Followers

Sunday, January 27, 2013

Series on Being a Fan or Follower of Jesus

The next post in my series entitled being a Fan or true follower of Jesus will be describing putting Jesus first in our lives on a day to day basis.  This post comes from Luke 14:26-28.
The basis for these verses is discussing the cost of discipleship with Jesus.  There will be sacrifices made if we are to pursue a life long relationship with God.  Jesus says in Luke 14:26 ESV, "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, and yes, even his own life, he cannot be my disciple."  A relationship with Jesus Christ required complete surrender to all parts of our life.  Sometimes, we don't want to give all of our life to God.
God wants be first in our life above all else.  As Christians, in a secular world we at times put many other things ahead of God such as money, sports, relationships.  As people in this world, these things pull us down and may take us away from our relationship with God.
God send his only Son Jesus Christ so that whomever believes in him may have eternal life; John 3:16.  If God sent Jesus so that we could have a relationship with him then why do we turn to the things of this world to give us comfort and pleasure.  The world and it's ways will not give us eternal life that lasts forever in heaven.  Jesus says in John 10:10, "I have come to give you life and life abundant." Jesus wants all of us and our life daily and he freely gives us this abundant life that is only found in him.
In our walk with Jesus Christ we cannot have two things we love, Jesus has to be our one and only.  Jesus says in Matthew 6:24, "No one can serve two masters.  Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to one and despise the other.  You cannot serve both God and money." In our walk with Jesus we can't be half in and half out.  This relationship must be an all in complete surrender to Jesus who laid down his life for us.   It's just like a marriage with a husband and wife; a husband and wife are both committed to each other totally.
To close out this time together in discussion I want to emphasize the amount that we must surrender to God with our whole life.  Jesus says in Luke 14:27 ESV, "Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple."
A relationship with Jesus is a continual dying to our self and our own desires.  We must completely surrender our life to him daily.  Throughout Jesus' life, he deferred to God the Father in heaven for everything.  Jesus surrendered to the Father's will for him to die on the cross for our sins.  As Christians in today's world, we must surrender to him completely every day.

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Jesus is our Peace

We ended this Bible study today with the question of how is Jesus been your Peace in your life?
In this study we have been discussing the seven weeks prior in Jesus' resurrection.  Today, we discussed Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead and his triumphal entry in Jerusalem.  Jesus came in on a donkey though most people in the city thought he would come in riding a war horse.  An earlier prophecy said that Jesus would bring peace to people's lives; though Jesus said I come not to bring peace but a sword.  "Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth.  I did not come to bring peace but a sword."
The earlier week we discussed around our table how Jesus has brought conflict into our lives.  In Matthew 10:26 it says "Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me."
My favorite definition of peace is found in Philippians 4:6-7.  It says, Be anxious for nothing be in everything in prayer and supplication present your requests to God, and peace of God that transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."
In my life, Jesus has given me peace when I have presented or surrendered a situation to him.  I surrendered to him to the situation of my future after I graduated from college.  He gave me peace when he closed down the door to a job of Broadcast Journalism.  Jesus gave me peace through that time in my life in giving me this peace that transcends all understanding.
Jesus also gives us peace in times of waiting.He also gave me peace all of a sudden when I wasn't expecting it when I was waiting for a class to go through to graduate college.
Jesus has also given me peace when making decisions in relationships.  Also, this peace comes in any shape or form of anything.  It is just a simple, feeling that comes over us.  It can last from a week, to days, to years.
It is a marvelous thing to comprehend.  We cannot understand the peace that God gives us.  The only thing we as Christians can do is let it overwhelm us and filter in our lives.  Lastly, we have to present and abide in our daily relationship with Jesus.  We are desperately dependent on him for everything.
Jesus is our peace in our life... We can't take this for granted.

Sunday, January 20, 2013

Are you a follower or a fan? What's your level of commitment?

Are you a follower or a fan? Kyle Idleman poses this question to all Christians everywhere to gauge where you are in your walk with Jesus Christ.  He challenges us to examine our level of commitment to following Jesus on a day to day basis.
A story from the Bible describing the level commitment being a follower or fan is in John Chapter three when Nicodemus comes to visit Jesus.  John 3:2 says, He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with God."  Nicodemus believed that Jesus was the Son of God but he didn't want to sacrifice anything in his life of his high position for Jesus.  He came to Jesus as a fan.  Becoming a follower, requires a total commitment.
Jesus explains to Nicodemus in verse three that he must be born again to see the kingdom of God.  In verse five and six Jesus describes the being born again involves the water and spirit.  Jesus says in John 3:5-8, "I tell you the truth , no one can be enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and spirit.  Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the spirit gives birth to spirit.  'You should not be surprised at me saying, You must be born again.  The wind blows wherever it pleases.  You hear it's sound, but you cannot tell where it's coming or where it's going.  So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."
 Nicodemus had memorized the first five books of the Bible and tried to do all the religious things his whole life.  He didn't realize the amount of life change and sacrifice a relationship of God required.  He thought it was just about following a set of rules or making a decision.   Nicodemus wanted to give Jesus a part of him not all of his life, therefore he became a fan.
In John chapter 19, Nicodemus finally makes a commitment to become a follower a Jesus' burial.  In verse 19:30 it describes Nicodemus giving a mixture of myrrh and aloes, which is about 75 pounds.  In those times, 75 pounds was a very large amount.  This kind of amount was used for royal burials.  This was a very costly and expensive gesture toward Jesus, signifying a change from fan to follower of Jesus.
Churches and various types of ministries have emphasized believing in Jesus too much, therefore we end up having fans of Jesus not true followers of Jesus.  People making decisions to follow Jesus is a good thing eternally but Jesus will not accept a half of a commitment he wants our whole lives.  Our level of commitment determines where we will go to be with Jesus in heaven not whether we accept him or not.
Therefore, as I transition to the close of this blog I am going to leave you with a quote describing this level of commitment.  In Matthew 7:13-14 at the close of the Sermon on the Mount Jesus says, "Enter through the narrow gate.  For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road the leads to life, and only a few find it."
Following Jesus requires a total life change.  It is a commitment that is transforming.  It is sacrificing everything we have to follow him daily.  Followers sacrifice their whole lives to a relationship with Jesus Christ.

Thursday, January 17, 2013

In this new year

In this New Year, I want to to grow deeper in my walk with Christ in all that I say and do.  I want Non-Christians to want to know about this Jesus that I speak of when I serve in ministry and in telling others about Jesus everywhere I go.  In this year, I don't want to have any goals to speak of, I just want God to change my character so I will be like him day by day.
In the first way I hope to grow in Jesus Christ is reading the Bible backwards and forwards.  I need to deepen myself in memorizing Scripture on a more consistent basis.   I feel as if God is calling me out of my little comfortable box to serve him in any capacity that he wants me to.  God is also saying to me to not be complacent in my walk with him but be diligent in all that I say and do. God wants me to put him at the center of my life daily.
My evangelism teacher taught us last semester to be bold in sharing the gospel wherever wherever we are and wherever we go in life.  Lately, I have been trying to share the gospel with my brother.  I also have been trying to pursue my parents back to a committed relationship with Jesus and back to church again.  Also, as I go into future ministry with seminary coming up, I think God is calling me to be more intentional in sharing about him.  I have been praying about going into YL ministry after seminary.
Lastly, I feel led to say that I don't want any specific goals in the New Year I just want God to change my character and keep maturing in me.  I want him to keep working in me until the day of Christ Jesus like it says in Philippians 1:6.  I was reading this book over prayer during the holidays and the author was talking about how God was saying to him that he didn't want him to have any goals in the New Year.  The author said that God said to him that he just wanted to change his character.
That is want I want more than anything else in this next year.  If our character is not changed by God, then we will not be able to grow and him and do great things through him.  We as the body of Christ have to depend on God for all things in our life. In John 15:5, Jesus says "Apart from me you can do nothing."  Through this dependence on God, maturation and growth in our character takes place; Romans 8:28-29.  Well I hope everyone that reads these are desperately dependent on God for everything in life.  

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