April 2, 2024
‘And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”’ (Luke 9:58 ESV). Luke listed three people that expressed a desire to follow Jesus, yet all three turned aside when they considered the cost. The Lord challenged the material
April 1, 2024
“And behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem” (Luke 9:30-31 ESV). Jesus took His inner circle of disciples, Peter, James and John, up on a mountain to pray. As usual, they fell asleep, but they
April 1, 2023
‘Then a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, my Chosen One. Listen to him.”’ (Luke 9:35 NLT) When Peter witnessed the Transfiguration of Jesus and saw his glory and the two men, Moses and Elijah, standing with him, Peter blurted out his idea for a building project on the mountain. But the
March 31, 2023
“The Son of Man must suffer many terrible things,” he said. “He will be rejected by the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He will be killed, but on the third day he will be raised from the dead.” (Luke 9:22 NLT). Jesus revealed His purpose and destiny to His disciples
April 2, 2022
JESUS SET HIS FACE FOR THE FINISH Jesus was determined to go to Jerusalem. As he traveled from Galilee, he sought to take the direct route through Samaria, but they would not receive him. Their rejection was a foreshadowing of the rejection he would face in Jerusalem. Yet, he was resolute, literally he “set his
April 1, 2021
CHRIST’S MISSION ACCOMPLISHED Jesus took His inner circle of disciples, Peter, James and John, up on a mountain to pray. As usual, they fell asleep, but they awoke suddenly to discover a change. The veil separating this world from the next had been pulled back. They saw the appearance of Christ’s face changed, and His
April 2, 2020
WHAT SPIRIT OR ATTITUDE DO YOU HAVE TODAY? Jesus set his face to go directly to Jerusalem, passing through Samaria on the way. Jews traveling to Jerusalem from Galilee, normally went around Samaria, but Jesus did not. He was urgently focused on achieving his mission in Jerusalem and took the direct route. Yet when messengers
March 31, 2019
WHEN IS THE KINGDOM OF GOD TO BE SEEN? The Kingdom of God is a mystery. For Jesus described it as both present and future. Perhaps the best explanation for this mystery was offered by George Ladd, who called it “fulfillment without consummation.” Fulfillment of the kingdom is here now since the first coming of
April 2, 2018
THE COST OF FOLLOWING JESUS IN MINISTRY
Luke listed three people that expressed a desire to follow Jesus, yet all three turned aside when they considered the cost.
The Lord challenged the material motivations of the first follower by pointing out that foxes and birds have places to live, but He had no “place to lay His head.” Following Jesus is not a means for worldly gain, but a call to deny oneself in this kingdom in pursuit of the eternal one.
The second potential follower expressed his desire to follow Jesus later, after a delay to do his duty for his father’s burial. Jesus’ reply seems harsh: “Let the dead bury the dead. Your duty is to go and preach.” But the duty to bury his father could take a year or longer as he followed the tradition of putting the bones into an ossuary. The cost of following Jesus must take priority over other duties and it must be taken with a sense of urgency.
The third one who expressed desire to follow Jesus, asked to return home first to say goodbye to his family. Jesus warned that those who look back are not fit to follow. Following requires focus on Jesus, not the past. It also requires giving Jesus first priority over all others.
Through the years, I’ve noticed these same three reasons that people turn back from following Jesus in ministry. Whether they feel called to serve in the local church, to missions, or to church planting, the three concerns of 1) a desire for material things, 2) competing duties/priorities, and 3) family concerns, often cause people to give up on their call to ministry.
There is a cost to following Jesus in ministry. Lord, give us the perseverance to finish the race following You. For there is a crown awaiting those who finish well.
March 31, 2018
JESUS PREDICTED HIS PASSION AND RESURRECTION
Jesus revealed His purpose and destiny to His disciples on many occasions. He said that He “must suffer.” In the Greek, the word “to suffer” is “paschō” (πάσχω), which is the origin of the English word “passion.” Yet, they didn’t grasp His meaning until after these things had happened. It must have been particularly difficult to understand Christ’s words on the day that Peter was commended for rightly identifying Jesus as the “Messiah and Son of the living God” (Matt. 16:16). Their view of the Messiah was one of a conquering king, not a suffering servant. They had not understood the many prophecies found in Bible passages like Isaiah 53 and Psalm 22 that Jesus “must” fulfill.
So on that Good Friday, Jesus suffered just as He said and just as the prophets had foretold.