Jesus Disciples Are Servants

Just like their Savior

Matthew 20:26-28  But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant,  27  and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave.  28  For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give His life as a ransom for many."

Matthew 25:34-36 "Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world.

35 For I was hungry, and you fed Me. I was thirsty, and you gave Me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited Me into your home. 36 I was naked, and you gave Me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for Me. I was in prison, and you visited Me.'

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How come the only time that somebody needs help is when its inconvenient? Can't they pick a better time to need help?

Serving is hard because the main sacrifice that you have to make is to give up some of your time or some of your pride. Either the chore is something that you don't want to be seen doing or it's something that is going to cut into your schedule. Jesus and his disciples didn't have a daily calender and there wasn't any place that Jesus wouldn't go. 

I need to serve sacrificially until somebody ask why I am doing it so that I can share about the one that gave himself for me.

Thank you Lord for your sacrifice. Help me to let go of pride and make room in my schedule to follow your example and become a servant.

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Jesus Wants His Disciples To Be Loving

Most people are under-loved, so we need to get to work.

Matthew 22:37-40 Jesus replied, "'You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.' 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 A second is equally important: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' 40 The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments."

1 John 5:2 We know we love God's children if we love God and obey His commandments.

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The most attractive thing about Jesus is that he did not exclude anybody, it didn't matter what everybody else thought about a person, Jesus love for people looked beyond what they did and how they behaved.

That is so difficult for us to do, our ability to love comes from the ability of the other person to measure up to our standards. God told us to love with no strings attached, was that person nice to me? Do they behave and look a certain way? No, well love them anyway.

The only way that we can accomplish loving all of those people that we can't stand to love is to love God first. Jesus love for people was the result of his love for God, if we begin with loving God then he will help us to love what he loves, the more that Jesus disciples love God the more they will love people without exception.

Jesus Makes The Difference

Philippians 2:1-2  Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose. 

The only way that people are going to be attracted to God is for them to be loved. Who in the world would be drawn to a God that might not like them? A God that might reject them. Who would be attracted to a God that has hateful, unloving children?

Love is the bait that attracts unbelievers, I need to love until someone ask why, I need to display God's extravagant love in my sphere of influence.

Help me Lord to love without strings attached so that people are drawn to you.

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Jesus Disciples Are Called To Forgive

Live to forgive and you will change your world.

Matthew 18:21-22  Then Peter came to Him and asked, "Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?"

22 "No, not seven times," Jesus replied, "but seventy times seven!

Colossians 3:13  Make allowance for each others faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.

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It's the gift that keeps on giving, it never wears out or goes out of style, the one gift that we needed the most. As much as we love this gift we are also supposed to re-gift it and let others have some. The best forgivers in the world should be the people that have experienced Jesus forgiveness but it seems like they may be the worst at it.

The Bible is very clear that if I do not show mercy in the same measure that it was given to me then I am in a very serious situation. If I really understand how much i have been forgiven through no merit that I achieved then i should always remember to do the same for others. 

Forgiveness doesn't change the past but it unlocks the future, past unforgiveness will weigh a person down and keep them in bondage but Jesus unlocks those chains. Forgiving as Jesus did will change the world.

If I truly love as Jesus loves then I will be forgiving at all times, without any restraint and there certainly shouldn't be any strings attached, Jesus gave up his rights and canceled the debt. That makes it seem silly that we cannot forfeit our rights and fully forgive those that are around us. How much have I really been wronged? Not much in comparison.

Help us to be world changers Lord by unlocking the freedom found in forgiveness, help us to give up our rights and allow our brothers to make mistakes.

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A Disciple Has Purpose In Living

Jesus gives us a rich and satisfying life.

 John 10:10-11  The thief's purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life. 

11  "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices His life for the sheep.

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Just like the servicemen and women that enter the battlefield for the purpose of saving lives, we need to enter the battlefield of the day-to-day grind of daily living and share the gospel with those who need to hear it—so that we can save lives too.

Jesus lived life passionate for God so that he could reproduce disciples that are passionate about God he definitely lived a life worth dying for. Just how committed are we to the task that he has assigned to us?

It would be enough to keep me from annihilation or hell but Jesus said that his purpose is to give me a life of eternal joy, peace and satisfaction. If I do not live for the mission that he has called to to then my life will be very unfulfilled.

Help me to remember that the purpose for living is not so that I can be selfish, I have been called to a higher purpose that makes life worth living and worth dying for.

A Disciple Of Jesus Should Sound Like One

Wagging the tongue is dangerous work.

Matthew 12:34-35  You brood of snakes! How could evil men like you speak what is good and right? For whatever is in your heart determines what you say.  35  A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart.

Ephesians 4:29  Don't use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.

Colossians 3:17  And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.

Proverbs 4:23-24  Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.  24  Avoid all perverse talk; stay away from corrupt speech.

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The tongue is such a powerful body part with great potential to do good or to cause great harm. The choice is ours, we can make a habit of blessing or we can pass out curses, but how do you determine what is going to come out?

It is difficult to hide the words that come to mind and filter them continuously, sooner or later those ugly words pop out, after all the heart is what is really subconsciously controlling the tongue. We have to guard our hearts in order to keep a guard on our tongue, Jesus told the Pharisees that they didn't have much of a chance to say the right thing because of their heart condition.

Jesus disciple should be giving words of instruction not words of destruction, the culture that we live in is full of destructive speaking habits, our words need to be attractive to the culture. The words that we speak are not neutral, if our words are not attractive to the culture and cause them to come closer to the Lord then they are probably causing them to turn from the Lord.

James 3:10  And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right!

What a tattle tale the tongue is, letting everybody know what is inside of my heart,  I need to be sure that I make my tongue a source of blessing and truth so that others will be drawn to the faith instead of being scared away.

I pray Lord that people will be drawn closer to you and to belief of the gospel by the words that I speak. Forgive me for those times when my mouth doesn't sound like it belongs to you.

Jesus Wants His Disciples To Be Fishing

Full-time fisher man, not seasonal or sport fishing. 

Matthew 4:18-20  One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers--Simon, also called Peter, and Andrew--throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living.  19  Jesus called out to them, "Come, follow Me, and I will show you how to fish for people!"  20  And they left their nets at once and followed Him.

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When Jesus walked the shores of Galilee one of the most important careers was fishing. It was an important part of the economy.

For the career fisher man all of life revolved around fishing, without fish he didn't have anything to barter or sell so that he could have the things that he needs and he certainly wasn't going to eat if he didn't fish. It wasn't a hobby or a seasonal thing, it was life.

Discipleship is not a program or a hobby or even a ministry, rather it is a lifestyle, it is a lifestyle that must be lived out 24/7. When Christ began to preach, he began to gather fishers of men, who whould be hearers, and afterwords preachers of his doctrine, that would keep the process going so that there would always be an increase in the amount of fishing being done.

If you are going to be a good fisher man then you must have the right bait, if we do not look like Christ or talk like Christ then all we are going to do is scare the fish away. Speaking right and doing right is the right kind of bait to use if we are anything else then we will not attract the fish.

1 Peter 2:12  Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when He judges the world.

I need to be certain that every time I throw my bait into the water that it smells right and looks right or the fish wont bite.

Help me Lord to be a full-time fisherman and to be one that isn't scaring the fish away. May the things that I say and the things that I do be an attractive bait that the fish will bite.

Jesus Disciples Are Not Working Alone

No one is more committed to the mission of the church than the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 28:20  Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

John 14:16-18  And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you.  17   He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive Him, because it isn't looking for Him and doesn't recognize Him. But you know Him, because He lives with you now and later will be in you.  18  No, I will not abandon you as orphans, I will come to you.

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We are going to need some help to make disciples, Jesus said that he would be with us always, disciple makers are not alone in their work we can depend on Jesus to help us.

The Holy Spirit is a part of the process, his work starts with salvation and it continues throughout our spiritual growth, he leads us to repentance and then to discipleship and onward again toward disciple-making.

Luke 12:12 for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what needs to be said.

1 Corinthians 2:4 And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit.

I need to remember that the Holy Spirit gives me the words, the timing for my words and the power to go and share about the good news.

Help me Lord to never get used to the fact that hell is real and people are going there everyday. Help me to be serious about my mission here on earth.

Jesus Disciples Are Teachers

Without teachers we are one generation away from extinction.

Matthew 28:20  Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

Titus 2:1, 15 As for you, Titus, promote the kind of living that reflects wholesome teaching. You must teach these things and encourage the believers to do them.

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So you don't think that you are a teacher? Well there is a little bit of teacher in all of us. The truth is that we teach people everyday about what we believe by the way that we live, the more radical your obedience to God, the more your example will teach others to be.

A Marine trains for combat to respond like a combatant not a civilian and likewise a follower of Jesus must be taught how to be a disciple. Deliberate teaching is the only way that another disciple is going to be ready for the battle. How I fight the spiritual battles that I encounter will show if I was prepared or if I was lazy.

2 Timothy 2:2  You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others.

I need to teach someone directly or through my lifestyle so that others will follow my example.

1 Timothy 4:6  If you explain these things to the brothers and sisters, Timothy, you will be a worthy servant of Christ Jesus, one who is nourished by the message of faith and the good teaching you have followed.

Help me to be a good example of the lifestyle that you want your disciples to live.

Jesus Disciples Should Be Baptized

He is our example.

Matthew 28:19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

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Jesus commands his disciples to go and make more disciples and then after they make a disciple they are to encourage that new disciple to be baptized as a life changing first step into a new way of living.

This radical first step into joining ourselves with Christ should signify our allegiance has shifted from self to a complete allegiance to God, I am letting the world know that I have exchanged my life for His. Baptism is an important start to my new life after all if this first step doesn't have any significance then all of the steps in discipleship that happen down the road will not mean very much either. 

Galatians 3:27  And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes.

Christ disciples need to announce to the world through this first act of obedience that they are starting a new way of life, it is like putting new clothes on the outside to testify to the change that is happening on the inside.

Thank you for saving me from myself, help us Lord to be obedient and follow your example.

Jesus Authority Empowers His Disciples

Exercise your power to change the world.

Matthew 28:18  Jesus came and told His disciples, "I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth.

Luke 24:49 "And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as My Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven."

Acts 1:6-8 So when the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking Him, "Lord, has the time come for You to free Israel and restore our kingdom?"

7 He replied, "The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be My witnesses, telling people about Me everywhere--in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

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Jesus victory over the grave has changed the disciples, these guys would never be the same now, the good news that Jesus is alive has turned their grief into joy. Not only is Jesus back but he is talking a lot about his authority and power. Was it finally time for the coming kingdom to be established?

Jesus didn't want his disciples to waste time on trying to figure out what is impossible to know. God is the only one that knows the timing of the kingdom, God is the first line of authority above every other, the kingdom is still not here but we don't need to fret about it.

We are not waiting all alone and defeated, Jesus has given us a companion and a source of power to help us, Jesus would no longer be with them physically but that is okay because there is something better on the way.

After the resurrection, Jesus exercised his power and sent the Holy Spirit so that we would be empowered as his followers to successfully live as an ambassador for his kingdom. We have everything that we need to complete the work that Jesus started.

In the Great Commission Jesus gives his followers the authority to go into all the world to make disciples. After these new disciples are made we have the authority to baptize and teach them.

I need to exercise my authority and invest my time in building the kingdom of God instead of building my own kingdom.

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Worship As A Lifestyle

God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.

Matthew 28:16-17  Then the eleven disciples left for Galilee, going to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go.  17  When they saw Him, they worshiped Him--but some of them doubted!

Romans 12:1  And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all He has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice--the kind He will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship Him.

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The lifestyle of a disciple is a lifestyle that cannot be separated from worship. After all worship comes from passionate love for God and this is the number one goal of disciple making, to create another individual that is so in love with God that he cannot hold back from worshiping Him.

The worship lifestyle can only come from an individual that is intimate with God, somebody that spends time alone with Him. What if I said that I love my wife but I was always looking for something else to do rather than spending my time with her, there wouldn't be much of a reason to believe that I am in love with her, but that is how the majority of those that profess to be a Christian treat God.

Luke 4:8  Jesus replied, "The Scriptures say, 'You must worship the LORD your God and serve only Him.'"

The more satisfied I am with God, the more satisfied I will be living for God, living a lifestyle of constant praise and adoration for him.

Thank you Lord for all the blessings that you give so freely to me, I want to keep it all in perspective, remembering where they all come from and giving you praise.

Jesus Disciples Should Be Travel Agents

Am I Moving People Toward Real Change?

Matthew 5:13-16  "You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.  14  "You are the light of the world--like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden.  15  No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house.  16  In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.

Colossians 4:6  Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.

 Philippians 2:15  Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people.

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Want an exciting new career? Like to work with people? How about a job in the travel industry? Agents are needed to move people from where they are to where God wants them to be. Immediate job opportunities.

God's disciples are suppose to be agents for change, we are supposed to be working in our sphere of influence to move people toward change so that they can leave their "stumbling in the dark" lifestyle and move into the light of truth that is found in Jesus. (Proverbs 4:18-19) 

God's disciples are not supposed to participate in darkness rather they should be the bright light in any room that they go into, we need to be like a lighthouse that can not be ignored,  it is easy to put our light away and blend in with the rest of the crowd so I need to be careful to live as a person "in the light" so that the evil ways of the world will be exposed for what they really are. (Ephesians 5:8-14)

Thank you Lord for giving us the light of your truth, help me to always live like your child so that my testimony will not be compromised, I want to be an agent for change in this dark world.

Jesus Disciples Have Rewards In Heaven

Do the right thing even if it hurts.

Matthew 5:11-12  "God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are My followers.

12  Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.

Luke 21:16-17  Even those closest to you--your parents, brothers, relatives, and friends--will betray you. They will even kill some of you.  17  And everyone will hate you because you are My followers.

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Being a disciple of the Lord has a cost , it isn't something easy and cheap that you do part time, the price can be pretty steep for some disciples in a lot of cultures. Living in a free society it is difficult to imagine real suffering that really cost big for those that follow Christ.

Not only is there a great cost but there is also a great reward for being a true disciple, despite all the hateful things that can happen to you for Christ sake there is an awesome reward, but don't get in a big hurry to get it. You may not see it for a while.

2 Timothy 4:8  And now the prize awaits me--the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of His return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to His appearing.

The apostle Paul wrote to Timothy about the great prize that will be waiting when he gets to Heaven, you would think that after all the good things that Paul did that he would get some benefit down here but the truth is that some good works will be rewarded down here on planet earth but there is a good chance that you will never receive it down here.

1 Peter 2:23  He did not retaliate when He was insulted, nor threaten revenge when He suffered. He left His case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly.

My good works should be the result of Godly character, it shouldn't be coming from any selfish motives, that kind of motivation will not get any kind of reward for eternity. My example is Jesus, I need to leave my life in God's hands and let him be the judge.

Thank you Lord for righting the wrongs that we encounter down here, help me to always follow you no matter what so that I will hear you say "Well done."

Jesus Disciples Will Be Persecuted

Virtue is persecuted by the wicked more than it is loved by the good.

Matthew 5:10   God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

 Psalms 37:12  The wicked plot against the godly; they snarl at them in defiance.

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A life marked with Godly character is sure to get some unwanted attention, the ungodly are going to react to what they see in my life, they will either be curious about why I am this way or they will ridicule and mistreat me.

It is difficult to comprehend the persecution that Christians endure throughout the world while the church in America is sitting so comfortably with so little conflict that is caused from being Christ like.

Persecution took place right away at the beginning of history when Cain let his jealousy take over, he did not like his brothers godly character and he decided to kill Abel:

1 John 3:12  We must not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and killed his brother. And why did he kill him? Because Cain had been doing what was evil, and his brother had been doing what was righteous.

Jesus was put to death because he was not ashamed to live out his godly character in front of everyone. It is a way of life that this evil world can not tolerate, so take heed of the warning that Jesus gave his disciples, he made sure that they knew that there were difficulties ahead for living a godly life (John 15:20).

The hard question to think about is if I am not being persecuted then why not? Do you live in a way that nobody ever persecutes you? Maybe my light needs to be taken out from under a basket so that it can be clearly seen by those around me (Matthew 5:14-16).

Lord help me to live for you boldly out in front of eveybody without any hesitation.

Jesus Disciples Should Be Peace Makers

Peace maker not prize fighter

Matthew 5:9   God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God.

Romans 12:18  If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all people.

2 Corinthians 13:11  Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice, set things right, be encouraged, agree with one another, live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you.

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The same God that stepped out of heaven to make peace between himself and us is commanding us to be peace makers as well. God is the source of peace, he is the one that showed us how important it is to make peace when he made the ultimate sacrifice so that we can have peace with him.

We need to have peace with God and we need to pursue peace with ourselves and with others.

Peace with ourselves is the first step, without it we will have a difficult time being peaceable with anybody else, our insecurities will get in the way and cause us to treat others worse than we treat our self.

Fighting and mouthing off, hurting people with the things that we say are not acceptable as a disciple of Jesus. It reminds me of the Bible verse in Ephesians 4:32 that every kid learned in Sunday School, it tells us to be kind to one another and even though we learn the verse as a child we still have to work on being nice and living at peace with those that are around us.

Help me Lord to actively work for peace in every relationship, without peace the world will never know that we are your children.

Jesus Disciples Should Be Pure

You can't get close to God without it. 

Matthew 5:8   God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God.

James 4:8  Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.

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A disciple has to stay close to the teacher in order to learn what they are supposed to know, there isn't a long distance learning program when it comes to discipleship, the only way to learn is to spent time in class just like the twelve disciples did.

There is a prerequisite for being able to spend time close to the Savior in a learning environment and that is that you have to have inward purity, the place where Jesus looked on the inside, which is opposite of the Pharisees who are just looking at the outward actions.

Jesus character must shine through in me starting from the inside and then working it's way outward through my actions, if I am not pure on the outside God knows it and as a result he will not draw close and be in fellowship with me. I must be somebody that he can draw close to if I expect to see him.

Thank you Lord for making it possible to have a relationship with you and for being able to draw close to my creator, help me to grow closer as I grow as your disciple.