The true follower of Jesus has a grounding in joy that the world rejects.  As Jesus is leaving His disciples He brings them a message of hope to aid them through the upcoming moments and days.  The crucifixion will be a devastating blow to their hopes, but Jesus' promise to see them again is coupled with the great hope that their joy will never be taken away.

The Holy Spirit is given to Jesus' disciples to continue the same work that Jesus started in their lives while He was with them.  The Spirit's influence in our lives will help to identify what true discipleship looks like.

The fear that prevents evangelism is a virus throughout American Christians. I believe much of it stems from an under-emphasized and often overlooked truth of discipleship: true disciples will be persecuted.

What a danger it is in our world to be deceived into religion.  Praying a prayer doesn't save you, getting baptized doesn't save you, paying a tithe doesn't save you.

What does it mean to be a follower of Jesus Christ?  As Jesus was preparing to leave his disciples for the cross and then ultimately through the resurrection and ascension, he leaves them with the great task of obedience to the Father's will... but he does not leave them to this task by their own strength.

Living as a person of faith in Jesus is not celebrated in our world today. There is a value system of the world that places "mankind" and our interests and desires (really our own glory) at the forefront as contrasted with the glory of God.

1 John 2:16 “For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.” Observations & Conclusions: 1. The idols of more 2. The idols of success 3. The idols of indulgence Application: How to avoid the traps? 1. Call up on the Lord 2. Remind yourself that you belong to God 3. Reconcile your relationships Ecclesiastes 1:8-9 All things are wearisome,     […]

It’s all too easy to listen to the voices of dissension and even become controlled by the fears in our own mind and hearts.  Sometimes we are our own worst enemies.  These failures to trust in God reveal a lack of confidence in the Lord, and a misplacement of expressing faith in ourselves when we know we will fail.  The solution starts by looking to God as the One greater than our difficulties.

We are being influenced by more than we notice. The things that we find enjoyment in are indeed the most subtle influencers. As music or a song lyric would entertain our attention, we slowly and subtly become conformed to the ideas contained therein.

One of the major challenges facing the early church was the danger of falling away from personal commitment to the faith.  Apart from a few isolated areas around the globe, Christians today enjoy a relatively safe and easy practice of their faith.  The vast majority of Christians can gather together and worship Jesus Christ without fear of life threatening persecution.