​The Apostle Andrew was quiet, courageous, curious, compassionate, bold, and faithful—and always bringing others to Jesus, including his brother Simon Peter. And even though he may have been overshadowed by his older brother, without Andrew, Simon would have never become Peter.

Andrew found his brother, told his brother about Jesus, then brought him to Jesus. Without Andrew’s quiet, humble, and courageous faithfulness, Peter wouldn’t have preached on Pentecost, and thousands wouldn’t have been saved!

The life of Andrew is encouraging for quiet and courageous followers of Jesus. God sees you and wants to continue to use you in all sorts of extraordinary ways. The body of Christ needs followers of Jesus like Andrew—quiet and faithful yet boldly finding someone to share the Gospel with and bringing them to Jesus.

​Jesus chose and equipped gloriously ordinary people as ministry workers in His harvest. These people were not religious experts or super-spiritual, but people like Simon, who was called Peter.

Simon (which means hearing or heard) had difficulty with following through. He was the son of Jonah (which means soft mud). And Simon, son of Jonah, accurately described his life before being born again. He had a loud mouth and vacillated between moments of faith and foolishness.

But Jesus chose him and transformed him from Simon to Peter (which means rock). This change from soft mud to rock had nothing to do with Simon’s efforts. It was Jesus who changed him from the inside out. When Simon’s self-reliance and gusto were finally gone, Jesus transformed, strengthened, and led him by the Holy Spirit. Then, he was called Peter.

Maybe you can identify with Simon. Perhaps you waver between faith and foolishness. The Lord sees you. He knows you and what a mess you are in—full of muck and mire. He knows how many times you have failed Him and how many times you will fail Him. But take heart—even knowing this, He still loves and calls you! He wants you to draw near so He can transform you from the inside out and strengthen you with His grace.

​“God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise. God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the things of this world that are common and looked down on. God chose things considered unimportant to do away with things considered important.” (1 Corinthians 1:27-28)

It’s God’s habit and preference to choose and use unlikely ones—people who make us scratch our heads and wonder why. That’s why He chose you, too! Ordinary people are called by an extraordinary God to be with Him. Then, out of the overflow of our fellowship with Him, we will find ourselves living like Him, loving like Him, serving like Him, caring like Him, feeding, tending, and strengthening the sick, just like Him—joining Him in doing the good work of The Good Shepherd.

God chooses unimportant, ordinary people who are not noble, excellent, famous, gallant, glorious, goodly, lordly, mighty, or worthy. But the people He calls depend on The Good Shepherd to do the good work through them.

Are you willing to pray to the Lord of the harvest to send laborers, workers, and under-shepherds to do the good work of feeding, tending, healing, strengthening, and alleviating suffering? Even though you might feel weak, ordinary, or forgotten, God very well may answer your prayer by choosing and calling you to do the work of The Good Shepherd.

​Moved with compassion for the people He saw, Jesus set out to do the good work of the Good Shepherd. But God made man is just one man. There was only so much work He could do, but there was so much more work to be done—shepherding God’s people by seeking and saving, healing and feeding, and teaching and preaching.

The opportunity for life-giving ministry is plentiful, but those willing to do the good work of the Good Shepherd are few. So Jesus said, “Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” (Matthew 9:38). And as you pray, you might find that the Good Shepherd was willing all along to do His good word through you.

The Apostle Paul wrote about this life-giving ministry. “Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily.” (Colossians 1:28-29) If God is calling you, He will equip you. He will do the good work through you. That’s the hope of the gospel as we endeavor to lift up His holy name.

Jesus won't fold His arms in disgust and turn away with frustration when people go to Him as their last resort. We might think this is how He will treat us when we finally relent, repent, and call out to Him. But He is gracious and compassionate—and on time, even though that might be difficult for us to see. 

But we have an internal (our flesh) and external (the devil) adversary that misrepresents the character of our King. These adversaries know that if we get to the Son, the Son will set us free. So they cause us to think that there is no way that He would ever help us—especially if we come to Him as our last resort.

Thankfully, we have the Scriptures that erase our misconceptions of the King’s character so that we can call out to Him and come to Him in our time of need—whether He has been our first choice or our last resort. Come to Jesus. He loves you, no matter what. You may be surprised at just how gracious He will be with you, giving you well-timed help when you need it.

“For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
Hebrews 4:15-16

​The religious leaders criticized Jesus for eating and drinking with tax collectors and sinners. But they were the kind of people that were sick and needed His help. Jesus loved to be with people who knew they were sinners because He could help them without working through the blinding hindrance of pride. Unlike the Pharisees (who didn’t understand what Jesus was saying but just wanted to argue with Him), only those who realize they are sinners can see that they are sick and need help. 

Since there are none righteous, Jesus is calling everyone who understands and readily admits that they are sick sinners. He did not come to patch up the Old Covenant. Jesus came to establish the New Covenant. He is the cornerstone of an entirely new institution called the church. And the church will be made of sinners who turn into saints because of the blood of Jesus. The church will include leaches, like Levi, that transform into men, like Matthew—enemies of God turned into “gifts of God” (the meaning of Matthew’s name). Rigid religious rules and regulations can’t handle this—it would just break. New wine must be poured into the new wineskin of the New Covenant. 

​Consider the faith of the four who brought their paralyzed friend to Jesus (see Mark 2:1-12). They were undaunted by difficulty. A crowded house was not an obstacle to them. They brought this man to Jesus through persistent, creative, and sacrificial faith. And Jesus saw the faith of these four friends. 

Have you had a friend who was so discouraged over their sinful condition that they couldn’t even get up the gumption to come to Jesus? It’s as if they are spiritually paralyzed. You can bring them to Jesus by persistent, creative, and sacrificial faith.

Maybe you’re the one who feels helpless and hopeless. Perhaps you’re ashamed of your lack of faith. Take heart—Jesus sees you, too! He loves you and wants to fulfill your greatest need. 

Like the paralyzed man, your greatest need is not physical healing, but spiritual cleansing. Jesus sees you and He loves you just as you are. But He also loves you too much to leave you in that state. Jesus wants to fulfill your greatest need. He is willing and able to forgive you so that you are no longer paralyzed by sin.

​We’re mistaken that we need to be intimidated by the schemes of Satan. We may even look for a demon behind every bush. But Jesus is Lord through it all. Greater is He that is in within you than he that is in the world (1 John 4:4). 

The satanic storm that freaked out the seasoned fishermen couldn't even wake Jesus from his nap. But something did—the cries of the people He loved.

For centuries, Satan has been trying to torment people from within and from without. He has not slowed down in his pursuit to steal, kill, and destroy. But Jesus is willing and able to save! He is not repulsed or intimidated by your outward or your inward condition. He is willing to walk right up into your storm, into your ugliness, and set you free because He has the authority and desire to do so. 

“And the whole city was gathered together at the door.”
–Mark 1:33

The whole city of Capernaum waited outside the door of the house where Jesus was staying. But it’s important to understand why they were there. They had come for His miracles, but Jesus’ primary ministry was His message.

Jesus healed many because He is compassionate. But He doesn’t want sign seekers and miracle followers. He desires people rooted and grounded in God’s word. People who follow Him by faith—whether or not God heals them in this life, for they know that this life is not the end of the story.

Growing popular for the wrong reasons was a distraction. Jesus needed to get alone with His Father. So early in the morning, He left to pray in order to do what was right, not just popular (Mark 1:35). May we have the same courage to do the same—to earnestly seek the Lord and do what is right.

​We all have a special work that God has given us. We all have this exhortation that God has given us:

“…we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.” (Ephesians 4:15-16)

So what is your part in the body of Christ? What is it that God has given to you to give away so that you can build others up? What has He entrusted to you so that you can love your neighbor? 

Only you and the Lord can answer that, but whatever it is, you must give yourself to that. It’s essential that you “take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you may fulfill it.” (Colossians 4:17)

​You’ve probably heard the saying, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” The Bible says, “Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.” (1 Corinthians 8:1).

Jesus said that love is the distinctive feature of those who follow Him. It’s not by having impressive Bible knowledge, big budgets, or buildings. It’s love. “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35). People will know we follow Jesus by our love. When people realize that we are truly following Jesus, they are drawn to Jesus as well.

Love is the key to God’s vision for His church—loving the Lord with your whole life and loving your neighbor as yourself. If your neighbor is a follower of Jesus, love them by helping them to follow Jesus. If your neighbor doesn’t follow Jesus, love them by introducing them to Jesus. That’s it—simplicity of heart in love for the Lord and love for each other. 

“The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God…” (Mark 1:1)

Consider the culture during the time that Mark wrote this sentence. There wasn’t a single section of life that the Roman Empire didn’t reach into and try to control. There wasn’t just a threat of persecution—there was straight-up, bone-crushing, soul-punishing, violent persecution of believers in Jesus. It was a time of incredible societal and political upheaval. 

It was a time like today—when the world desperately needs hope. Hope from a servant-leader who is not of this world. A radical, revolutionary, and self-sacrificial King who left His throne, laid down His crown, and humbled Himself to death on a cross, paying the penalty for sin and rising from the dead. The kind of King who promises never to leave, never forsake and always be with us until the end of the age. His name is Jesus.

Let’s not forget that Christmas is a time ripe with evangelistic opportunities. In a season when we talk about giving gifts, let’s not forget to mention the indescribable gift of God’s Son. In a season when we speak of hope, let’s not forget that hope has a name—Jesus. And in a season when we proclaim peace, let’s proclaim the good news of peace with God, purchased by the blood of God’s one and only Son, Jesus.

“For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?” (Romans 10:13-14)

Maybe that someone is you.

​In Matthew 8 and Luke 7, we learn two important lessons about having and employing faith from an unlikely source—a Roman Centurion. 

First, we learn that faith is not about feeling worthy. Faith is not dependent on a feeling of worthiness we can muster up. Faith is about focusing on the authority and ability of God to do what He promised.

Second, we do not need to see to believe—especially if we understand God’s authority and ability to do what He promised to do for those who feel unworthy. We have to believe, and then God will show us. Our eyes can deceive us, but the Bible cannot. Scripture records the infallible track record of God doing exactly what He promised to do—each and every time.

When we understand His authority and ability and trust in His love and mercy, we choose to believe—even, and especially, if we cannot see. 

“Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”
–1 Peter 1:8-9

​When you were forgiven and saved—healed and cleansed from all sin—how long did it take to feel like the stain and the stigma of sin were gone? Maybe you still struggle with it. After years of identifying as unclean, the leper probably struggled with this feeling too, which is why Jesus sent the man to the priest to perform a specific ceremony for someone miraculously cleansed of leprosy (see Matthew 8:4).

As described in Leviticus 14, every detail points to Jesus—wood, scarlet, hyssop, and blood. Each element in this ceremony shouts: “Because of blood, you are clean!” 

We who have been healed miraculously of the deadly disease called sin need to hear this as well: “Because of the blood—the shed blood of Jesus—you are clean!” Our identity is no longer ‘sinner’ but ‘son’ or ‘daughter’ of the King of kings. We must hear this truth repeatedly, or we will return to our old identity and behavior.

Because of the shed blood of Jesus, we are completely forgiven and cleansed. You are a new creation in Christ. Your sin is cast as far as the east is from the west—never to be seen again. Nothing and no one can take you out of your Father’s hand or separate you from His love. He is with you! He loves you! 

YOU are clean! 
YOU ARE clean! 
YOU ARE CLEAN! 

“They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people understood what was being read.”
–Nehemiah 8:5

Simply teaching the Bible is as important today as in Nehemiah’s day. It’s not the ideas or personality of a pastor that will change people’s lives. It is the Spirit of God working through the Word of God in the hearts of the people of God. 

Simply reading the Scripture clearly and then explaining the Scripture simply with the hope of helping others to understand can be radical and transformational for an individual, a family, a fellowship, or even an entire nation.

As we gather in unity, eagerly invite the pastor to “Bring the Book!” Serve behind the scenes to support the service and be intentional about what you hear. Be attentive and respectful, eager and appropriately emotional, responsive and worshipful. And as the Word read, be obedient and joyful—not only in understanding but also (and especially) in applying what you hear.

Religion does not—and cannot—save you. Only Jesus can save you. Do you know Him? Does He know you? Have you genuinely asked Him to be the Lord of your life? Or do you casually, flippantly, disingenuously, and dangerously only claim Him to be the Lord of your life?

Only you and He know the answers to those questions. It would be best to have it sorted out now. At any time, we are all just a second away from eternity. Only Jesus can save you, but He cannot save you if you only know about Him intellectually or even how He could save you. You must place your faith in Him. You must believe Him and receive Him to be saved. 

The only way you enter a real relationship with Jesus Christ is to be born again of God’s Holy Spirit. This happens when you turn from your sin in repentance and turn towards Jesus in belief. Then place your faith in Him to save you from your sin and an eternity separated from Him.

Have you been born again? You can be—and have the assurance of eternal life! Simply acknowledge that you have sinned and ask Jesus to save you. Turn from your sin and ask God to forgive you. Believe that Jesus died for you on the cross and rose from the grave. Then put your faith in Him, invite Him to come into your life and take control through the Holy Spirit, and receive Him as your Lord and Savior.

Talk to God. Express these things in your heart. You could say something like this:
Dear God,
I know that I am a sinner. I want to turn from my sins, and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe that Jesus Christ is Your Son. I believe that He died for my sins and that You raised Him to life. I want Him to come into my heart and to take control of my life. I want to trust Jesus as my Savior and follow Him as my Lord from this day forward. In Jesus’ Name, amen.

​Being a disciple of Jesus is more than what you say or appear to do. It’s who you are. Are you still only His creation? Then your relationship to Him is as Creator and Judge. Are you a new creation? Have you truly been born again? Then your relationship is with Him as Father. You have been given a new nature and have become one of His children!

Jesus saw us all poisoned by bitterness and bound by sin. He loved us too much to allow us to remain that way, so He came to rescue us. We know we all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glorious standard of righteousness. We also know that the wages of sin is death. That’s why Jesus came to die for us. God demonstrated His love for us this way—while we were still sinners, Christ died on our behalf.

Here’s the good news: “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God…” (John 1:12). “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation…” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

You can identify the tree based on the fruit you see growing from it. If you see an apple on a tree, you can identify that the tree is an apple tree. 

Fruit grows out of identity. Like a tree, the fruit in our lives is more than just what we say and appear to do. The fruit we produce comes out as a result of who we are.

Jesus tells us that the fruit a person’s life produces will identify if they are a false prophet. Someone can say and do all the right things. They can (and will) have the appearance of a sheep, yet their identity is that of a ravenous wolf. 

Jesus wants His disciples to know how to spot the difference. The fruit in a person’s life will show if they are a genuine born-again believer who feeds upon God’s Word and displays the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control), or someone who claims to be a believer but uses the ministry to be in proximity to born-again believers to feed their ego, insecurities, and ravenous hunger to be in control.

Heed Jesus’ warning about such people—“By their fruits you will know them.”

​We have a good Father who knows how to give good gifts. He promises to give us all that we need to fulfill the clear expectations that He has for the beautiful worthy difficulty of ministry. So ask, seek, and knock. Do not give up, dismiss, or diminish the clear expectations for ministry just because it’s difficult. After all, Jesus told us it will be difficult! 

In our own strength and with our own resources, His clear expectations are impossible. This drives us to two options—the narrow gate and the wide gate. The narrow gate is difficult but the wide gate leads to destruction. Embrace the impossibility of ministry and ask, seek, and knock until you see His attitudes, actions, attributes, and motivations in your heart and life.

This is the adventure that He has called us to—the beautiful worthy difficulty of ministry. So ask Him, seek Him, knock on the door of His heart. His heart for you is to give you all of this so that you can have fellowship with Him as you are a blessing in the lives of others.

​It's alright for a follower of Jesus to have money, but it's a problem when money becomes their motivation. It’s okay for a disciple of Jesus to have food, but things are out of order if food controls them. It's the same with clothing and the necessities of life—those things are fine for believers to possess, but if those things have control in our lives, it leads to the life-taking bondage of hoarding, coveting, and worrying. 

When we see these creeping into our lives, we need God’s way to reestablish order in our hearts and minds. Thankfully, He has given us the antidote to these things—giving, praying, and fasting.

When you give, you tell money that you have control over it. Praying releases you from the life-taking control of constantly wanting what you don’t have. Fasting deflates the power of worry by temporarily setting aside the necessities of this life to seek first the reality of the next.

Setting down our way to pick up God’s way takes faith. It takes faith to give when your heart wants to hoard. It takes faith to pray when your heart wants to covet. It takes faith to fast when your physical body tries to control you with worry over the necessities of life. Step out in faith and trust that the life-giving way of the Lord’s will release you from life-taking bondage of hoarding, coveting, and worry.

​Why we pray is important. Jesus tells us that we shouldn’t pray to get noticed or to appear more spiritual to others (Matthew 6:5-7). Prayer is to further our fellowship with our Heavenly Father. We can talk to Him anywhere at any time about anything.

God, who is so good to us every day wants to talk with us—every day! And yet, Jesus recognized that this might be difficult for us. So to help His followers, Jesus provides talking points to help us construct our communication with the Lord—things that encourage dialogue.

This daily discussion is not to be filled with vain repetitions with words we mumble over and over, but a thoughtful exchange directed to a person (our Father) in a place (in Heaven) who is pure (“holy is Your name”). We can talk with Him about purpose (“You will be done”) and provision (daily bread). And we can ask him for pardon (“forgive us our trespasses”) and protection (“deliver us from the evil one”). 

Pour out your heart to God. Tell Him your hopes and fears, your concerns and burdens, your joys and sorrows. Ask Him questions, then read His answers in Scripture—not just to obtain information or attain spiritual status, but so that you can know Him.

​Jesus teaches us that motivation for ministry in everyday activities is important. 

If you give, pray, or fast to be seen or to seem more spiritual than others, that is all you will get. You trade an eternal and enduring reward for something fleeting. More importantly, you won’t experience a deeper fellowship with your Heavenly Father. Why would you pass up on something so valuable for something so fleeting as the praise and admiration of others?

When you give, pray, or fast, find the secret place where no one knows except for God. He will see you in the secret place and reward you openly with fellowship with Him. 

​Jesus expects His disciples to have certain attributes. His followers must be honest, have grit, and be more than a conqueror. But what if we don't have these attributes? What if we fail? What if we fall short?

Repent and cry out to Jesus. Ask the Holy Spirit for help. This is the only way that we will have the attributes Jesus expects of His followers. Jesus would never expect us to do anything that He didn’t already intend to empower us to do. He expects us to have the attitudes, actions, and attributes He defines in the Sermon on the Mount, and so He will empower us to have these attitudes, actions, and attributes as we follow Him.

This doesn’t come from trying harder. It doesn’t come from minimizing or rationalizing our inherent inabilities. It doesn’t come from outsourcing this to “religious professionals”. It all comes from Him. As a disciple of Jesus, you are a living example of what it looks like to follow Him. Receive help from the Holy Spirit and rest in the loving power of Jesus. Only then will you see this manifest in selfless love that glorifies our Heavenly Father. 

​To be Jesus’ disciple, you must deal decisively with sin and where it begins—the heart. The problem is not your eye or your hand—it’s your heart. You need a new heart—you must be born again. Jesus promises a new heart to all who believe Him, receive Him, and are truly born again of His Holy Spirit.

What if you have been truly born again and yet you still struggle with lustful looks and lustful thoughts? You still must deal decisively with sin by confessing, repenting, and proving your repentance by not doing it again. Don’t minimize, rationalize, or entertain the sin, but have a plan of action.

The best plan of action is found in 2 Timothy 2:22:
“Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” 

When sin comes, flee! Then pursue righteousness. Replace sinful habits with righteous ones, which include living according to God’s Word (see Psalm 119:9). There is power in the Word of God to strengthen our spirits, renew our minds, and tell our bodies what we will or will not do. There is power in the Word of God to even take our thoughts captive and make them obedient to Jesus. 

Forgiveness and reconciliation are two different things. Forgiveness can happen in a moment, but reconciliation is a process—a process that begins with repentance.

Genuine repentance accepts full responsibility for your actions and welcomes accountability. When you repent, you'll stop your sinful behavior without downplaying or dismissing it. You drop your defensive attitude and don’t resent the doubts of others about your sincerity. And you’ll make restitution where necessary. 

There cannot be genuine reconciliation without genuine repentance. But letting time pass without genuine repentance makes reconciliation more difficult. Which is why Jesus insisted on dealing with it right away:

Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First, be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. 
–Matthew 5:23-24