Good morning,
Praise the Lord for this new day. It is bitterly cold here in New York, with sub-zero temperatures. The Lord blessed us with a very full and very blessed weekend. We had service of death and resurrection Friday evening followed by a full dinner. Saturday evening worship was a real blessing. I had thought of canceling the Saturday evening worship service due to frigid weather. We decided to hold worship, and there were several peoplewho came for the evening worship, including 7 new people who came; it was a great thrill. We had blessed day in the house of the Lord yesterday. I preached during the 8:30 and 11:00 AM services in Union Center, and our friend Mike Wingard preached at Wesley. The Gospel reading was taken from Mathew 4:18 ff. This is the story our Lord's calling of the disciples by the sea of Galillee.
Imagine that these followers, these fishermen, didn’t even take any fish when they followed Jesus. Instead, complete trust gave them a complete life. Real trust gave them real hope. They did not decide to attend once or twice a year or to merely catch Jesus at the feeding of the 5000. They were not just sold on Jesus; they were sold out.
Mike Slaughter, Minister at Ginghamsburg Church in Ohio and author of the book Real Followers says Jesus spoke to everyone but the people who heard fell into three categories. They were the curious, the convinced, and the committed. The disciples were beyond the curious. They were convinced that Jesus was for real and they wanted to become real followers. They fell into the realm of the committed.
The difference in lifestyle is immediately apparent as the curious show up and then leave when Jesus asks for sacrifice and commitment. The convinced are there faithfully like a bunch of roadies at a rock concert. The committed are those who make meaningful sacrifices and lasting commitment. The real follower is found in the life of the one who is committed. Jesus asks for commitment and sacrifice and they give it. The mark of a real disciple is dependence on Jesus and allowing him to lead you. This concept is completely counter to our culture.
Jesus needed and still does need people who are willing to follow him to the ends of the earth.
Becoming a real follower is something that is going to require decision, dedication, and dependence. In Luke’s version of this text Peter falls at Jesus’ feet and declares, “Lord I am a sinful man”
In the words of Thomas Long:...."In these stories of the calling of the disciples, then, Jesus disrupts family structures and disturbs patterns of working and living. He does so, however, not to destroy but to renew. Peter and Andrew do not cease being brothers; they are now brothers who do the will of God (Matt. 12:50). James and John do not cease being sons; they are now not only the children of Zebedee but also the children of God. All four of these disciples leave their fishing nets, but they do not stop fishing. They are now, in the kingdom of heaven, fishers for people. Their past has not been obliterated; it has been transformed by Jesus' call to follow."
“When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die”: Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
In Christ,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GINNh15cT08
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment