by Tim -

Willing to Die

Jesus and his disciples were heading towards Jerusalem. On the way he warned them of persecution that was to come: “All nations will hate you because you are my followers. But everyone who endures to the end will be saved.”

They continued walking and arrived in the Gilan Province of Iran. They walked up to the courthouse, and Jesus turned to them and said, “Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God. Everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But everyone who denies me here on earth, I will also deny before my Father in heaven.”

They went on their way and came to Pyongyang, North Korea. As they passed by an underground church, Jesus said, “If you love your father or mother more than you love me, you are not worthy of being mine; or if you love your son or daughter more than me, you are not worthy of being mine. If you refuse to take up your cross and follow me, you are not worthy of being mine. If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it.”

They walked on to Nigeria, stopping in village after village where many had recently been martyred. Jesus encouraged the people there, then turning to his disciples said, “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. I have told you these things so that you won’t abandon your faith. For you will be expelled from the synagogues, and the time is coming when those who kill you will think they are doing a holy service for God.

“Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

…

My great-grandfather was an Armenian pastor murdered by Turkish Muslims for his faith. In the face of persecution, how significant the words of Jesus must have been to him!

In my super-safe-suburban-bubble, I don’t even fully grasp them. Yet I still hold back and complain and think, “these words of Jesus are too hard. Who can take them literally? Surely what he really means is…”

What words of Jesus do you tend to ignore?
What commands do you think are just too hard to follow?

Do you think believers in persecuted countries have an advantage over us? How so?

by Tim -

This Changes Everything

Jesus Ascends into Heaven

Acts 1:8

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you: and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Sound familiar? Be fishers of men, make disciples, be my witnesses… in other words, share Christ with people and turn the world upside down!

But now Jesus explains how average, ordinary guys are going to be able to handle this large, seemingly impossible task: “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you.”

This isn’t the first time that Jesus has mentioned the Holy Spirit to the disciples. In fact, in John 16:6 Jesus tells the disciples not to be sad that he is leaving them. In the next verse he says, “It is for your good that I am going away.” Then he goes on to tell them about the Holy Spirit, who will come in his absence.

The Holy Spirit changes everything. Jesus is comfortable leaving his disciples in charge of carrying out his mission because the Holy Spirit is coming to live inside them and is bringing his power with him.

These men, who up to this point have only been followers, become great leaders shortly after Jesus ascends into heaven. They speak with boldness in front of huge crowds and religious hot shots; they have steadfast courage in the face of imprisonment, beatings, and even death; they are able to do some amazing miracles. And it all happens after they receive the Holy Spirit.

And if you’ve put your faith in Jesus Christ, this same Holy Spirit lives in you! In his power, and only his power, we can succeed in this mission!

by Tim -

The Bookends

The Great Commission

Matthew 28:18-20

18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

This is one of the last things that Jesus says to his followers. So at the very beginning and at the very end of his time with them on earth, Jesus is totally upfront about his mission for them.

I think it’s safe to assume that Jesus is repeating himself because this is a very important thing to Jesus. But isn’t he going out on a limb to entrust this mission to these guys?

I don’t know how familiar you are with the Gospels, but these books really don’t portray the disciples as being a “dream team” that can change the world. It seems more like they’re a few fries short of a Happy Meal. One of their most common responses to Jesus’ teachings is, “Huh?” Over and over again you can see they just don’t get it.

And then in Jesus’ greatest hour of need, when he’s arrested and illegally put on trial, they abandon him. Not exactly the group of guys I’d choose to carry on my life’s work.

The one thing they’ve got working in their favor (and maybe this is the only thing that really counts in God’s eyes) is that they are always willing to place themselves under Jesus’ authority and leadership. Once, Jesus asks the disciples if they want to leave him because his teachings are so hard, and Peter says, “To who else would we go? We’re yours. We believe you’re God’s Holy One.”

But even though their hearts are in the right place, they’re still not the sharpest tools in the shed. So how can Jesus feel comfortable leaving this mission in their hands? Why does he believe in them? What does he know that we don’t?

That’s the next question we need to answer.

by Tim -

“Here, Fishy, Fishy, Fishy”

The Calling of the First Disciples

Matthew 4:18-22

18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 At once they left their nets and followed him.

21 Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, 22 and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

Right from the beginning of Jesus’ relationship with Peter, Andrew, James and John, he is very upfront about what their mission is. It involves two things: 1) following him and 2) casting wide nets for the purpose of calling other people to follow him. Some describe this mission as “knowing Him and making Him known.”

The big question is whether or not this mission was just for those first disciples. Is embracing this mission an essential component of being a Christian today?

In other words, is this a negotiable aspect of life with God? Are all Christians supposed to be sharing their faith? If so, what are the consequences for those of us who choose not to? This week we’ll look at more of Jesus’ words on this topic, and see if we can get any insights on these questions.

by Tim -

A Tale of Two Builders

Build Your House on the Rock

Matthew 7:24-27

24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

Jesus’ words here are pretty cut and dry. He can’t break it down much more simply than this.

Build your life on his words and follow him to the best of your ability, and you’ll make it through the storms of life. Not obeying him is just asking for trouble… and when trouble comes, we won’t be able to stand.

As we look at the words of Christ, our primary goal should be to not just understand, but to put into practice what we hear Jesus telling us to do. Ultimately, it’s not about what we know or what we believe, it’s how we live out what we know and believe!