Category Archives: Jesus (hearing from God)

Help / Serve Others, Jesus (hearing from God), Submitted / Servant

To Be Great Is To Be A Servant To All

As the time for Jesus’ suffering and death drew nearer, He continued to try to prepare His disciples for what was coming. On one such occasion, Jesus tells His disciples explicitly what is going to happen. There is no response documented, but instead, James and John engage Jesus in a discussion about the honor of sitting beside Him in heaven.

Mark 10:32-45

Jesus’ Sufferings Foretold

      32They were on the road going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking on ahead of them; and they were amazed, and those who followed were fearful. And again He took the twelve aside and began to tell them what was going to happen to Him, 33saying, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and will hand Him over to the Gentiles. 34“They will mock Him and spit on Him, and scourge Him and kill Him, and three days later He will rise again.”

      35James and John, the two sons of Zebedee, came up to Jesus, saying, “Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask of You.” 36And He said to them, “What do you want Me to do for you?” 37They said to Him, “Grant that we may sit, one on Your right and one on Your left, in Your glory.” 38But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” 39They said to Him, “We are able.” And Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you shall drink; and you shall be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized. 40“But to sit on My right or on My left, this is not Mine to give; but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.”

      41Hearing this, the ten began to feel indignant with James and John. 42Calling them to Himself, Jesus said to them, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them; and their great men exercise authority over them. 43“But it is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; 44and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all. 45“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

It is amazing to ponder that as Jesus tells them He will suffer and die, the response is to ask about honor for themselves. Perhaps they were simply standing in solidarity with Him with willingness to suffer alongside Him. I will give them the benefit of the doubt. The were likely not sure what to say about the news Jesus was sharing with them. To their credit, they truly meant well and were willing to suffer and die with Jesus to follow Him. Most of us our truly not willing to do that for Him.

The other disciples were indignant at James and John. Conflict arose at least to some degree. Jesus settled the situation by focusing on what was important. He clarified how greatness is measured in the kingdom of heaven.

42Calling them to Himself, Jesus said to them, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them; and their great men exercise authority over them. 43“But it is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; 44and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all.

I am always impressed how Jesus gets right to the heart of the matter, and is not bogged down with distractions. He leads the disciples away from infighting and arguments about who is greater and points them toward what it means to be great so they can all pursue greatness through righteousness and obedience to Christ. If they want to debate who is greatest, they must serve one another. It brings them together in unity and humility.

Are you pursuing greatness in some part of your life? Do you measure your success by the same standard that Jesus does?

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, thank You for sending Yeshua as our savior and example. Thank You for His teaching and recording it in the Bible so we could study and understand it. Help me to be humble and focus on being a servant to others in Your name. Let me not try to be great in the eyes of the world, but rather in Your eyes. Amen. 

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Children, Faith / Trusting God, Jesus (hearing from God), Seeking God

Receive the Kingdom of God As a Child Would

We can easily get busy with our daily activities. Even when we are doing good or important activities, let us take care not to overlook the children.  Take time to appreciate and engage children, as Jesus did.  It is best not to think of children as a distraction, but rather as  gifts from God and as the wonderful creations they really are. The kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Jesus set a great example for us by making time for children even during His short and busy earthly ministry.

Mark 10:13-16

Jesus Blesses Little Children

      13And they were bringing children to Him so that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked them. 14But when Jesus saw this, He was indignant and said to them, “Permit the children to come to Me; do not hinder them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 15“Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.” 16And He took them in His arms and began blessing them, laying His hands on them.

Children are remarkably open to accept the truth about Jesus. They listen with an open, unbiased mind. They are not yet led astray by the world and by those who make up reasons to reject God and then pressure others to reject Him also. Jesus takes the opportunity not only to show love for the children by making time for them, but also to make an important point. When he says that he the kingdom of God belongs to such as these, He is not only referring to children, but to those who receive the kingdom of God like a child.

Let us pay attention to both lessons that Jesus teaches in this scripture. Value and make time for children, even when you are busy. Secondly, challenge yourself to embrace the kingdom of God as a child, without reservation and doubt… wholeheartedly.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, please help me to appreciate and encourage little children. Help me to not look on them as a distraction, but as a treasure. Help me to embrace You and Your kingdom with the faith of a young child, without reservation and doubt. Amen. 

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Guide, Jesus (hearing from God), Marriage

What God Has Joined, Let No Man Separate (Marriage)

Jesus has a way of speaking clearly, but sometimes if we don’t like His instruction, we try to find ways to change it, rather than obey it. Divorce is never God’s intent. Because of the hardness of our hearts, He permits it, but that does not make it good.

Mark 10:1-12

Jesus’ Teaching about Divorce

      1Getting up, He went from there to the region of Judea and beyond the Jordan; crowds gathered around Him again, and, according to His custom, He once more began to teach them.

      2Some Pharisees came up to Jesus, testing Him, and began to question Him whether it was lawful for a man to divorce a wife. 3And He answered and said to them, “What did Moses command you?” 4They said, “Moses permitted a man TO WRITE A CERTIFICATE OF DIVORCE AND SEND her AWAY.” 5But Jesus said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart he wrote you this commandment. 6“But from the beginning of creation, God MADE THEM MALE AND FEMALE. 7“FOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER, 8AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH; so they are no longer two, but one flesh. 9“What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.”

      10In the house the disciples began questioning Him about this again. 11And He said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her; 12and if she herself divorces her husband and marries another man, she is committing adultery.”

Divorce is painful and destructive process… like planting two small plants next to one another in a small plot of ground. After they grow together, the roots intertwine and if you try to separate them you will damage or destroy one or both of the plants in the process.

We should use wisdom and godly council and prayer before selecting a spouse. Avoid choosing based on “warm fuzzy feelings”, as that does not last. After being married, continue investing in your spouse… in knowing, loving, serving them. Each of you seek God together and individually. You will grow closer and closer to each other as you do so. Model your behavior and attitudes toward one another off of Biblical teaching. “Sacrifice” comes before “self” in a successful marriage. Follow the example of how Jesus sacrificed and suffered for the church, symbolically His bride, and how the church is called to follow after His example and instruction… His leadership.

Those who have been through divorce already can be forgiven through the death and resurrection of Christ. He paid the price for our sin. Seek to learn from whatever the situation was and not repeat it.

Read more and find resources to support healthy marriage on our website Marriage page.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, please bless Your people in marriage. Lead and guide them to make wise choices that are pleasing to You. For those facing difficulty in marriage, please help guide them. Help them to be selfless and sacrificing, putting their spouse ahead of themselves. Help them to seek to draw near to You, and in so doing, grow nearer to each other. For those in situations for which their lives are in danger, please protect and guide them as they face such a harsh situation and seek to make the right decision to find safety. For those who have already been involved in divorce, please forgive them and help them to heal and deal graciously with the resulting complexity of relationships that often comes from divorce, especially if children are involved. Help Your people to stand out from the culture around them in regards to marriage, rather than blend in, so that You would receive glory. Amen.

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Faith / Trusting God, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Jesus (hearing from God), Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Miracles, Miracles, Share the Good News

Lessons from Jesus’ Sending of the Twelve: Applying Their Ministry Today

Whether we seek to learn about Yeshua or to take His message to others, we should pay attention to the early ministry of Yeshua and His disciples and apply what we learn to our lives today.

Yeshua sent out His disciples to preach that men should repent from their wrong ways and turn toward God’s ways and toward God, Himself. They cast out demons and anointed the sick with oil, healing them. It sounds very much like a reflection of Jesus’ ministry as He began. (Matthew 4:17; Matthew 4:23)

Mark 6:7-13

The Twelve Sent Out

      7And He summoned the twelve and began to send them out in pairs, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits; 8and He instructed them that they should take nothing for their journey, except a mere staff—no bread, no bag, no money in their belt— 9but to wear sandals; and He added, “Do not put on two tunics.” 10And He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave town. 11“Any place that does not receive you or listen to you, as you go out from there, shake the dust off the soles of your feet for a testimony against them.” 12They went out and preached that men should repent. 13And they were casting out many demons and were anointing with oil many sick people and healing them.

It is a good thing when your ministry reflects that of the Master. We should pay close attention to His key message, which was repentance. This is a very important message. It is easy for each of us to conclude we are doing things “well enough” or “better than others”. However, that is not the standard to measure against. We are to measure against Yahweh’s holy standard. There is always more we can do, with His help, to identify and repent from sin in our life. It is not a one time decision. It is a decision and action we repeat every day of our lives. Sometimes we mess up and then we ask forgiveness and try again. For those who preach, the lesson is also that one should perhaps begin with the need for repentance as we preach or teach. People must understand their need for Yeshua… to be forgiven through His sacrifice to pay for our sins and mistakes.

I find it also very powerful that the disciples are sent with very little. They are to bring nothing extra. What a powerful statement! When we hear from Yahweh, we are to put our trust completely in Him to provide for our needs. He can and will do it. This does not necessarily mean to discard what He has already provided us, so seek His guidance prayerfully.  Jesus did not command the disciples to get rid of all their belongings or even to give them to the poor. He simply instructed them in regards to their missionary journeys not to take anything extra with them.

When they do enter a house, the intent is to stay there, perhaps to build relationships or perhaps to avoid the distraction of constantly having to worry about where they would stay the next night or week. They were not to move every night to another place.

If a place did not receive them, they are not to stay and force it, but rather shake the dust from their sandals and move on. We must take heed to this important lesson. Too often we may wish to force someone in particular to hear the message of Christ and repent. We can not force them to accept the message. Furthermore, if we continue to put our focus, time, and energy toward only those who reject Yahweh, then we will be delayed in bringing the gospel to others who are open to hearing and receiving the truth of Yeshua. Time is a limited asset and it is constantly passing. We must use it wisely.

The preaching of repentance was accompanied by casting out demons and healing. There are many examples where Yahweh allowed His followers to perform miracles in His name, in particular as they were spreading revelation from Him such as the good news about Yeshua as Messiah. When we go out to bring the good news of Yeshua, we are to accompany that with showing love and compassion to the people we meet. We are to try to help them and meet their needs, to alleviate their suffering. To those whom He calls, they can even do miracles in His name. Whether or not we can do miracles will be up to the LORD and, in part, our faith. With or without miracles, we can certainly have an impact in showing our love for people.

Both as disciples seeking to learn and follow after Christ, and as those seeking to bring the truth of Christ to others, we can learn a lot by prayerfully reflecting on scripture and the truth God reveals to us through it.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, please show me clearly where You would like me to share the gospel and how I should approach any mission for which You send me. Let me not proceed on my own understanding but with strong faith and in obedience to Your direction. Amen.

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Am I on the path?, Faith / Trusting God, Jesus (hearing from God), Parables

The Transformative Journey of Faith: From Small Beginnings to Great Impact

Yeshua speaks to many about the kingdom of God through parables. In Mark 4, He uses several stories about farming to teach believers about the kingdom of God. He begins with the Parable of the Sower and continues with the Parable of the Seed and then the Parable of the Mustard Seed.

Mark 4:30-34

Parable of the Mustard Seed

      30And He said, “How shall we picture the kingdom of God, or by what parable shall we present it? 31“It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the soil, though it is smaller than all the seeds that are upon the soil, 32yet when it is sown, it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and forms large branches; so that THE BIRDS OF THE AIR can NEST UNDER ITS SHADE.”

      33With many such parables He was speaking the word to them, so far as they were able to hear it; 34and He did not speak to them without a parable; but He was explaining everything privately to His own disciples.

We should not get too distracted by the fact that there are smaller seeds and larger plants. That is not the point. Yeshua is not trying to teach a botany lesson about the relative size of plants and seeds, but rather using information commonly understood amongst members of the audience to help “paint a picture” that teaches about the kingdom of God.

In the earlier parables, Yeshua portrays the word of God as the seed and the sower as the one who shares it. Each of us is the soil, upon which the word of God lands. What type of soil we are, how prepared we are to accept and embrace the word of God, determines how it will grow inside of us, or not. Then, in the parable of the seed, Yeshua makes the point that we do not need to know “how” the word of God grows inside of us, just that it grows so long as we continue to be fertile soil for it to grow inside. It will transform us even if we don’t know how.

In the third parable, that of the mustard seed, we see Yeshua presenting the truth that in each of us the truth of God’s word and our faith begins as very small. We are inherently sinful people until the word of God and His spirit grow inside of us. Though the seed begins small, when we allow it to grow inside of us, it will grow over time to a great bush with strength and be able to provide shade and comfort. As we let the word and spirit of God grow inside of us, we can be sure it will transform us and build our faith to be more like Yeshua. There will be a change reflected in our behaviors and thoughts when the Spirit grows inside of us. It will be noticeable, though not always fast.

As we grow, we should not expect the seed of faith to remain small, but rather become large and obvious and strong. Take time to prayerfully reflect on whether or not you see the growth of the Spirit in you over time. If your heart is wholeheartedly set on discipling after Jesus, you will see a change over time. If you can not notice a change, ask others who know you well and you trust and seek God in prayer to help you. Challenge yourself to make sure you are not just complacent in your relationship with God, content to claim Him in name and go to church, but not truly embracing and seeking Him wholeheartedly. Truly following after Yeshua… truly accepting Him as Lord and Messiah… means changing who we are, to be more like Him.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, thank You for teaching me through Your word and the Spirit. Help me to grow in my faith so that it becomes strong and help Your word grow strong inside me. Transform me to be faithful and pleasing more and more as I walk with You. Amen. 

 Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Compassion, Healer, Help / Serve Others, Jesus (hearing from God), Miracles

Jesus’ Righteous Indignation: Lessons from His Anger

Scripture identifies a few examples where Jesus actually gets angry. I think it is good to pause and consider what it was that makes Him angry. Thus we can learn something from it and apply it in our lives to live in obedience to Him.

In Mark 3, Jesus goes into a synagogue on Sabbath and finds a man with a withered hand.  Here, in the place intended to help connect man with God,  the religious leaders are more interested to “catch” Jesus doing something they think is wrong than they are to see one of their people healed. This is the definition of being hard-hearted and selfish instead of gracious and kind and focused on others.

Mark 3:1-6

Jesus Heals on the Sabbath

      1He entered again into a synagogue; and a man was there whose hand was withered. 2They were watching Him to see if He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him. 3He said to the man with the withered hand, “Get up and come forward!” 4And He said to them, “Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save a life or to kill?” But they kept silent. 5After looking around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored. 6The Pharisees went out and immediately began conspiring with the Herodians against Him, as to how they might destroy Him.

Jesus was clearly grieved and angry for the hardness of their hearts. I am a proponent of recognizing and observing Sabbath consistent with what God has commanded in scripture. However, the Pharisees demonstrate that they have missed the point. They would rather leave someone in need of healing and play “gotcha” around rules with Jesus to plot to destroy Him than see one of their people healed and recognize the power of God right in front of them!

They already knew Jesus had the power to heal… they were watching for it… and yet all they could think about was if they could trap Jesus in their perception of Him breaking a rule! They were selfishly protecting their own power and authority and completely overlooking God’s miraculous power.

Yes, we are to obey God’s instructions in scripture. However, in our efforts to honor and obey God, whether for to Sabbath or other commands, let us not miss the greater point in helping others and demonstrating God’s love and compassion to them. Yes, we are to hold teachers accountable for properly teaching truth of scripture, but we need not focus so hard on trying to catch them doing something wrong that we miss the glory of God right among us!

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Am I on the path?, Discerning / Judging, False Prophets / Teachers, Jesus (hearing from God), Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Study the Word, Teachable

Yeshua: The Source of Truth Amidst False Prophets and Cultural Norms

To put it simply, Yeshua is different from other teachers. He is different from the established religion that is taught in many churches or synagogues.  He has authority. He has the ability to work miracles. Immediately upon beginning to teach, people recognized He was no ordinary teacher. That is because Jesus was God in the flesh who came to dwell among us.

Mark 1:21-28

      21They went into Capernaum; and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and began to teach. 22They were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. 23Just then there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, 24saying, “What business do we have with each other, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!” 25And Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet, and come out of him!” 26Throwing him into convulsions, the unclean spirit cried out with a loud voice and came out of him. 27They were all amazed, so that they debated among themselves, saying, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him.” 28Immediately the news about Him spread everywhere into all the surrounding district of Galilee.

Yeshua still has power and authority that others do not. Those who follow Him should teach boldly and with authority as well, though with a certain amount of humility. There is only one way and Yeshua is it. We should expect the fellowship of true believers to reflect their leader. When congregations or communities lift up Yeshua as their leader we should be able to see that they are different than other communities in the world. We should expect them to NOT conform to the cultural norms but to God’s word.

Many false prophets will try to fake miracles and try to teach as if they have authority, even though they teach false doctrine. We must study the scriptures ourselves daily and test teachers (you should test me also!) against scripture. We are only to follow those who teach the truth about Yeshua, consistent with what scripture teaches. Do not follow teachers just because they have a lot of people in their building every week or a lot of followers on Facebook.

As we look for whom we should follow, let us make sure it is Yeshua and not a “celebrity” pastor. We should follow the example of Yeshua and study scripture. We should seek truth and live by it even when it is in conflict with what an established church may teach. We should help pastors by holding them accountable to God’s word, even when it is unpopular. Of course we can study and learn from many different pastors, but none should be looked upon as the source of knowledge and all must be recognized to be capable of error. Let us do these things respectfully and with grace and humility.

Yeshua is most definitely different from the world. So, too, we should expect our church fellowship to be different as well. Let us choose wisely our church family and teachers. Let us seek many counselors and teachers and test everything against the word of God. Let us humbly seek God’s help in prayer for this important matter.

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Am I on the path?, Faith / Trusting God, How do I get started?, Jesus (hearing from God), Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Submitted / Servant

The Simple Path: Repent, Believe, and Follow Yeshua

There is much to be said and studied about the teaching of our Messiah, Yeshua (Hebrew for Jesus). We can and should study for a lifetime and continue to seek how we can apply what He taught in our lives on a daily basis. To be a disciple of Christ is to learn His ways and follow. Lest we get overwhelmed and lose focus on what is important… we can capture a very simple summary in Mark 1 as he shares the beginning of Yeshua’s public ministry.

Mark 1:14-20

Jesus Preaches in Galilee

      14Now after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, 15and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

      16As He was going along by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew, the brother of Simon, casting a net in the sea; for they were fishermen. 17And Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” 18Immediately they left their nets and followed Him. 19Going on a little farther, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who were also in the boat mending the nets. 20Immediately He called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went away to follow Him.

The message is actually quite concise.

15and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

The time is fulfilled. Yeshua was fulfilling the prophecies about a Messiah that had long been anticipated.  The kingdom of God is at hand… His earthly ministry was a key part of the kingdom of God and the time was here. So what are we to do? Repent and believe in the gospel.

To repent is to turn away from our wrong way of doing things and turn toward God’s way. To believe in the gospel is to believe Yeshua is God become man to walk among us… to die for our sins and rise again from the dead. It is not simply to acknowledge Him with words, but for those who believe wholeheartedly, it transforms and then directs their life.

Beyond repentance, if we are to be disciples and followers of Christ, we must stop what other things we are focused on and follow Him. Simon, Andrew, James and John did not have all the answers. They chose to follow Yeshua and left behind everything that was familiar to them. They put Yeshua first, above even their family. That is not to say family is not important, but sometimes they can hold you back from devoting yourself to Yeshua fully. James and John had to leave the family fishing business behind in this case.

What a wonderfully simple (though not always easy) summary of how to get started with Yeshua! Recognize and acknowledge who He is, repent and turn toward God, and follow Yeshua to pick up the rest of what God has in store for you. You do not need to know all of God’s plans for you in order to get out of the fishing boat and begin to follow Him.

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

How do I get started?, Jesus (hearing from God), Scripture (e.g. Bible)

Jesus Is Calling You to Follow Him

When Jesus began His ministry He had no disciples, no followers, and no-one knew Him outside of His close friends and family. He was a humble carpenter.

What He did have was a strong relationship with God and a deep understanding of scripture because of years of careful study. He preached boldly and without apology.

In Matthew 4:18-22 we see Jesus call His first disciples, who were fisherman. He connected with them immediately by using a metaphor that they could understand.

18 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.

21 A little farther up the shore he saw two other brothers, James and John, sitting in a boat with their father, Zebedee, repairing their nets. And he called them to come, too. 22 They immediately followed him, leaving the boat and their father behind.

Jesus’ disciples responded quickly and decisively when He called. There is no indication that they, as fisherman, had any previous relationship with Jesus upon which to draw to trust Him. They did not have a full understanding of His ministry and teaching when they chose to follow Him.

The disciples had to decide to follow Jesus first… and that led them to the opportunity to spend years growing to know Him and His teaching intimately. And later, with the Holy Spirit as their helper they were formidable indeed as they spread the good news of the gospel to sometimes friendly, but often hostile audiences.

The same is true for us today. If we decide not to follow Jesus until we understand all of His word in the Bible, we will never follow Him. It is only by the bold decision to follow Him that we will study and learn more about God’s word and develop that intimate relationship with God that transforms our lives in the image of Christ.

Are you following Jesus with all your heart or are you holding something back? He is calling each of us to come to Him wholeheartedly. Do not wait until you have all the answers… follow Him today!

Take a few minutes to pray and ask God to show you how to get started. Thank Him for inviting us even when we are not worthy.

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Discipline / Correction, Faith / Trusting God, Guide, Jesus (hearing from God), Obeying God, Purposeful / Intentional, Share the Good News, Study the Word, Teachable

The Great Commission – Personal Discipleship Plan

This teaching is really a core part of our personal walk with Yeshua. Please take the time to read through it prayerfully, even though it may be a bit longer than average.

At Hearing From Jesus, we take the commands of our Lord very seriously and that certainly includes The Great Commission. In fact, it is this command that most directly inspires our ministry. We want to obey Yeshua and make disciples of all the nations.

Besides being the command of our Lord, it is also a natural desire we have in gratitude to Yahweh for His grace and forgiveness and also out of love for other people, who may be headed for eternal separation from Him in hell, unless they hear and study the true word of God.

Matthew 28:16-20

16But the eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated. 17When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some were doubtful. 18And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

To learn more about the Great Commission given to us by Yeshua, we recommend you study our teaching, The Great Commission – Make Disciples Of All The Nations, before continuing with this teaching on building a personal discipleship plan.

Whether Hearing From Jesus is a primary source for your personal study and growth with the Lord or just another valuable reference site, we have structured our ministry to help you become a disciple, a learner, of Christ and then to prepare to go and make disciples of others. This last point is important… it should not be our goal to do the absolute minimum we can and still get into Heaven. Those who have this attitude are far from the kingdom of Heaven. Our goal is to grow spiritually to the point that we are feeding ourselves from Yahweh’s word and growing in our relationship with Him from now until we die. It is a journey that we never finish, but it transforms us along the way to become more like our Messiah and less like our old sinful nature. We are to learn well enough to then teach others effectively and help them become disciples as well… so they can , in turn, teach others.

Overwhelming? It can be. So, how do we begin such a task?

Let us begin by studying and then following the example of Yeshua. Likewise, we can review how others, like Paul or Moses or Elijah practiced discipleship. In all the examples I just mentioned, these servants of Yahweh knew the ultimate authority was the Creator, not a religious authority figure or scholars or traditions. We must seek to develop a personal relationship with Yahweh. We must not cling to traditions of men, even if they are taught by religious authority figures. The Pope, like the earthly head of every religion, is quite fallible and what he teaches must be tested against the word of Yah in the Bible. Sadly it often contradicts God’s word. We must test everything against the truth of the scripture and seek Yahweh in prayer consistently. To be a disciple of Christ we must be willing to put Him first, above and before all other parts of our lives and it will be hard. We must lose our own lives in order to find true life with Jesus.

Matthew 10:34-39

34“Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35“For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; 36and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household.

37“He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. 38“And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. 39“He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it.

Yeshua did not attend formal schooling or study at seminary. These things may be helpful, but are not necessary and for most of us, not practical. Yeshua studied the scriptures rigorously and with devotion since He was as child. So knowledgeable was He, that when He was twelve, He was amazing the scholars and teachers of the law.

Luke 2:46-47

46Then, after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. 47And all who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers.

If you are coming to know Yeshua later in life, do not worry. Use the time our Father has given you and get started studying (not just reading) the Bible consistently today. He will reveal much to a devoted disciple through His word. Yeshua’s disciples certainly did not start studying scripture as children but God used them in a mighty way!

Yeshua had a powerful prayer life. Communicating with the Father to receive instruction through prayer is essential to live as an effective disciple. Yeshua did not pray when convenient… when He had time. Yeshua stayed up late and got up early. Consistent prayer is essential to staying submitted to the Father’s will rather than our own. To study more about Yeshua’s prayer life, I recommend reading Experiencing Prayer with Jesus, by Henry and Norman Blackaby.

When it was time for His public ministry to begin, Yeshua found a small set of disciples, or followers. He had an inner circle in which He invested much time (Peter, James, John) and He had a wider group, but still small, that included all twelve disciples. He invested much time in the twelve, but not as much as He invested in the closer circle of three. Yeshua also taught the masses who sought to hear God’s word. He never turned away those who were genuinely seeking the word of God.

We must recognize that Yeshua forced no one to be a disciple or to listen to His message. Instead He choose people as disciples who came enthusiastically and willingly. They were eager to learn and they were not rebelling against Yah, insisting on clutching onto their traditions or their personal lives before meeting Yeshua. They were willing to put Yeshua as a priority above all other things. They left much behind of what they knew to follow Him. Others whom he invited, such as the rich young ruler introduced in Matthew 19:16, could not put him first and thus chose not to follow him.

Yeshua made time for people and demonstrated compassion, but also remained focused on going about doing God’s work. He dealt with mockers appropriately so as not to let them distract Him from getting to those who wanted to hear. Yeshua would reply to those trying to trick Him, but only to provide a teachable moment and an opportunity for them to hear truth and repent, and then He would move on.

In three years He created a team of disciples who could go out and teach others. This is what disciple means… Yeshua does not call us to just remain a “baby” in the faith, needing constant care and feeding. Rather He calls us to be disciples who can learn and teach others to learn. Those others then teach more and there is a multiplying effect that has dramatically impacted the world over the last two thousand years… starting from the humble beginnings of a poor carpenter who taught truth and stood up against the established teachers and scholars of the time and against centuries of traditions of men which were put above the commands of God.

We will briefly comment regarding Moses, Elijah, and Paul but of course you can study and learn more about them by reading the scriptures.

Moses trained judges to be prepared to help meet the needs of the people in order to properly lead such a large number of people. [Exodus 18:17-26]

Elijah invested time to disciple Elisha, who became his successor. [1Kings 19:19-21]

Paul managed his disciples over a wider geography, across many different cities and regions. He taught to crowds, big and small, on his missionary journeys. However, he clearly had a close circle of disciples with whom he traveled and invested significant time and a wider circle of individuals whom he discipled through occasional visits and more frequently through correspondence (e.g. letters).

So… what do we learn from Yeshua and some significant servants of Yahweh? What is a practical way to begin?

We must all begin with study of the scripture and prayer. We must develop a strong personal relationship with the Father. Do not get in a hurry to be the teacher. Yeshua did not start discipling others immediately, he studied from time of child and started with disciples at 30 years old. His disciples spent three years under His instruction and care before going out to disciple others on their own. They maintained a support structure often going out in pairs and coming back to consult with one another.

Most of us need to identify resources and techniques for studying scripture, and possibly find a teacher or disciple who is further on the journey than we are to help lead the way and answer questions. We must learn to feed ourselves with Yah’s help, still listening to the wise, but testing all they teach against scripture.

When you are ready, start seeking those you can invest time and relationship in to come together to study Yah’s word with commitment and devotion. Seek your disciples, without giving up or forsaking your relationship with your teacher or with the Father. Keep feeding yourself and continue on the journey to know, love, and serve Yahweh or you will not be effective in leading others. Even if you do not feel comfortable guiding a Bible study on your own, set up a Bible study anyway. You can use material from our ministry or from other teachers who have already prepared and shared the message of God’s word. Just remember to test everything against the whole of scripture using your own discernment and prayer… as even good teachers have some doctrine incorrect… and some of it quite significant.

After a time, do not rush it, and staying connected to the disciples you study with… each of you perhaps in pairs can also set up separate small groups to disciple others. Invest in more than just Bible study, but in life activities and support one another. Do not tolerate among your disciples those who would tempt you to sloth or to disregard and rebel against God’s word by rationalizing sin or worldly culture as acceptable. Do not tolerate among your close disciples those that refuse to submit to Yahweh and repent of their sin, clinging to their sin nature and refusing to change behaviors to honor God. Follow Jesus’ instructions found in Matthew 18:15-17.

15“If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. 16“But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed. 17“If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.

Listen, also, to your fellow disciples when they point out to you your sin… for the wise listen to good advice with thanksgiving and become wiser. A fool despises correction.

Stay focused. Consider writing down a plan for your personal discipleship both as a learner and as a teacher. Review periodically, perhaps a few times a year, to evaluate your progress and commitment to this mission. Pray for our Father’s help frequently… “and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Please reach out to us with questions through our Contact Us page. Our intent is to teach you and support you in becoming a disciple, not just to give you a word from the scriptures daily… though that is a great start.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, please lead me in Your word with wisdom and courage. Help me to develop the passion to pursue the truth and depth of Your word. Give me a humble heart so that I may learn from others, even as I become more mature spiritually. Help also prepare me to lead others and to go forth and make disciples. To You be all the glory and honor. Amen. 

Shalom

Teaching by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.