The goal of a disciple is to clothe themselves in the very thoughts, words, and actions of the person they desire to follow. In the case of the person who calls themselves a Christian, that person is Jesus. There’s no secret about it. The follower of Jesus wants to clothe themselves in the things of Jesus. We want to have Jesus’ patience. We want to love the way he loved. We want to find joy in the everyday things the way he did. But exactly how does that happen? Continue reading
Tag: disciple (Page 24 of 30)
It’s a prayer that we have a really hard time meaning. We use the words as a great platitude but actually wanting to apply them is a whole other story! We think we’ve got life pretty well under control even when we admit things are spiraling into a chaotic mess. In the Lord’s Prayer, probably one of the most popular prayers of all time, we say the words Thy Will Be Done. Continue reading
One of my favorite accounts in the gospels happens to be the one where Peter is called to come walk on the water to Jesus. I often wish I had been there to see the whole thing unfold. If you’re not familiar with the story, it goes like this. Continue reading
As many of you know, I’m a pastor of a church. And a big part of what we do is this thing called worship. We hold it on different days of the week but generally we do this thing on Sunday mornings. There are many styles of worship. Some people use tons of songs while others use none at all. Some worship is packed with teaching and others use an interactive style approach to the time of worship. Continue reading
This morning I woke up pretty thirsty. Perhaps it’s the whole wintry dry air that has caused this or perhaps something else, but I just needed a tall glass of ice water right away this morning. And that water really made a difference. No more thirst, at least not right away. But I do know that shortly after I finish this post, I’ll just be thirsty again. Continue reading
I have become more and more of a morning person. I never thought that it would happen but now it seems as if I can just jump out of bed and get right to work. For the longest time I would awaken only to struggle and struggle. You’d have to pry my eyelids open with toothpicks some mornings! Some mornings I just couldn’t stay awake. Continue reading
We all have a story to tell. What’s yours? With the news hitting recently about all of the devastation and destruction and evil hitting our world, it’s probably a good time to focus on the story that makes us who we are. Continue reading
The Kingdom of God is a pretty key topic in the New Testament. The gospels contain many references to the coming of the God’s kingdom. But there’s an interesting fact about the times Jesus refers to his kingdom. Whenever Jesus references his kingdom, he does it in the present tense? That’s a pretty important reality for you and me today as followers of Jesus. Continue reading
Ever have one of those days that just seem to go on forever? The type of day that makes you wonder why you even woke up. Perhaps you’ve had a string of those kind of days in a row making you wonder why you are even here. Perhaps you just feel broken. A loved one is sick. You just found out that the raise you were expecting is just not going to happen. You can’t pay this month’s bills. You try so hard but just can’t seem to get on top of things. Continue reading
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t’s a word that brings fear into the hearts of many. The idea of change is frightening to say the least. But why? Why is change so frightening?
If you really think about it, change is all around us. For instance, look outside – go ahead, peek out the window. You just witnessed change. Everything around us is in a constant state of change. The grass is slowly changing. The leaves are changing color. The clouds are moving thereby changing the scenery. Our bodies are slowly growing older and cells are dying. That’s all change!
But that’s not all that’s changing. The bible actually talks about other ways that things around us are changing. Actually the bible tells us that we are in a state of change as well. We’ve been changed from death to life, following evil, living in disobedience but now we are lights in the world. We are followers of the Son of God. Our disobedience has been forgiven and covered by the righteousness of God. Now that’s a change worth talking about!
A disciple is one that recognizes that this change has happened. A disciple sees the change and seizes opportunities to talk about it with others. Actually a disciple sees him/herself as an agent of that change. If you really think about it, through our conversations with friends and neighbors we are bringing a life-changing force into their lives. The message of the bible is a set of conversations intended to impact our lives and instill this idea of change.
People who are intentional followers of Jesus, seeking to make disciples of all nations, will find ways to have these kinds of life-changing conversations. Whether it’s reading the bible with someone. Note with someone not at someone. Maybe it’s praying with and for them. Perhaps this conversation of change happens at work. It might even happen on the ball field. It really doesn’t matter how or when or where this conversation happens. The reality is a disciple is one who seeks to make these discoveries and have these life-changing conversations daily.
Today, take a minute and have a conversation. Just be intentional. Don’t preach. Don’t beat people over the head with judgement or even with bible verses. Just have conversations. Let your love for the Lord be evident in how he has changed you. And pray that the gospel might have that same changing effect on those in the places where you live, work and play.