Disciples And Servanthood.

John 13v16.

The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord.  It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household? Matthew 10:24-25.

But Jesus called them unto him, and said, You know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them.  But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister;  And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant:  Even as the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many. Matthew 20:25-28.

Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord has made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?  Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he comes shall find so doing.  Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods. Matthew 24:45-47.

And when Jesus had come to Capernaum: and being in the house He asked them, What was it that you disputed among yourselves by the way? Read More. “Disciples And Servanthood.”

Disciples And Mercy.

Luke 6v36

And seeing the multitudes, Jesus went up into a mountain: and when He was set, His disciples came unto Him:  And Jesus opened His mouth, and taught them, saying,  Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.  Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.  Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Matthew 5:1-7

A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. And likewise, a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. Read More. “Disciples And Mercy.”

Disciple And The World.

Matt 10v22

And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death. And you shall be hated of all men for My name’s sake: but he that endures to the end shall be saved. Matthew 10:21-22.

Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.  And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.  And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.  But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.  And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. Matthew 24:9-14.

If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.  If you were of the world, the world would love his own: but because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Read More. “Disciple And The World.”

Disciples And Prayer.

Matt 9 V 37 38.

You have heard that it has been said, you shall love your neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;  That you may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for He makes His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and He sends rain on the just and on the unjust. Matthew 5:43-45.

And when you pray shall not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But when you pray enter into your closet, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father which is in secret; and your Father which sees in secret shall reward you openly.  But when you pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Do not be like they are for your Father knows what things you need of, before you ask Him. Read More. “Disciples And Prayer.”

Counting The Cost Of Discipleship.

LUKE 14 V 28-29

For which of you, intending to build a tower, sits not down first, and counts the cost, whether he has sufficient to finish it?  Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him,  Saying, This man began to build and was not able to finish. Luke 14 v 28-30

Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for conditions of peace. So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple. Luke 14 v 31-33

Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, “Lord, I will follow You wherever You go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” Then He said to another, “Follow Me.”But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.”Jesus Read More. “Counting The Cost Of Discipleship.”

Jesus Must Be First And Foremost.

MATT 10 V 37

Whosoever, therefore, shall confess Me before men, him will I confess also before My Father who is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny Me before men, him will I also deny before My Father who is in heaven. Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.  For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household. He that loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me: and he that loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And anyone who does not take up his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me. Matthew 10v 32-37

Now great multitudes went with Him. And He turned and said to them, If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. Read More. “Jesus Must Be First And Foremost.”

The Gospel Of The Kingdom.

Matt4v16 17

Repentance and Kingdom.

In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for Him.’ ”John wore a garment of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey.People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region around the Jordan. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. Matthew 3:1-6.

When Jesus heard that John had been imprisoned, He withdrew to Galilee.Leaving Nazareth, He went and lived in Capernaum, which is by the sea in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali, to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death,a light has dawned.”From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” Read More. “The Gospel Of The Kingdom.”

The Gospel And Authority.

John 5;26 27

The Authority Of Jesus.

Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. For as the Father hath life in Himself; so hath He given to the Son to have life in Himself; And hath given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man. John 5:25-27.

Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain fell, the torrents raged, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because its foundation was on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.The rain fell, the torrents raged, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it and great was its fall.” When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were astonished at His teaching, because He taught as one who had authority, and not as their scribes. Matthew 7:24-29.

And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think you evil in your hearts?  Read More. “The Gospel And Authority.”

The Holy Spirit And The Gospel.

Matt 12v 28.

Jesus And The Holy Spirit.

Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He was afterwards an hungered. And when the tempter came to Him, he said, If You are the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But Jesus answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. Matthew 4:1-4.

And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of Him through all the region round about. And Jesus taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all.And Jesus came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up: and, as His custom was, Jesus went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. And there was delivered unto Jesus the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, Jesus found the place where it was written. The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. Read More. “The Holy Spirit And The Gospel.”

The Gospel And Works.

John 14v12

The Works Of The Father.

Now as Jesus was passing by, He saw a man blind from birth, and His disciples asked Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this happened so that the works of God would be displayed in him. While it is daytime, we must do the works of Him who sent Me. The night is coming when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” When Jesus had said this, He spit on the ground, made some mud, and applied it to the man’s eyes. Then He told him, “Go, wash in the Pool of Siloam”  So the man went and washed, and came back seeing. John 9:1-6.

At that time the Feast of Dedication took place in Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple courts in Solomon’s Colonnade. So the Jews gathered around Him and demanded, “How long will You keep us in suspense? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.” “I already told you,” Jesus replied, “but you did not believe. The works I do in My Father’s name testify on My behalf. Read More. “The Gospel And Works.”