Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord.
A curious thing happens after Jesus is raised from the dead; His appearance is altered so that he is no longer recognizable by the 12 disciples, those who walked with him daily and were closest to him. And yet, despite such an altered appearance, the disciples knew with absolute certainty that they were in his presence although they were unable to recognize him. Even though the question "Who are you?" flickered on their minds, none of them dared ask it for inwardly they knew it was the LORD. Why, then, are we so often surprised that when we search for God he doesn't show up how we expect him to?
Had the disciples only looked with their eyes, they might have missed Jesus standing on the beach altogether because they were looking for something else. Sometimes Jesus just doesn't look the way we want him to or act the way we expect, but if our view of who Jesus is and what he will do is so narrow, we often will miss the answers to our prayers. The ability to discern God's presence comes only from walking closely with the LORD, just as when you spend so much time with someone you can just tell when they approach by the rhythm of their footsteps.
Can you hear the LORD approaching to just know when you are in his presence? If not, you may just miss breakfast.
Showing posts with label Disciples. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Disciples. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Mark 4:38
"Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke Him and said to Him, "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?"
"Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?" These are the words of the disciples, unaware that Christ's very presence was an answer to his question. God does in fact care that we are perishing. That is why he came down to us in order that we might live.
And yet Jesus was found asleep on the boat as it was tossed and turned by the waves on the open sea. How could Jesus remain so calm when death seemed imminent? Either he doesn't care or they were not perishing. Judging that God came down from heaven to save us, the latter must be true.
In the presence of Christ, we will never perish. If He who is eternal lives in us, how can we die? And if we who have been baptized died to sin, how then can we die to it once more? We have been reborn so that the life we have we live to God so if you feel like you are perishing, ask yourself, "Is the LORD with me?" for if He is, you have nothing to fear.
"Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?" These are the words of the disciples, unaware that Christ's very presence was an answer to his question. God does in fact care that we are perishing. That is why he came down to us in order that we might live.
And yet Jesus was found asleep on the boat as it was tossed and turned by the waves on the open sea. How could Jesus remain so calm when death seemed imminent? Either he doesn't care or they were not perishing. Judging that God came down from heaven to save us, the latter must be true.
In the presence of Christ, we will never perish. If He who is eternal lives in us, how can we die? And if we who have been baptized died to sin, how then can we die to it once more? We have been reborn so that the life we have we live to God so if you feel like you are perishing, ask yourself, "Is the LORD with me?" for if He is, you have nothing to fear.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Mark 10:22
"At this the man's face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions."
This man was perfect. He had it all, wealth, power, youth and an impeccable moral record. Jesus himself, upon examining him closely, loved him. Surely he would make a great disciple! But when the invitation comes straight from Jesus's own mouth, the man goes away sad and all that excitement that was once in his face turned into utter defeat. Eternal life was not worth more than his possessions.
So this man, whom any of us would want in our own churches, fails to become a disciple of Christ. He is the first and only man Mark depicts as not immediately leaving everything behind and following Jesus when he says "Come and follow me." To those whom much has been given much will be demanded.
This is a powerful reminder that a high social status is no ticket into heaven, but rather the ability to be brought low like a child. It is not what you have that counts, but what you are willing to give up. In the end, it is not the "righteous"who end up following Jesus, but the sinners and tax collectors, dirty fisherman and prostitutes, drug addicts and thieves, slanderers, sorcerers, and adulterers for all they have to give up is their past lives so that Christ might give them new ones.
This man was perfect. He had it all, wealth, power, youth and an impeccable moral record. Jesus himself, upon examining him closely, loved him. Surely he would make a great disciple! But when the invitation comes straight from Jesus's own mouth, the man goes away sad and all that excitement that was once in his face turned into utter defeat. Eternal life was not worth more than his possessions.
So this man, whom any of us would want in our own churches, fails to become a disciple of Christ. He is the first and only man Mark depicts as not immediately leaving everything behind and following Jesus when he says "Come and follow me." To those whom much has been given much will be demanded.
This is a powerful reminder that a high social status is no ticket into heaven, but rather the ability to be brought low like a child. It is not what you have that counts, but what you are willing to give up. In the end, it is not the "righteous"who end up following Jesus, but the sinners and tax collectors, dirty fisherman and prostitutes, drug addicts and thieves, slanderers, sorcerers, and adulterers for all they have to give up is their past lives so that Christ might give them new ones.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Acts 19:2
"[Paul] asked them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?"
They answered, "No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit."
How is it that someone can be a believer and while having never received or even heard of the Holy Spirit? Doesn't the Holy Spirit indwell all believers? The text makes clear that these were disciples, but does not make clear whose disciples they are. They were baptized once with the baptism of repentance, but the text then goes on to say that they were re-baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
It seems that their first baptism was inadequate and whoever discipled them left the job undone. These were nominal Christians. John's baptism was good, but it was insufficient for salvation. Some others had come before Paul to Ephesus and preached only a small part of the good news of Christ and went on their way, unknowingly leaving behind a remnant of shallow half-Christians who only think they are saved.
How much of a burden then lies on us, as members of Christ's body, to preach the whole gospel in order to make whole Christians? We have a charge to make disciples of all nations, not just to baptize but to teach them to obey all things Christ has commanded. Paul taught in the area two years, making sure all have heard the message and were rightly taught before he moved on. We ought follow him as he follows Christ.
They answered, "No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit."
How is it that someone can be a believer and while having never received or even heard of the Holy Spirit? Doesn't the Holy Spirit indwell all believers? The text makes clear that these were disciples, but does not make clear whose disciples they are. They were baptized once with the baptism of repentance, but the text then goes on to say that they were re-baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
It seems that their first baptism was inadequate and whoever discipled them left the job undone. These were nominal Christians. John's baptism was good, but it was insufficient for salvation. Some others had come before Paul to Ephesus and preached only a small part of the good news of Christ and went on their way, unknowingly leaving behind a remnant of shallow half-Christians who only think they are saved.
How much of a burden then lies on us, as members of Christ's body, to preach the whole gospel in order to make whole Christians? We have a charge to make disciples of all nations, not just to baptize but to teach them to obey all things Christ has commanded. Paul taught in the area two years, making sure all have heard the message and were rightly taught before he moved on. We ought follow him as he follows Christ.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Mark 6:48
"And he saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them. And about the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them..."
Jesus saw his disciples struggling in the middle of the sea, and yet intended to just simply walk past them casually. Ironically enough, Jesus was the one who sent the disciples on ahead of him while he stayed back and prayed on a mountainside, and yet this same Jesus was about to surpass his disciples even though they had a head start and were in a boat.
This is not a story about Jesus being able to "calm the winds of your life". This is a story to say that at one point in history there existed a man who could walk on water and do so effortlessly. If you've ever been out on a windy lake, the water isn't exactly calm to walk on. You contrast the disciples struggling and being tossed about in their little boat in the pitch black of night before dawn, and Jesus who waltzes right past them and you start to understand how amazing this God of ours is.
This isn't a story to highlight Jesus's compassion, but rather his sovereignty. Everything obeys Jesus's command, even the laws of Physics themselves (after all, he wrote the laws). When you start to grasp that then you start to realize just who is this king of glory.
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