Messengers, Part 2 (31)
Discipleship in Luke
We are messengers, but it’s not our message – it’s God’s. We had better be extra careful to check our sources, be silent until we know what we’re talking about, and then deliver an accurate message – or better yet – show people where to learn for themselves. Good News that’s false – is not Good at all. Nothing hurts more than false hope.
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Messengers, Part 1 (30)
Discipleship in Luke
In Luke 14 at the dinner, Jesus tells a story about another dinner – the Kingdom feast. We will look at the characters in Jesus’ story and we find ourselves there: we are the “slaves,” the messengers. Scriptures used: Romans 10:1-2 James 3:1-2 Luke 14.15-24; Matthew 22.1-14
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Satan’s Sirens, pt2 (29)
Discipleship in Luke
Practical steps for killing Excuses, Justifications and Rationalizations, and replacing them with adaptations, improvisations and overcoming. We can categorize our lives, and look for them – to root them out. Then, connect with a Godwor disciple for accountability & help. Finally, choose one or two and work on them one bit at a time.
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Satan’s Sirens (28)
Discipleship in Luke
Satan’s Sirens … Excuses, Justifications and Rationalizations. These three are alluring, enticing, just like the beautiful singing sirens of mythology that lured sailors to their death – Satan’s sirens kill us. The solution is for us to recognize things that tempt us to these things, then treat them as challenges and opportunities. We should adapt, improvise, overcome … we should put on the full armor of God (Ephesians 6).
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Grow Some Go Some (#27)
Discipleship in Luke
Grow Some Go Some … congratulations are due to those of you who are still listening & studying, and especially to those of you who are DOING the assignments. Following Jesus was hard when he was in human form, and it’s still hard. Now … time to get to work for real.
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From Now On (#26)
Discipleship in Luke
From now on … these lessons will be less formal, shorter … and use excerpts from Luke to continue our studies. Most importantly, it’s about helping you to start actually doing the stuff Jesus did … on purpose. Make a real change. Do three things, right now:
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Wrap Up (#25)
Discipleship in Luke
it’s time for us to review and settle some things. Remember our purpose, our actions and our priority. And then … DO what Jesus said.
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Talents (#24)
Discipleship in Luke
This lesson is about the parable of talents (found in Matthew 25.14-30 & Luke 19.12-27). It’s about how you live as a disciple of Jesus … steadily giving more in quality and quantity purely for the purpose of bearing increasing fruit and glory to God.
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Recovering the Lost (#23)
Discipleship in Luke
Jesus explains why he left the religious folks to go seek sinners and call them to repentance. We are introducing the “Lifecycle” of disciples … those who come to Jesus for various reasons, then go all-in, are born again, and then live and grow. Scriptures highlighted in this lesson include: Luke 15, Matthew 6.20-21, Colossians 3.1-2, Philippians 3.12-21, and Matthew 25.14-30.
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Teleios (#22)
Discipleship in Luke
Teleios is a Greek word used commonly to describe a certain kind of maturity – the maturity which is understood to include productivity. Only when a thing has reached ‘teleios’ is it considered to have arrived at its full potential. Each one of us should strive to arrive at our full teleios state
info_outlineBefore we can understand the development of disciples in Luke, we must first understand what it means to be a disciple … and how that differs from our traditional understanding. It is a common misconception that those we refer to as Christians also fit Jesus’ definition of “disciple.” In actual point of fact, most of today’s Christians are much more like the religious people of Jesus’ day: the Pharisees, Sadducees, Lawyers (bible scholars), elders, Rabbis, priests, etc.
Following Jesus is not an easy path, nor a cheap one. It will cost us everything. But it is worth it! By accepting this challenge, we volunteer for a life that’s possibly void of many of the things we now rely upon: friends, family, money, sex, pleasure, wealth, popularity … but what we get in exchange is the kind of strength that relieves us of the need for those things. We become so strong that we can live a life that would feel like torture to most people … and we can smile through it. The storms that would mostly provoke others to terror – become opportunities for us to take a nap.
How do we get there? We start small, and work our way up. It all begins with commitment. This is a commitment we can make because we trust God so much that we can give it all up, and trust that He will protect us while we care for others, and not for ourselves.
Only by making such a commitment will you ever understand Jesus. You simply cannot have anything more than intellectual knowledge of him without the commitment. But having made the commitment to follow Jesus and trust everything about yourself to God … you will discover “peace that passes understanding,” and “rest for your soul.”
Will you join him?