August 20, 2016

"After this many of his disciples quit following him and did not accompany him any longer. So Jesus said to the twelve, “You don’t want to go away too, do you?” Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God!” John 6:66-69

If you have been a Christ-follower for more than a few weeks you have had an unfollow moment. One of the keys to successfully following Jesus is how you handle those unfollow moments.

What is an unfollow moment?

In this post I will suggest a half a dozen examples of unfollow moments.

1) Terms

The followers of Jesus had unfollow moments when He confronted them with the terms of following Him. Up to this moment they were following Him for the bread and the miracles. It hadn't cost them anything to be a follower. But now that was changing! They would have to share in His suffering and trust in His sacrifice for their sins. No longer could they be consumers they would now have to commit. It was their moment to follow or unfollow.

You've had those moments haven't you? Perhaps you are there now.

2) Transitions

Life is filled with transitions isn't it? Maybe it is moving from high school to college life. Maybe it is moving from single life to married life. Perhaps it is a marriage that has gone bad. It could be the aftermath of a divorce. Possibly it is dealing with an unmistakable call from God upon your life.

Every major transition in life requires you to re-evaluate your commitment as a Christ-follower.

3) Testing

Difficult times that test your courage, commitment and confidence can cause a crisis of faith.

It might be a family crisis. It could be a financial setback. Perhaps you have received a problematic health diagnosis.

These are the sort of challenges that can test your faith and cause you to consider pushing the "unfollow" button with Jesus.

4) Temptations

A temptation is something that pulls you toward a direction or a decision that's not in your best interest. James makes it clear in his letter that the power of temptation is found in our base and fleshly desires. Temptations usually come in the form of a temptation toward sin.

Perhaps it is a shady business deal that you know you can get away with and make a killing at it. It might me a relationship that is unhealthy but has a hold on your heart.

So, here are four examples of hardships and hassles the Enemy may try to use to entice you away from following Jesus.

What can you do as a follower to keep from pushing the "unfollow? button?

I recommend you learn from Peter and pause to ask the question he asked, “Lord, to whom would we go?"

If you don't follow Jesus you will follow something else. What is more significant to give your life to and follow than following Jesus?

Asking that question should give you some clarity but if it doesn't, take the question one step deeper. 

"You have the words of eternal life."

If you unfollow Jesus where will you go to find eternal life? Who else has that? Who else can offer that to you? That's right! No one can! 

Be very cautious when you are tempted to unfollow Jesus!

August 19, 2016

"After this many of his disciples quit following him and did not accompany him any longer. So Jesus said to the twelve, “You don’t want to go away too, do you?”  Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom would we go?" John 6:66-68

When Jesus was handing out the free fish and bread, they were turning out by the thousands and following Him like puppy dogs. But when He began asking some difficult things from them, then they shuffled off to Bethlehem.

After Jesus had watched the mass exodus of former followers He turned to address the Twelve with these haunting words,"You don't want to go away too, do you?"

The three-fold answer Peter gave in response to Jesus' query is a powerful statement to anyone who might thinking about "unfollowing" as he was at the time. I will be sharing this three-fold rationale for not unfollowing Jesus when you feel like you want to.

Peter's answer to Jesus' questioning of the strength of his commitment was spot on! 

"Lord, to whom would we go?"

If you choose to walk away from Jesus and unfriend Him where would you go?

Really! Where would you go?

I love hamburgers. I once thought there was nothing more delicious that a hamburger fresh off the grill! That was before I tasted a steak and now I can't go back to hamburger! I won't unfollow a sirloin for a cheeseburger anymore!

Where can I go once I know about steak? I sure can't go back to being satisfied with cheeseburgers!

Before they began following Jesus they were fishermen working in their family business. It was good honest work but it was hard and tedious and dangerous. Could they leave Jesus for that? Would that be satisfactory?

You have been there and so have I!

Those difficult moments. Those disillusioning moments. Those discouraging moments. Those moments when unfollowing Jesus looks more appealing than continuing to follow Him.

We will be there again!

Perhaps you are there now.

What do you do?

Do what Peter did before you decide to unfollow Jesus. Take a moment, let your emotions settle and take a moment to seriously consider, "Lord, to whom would I go?"

What option is there to following Jesus after you have known the joy of following Him?

Where do you go if you unfollow Him? Where does that take you?

If you choose to unfollow Jesus there will come a time when you will regret it. If you know there will be a time you will regret unfollowing Jesus, why do it?

What if in those desperate moments when unfollowing looks like a better option you choose as Peter chose, recommit to following Him. When you feel like getting out get back in!

August 18, 2016

"Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum. On hearing it, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it? Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, “Does this offend you? Then what if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life. Yet there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. He went on to say, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them.” From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him." John 6:53-66

How many followers do you have on your Facebook account? That is important to serious Facebook involved people. The followers you have the more important you feel and the more popular your Facebook posts are considered to be.

One of the worst things that could happen to a person who take his Facebook page seriously. To be unfollowed indicates you have fallen out of favor with one of your followers or they have been offended by something you posted.

No one wants to be unfollowed and everyone wants more followers not fewer. In our story of Jesus we will consider on Sunday, Jesus was about to be unfollowed by a good number of His followers.

Why did these followers decide they must unfollow Jesus?

They come around or over the lake seeking to get something from Jesus but Jesus refused to give them what they wanted and instead, asked something from them! And what He asked was hard (and a little weird) as you can read in the Scripture above.

So what did he mean by this hard saying? Here are the clues:

• "How do you labor for the food that endures to eternal life? Believe in me!" (v. 27, 29)
• “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me [in faith] shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” (v. 35)
• “For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” (v. 40)
• “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.” (v. 47)

For Jesus eating is believing; drinking is believing. He promises eternal life to those who believe in him. Believe what?

Believe that his death—the breaking of his body and spilling of his blood—pays in full the penalty for our sin and that his perfect righteousness is freely given to us in exchange for our unrighteousness.

From this moment on, this is what following would mean for these who were seeking Him.

They had to reconsider their commitment to Jesus. Would they follow Him or would they unfollow?

According to the rest of Chapter 6, many of them unfollowed Jesus.

Have you ever been tempted to unfollow Jesus?

Perhaps you are at that point this morning.

Perhaps the price seems too high.

Maybe the pain is just too great.

In the next several posts I want to share some questions you can ask yourself before you choose to unfollow Jesus.

Neeeding Vs. Wanting

"Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.”  John 6:26-27

While Jesus was walking across the sea in a storm these people had made their way over the sea or around the sea for the express purpose of hoping to see Jesus.

When you see people put forth that much effort to find someone it indicates a strong agenda accompanied by high expectations. And sure enough, they weren't coming to Jesus because of Who He was but because of what they wanted Him to do for them. Maybe another miraculous meal or some other supernatural feat they could marvel over.

Isn't it interesting how much effort people are willing to invest in finding Jesus for when they have a need they want Him to meet?

Maybe you have been guilty of that.

But of course, Jesus as the Son of God, knew their thoughts and their motives and He confronted them. "You come looking for bread that spoils but I want to give you bread that saves."

Jesus didn't agree to give them what they asked for but He offered them what they needed. He often does that!

How do you respond when God offers you something other than what you asked for? Do you insist on getting your way or can you trust Him to know what's best?

They came looking for a miracle that would meet their physical needs. Jesus offered them a miracle that would meet their spiritual needs. It was up to them to decide which need they needed most!

What do you need most from Jesus today? He knows, do you?

Will you trust Him?

August 16, 2016

"When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” John 6:25

This is a look into a day in the life of Jesus. Think about what has happened over the past 24 hours and you will understand why the crowds sailed all over the Sea of Galilee looking for Him.

Just a day earlier Jesus spent the day teaching along the shore of the sea. We find out in the recounting of this story that there were thousands who had gathered to hear Him teach the Good News!

Wouldn't you have come to hear Him?

But as the day wore on and they all became hungry His disciples realized they had a problem. They didn't want to send them away but neither did they have enough food to feed this crowd nor could they the spare the money to purchase the required provisions.

So, Jesus solved the problem by miraculously stretching a small lunch into a bread and fish buffet! 5,000 men ate until they were fully satisfied. When you factor in the women and children in their midst the feeding of the 5,000 was actually the feeding of the 12,000 to 15,000!

That is a day people still talk about 2,000 years later!

But during the night Jesus did something equally as miraculous but less celebrated! He walked across the sea!

Not only did He walk across the sea He did it during a storm!

Not only did He walk across the sea during a storm but he got into the boat with the disciples in the midst of the storm!

Not only did He walk across the sea in the midst of the storm and got into the boat with the disciples but He spoke to the storm and it stopped! Immediately!

Not only did He walk across the sea in the midst of the storm and got into the boat with the disciples and immediately calmed the storm BUT then the boat was INSTANTLY at the shore on the other side of the sea!

Wow!

No wonder the people came looking for Jesus!

The issue isn't WHY they came looking for Jesus but rather WHAT were they looking for when they came. That is important to note because it sets the stage for some hard sayings Jesus is about to proclaim.

They were interested in following Jesus because they thought He would make their live easier and He was about to challenge that notion. They came looking for the next great miracle He was about to ask for more. They were excited about what He could do for them but He was committed to what He could do in them.

Will you come looking for Jesus today?

What will you ask for once you find Him?

Are you only interested in what He can do for you or are you seeking what He wants to do in you?

Do you have a hunger in your heart?

Do you have a storm that needs to be stilled?

If you come in humility and surrender it could become an extraordinary day!

August 15, 2016

"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.” Acts 1:8

As a Christian it is natural to be excited about how God has forgiven you and set you free from your past. I think most Christians get excited about that.

And Christians get happy about the future God has provided for them through the grace of Jesus Christ. 

So believers have forgiveness and freedom for their past and they have forever in their future.

It seems to me that where Christians struggle the most is in the present. What is a Christian supposed to do between his spiritual "birth" and his physical death? That can be a period of fifty or sixty years. How should those years be spent?

Jesus had a definite idea about what His followers should be doing. They are to be witnesses.

What is a witness? What does a witness do?

First, a witness tells what he knows.

So, what do you think a Christian should know?  

A Christian should know God and know Him well!

A Christian should know God's Word and know it well.

If you were called to witness what you know about your faith, what would you say?

Second, a witness tells what he has seen.

A Christian should be able to tell about the changes he has seen God make in his life.

A Christian should also be about how he has seen God work in his family and in his church.

If you were called as a witness what have you seen that you could tell others about?

Third, a witness is loyal to what he knows and what he has seen.

In Greek, the word for witnesses is "martures,' from which we get the English word martyr. It means being loyal to Jesus no matter the cost and speaking up for him even when others oppose you. 

Are you able to do that? 

What is a Christian supposed to do between "forgiven" and "forever"?

You are to be a witness - His witness.

August 14, 2016

^"Jesus went up on a mountainside. He called for certain people to come to him, and they came. He appointed twelve of them and called them apostles. From that time on they would be with him. He would also send them out to preach. They would have authority to drive out demons." Mark 3:13-15

If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, why are you following?

What is the point?

What is the purpose?

What is the payoff?

Do you know?

When Jesus called the Twelve, He made it very clear to them why He called them and what it would mean to follow Him.

They were to be with Him. God, from the time of Creation has desired to be in fellowship with Him. Mark tells us that He called these followers to enjoy a relationship with Him by faith. Relationship with God through was the point of creation and it is the point of our calling.

They were to proclaim Him to others who haven't heard His Gospel. He called them to preach with words and by their witness in all places at all times. Recruiting people for the Kingdom of God was clearly the purpose for following Him.

They were to demonstrate His power and authority over diseases and demons thus revealing His glory. Releasing those who were in bondage to sin and darkness was one of the reasons Jesus came and it would be a responsibility handed on to followers.

Jesus was clear in calling His disciples so they could be clear in their commitment as followers. They would live in relationship with Him. They would recruit others to believe in Him and follow Him, too. They would release others from the bondage of darkness by wielding His authority and power.

So, I ask again, why are you following?

Are you following Him to enjoy a relationship with Him?

Are you recruiting others to have a relationship with Him? Who have you recruited lately?

Are you revealing His power and glory?