Even If i Walk Alone

Instructing and encouraging you to live your life as a disciple of Jesus

mission

A Disciple of Jesus

by

In these crazy and unpredictable days, it’s hard for me not to feel like I’m sounding like a broken record. The Gospel is a simple message, and there are only so many ways to tell the story. The same is true for discipleship, which is the natural follow-up to salvation. To be a disciple of Jesus means we do what Jesus commands us to do. Discipleship demands we live lives where we love like Jesus.

disciple of Jesus,discipleship,priorities,commitiment,God's will,mission

At the core, disciples are those who love God with their entire heart, soul, strength, and mind (Mark 12:28-30). And we love our neighbor as ourselves (Mark 12:31). Yet we will fill our minds with everything happening around us if we aren’t careful and intentional with our thinking. We will get caught up in the flow of culture and drift from our King and our purpose instead of focusing on Jesus’s beauty and His mission.

[Read more…] about A Disciple of Jesus

A Wartime Mindset

by

Followers of Jesus should live with a wartime mindset, but most of us are strolling through life as if we are in the greatest peace-time in history. We take spiritual things lightly and give significant weight to the physical world. It’s the most short-sighted strategy we could adopt, and the devil continues to deceive us into believing we are being smart. One thing I know for certain is no matter what comes out of the mouth of Satan, it will be a lie (John 8:44). So whatever he puts in our mind, we should do the opposite. Immediately.

a wartime mindset,war,peace,discipleship,dilligence,priorities,commitment,mission

We are not at peace. We are at war. Your soul, the soul of your family, and the souls of your friends are under attack. Satan wants to distract you from the truth, so he distorts it. The longer we believe we’re not living in a war zone, the harder it becomes to break out of the stupor and see the battle raging around us.

[Read more…] about A Wartime Mindset

Love Like Jesus

by

Nothing that comes out of Washington or our local government changes our mission. We are still to go into the world sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:18-20). We are still to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind (Matthew 22:36-38). And we are still to love our neighbor as ourselves (Matthew 22:39). Whatever else may happen around us, His call remains unchanged. It’s our north star, our constant in a sea of change.

love like Jesus,mission,purpose,priorities,division,God's Kingdom,Matthew 28:18-20,greatest commandment,Matthew 22:39,love your neighbor,Matthew 28:18-20,great commission,John 14:6, Jesus said I am the way,Mark 4:18-19,cares of the world,Kingdom of God

We do ourselves a great disservice when we allow the cares of this world to drown out the voice of God (Mark 4:18-19). Our purpose here is not to perpetuate the philosophy of any government or to trumpet the social cause of the day. Our purpose is to look like Jesus, live like Jesus, and love like Jesus.

[Read more…] about Love Like Jesus

What do You Want to Be When You Grow Up?

by

When you are young, people often ask you, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Our answers were always filled with the exuberant and innocent dreams of youth. My earliest recollection of answering that question was that I wanted to be Spiderman. That didn’t pan out and I still haven’t had any encounters with a radioactive spider, so like many passing fancies of youth, it’s probably time to let that dream go.

mission,purpose,love,God's will,,commitment,discipleship,God's Kingdom,what do you want to be when you grow up,Kingdom of God

But the question of “What do you want to be when you grow up” is a good one for all would-be disciples of Jesus. And it can only have one answer: “I want to be just like Jesus.” While my childhood dream of being Spiderman had no basis on reality, the aim of living like Jesus is both an attainable and worthwhile pursuit.

[Read more…] about What do You Want to Be When You Grow Up?

The Church of Jesus

by

While waiting for a church service to begin, I overheard a conversation happening in the rows behind me. There was a group of students from a nearby Christian college that was visiting the service I was attending. The person sitting next to them struck up a conversation inquiring about the group. One individual said they were all studying to be pastors, and as part of their coursework, they were visiting nearby churches every week to meet the congregants and take notes on what they liked and didn’t like.

church of Jesus,mission,purpose,Jesus,body of Christ,megachurch,faith fellowship,congregation,the Church

As the conversation continued, the pastor-in-training asked someone else nearby what had drawn them to the church when they began attending there. This engaged others around as well, and the responses were all similar: the messages, the preacher, and the atmosphere were the prevailing themes. What made me very sad was the one word I did not hear mentioned: Jesus.

[Read more…] about The Church of Jesus