Posts Tagged ‘Christian Living’
Following 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 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 MoreFollow to the Extent Jesus Says – Part Two
Discipleship demands taking the words of inspiration and making them your life now so that you might have life forever. The Master says, “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life” (Jn. 6:63). We tend to identify ourselves by…
Read MoreFollow to the Extent Jesus Says – Part One
A number of Old Testament passages provide the subtext for the entire discussion between Jesus and His would-be followers. After Jesus already had fed the five thousand miraculously, the crowds reminded Jesus of how the LORD fed the Israelites in the wilderness, attempting to goad Him into continuing to provide them food. Paraphrasing Psalm 78:24, they…
Read MoreFollowing When It Is Difficult – Part Two
Jesus’ question, “Does this offend you?” deserves another, more specific consideration. When we take offense to the more taxing demands of following Jesus, discipleship will indeed be difficult. Nevertheless, those requirements do not go away. They do not fade into oblivion given enough time. They stand strong through the centuries, calling on all people to…
Read MoreFollowing When It is Difficult – Part One
Nowhere will you find in the Bible that following Christ is going to be easy. In fact, the apostle Paul told Timothy, “You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ” (2 Tim. 2:3). Yet people seem to make that assumption on their own–and to their own detriment. They see all the…
Read MoreFollowing All the Way
The sixth chapter of John begins with Jesus performing miracles and feeding the five thousand (John 6:1-13). This miracle caused them to recognize Jesus as the Messiah, but only in the sense of an earthly king (John 6:14-15). They wanted a leader, but only if he could fulfill what they wanted. Therefore, He left them…
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