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I love the Gospel of Mark, it’s so “raw” and fast paced (as compared to the other Gospels). Listen to how Jesus calls the 12:

And he went up on the mountain and called to him those whom he desired, and they came to him. And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach and have authority to cast out demons. He appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter); James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James (to whom he gave the name Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder); Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. Then he went home, and the crowd gathered again, so that they could not even eat. And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for they were saying, “He is out of his mind.”

There is a lot here by way of example of how we choose whom we do ministry and live life with.

Jesus went away to see who’d follow and he called the ones he could see something in. He didn’t just put an announcement in the bulletin 😉

The point of their “discipleship program” was to spend time, but for a purpose. It wasn’t to “deepen their walk” but to prepare them to become disciple makers. They didn’t have a curriculum or a schedule to follow, they spent time with Jesus so they could become equipped to share the gospel with others. That’s the goal of any good discipleship program, not “deeper life” but witness, to draw others in. Any “discipleship” that doesn’t lead to more and more disciples, isn’t.

• Simon (Peter “Rocky”)
• James (Zebedee’s boy, the first Beaneries brother)
• John (the second of the “Sons of Thunder”)
• Andrew
• Philip
• Bartholomew
• Matthew (Levi)
• Thomas (“show me”)
• James (Alphas’ boy)
• Thaddeus (also another “Judas”)
• Simon (even more intense than Peter)
• Judas (11 out of 12 ain’t bad)

What’s interesting is, Jesus does call many of them in pairs, friends, family, those who already live life together… this makes discipleship more natural. If Andrew wants to follow Jesus, it’s easter to get Philip as well…

I love how Jesus goes home and his family thinks he’s nuts. “You’re doing what!? Are you part of some cult?” It’s much easier to only follow the prescribed norm of faith, but really making a difference requires more, you’ve got to make intentional connections with people for a purpose. You’ve got to gather a group willing to reach others for Jesus, spend time with them, and spend time with him.

Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles. He will not quarrel or cry aloud, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets; a bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice to victory; and in his name the Gentiles will hope.

Jesus is the “real deal.” Being a Christian isn’t about which political candidate you choose, what your ethics are like, where you live, or a list of dos and don’ts… It’s all (and only) about Jesus. Listen to who he is…

He was chosen by God… trust him.

He is pleasing to God… he did well.

He is empowered by God… he won’t lose.

He is a preacher for us… listen to him.

He is just… what he does is right.

He doesn’t need to stir-up noise and bluster to distract and convince us… he is our only hope.

May we follow Jesus and not ourselves.

This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.

Two things that will make people mad in church… (1) messing with tradition and (2) putting Jesus first.

First… the refrain “but we’ve never done it that way before” has been the favorite song of the church, I’m sure, for 2,000 years (maybe longer). No one likes for things to change, but the fact of the matter is, if things aren’t changing, then you’re dying. Did you know that every cell in your body will be completely replaced about every 7 years? Wow! Churches, like people, are constantly changing, or they are lifeless. We like predictability so that we can see how we can fit our church life in with the rest of our lives, but that’s not how it works.

Finally… the fact that we want to fit Jesus into our lives is illustrative of our problem. He’s not something to add to our goals, he is the whole enchilada. Jesus is God, he’s not a guru. He’s not giving you good advice of how to make your life better, he came to give you the good news of what he’s done… so worship him! We serve Jesus, he is our Lord, we don’t get to put other things first. Not our own preferences, not what we like, not just when we have the time… 24/7/365 Jesus is God. Don’t play church… be church.

It’s hard for all of us. We’d like life to be nice and neat, predictable, and according to OUR plans… nope, never happens. Trust in Jesus, put him (not you) at the center of your faith. He’s God, he deserves it.

And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “ Son, your sins are forgiven.

I am a big fan of making it as easy as possible for someone to get to church, bring their family, and hear the gospel. At the same time, the picture of “seekers” in the New Testament is a bit different that we might think from the impression we get from some church growth experts today. If someone wants to get to Jesus, they will. When they understand their need for a savior to die for their sins, you won’t be able to keep them away. Jesus didn’t follow the 80% rule to be sure that there was always an empty chair… and yet these 4 friends would not let anything stop them, they were getting to Jesus. I’m not sure that Jesus came to visit them after the service, and yet the paralyzed man still went away with his sins forgiven. We do the best we can, we work to make sure people are as comfortable as possible with everything but the gospel so that if they stumble on anything, it’s the cross… but at the end of the day, you are not going to be the one who has kept them from Jesus.

Do your best to reach as many as possible, but the harvest is the Lord’s. Rest in him.

Jesus said to her, “ Go, call your husband, and come here.” The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband ’; for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.

Sometimes we are drawn to a false idea that if we really love someone, we won’t call them out on their sin because it would make them uncomfortable. They’ve already decided to become a Christian, they’re even at church, let’s not scare them away… besides, if I start pointing out the sins of others, they’re going to start shining a light on mine. Can I be honest, that’s partly the point, we need accountability and light disinfects. If you really love someone, you will point out where their life is at odds with God’s character. Not in a condescending way, and not pubicaly (at least not at first), but as a friend trying to actually help them. Jesus doesn’t beat around the bush either, he simply calls-it like it is.

Let’s agree to stop trying to simply make people comfortable and start showing people the genuine love of God in Jesus Christ… blunt as it can be. In the long run, it will help more people and hold us more accountable.