Montag, 30. Juni 2008

Long story short !



"We love Him because He first loved us."
- 1 John 4, 9-10

Donnerstag, 26. Juni 2008

Jesus Christ - Saviour of the world !


As we all figured out, disciples are those that follow the principles of a particular person. In my mind however, the question remains, what makes someone worthy of having a following? What is it about a particular person that makes him or her someone who should have disciples?


Normally in different academic fields, those people who have revolutionary ideas have disciples. In Psychology for example, Sigmund Freud came along with a whole new way of thinking about human behavioral patterns and today, years after his death, there are still people who would consider themselves disciples of Freud. The same can be said in athletics, politics, or any other field of human endeavor. Something special, something different, and something new must exist in a person for people to follow them.

Jesus certainly brought something special, something very different and something new to the table when he began his earthly ministry. Those that began to follow him were moved by his energy, his charisma, and his new ideas about church. But there was something about Jesus that made him different from any other revolutionary thinker. He was the Son of God and anyone who follows Jesus must know this fact; we must know who it is that we are following. We are not simply following a set of ideas taught by a very wise man, we are forming a relationship with the savior of the world.


A disciple of Jesus needs to know who He is. He's the Messiah; the answer to all of our problems; the Son of God; the eternal Lord of lords in human flesh. There can't be any confusion about this. If there is, discipleship can't happen.

(A post from Tim Jones)

Freitag, 20. Juni 2008

Being a Disciple....

As I may have mentioned I am an adopted Celtics fan. I am a Die-Hard Spurs fan, but they lost to the Lakers so I must root against the Lakers and being in Springfield its hard not to root for the C’s (especially since I can watch all of their games on TV and I have a ball signed by the entire team from this year). Last night’s victory was amazing. It was the most lopsided victory in a Final’s deciding game ever. Though some would argue that Boston was more talented, I believe that it was clear that their teamwork and their LOVE for playing together and in the system made them nearly invincible. When you have that many talented basketball players truly buying into the philosophy of a great coach, it is nearly impossible to handle (as Kobe and the boys found out this series). They were disciples of Tom Thibodeau and DocRivers. Listening to his defensive strategy and following it made them who they were.

We are called to be disciples of Jesus Christ and it is in our listening and following his plan for our life that we are made to be in his image.


Disciple comes from the Greek word that means “pupil or learner” but in the Bible it has a much stronger meaning. A disciple is not someone who simply learns, a disciple is one who learns and puts things into action, one who takes instructions and makes it their way of life. Stated differently, a disciple is one who is willing to sacrifice their current way of life for a better way.

Ray-Ray, KG, and Pdouble each had to sacrifice the way that they played before to play a way that would bring them each a championship. As we grow in our discipleship in Jesus, this is exactly what happens, we give up our old way of living in exchange for a new way. And this new way leads to many rewards namely an abundant life and an eternal reward in heaven (John 10:10 and John 3:16).

(A post from Tim Jones)