Jesus

Follow Me

April 27, 2011 By Marji "Mike" Kruger

After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. “Follow me,” Jesus said to him, 28 and Levi got up, left everything and followed him. (NIV) Luke 5:27-28

So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him. (NIV) Luke 5:11

In both accounts from Luke 5 as Jesus called His disciples, we read that they left everything and followed Him. Nothing should compete for your allegiance to Jesus!

Nothing should compete for your allegiance to Jesus. . .not work or business. . .
19 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 At once they left their nets and followed him. (Matthew 4:19-20)

Nothing should compete for your allegiance to Jesus. . .not the comforts of home. . .
Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” 20 Jesus replied, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” (Matthew 8:19)

Nothing should compete for your allegiance to Jesus. . .not your family. . .
21 Another disciple said to him, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” 22 But Jesus told him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.” 23 Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. (Matthew 8:21-22)

Nothing should compete for your allegiance to Jesus. . .not money or possessions. . .
Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” (Matthew 19:21)

Nothing should compete for your allegiance to Jesus. . .not the timing of the call. . .
“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” 18 At once they left their nets and followed him. (Mark 1:17-18)

Nothing should compete for your allegiance to Jesus. . .not the comforts of knowing where you’ll be living. . .
57 As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”
58 Jesus replied, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” (Luke 9:57-58)

Nothing should compete for your allegiance to Jesus. . .not excuses. . .
59 He said to another man, “Follow me.” But the man replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”
60 Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:59-60)

Nothing should compete for your allegiance to Jesus. . .not memories of the past, good or bad. . .
61 Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family.” 62 Jesus replied, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:61-62)

Nothing should compete for your allegiance to Jesus. . .not your own desires or the depth of the sacrifice. . .
Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. (Luke 9:23)

What is competing with your allegiance to Jesus Christ?

Christian Identity

April 3, 2011 By Marji "Mike" Kruger

On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” . . . But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (NIV) Acts 1:4-5, 8

Jesus had died. . . 3 days later He rose from the dead and appeared many times, once to as many as 500 followers. He promised to send them a gift from His Father. That gift was the Holy Spirit. Jesus related the receiving of the power with being witnesses to all mankind. These new Christians were to represent God. They were commanded to take the message of what Christ did on the cross to the ends of the earth.

On the Day of Pentecost three thousand new believers were added to the Kingdom. There were daily increases to their number after that (Acts 2:47). Somehow they must have had some externally recognizable identity.

Throughout the centuries, people have displayed many different symbols intended to show that they are Christians. Some today wear symbols in the lapels of their coats, or wear cross

es around their necks, or display bumper stickers on their cars. But there is a much better sign, a universal mark that has consistently lasted through all the ages of the church.

What is this mark?

Words Taught By The Holy Spirit

September 1, 2010 By Marji "Mike" Kruger

10 . . .but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 13 This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. (NIV) 1 Corinthians 2:10, 13

The apostle Paul writes that the New Testament apostles were taught by the Holy Spirit what to write. The writers of the New Testament did not speak with their own words “taught by human wisdom,” but with “words taught by the Holy Spirit.” The Bible was originally written in ancient languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek). But the words of the Bible came from God and were written by men. The apostle Peter affirmed this when he said “Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” (NIV) 2 Peter 1:20-21

Before Jesus left this earth and returned to His Father, He told the disciples that He would send the Holy Spirit to them. He told them that one of the functions of the Holy Spirit would be to remind them of all the things that He had said and then to guide them into more truth.
** John 14:26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. (NIV)
** John 15:26 “When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me. (NIV)
** John 16:13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you. (NIV)

The Holy Spirit helped those who wrote the Gospels to remember Jesus’ exact words. Those who wrote other parts of the New Testament were guided by the Spirit as they wrote. So are you taking the time to read the Bible, the inspired Word of God?

Power Among People

June 21, 2009 By Marji "Mike" Kruger

And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children. (NIV) Matthew 14:19-21

Jesus just did the impossible. . . at least impossible in human terms! With 5 small loaves of bread and 2 fish, He fed a crowd of people that was estimated to be somewhere between 10,000-15,000 people. His disciples couldn’t even come up with a plan with how to feed that many people. . . but then again, they were calculating without God’s power.

When have you seen God’s power demonstrated in your life? What situation right now seems impossible? Are you calculating without God’s presence of power in that situation? Watch today for God’s power at work. . . it may be seen in the sunset or sunrise. . . in the sound of a child’s laughter. . . in a good report from the doctor after a biopsy. . . in the answer to a long awaited prayer. . . in the changed character of your spouse or child. Where will you see God’s power today? And will you recognize it and give God the glory for how He’s working around you?

Jesus

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