and not only did Luke write the Gospel of Luke, but he also wrote Acts and never mentions himself by name anywhere in his two books. He begins a story where it should begin, he begins the story with Jesus and that in itself is really a key lesson in discipleship.

We can go in all sorts of different directions in the Bible and be very spiritual about our approach to discipleship, but we must remember as disciple makers that we are making disciples of Jesus, not of Moses, not of Gideon, not of the Apostle Paul or John, but of Jesus. So Luke starts just in the right place with the right person.

It’s interesting that Jesus Himself was the main one responsible for converting the Apostle Paul on the road to Damascus. Later, Paul meets Luke, the physician and brings him to Christ. Now Luke is writing this letter to a man named Theophilus. Theophilus means lover of God. We see four generations here, we see that Jesus reached Paul, who reaching Luke, and then he reached the “Lover of God,” Theophilus.

It reminds us of that really important discipleship verse in 2 Timothy 2:2 where Paul is writing to Timothy and he says: “What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also,” So you see the four generations in that passage: Paul, Timothy, faithful man and then others, and so we see generations. Spiritual generations, generations multiplying over the centuries by the simple act of passing on the good news.

Then we come to the part of the passage that Luke talks about, which is studying the techniques and due diligence to write this gospel. This is what it says: “Therefore, after having carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good to me also to write you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.” So, as a maker of disciples, Luke, is doing due diligence, he is intentional, he is doing his homework, now there is a kind of tension in this idea as a maker of disciples, how much do I really need to know before I start making disciples? well, here Luke is clearly demonstrating that he has studied, he has done his homework, he is like a doctor, he is looking at things with a critical eye and the attention to detail is very intentional, but on the other side of the spectrum, what about us who are starting the process of making disciples? It’s like looking at a doctor, and his level of knowledge and study could actually paralyze us as disciple makers and that’s why we need to go back to Jesus.

We will see this as we move forward in the gospels that Jesus is handing out pieces of discipleship to people who know virtually nothing about the kingdom and so there is a tension. We want to do due diligence; we want to study a lot to be very intentional about the knowledge we are transmitting. But we also don’t want that to paralyze us from just starting to share what we know. If I read something I can pass it on, it’s that simple.

So let’s keep this intention, as makers of disciples, your only responsibility is to share what you know, but on the other hand, let’s do our homework. Theophilus, the lover of God, how appropriate is that name for the guy that Luke is discipling through his writings? I wish we were all considered lovers of God, okay, that’s all we have time for today, In our next time together we will go to Mark and until then continue following Jesus.

ESPANOL | #1 | Lucas 1,1-4

¡Hola amigos!

Voy a empezar una nueva serie. He estado trabajando en este proyecto durante unos seis años en lo que es una sincronización del evangelio, y ahora nuestra Armonía de los Evangelios es una comparación de lado a lado del texto de Mateo, Marcos, Lucas y Juan. Lo que he hecho es tomar esa Armonía y combinarla en una narrativa para que se lean los cuatro evangelios, como una sola historia. Y, por cierto, puse un enlace en la descripción del video a continuación para que pueda descargar un PDF con mi sincronización del evangelio y así, pueda seguir a lo largo de la serie, y la razón por la que quiero hacer esto.

Estaba memorizando Juan 17 y habla que Jesús está orando y Él dice que “les di Tu Palabra,” así que no puedo pensar en nada mejor que darte la palabra de Dios, así que en combinación con mi proyecto en el que he estado trabajando durante mucho tiempo y dando a la gente la Palabra de Dios, pensé que este era un buen matrimonio, así quesigamos, todavía es un trabajo en progression. Hice todo lo posible para sincronizar las cosas en cuanto a la cronología y la línea de tiempo y tratar de hacer coincidir todo perfectamente, la geografía y todas esas cosas, es realmente desafiante y cualquier buen teólogo te dirá que es muy difícil. Que es imposible, alinear todo en una línea de tiempo perfecta entre los Evangelios, por lo que es un trabajo en progression. Pero, quiero enfocarme en Jesús y los discípulos y el discipulado. Quiero “limpiar” algunas cosas realmente geniales del texto y aplicarlo a nuestras vidas hoy como hacedores de discípulos.

Ahora, quiero que sepas que tengo un poco de dificultad para hablar y leer a veces. Muchos de ustedes saben que me diagnosticaron esclerosis lateral primaria, que está en la familia, y tienen ELA. A veces arrastro las palabras y tengo dificutad para pronunciar las cosas. No estoy borracho, así que voy a hacer que AI lea para nosotros.

Voy a dejar que lea esta primera sección de Lucas capítulo 1, versículos 1 al 4, y luego volveremos a ella y hablaremos de ello y extraer algunas ideas sobre el discipulado en Lucas 1:1-4: “Muchos se han comprometido a componer un relato de las cosas que se han cumplido entre nosotros, tal como nos fueron transmitidas por los primeros testigos oculares y siervos de la Palabra. Por lo tanto, después de haber investigado cuidadosamente todo desde el principio, me pareció bueno también escribir un relato ordenado para ti, excelentísimo Teófilo, para que conozcas la certeza de la cosas que se te han enseñado,”

Así que el Evangelio de Lucas fue escrito por un médico, el médico de Pablo llamado Lucas. Lucas se unió al grupo apostólico en Trojas durante el segundo viaje misionero. Y lo que es interesante acerca de Lucas en griego es que no solo escribió Lucas el Evangelio de Lucas, sino que también escribió Hechos y nunca se menciona a sí mismo por su nombre en ninguna parte de sus dos libros. Por lo tanto no tiene atributos propios, por así decirlo, pero es un compañero cercano de Pablo y comienza una historia donde debería comenzar, comienza el historia con Jesús y eso en sí mismo es realmente una lección clave en el discipulado.

Podemos ir en todo tipo de direcciones diferentes en la Biblia y ser muy espirituales acerca de nuestro enfoque en el discipulado, pero debemos recordar como hacedores de discípulos que estamos haciendo discípulos de Jesús, no de Moisés, no de Gedeón, no del apóstol Pablo o Juan, sino de Jesús. Así que Lucas comienza justo en el lugar correcto con la persona correcta, es interesante que Jesús mismo fue el principal responsable de convertir al Apóstol Pablo en el camino a Damasco, el fariseo, Saulo fue convertido por Jesús mismo, cuando le habló en la luz brillante, lo cegó y luego se arrepintió, creyó y fue bautizado, y luego, más tarde, en el ministerio de Pablo, se encuentra con Lucas El Médico y lo lleva a Cristo. Ahora Lucas está escribiendo esta carta a un hombre llamado Teófilo y Teófilo significa amante de Dios y es muy apropiado que veamos cuatro generaciones aquí, decimos que Jesús alcanzó a Pablo alcanzando a Lucas primero y luego alcanzó al amante de Dios en nosotros.

Nos recuerda ese versículo de discipulado realmente importante en 2 Timoteo 2:2 donde Pablo está escribiendo Timoteo y él dice: “Lo que has oído de mí en presencia de muchos testigos, confía a hombres fieles que serán idóneos para enseñar a otros también,” Así ves las cuatro generaciones también en ese pasaje: Pablo Timoteo, hombre fiel y luego otros, y así vemos generaciones. Generaciones espirituales, generaciones multiplicándose a lo largo de los siglos por el simple hecho de transmitir las buenas nuevas.

Luego llegamos a la parte del pasaje de la que habla Lucas, que es estudiar las técnicas y la debida diligencia para escribir este evangelio. Esto es lo que dice: “Por lo tanto, después de haber investigado cuidadosamente todo desde el principio, me pareció bueno también escribirte un relato ordenado, excelentísimo Teófilo, para que sepas la certeza de las cosas que se te han enseñado.” Así que, como hacedor de discípulos, Lucas, está haciendo la debida diligencia, es intencional, está haciendo su tarea, ahora hay una especie de tensión en esta idea como hacedor de discípulos, ¿Cuánto realmente necesito saber antes de empezar a hacer discípulos? bueno, aquí Lucas está demostrando claramente que ha estudiado, ha hecho su tarea, es como un médico, está mirando las cosas con un ojo crítico y la atención a los detalles es muy intencional, pero en el otro lado del espectro, ¿qué pasa con nosotros que estamos comenzando el proceso de hacer discípulos? Es algo así como un médico, y su nivel de conocimiento y estudio en realidad podría paralizarnos como hacedores de discípulos y por ello necesitamos volver a Jesús.

Veremos esto a medida que avanzamos en los evangelios que Jesús está repartiendo pedazos de discipulado a personas que no saben prácticamente nada del reino y por lo tanto hay una tensión. Queremos hacer la debida diligencia; queremos estudiar mucho ser muy intencionales sobre el conocimiento que estamos transmitiendo. Pero tampoco queremos que eso nos paralice de comenzar solo compartir lo que sabemos. Si leo algo puedo transmitirlo, es así de simple.

Así que mantengamos esta intención, como hacedores de discípulos, su único responsable es compartir lo que sabe, pero por otro lado, hagamos nuestra tarea. Teófilo, el amante de Dios, ¿qué tan apropiado es ese nombre para el tipo que Lucas está discipulando a través de sus escritos? Desearía que todos nosotros fuéramos considerados amantes de Dios, está bien, eso es todo para lo que tenemos tiempo hoy, En nuestro próximo tiempo juntos iremos a Marcos y hasta entonces continúen siguiendo a Jesús.

Five Ways to avoid becoming a “Souler Eclipse”

#1 – Give Glory to God

The very first thing we can do is “give credit where credit is due.” Give all the credit to Jesus (and I mean all of it). Is Jesus getting the glory for what is being done or are we? Are people flooding me with accolades and praise or are they seeing the work “He” is doing through me? I have to be honest, when people start praising me, I drink it up like a kitten lapping up a saucer of cream. As under-shepherds we really need to constantly give the glory to Jesus. Not in a false, cheesy way where self deprecation sounds plastic and fabricated. But in a truly humble God honoring way that draws the flock’s attention to the Great Shepherd.

#2 – Don’t Be a Control Freak

Don’t try to control and manipulate people. Keep exhorting them to obey Jesus, His Word, and His Spirit (not you). One of the key lessons we’ve learned is that before asking people to make application to a message or Bible study, we have them pray and ask Jesus what He wants them to do in-light of our discussion. Now we’ve put the burden of conviction and application squarely on the shoulders of the Holy Spirit. I don’t want people running around saying. “Well, my mentor told me…” That is the last thing I want. They should be doing what Jesus tells them to do not me. Besides, I make for a real lousy holy spirit.

#3 – Elevate Jesus as the Authority

Constantly point to Jesus. Take a note of how often the name of Jesus is crossing your lips. Is He the first place you go to answer a disciple’s question. And notice I said “A” disciple’s question not “YOUR” disciple. I want people to have a clear vision in their minds that the objective is to become like Jesus (and not me). I recently heard a testimony where the young “convert” stated the organizations name a dozen or more times and never mentioned Jesus once. Now that’s a total “Soular Eclipse!” We really need to point to Jesus as the first and foremost example. He’s the only one who could state with a straight face, “I’ve done exactly what the Father wanted Me to do.” (John 5.19) So as you’re making disciples, make disciples of Jesus (not you) and talk about Jesus every chance you get.

#4 – Release Authority to Others

Delegate authority and responsibility as soon as possible. Jesus was the master of delegation. He delegated baptism (John 4.2), Authority over demons, and power to heal (Matthew 10.1). Jesus released authority pretty quickly to those whom we may deem as unqualified. He even sends a man who had just been delivered from a legion of demons to be His ambassador of good news to the Decapolis. What authority or responsibility are we withholding because we think “they may do it or say it wrong?” I have a saying; “If you want great followers, be a great leader. If you want great leaders, get out of the way.”

We need to give the “Priesthood of All Believers” more than lip service. (1 Peter 2.5-9, Revelation 1.6, 5.10) If we are going to move out of the way and multiply spiritual leadership, the priesthood of all believers needs to become our end-state for our leadership development. That’s what Jesus did! He was in the habit of turning fish into fishermen, sheep into shepherds, and ordinary people into priests.

#5 – Don’t Put Someone Else on a Pedestal

The last point is really about not letting anyone become your “Soular Eclipse.” Don’t let any other person or thing compete for your loyalty and affection to Jesus. He deserves first place and there really should be no close second. Hero worship is rampant in our culture. Athletes, models, movie stars, authors, and even the favorite YouTuber can be idolized as a god. But we as Christians would never set such a low bar for a hero. No, we would rather have our favorite preacher, pastor, mentor, or some other Christian celebrity. It’s amazing how quickly we can elevate someone or something to “god-status.” We even do this with other people in the Bible. The writer of Hebrews warns against elevating Moses or angels above that of the person of Christ. (Hebrews 1-3) And on the mount of Transfiguration Peter wants to build three tabernacles, one for Moses, Elijah, and Jesus. God the Father breaks into the conversation with, “This is my Son, my Chosen ONE; listen to HIM!” (Luke 9.35, Emphasis mine)

Now I’m going to go from preaching to meddling. I think in these days we are dangerously close to elevating the Apostle Paul above Jesus. Listen very carefully as people answer questions, use Scripture to solve problems, preach about most often, model their ministries most after. I’m just saying. Be careful! The only one that should be on the throne in your heart is Jesus.

Conclusion

So we have looked at the “Soular Eclipse” from three angles;

– Bad examples of becoming an eclipse

– Good examples of how not to be an eclipse

– Five ways to avoid becoming an eclipse ourselves

It is clear from the Bible that we as spiritual leaders and disciple makers need to be very careful not to get in the way (or put our leaders in the way). I’m not saying we shouldn’t reverence and honor spiritual leaders (1 Thessalonians 5.12-13, 1 Timothy 5.17, Hebrews 13.7) and even obey them (Hebrews 13.17). But I am saying if we ever place our leaders in a position of preeminence above God or heaven forbid we ourselves become that “toad in the road,” we are going to have huge problems.

It’s kind of like introducing two people for the first time. You don’t stand between them and point over your back and say, “Bill this is Joe. Joe, Bill.”And then they have to awkwardly try to shake hands around you. No, we stand to the side so that they can see one another and get to know one another without us getting in the way. We need to have our spiritual leadership rightly aligned in our lives and the lives of others.

I remember when I was a kid and saw the moon during daylight for the first time. It blew my mind! I said to myself, “That’s so cool! The sun is up and I can see the moon too! Is that supposed to happen?” Why yes, it actually happens like clockwork as the earth orbits the sun and the moon orbits the earth. Everything is as it should be. (And I might add, so is a solar eclipse. But never a “Soular Eclipse”) You know what else is cool? When we see spiritual leaders who are rightly aligned with the Son and clearly reflect His glory to His disciples. This is what we were designed to do and this is our challenge as we lead our fellow brothers and sisters in the faith.

• A Lunar Lesson in Spiritual Leadership (Part 1)
• A Lunar Lesson in Spiritual Leadership (Part 2)
• A Lunar Lesson in Spiritual Leadership (Part 3)
• A Lunar Lesson in Spiritual Leadership (Part 4)
• A Lunar Lesson in Spiritual Leadership (Part 5)

Jesus Christ – Philippians 2.5-11

I saved the best for last; Jesus Himself is the quintessential example of how not to become a “Soular Eclipse.” Now before I start unpacking this, let me give you my disclaimers. First, I know that any illustration trying to express the deity and humanity of Christ is going to fall short in describing the mind blowing union of God and Man. Second, I completely believe that Jesus has always been 100% God and will always be 100% God as the second person of the Trinity and at no time was He anything less than deity. Third, I believe that Jesus the Messiah is God incarnate and is 100% human. Now that have tried to express my Christology, let me venture into some tricky territory with my illustration.

Part of Jesus’s purpose in coming as a man was to be an example of what all we were meant to be as “image bearers’ of God. In other words, He meant to show us how it’s done. He would carry out the design of man with perfection not only to show it could be done but how to do it. He lived a life of perfect alignment with the Father by not only NOT doing the things we shouldn’t do but by DOing the things we should do. He lived out His purpose perfectly. This not only made Him an acceptable sacrifice for the sins of mankind, it made Him the ultimate example to follow. Basically, Jesus became the perfect full moon reflecting the glorious light of the sun (the Father). That part we readily get. Of course, Jesus was the light of the world. Of course, Jesus did exactly what the Father told Him to do. Of course, Jesus reflected no light of His own… (Sound of screeching record, FULL STOP). Whoa, wait just a minute! I thought you said you believed Jesus is God?! I did. Let’s look at Philippians 2.5-11.

Philippians 2.5-11	Observations
Verse 5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus	The Apostle Paul is clearly pointing to Jesus as an example to follow. In this particular passage it is to mimic Jesus’s attitude.
Verse 6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped	Paul expresses his conviction the Jesus is definitely God but Jesus had a specific attitude about being God. Jesus didn’t count His equality with God a thing grasped, taken hold of, tapped into.
Verse 7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.	Jesus emptied Himself. Some take this to mean He stopped being God for a time while on earth and then started being God again after the ascension. That’s some Bad Theology. Jesus has been and will always will be 100% God. Let’s keep it in the realm of what Paul suggests in the beginning. “Have this attitude…” Jesus’s attitude was “I came here as a man, I’m going to act like a man. I’m going to show the people how to love God and love people as man.”
Verse 8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.	The key is humility. He not only humbled Himself before God the Father, He humbled Himself before us. It’s like Superman disguising himself as Clark Kent but the difference is He only lived as Clark Kent and never tapped into His super powers (even when He was dying on a cross). You may ask, well how did He do all those miracles than? By being in alignment with the Father. These are the same miracles His disciples did when they aligned themselves with the Father in Jesus name.
Verses 9-11 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.	And what is the result? Exaltation! Remember the lesson the Apostle Peter learned? If you humble yourself under the mighty hand of God, you’ll be exalted at the proper time (1 Peter 5.5-6). And who did Peter learn this from? Who was the example to follow? JESUS!

So Jesus humbled Himself by coming in the form of man in complete submission to the Father, and surrendered the right and privileged to exercise His divine power at anytime between His birth and Death on a cross. (Mark 10.45, John 5.19,30, 6.38) He perfectly reflected the Father’s glory while suppressing His own. (John 17.1- 5) He never supplanted the Father’s leadership in peoples lives to elevate Himself. With all power and authority, He never became a “Soular Eclipse.” He is our ultimate example of One being in spiritual leadership under God’s and yet not getting in the way.

And now how has the Father exalted Jesus? It’s worth reading again because this is the One whom we should avoid eclipsing at all costs;

For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2.9-11)

To be continued…

• A Lunar Lesson in Spiritual Leadership (Part 1)
• A Lunar Lesson in Spiritual Leadership (Part 2)
• A Lunar Lesson in Spiritual Leadership (Part 3)
• A Lunar Lesson in Spiritual Leadership (Part 4)
• A Lunar Lesson in Spiritual Leadership (Part 5)

Rather Listen? Click here…

Good Biblical Examples of Those Who Avoided Becoming a “Soular Eclipse”

So what about some good examples in the Bible? Are there people who avoided this pitfall? You bet there are! Here’s some folks that sidestepped the debacle of becoming a “Soular Eclipse.”

Gideon – Judges 6-8.23

The Midianites were so oppressive that the Children of Israel described them like “locusts” that would come in and devastate the land. Israel had to hide their crops from their marauding war parties because the enemy would steal everything in sight. Gideon was doing just that. He was hiding in a wine press beating out wheat. The Angel of the LORD shows up and addresses him as “Mighty Warrior!” Gideon must of looked around and pointed to himself saying, “Who me? Uh, you got the wrong guy. You see if I were so mighty I wouldn’t be hiding in a wine press sucking up all this dust by beating wheat in an enclosed area. No, you’re looking Amieluhad down the street.” Fast forward a little bit of time and we see that Gideon was indeed a “mighty warrior” as the angel said. He had several successful military campaigns under his belt against an overwhelming adversary. He had evidently grown into quite the leader because the people come to him and say; “Rule over us, both you and your son, also your son’s son, for you have delivered us from the hand of Midian.” (Judges 8.22) Gideon saw it coming. The temptation was right in front of him and he responds; “I will not rule over you, nor shall my son rule over you; the LORD shall rule over you.” (Judges 8.23) He sidestepped the alluring offer and took his rightful place in being a simple reflection of God’s glory.

John the Baptist – John 3.22-30

So Jesus and John were baptizing people in the same region because there was plenty of water. John’s disciples are looking over their shoulders and notice Jesus and His guys are baptizing a lot more people than John. I can picture them coming to John with their bottom lip puffed out and pouting; “Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified, behold, He is baptizing and all are coming to Him.” (v26) Now John has some choices to make. “Let’s see here, we could beat the bushes harder and scare up some more baptizees, or double down on our advertising, or yeah, I got it! We could demonize Jesus’ ministry (like the Scribes and Pharisees) and rake in the poor miss guided sheep for ourselves. I mean, how am I going to justify my worth to the people following me?” No. That would be the way we might respond. Not John. He sees the “Soular Eclipse” coming a mile away. Notice he uses a different metaphor to explain the same concept.

“A man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from heaven. You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent ahead of Him.’ He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. So this joy of mine has been made full. He must increase, but I must decrease.” (John 3.27-30)

John uses the contrast between Bridegroom and His friend. It’s not for the friend to try to steal the show on the Bridegrooms wedding day. Nope, all attention is focused on the Bride and the Groom. But certainly all the smiling and joyful faces of the wedding party are a reflection of the new couples matrimony. John the Baptist is no “Soular Eclipse.”

Peter – 1 Peter 5.1-11

I love to review Peter’s journey as a leader. It’s so relatable to my own journey. Peter, the strong, rough and ready fisherman. Peter, a natural born leader with a lot of rough edges. Peter, Ready, Fire, Aim. Peter, Open mouth, Insert foot. Peter, the rebuker of the Son of God (Yikes). And lastly, Peter the Denier of Jesus and the Restored by the Same. As we watch this young leader through the gospels we see him failing forward. By the Book of Acts, he is a changed man, although not perfect. (Gal 2.11-14) But I think the absolute crescendo of Peter’s leadership development is found in his address to the elders in his first letter. (1 Peter 5.1-11)

He starts with an exhortation to the elders and the most important part is that even sandwiched in between his credentials you find this very significant statement; “as your fellow elder.” Peter didn’t have to add that part. He had position as the Apostle of the Apostles. He could have easily postured himself as the big kahuna! But he doesn’t. He exhorts them as an equal, a fellow elder.

And what is the content of this exhortation? Pointers from his well documented failures. Let’s pick them out of the text.

Exhortation (1 Peter 5.2-11)	Previous Failure and/or Restoration
Shepherd the flock of God among you (v 2a)	Remember the discussion on the Sea of Galilee after Peter’s denial of the Lord Jesus? “Peter do you love Me, Feed my sheep.” (John 21.15-17)
exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God (v 2b)	Remember when Jesus rebukes Peter; “Get behind me Satan. You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.” (Matthew 16.23)
nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge (v 3a)	Remember the disciples arguing about “Who’s among them was the greatest?” Jesus responds with, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant… (Matthew 20.25-26)
But proving to be examples to the flock (v 3b)	Remember when Jesus is setting an example of servant leadership by washing the disciples feet and Peter said to Him, “Never shall You wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.” Embarrassed and afraid Peter responds, “Lord, then wash not only my feet, but also my hands and my head.” (John 13.5-11)
You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE. Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, (v 5-6)	Remember when Jesus tells His disciples they will abandon Him and Peter pipes in “Even though all may fall away because of You, I will never fall away.” Jesus said to him, “Truly I say to you that this very night, before a rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” Peter said to Him, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You. I will go to death with You…” and then he denies Him. (Matthew 26.31-35) Jesus’s prediction came true.
casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. (v 7)	Remember when Jesus talked about true discipleship being willing to give up all you have and Peter was a bit worried about his reward? He asks Jesus, “What about us? We’ve left everything and followed You?” And Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms for My name’s sake, will receive many times as much, and will inherit eternal life.” (Matthew 19.27-29) What will we get? 100 Fold in this life and the life to come.
Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. (v 8)	Remember when Jesus told Peter; “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” (Luke 22.31-32) Certainly, he has these words ringing in his ears.
But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you. (v 9-10)	And finally, remember when Peter did fail so miserably and yet Jesus, the God of all grace, restores him by the Sea of Galilee by once again giving him identity and purpose and commands him (once again) “Follow Me.” (John 21.19)

I’m sure Peter reflected on these things in his life. He saw the circle being completed over and over again. Jesus restores, gives purpose, and launches him into new levels of leadership and fruitfulness. But he is always being reminded; He is God and we are not. He is perfect and we are not. Point people to Him. Peter had some things to say about leadership but most of it came out of previous defeats and failure. He had been bloodied in combat and he is instructing his fellow soldiers; avoid these tactical mistakes. And the biggest mistakes he made is when he got to big for his britches and almost becomes a “Soular Eclipse.” He ends up being humbled and getting out of the way of the Son.

To be continued…

• A Lunar Lesson in Spiritual Leadership (Part 1)
• A Lunar Lesson in Spiritual Leadership (Part 2)
• A Lunar Lesson in Spiritual Leadership (Part 3)
• A Lunar Lesson in Spiritual Leadership (Part 4)
• A Lunar Lesson in Spiritual Leadership (Part 5)

Rather Listen? Click here…

A Lunar Lesson in Spiritual Leadership (Part 1)

What does a “Soular Eclipse” look like?

Let me give you some attributes of a person who’s becoming a “Soular Eclipse.”

• Glory Hog
• Manipulator
• Self-Seeking
• Absent Minded
• Self-absorbed
• Hypocrite
• Arrogant
• Ambitious
• Egocentric
• Shortsighted
• Self-Centered
• Pompous
• Conceited
• Narcissistic
• And I saved the best for last… Downright Selfish

Well now, that’s a bit convicting isn’t it. We can see a little of ourselves somewhere in that list. Several Biblical characters come to mind when I think of classic examples of “Soular Eclipses.”

The Scribes and Pharisees – Matthew 23.1-36

If you want to see Jesus come off the top ropes, put Him in the presence of some self-righteous people. In Matthew 23 Jesus confronts the Scribes and Pharisees with, what we might call, uncharacteristic harshness. His litany of adjectives include; hypocrites, sons of Hell, blind guides, blind men, blind Pharisees, fools, whitewashed tombs, serpents, brood of vipers, and murderers. Wow! What got Jesus so spun up? The religious leaders of the day were obscuring the glory of God for the sake of their own. They were posers, pretending to be godly with their garb, rituals, and platitudes. But it was all a scam. They were actually drawing attention to themselves and away from the LORD. They had exalted themselves and Jesus says the next inevitable step is to be humbled (by God). They had become a “Soular Eclipse.”

Nebuchadnezzar – Daniel 4.1-37

King Nebuchadnezzar begins by worshiping God and then flashes back to a story that precipitates his praise. He tells the story about a puzzling dream he had about a tree and an angel with a warning. He sends for Daniel, the man of God, who can interpret such dreams. As he hears the dream, Daniel is immediately place in an awkward and very uncomfortable position. His interpretation reveals that the tree in the dream represents the king himself and the warning is for him. It was a glorious tree but because of it’s pride, it is cut down to a mere stump and it endures the extreme elements. The Angel makes a proclamation and warning; That the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind (v17). Like the tree, King Nebuchadnezzar has been exalted but will soon be cut down due to his arrogance. Daniel begs the king to repent and for a time Nebuchadnezzar seems to be safe. But one day as he walks on to his balcony and surveys his kingdom, his head and heart swell with pride and the dream comes to pass. Nebuchadnezzar degenerates into a senseless being and lives in the fields like an animal. He is assailed by the elements and becomes a horror to look at. And after the appointed time of discipline his reason returns and he humbles himself and exalts God. When the creation gives rightful credit to the Creator, the king’s kingdom and authority are restored. As he praises the King of Heaven he acknowledges, “He is able to humble those who walk in pride” (v37). Nebuchadnezzar thoroughly regretted becoming a “Soular Eclipse.”

Adam and Eve – Genesis 3.1-7

This problem is as old as the Garden of Eden itself. The serpent tempted Eve with this very sly and deceiving statement; “You surely will not die! For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (v4-5) Wait! What? I thought Adam and Eve were already like God having been made in His image? Exactly! But the serpent’s temptation was for much much more. He was implying that humans can be just like God, an equal. It basically meant that now that we’re equals, we can run our own lives the way we want. Do you see the “Soular Eclipse” happening here. It’s very subtle but just as dangerous nonetheless! Speaking of subtle, notice how Satan was the actual “Soular Eclipse?” Adam and Eve didn’t get tricked in to becoming their own gods. They got snookered into making the devil their god, their king. Adam and Eve’s sin now casts a shadow through the ages. That’s why we need to be “rescued from the dominion of darkness and brought in to the kingdom of His beloved Son.” (John 12.46, Acts 26.18, Ephesians 5.8, Colossians 1.13-14, 1 Peter 2.9) Satan never really wanted man to be god. He has big plans for himself.

Satan – Isaiah 14:12-15

And the serpent, Satan, himself tried to pull this shenanigan long before he bamboozled Adam and Eve. Look at the account in Isaiah and see for yourself;

“How you are fallen from heaven,
O Lucifer, son of the morning!
How you are cut down to the ground,
You who weakened the nations!
For you have said in your heart:
‘I will ascend into heaven,
I will exalt my throne above the stars of God;
I will also sit on the mount of the congregation
On the farthest sides of the north;
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds,
I will be like the Most High.’
Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol,
To the lowest depths of the Pit.

Satan had become a “Soular Eclipse.” But the results are always the same. Humiliation. You try to eclipse God and you are asking for a boatload of trouble. For believers, it comes in the harshest discipline. For those who aren’t in the kingdom it will cost them their soul. A cautionary note here. It’s very difficult for us to distinguish between those who are and who aren’t in the kingdom with certainty. Maybe this is what Jesus is talking about when He gives this very sobering warning to those listening to Him;

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.”(Matthew 7.21-23)

To be continued…

• A Lunar Lesson in Spiritual Leadership (Part 1)
• A Lunar Lesson in Spiritual Leadership (Part 2)
• A Lunar Lesson in Spiritual Leadership (Part 3)
• A Lunar Lesson in Spiritual Leadership (Part 4)
• A Lunar Lesson in Spiritual Leadership (Part 5)

Rather Listen? Click here…

When I was an instructor at the US Army’s Mountain Ranger Camp, we spent much of our time training the Ranger students at night. Now if you’re imagining a lighted classroom with a whiteboard, you’re a little off. The training was done in the heavily forested North Georgia Mountains. Sometimes the vegetation was so thick you would have to crawl through the underbrush on your hands and knees. (Every Ranger graduate will cringe at the mention of “Mountain Laurel”) This was tough on both student and instructor especially at night when there was no moon light. We called these nights “Zero Illumination.” Tripping over every stump, being grabbed by every branch, and being unexpectedly stuck in the eye four or five times a night made for a torturous trek up and down the mountains. (Obviously this is before every soldier had the luxury of having night vision goggles) It was slow, painful, and maddening. Unless of course, we had moonlight on a cloudless night. This was a rare treat to be able to move without going through nature’s gauntlet. And in the winter time, with no leaves on the trees and a full moon, it was pure heaven. It was almost as easy as walking in the woods during the day.

No wonder ancient people (and some contemporary) worshiped the moon. It’s beauty is majestic. It’s flight across the star glittered sky is magnificent. And it’s illumination on nights you rather not stumble around in the dark, essential! But its well worth reminding ourselves that the moon is the moon and not the sun. The brilliance of the moon is merely a reflection. The moon has no inherent light of its own. It’s just mirroring the glory of the Sol.

I see direct parallels between a well lit moon and spiritual leadership. As leaders, we are to be mirrors of the Son’s glory. We have no inherent glory in ourselves, no light but that which is given to us by God. We must acknowledge our proper place in the spiritual solar system of the kingdom. We can make two very dangerous mistakes;

1. Esteeming a leader so much that they distract us from Jesus Christ. Or even worse…

2. Letting others esteem us so much we become a distraction ourselves.

Either way we create a “SOULAR Eclipse” (Pun intended) What do I mean?

When the earth totally blocks the light of the sun from the moon, its known as a lunar eclipse.

When the moon gets in the way of the sun’s light, its known as a solar eclipse.

And when a spiritual leader gets in the way of the Son’s light, its known as a “Soular Eclipse” (as stated in my little dictionary of made up words).

When we as spiritual leaders begin to eclipse the glory of Jesus Christ by taking it for ourselves or let others put us on a pedestal, not only is our soul in danger but the souls of those we are trying to lead toward Christ.

So let’s answer three questions;

1. What does a “Soular Eclipse” look like?
2. What are some good examples of spiritual leadership in the Bible?
3. What should I do to keep from becoming a “Soular Eclipse?”

To be continued…

• A Lunar Lesson in Spiritual Leadership (Part 1)
• A Lunar Lesson in Spiritual Leadership (Part 2)
• A Lunar Lesson in Spiritual Leadership (Part 3)
• A Lunar Lesson in Spiritual Leadership (Part 4)
• A Lunar Lesson in Spiritual Leadership (Part 5)