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The Cost of Discipleship

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  The Cost of Discipleship Luke 1-5 Luke 5:11, “When they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed Him.”                   We read the words and actions of people in the Bible and often accept them without really stopping to reflect on the significance of their actions. This is true of the disciples’ response when Jesus called them to follow him. Until their encounter with Jesus, they knew little about him. They had heard stories and news that there was a young itinerant preacher performing miracles and preaching to the people. In this, they were no different from the rest of the people of that day. The miracles and teaching of Jesus were undoubtedly the talk of the villages surrounding the Sea of Galilee. Like all rural communities, news of something unusual traveled fast. So when Jesus first appeared to Peter and asked him to take him a little ways into the water so the ...
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The Most Difficult Verse in the Bible

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The Most Difficult Verse in the Bible Mark 11-16 Mark 15:34                   “At the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “ELOI, ELOI, LAMA SABACHTHANI!” which is translated, “My God, My God why have You forsaken me?”                   There are many verses, passages, and teachings in the Bible that have given rise to much debate among biblical scholars. Each offers a perspective on what the passage means and the arguments that support their view. But there is one verse in the Bible that we cannot fully understand this side of heaven, perhaps even in eternity, for its meaning and significance are so profound, so deep, that they defy any explanation. The verse is not difficult to understand grammatically, but the significance of the words is beyond our capacity to perceive, and the implications are so...
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Radical Faith

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Radical Faith Mark 6-10 Mark 8:34-38 , “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me….For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?”                   We all recognize the need to believe in God, but we want a God who is safe, one who conforms to what we want.  We want a God who is manageable, one who provides for our needs, comes to our aid, but one who remains in the shadows and does not interfere or make demands.  We desire a God who affirms us and our beliefs and our life choices rather than one who confronts us with our sin and makes radical demands for change in our lives.                   In reality, we are no different from the people of Jesus’ day. They wanted a God who would heal their sicknesses but al...
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When Everthing Changes

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When Everything Changes Mark 1-5 “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth onto an old garment; otherwise the patch pulls away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear results.”                   When Christ enters a life, everything changes. There are times and events in our lives that are so dramatic that they become defining moments, when everything about us and how we live changes. We can reflect upon how our marriage or having children results in a dramatic shift of priorites.  This is what happens when we accept Christ. Throughout the first five chapters of Mark, we find a number of people who encounter the person of Christ. We first find two fishermen, Simon and Andrew, fishing along the Sea of Galilee. Yet when they were confronted with Christ, everything immediately changed, for Jesus gave them a whole new purpose in life. No longer would they be fishermen on the Sea of Galil...
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Is Heaven and Hell Real

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Eternal Life Or Eternal Death Matthew 25-28 “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always even to the end of the age.” (Mt. 28:19-20).                   How do we know the Bible is true and that Christ is the only way to heaven? Why can there be only one way to heaven? How do we know that not everyone will go to heaven? These are questions people have asked since the church's formation in the Book of Acts. To answer them, we need to ask the one question upon which everything hinges. Paul points us back to that question when he addresses the same issue in his letter to the church at Corinth. The critical question upon which everything hinges is the resurrection of Christ. Paul points out that if the resurrection is merely a story invented by the...
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The Danger of Being Misled

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The Danger of Being Misled Matthew 21-24 “For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect.”                   Matthew 24 is a pivotal chapter in our understanding of what is happening in the world today and where the world is going. We live in a world and culture that many have characterized as a culture of fear. Something sinister seems to lurk in the future, and causes us to be fearful. Everywhere we turn, there are signs that our world is moving toward an impending crisis. For some, it is the geopolitical world, where international tensions seem to rise even as the economy becomes more global than national. Others fear our environment is on the brink of turmoil because of misuse. Others point to the collapse of our nation's political unity. And the list goes on. As a result, people live in fear: fear of internat...
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The Importance of Forgiveness

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The Lost Art of Forgiveness  Read Matthew 16-20 “Then Peter came and said to Him, 'Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?”  Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.”                   Our society continually affirms that we are to stand up for our rights and oppose those who wrong us in any way. When someone mistreats, hurts, or wrongs us in any way, our society states that we are to stand up for ourselves and our rights. To not do so is a sign of weakness. Not only has forgiveness been withheld, but we see it as a sign of powerlessness. The Jews regarded themselves as more pious than others and stated that we should forgive a person up to seven times. Beyond that, a person was under no obligation to forgive.              ...
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