Discipleship
What If?
What if? These two words can prove exciting or frightening, depending on their context, what follows, and our reaction to those words. What if Hitler had not invaded the Soviet Union? What if someone else won the election of ________? What if modern medicine had not existed for that surgery? What if I had bought […]
Read MoreThe LORD’s Servant
Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you just wanted a do over? Perhaps you, like I, have regretted saying things due to frustration or just lack of preparation and wanted to take those words back and start again. Or maybe a job or a relationship got off to a horrible start and…
Read MoreCivil Disobedience in an Uncivil Society
For many years, the situation in America provided an environment where Christianity could grow and have influence in society due to the spiritual focus of many early Americans and the appreciation for biblical principles and ethics that the founders considered essential for the republican framework of government based in liberty they called for in the…
Read MoreFollowing to the End – Part Three
This is an excerpt from Kevin W. Rhodes’ latest book, Follow Me: A Call to Authentic Discipleship. For your copy from Hopkins Publishing or for more information, just follow the link to Follow Me: A Call to Authentic Discipleship or check it out on Amazon.com. Failing to follow to the end is more than a mistake; it is a…
Read MoreFollowing to the End – Part Two
This is an excerpt from Kevin W. Rhodes’ latest book, Follow Me: A Call to Authentic Discipleship. For your copy from Hopkins Publishing or for more information, just follow the link to Follow Me: A Call to Authentic Discipleship or check it out on Amazon.com. The time will come in any believer’s life that God’s Word will confront him,…
Read MoreFollowing to the End – Part One
At the close of such a sad moment in Jesus’ ministry—the crowds retreating into the distance and leaving Jesus behind to question the commitment of the twelve–we find that Jesus knew full well that the decision of the multitude to leave only marked one type of spiritual failure. For at that time, “Jesus answered them,…
Read MoreFocused on Eternity – Part Three
Interestingly, at the very moment when thousands of people rejected Jesus as their teacher, Simon Peter, in response, acknowledged Jesus was far more than his teacher, saying, “Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (John 6:69). Rather than accepting the ideas and expectations…
Read MoreFocused on Eternity – Part Two
What a scene it must have been to witness throngs of people turning their backs on Jesus because He would not do what they wanted. They wanted Him to perform miracles to please them. They expected Him to provide food for them all the time. They imagined a relationship where He would feel honored that…
Read MoreFocused on Eternity – Part One
After Jesus answered the people and responded to their objections, the people, for the most part, made a decision; they decided to leave. It is difficult to fathom that people who heard Jesus, followed Jesus, and saw Jesus perform miracles would ever walk away from Jesus, but that is exactly what happened. And yet, people…
Read MoreFollow to the Extent Jesus Says – Part Three
The people in the crowd had followed Jesus as long as it was convenient. They had expressed interest as long as they benefited physically. But Jesus exposed the passing nature of their interest–rooted in the flesh–simply by staying true to His spiritual mission instead of getting caught up in the carnal distraction of the crowd.…
Read More