Life In The End

The Cost of Discipleship

(Story from Luke 5:27-28; 9:23-25, 57-62 ESV)

It was a day like any other day, Levi awoke early, made breakfast and prepared for his day as usual. He knew he would encounter angry and bitter people this day, like most days. Certainly there would be snide remarks and empty threats...at least he hoped the threats would be empty. Some days he felt like he deserved the hate he received, for after all he was a tax collector. Yet it was a lucrative position and his family was well taken care of. Who needs friends anyway?

Shortly after opening up shop and new visitor came to see Levi. This was a different encounter then any he had ever experienced. He had met men and women from all around the known world in his position, but this Jewish man was different. The room changed as He entered and for the first time in years, Levi felt real peace. He couldn’t explain it, but it was there.

“Follow me!” is all this man said. No explanation, no further directions, just “follow me.”  Yet Levi knew in that moment, down to his inner being, that this man didn’t mean simply to accompany him down the street. This was a much deeper journey, a call that would effect his entire being. It was a call to forget his life as he knew it. To forget the steady paycheck, to forget the prestige and power and to embrace the unknown. Levi’s analytical mind was racing, but his heart had already answered.

He got up, left everything and followed Him. Nothing has been the same since.

Even as Jesus changed Levi’s life, Jesus continued to change lives of men and women throughout His earthly ministry with a simple call, “Come and Follow Me.” This was a phrase He used to call His disciples, followers who would learn to imitate Him and take up His cause. Soon Jesus gathered 12 followers who would be His closest companions. Later crowds started following, but their commitment wasn’t the same.

Jesus described what it meant to truly follow Him with these words, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?”

It became clear that there is a cost to discipleship. Jesus wasn’t looking for a flaky followers, but He desired resolve and determination to love what He loved. So He challenged others to follow Him, as He did with Levi, to willingly give up all they knew and follow Him.

One journey Jesus took with His twelve disciples was from Samaria to Jerusalem. As they were walking one young man ran up and said, “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.”

Not much farther down the very same road, another man approached. Jesus look at him and said, “Follow Me!” The man seemed interested but he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” And Jesus said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”

A third time a different person approached Jesus, and with eagerness he said,  “I will follow you, Lord…” but then he added,  “…let me first say farewell to those at my home.”

Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

With each of these three encounters, the disciples learned more and more that following Christ was costly, but worth it.

Creation Restored

(Story from John 14:1-7 ESV; Luke 17:24 ESV; Revelation 21 and 22 The Message)

Many years had passed since the Lord Jesus ascended into Heaven. The Apostle John, now an old man, sat reflecting on the promises Jesus had made to them that day. “I go to prepare a place for you, and if I go, I will return for you and take you to be where I am. In my Father’s house are many rooms... I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me!”

Yet Jesus also promised that the day He returns would be a spectacular day. “For as the lighting flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in His day!” He is coming to put an end to the sin and corruption of this world.

Much has happened since Jesus ascended and the Church, all the Followers of Jesus, had been born. Most of John’s close friends and fellow apostles had already given their lives for the cause of Christ. John himself was banished to the Island of Patmos because of his faith in Jesus. He longed for the times he spent with Jesus and the other disciples many years earlier. He spent much time reading through the Scriptures and teaching whomever he could about the glorious appearing of Jesus.

The promise of Jesus return brought much hope, as He promised to destroy all evil, sin and rebellion. In that day there will be no more sickness, cancer, pain or death. There will be no more slavery or abuse. And every Christian, dead or alive, will be resurrected to new life, in a new body on a new earth! Most importantly, the will get to live with Jesus forever!

One day, John was walking around the island of Patmos talking to Jesus as if He were right there with him. When all of a sudden, John, whether in a dream or vision he did not know,  was actually transported somewhere else and Jesus showed John what was to come!

“I saw Heaven and earth new-created. Gone the first Heaven, gone the first earth, gone the sea. I saw Holy Jerusalem, new-created, descending resplendent out of Heaven, as ready for God as a bride for her husband.”

Then the Angel showed me Water-of-Life River, crystal bright. It flowed from the Throne of God and the Lamb, right down the middle of the street. The Tree of Life was planted on each side of the River, producing twelve kinds of fruit, a ripe fruit each month. The leaves of the Tree are for healing the nations. Never again will anything be cursed. The Throne of God and of the Lamb is at the center.

I heard a voice thunder from the Throne: “Look! Look! God has moved into the neighborhood, making his home with men and women! They’re his people, he’s their God. He’ll wipe every tear from their eyes. Death is gone for good—tears gone, crying gone, pain gone—all the first order of things gone.” The Enthroned continued, “Look! I’m making everything new. Write it all down—each word dependable and accurate.”

Then he said, “It’s happened. I’m A to Z. I’m the Beginning, I’m the Conclusion. From Water-of-Life Well I give freely to the thirsty. Conquerors inherit all this. I’ll be God to them, they’ll be sons and daughters to me.”

“But for the rest—the faithless, degenerates and murderers, sex peddlers and sorcerers, idolaters and all liars—for them it’s Lake Fire and Brimstone. Second death!”

As John returned to himself back on the island, he was overwhelmed with what he saw. Yet the voice of Jesus was ringing in his ears to write this Story down and pass it on to others. Jesus left him with one final promise for His followers to be expectant and ready for, “Surely I am coming soon!”

(Today’s post is inspired from: The Storyformed Way)

The Early Church

Story from… Acts 2 and 4; Acts 9:31; 1 Corinthians 16; 2 Corinthians 8

The Day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit filled all the disciples, marked the beginning of the New Covenant people, known as the Church. Thousands came to believe all that Jesus had done for them.

These new disciples of Jesus spent time together in prayer and were united in heart and mind so they shared everything they had. Selling their possessions and goods, they felt that what they owned was not their own. There were no needy people among them, because those who owned land or houses would sell them and bring the money to the apostles to give to anyone in need. They celebrated communion in their homes and ate together all with great joy, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. They testified powerfully to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God’s great blessing was upon them all. And the Lord added to their number daily people who were being saved.

The apostles were performing many miraculous signs and wonders among the people. Everyone was filled with awe and all the believers were meeting regularly at the Temple in the area known as Solomon’s Colonnade where they devoted themselves to the apostles teaching of the Word.

Guided by the Spirit, the church grew in Jerusalem and then spread throughout the region as the disciples gave their lives fully to the work of the gospel. They continued to preach about Jesus’ death and resurrection and new life for all who would believe. They lived generous lives, sacrificing for those who were in need. All of this displayed God’s great generosity toward mankind in real, tangible ways.

The believers were encouraged in a letter by one of the apostles, named Paul, “I want you to know, dear brothers and sisters, what God in his kindness has done through the churches in Macedonia. They are being tested by many troubles, and they are very poor. But they are also filled with abundant joy, which has overflowed in rich generosity.

I can tell you that they gave not only what they could afford, but far more. And they did it of their own free will. They begged us again and again for the privilege of sharing in this gift for the believers in Jerusalem.

They even did more than we had hoped, for their first action was to give themselves to the Lord and then to us, just as God wanted them to do.”

Another time Paul taught the believers, “You should follow the same procedure I gave to the churches in Galatia. On the first day of each week, you should each put aside a portion of the money you have earned. Don’t wait until I get there and then try to collect it all at once.”

 In this way the church continued to grow and be a blessing to each other as they supported the continued spread of the gospel.

These were times of great growth and blessing for the Church as they were guided and strengthened by the indwelling Holy Spirit who led them in all the ways of truth and life.

Let me tell you another story about the Church…

Several years went by and problems began to arise among some of the believers. They were no longer living under the power of the Spirit, but instead were becoming just like the rest of their culture…Corinth was a port city, and along with great economic gain and philosophical understanding came questionable moral behavior. The problems of the city began to affect the Corinthian church.

Quarreling and divisiveness had sprung up among the believers and some leaders started to claim spiritual superiority over one another. Some of the believers even began to sue one another in public courts.

Others were coming to their communal meals and overeating and drinking to the point where some were drunk and some went away hungry. Sexual immorality in the church became a problem too. One man was even reported to be having an affair with his own stepmother and no one was doing anything about it! On top of all of that, the church was starting to divide itself into factions based on who’s preaching they liked the best.

The Apostle Paul wrote them a letter stating, “each of you says, 'I belong to Paul,' or 'I belong to Apollos,' or 'I belong to Cephas,' or 'I belong to Christ.'”

But Paul told them, “all things are yours . . . you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God. The place of the preachers is not to establish themselves as leaders among men; instead, people should think of us all as servants of Christ.”

There were also fights about which spiritual gifts were the “best” and they began to argue about weather Jesus was really raised from the dead or not.

The good news for this story is that the church in Corinth was teachable and ultimately repented.

(Today’s post is from: The Storyformed Way is a derivative of The Story of God © Copyright 2003-2006 Michael Novelli & Caesar Kalinowski, all rights reserved. This derivative was created and distributed with permission. You are free to use, remix, and build upon this work non-commercially if you attribute Soma Communities. For details, see creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/)

The Mission and Power

Story from John 20, Matthew 28 John 14 Acts 2 1 Corinthians 15:3-8

In the weeks that followed Jesus death, he appeared to his disciples many times and was seen by over 500 eyewitnesses. Quickly, the news about his resurrection spread throughout the land.

One of Jesus’ disciples named Thomas said, “I won’t believe he is alive unless I can put my fingers into the holes where his hands where nailed to the cross.”

A few days later, Jesus appeared to his disciples and said to Thomas, “Put your fingers here—feel the hole in my hand. Put your hand into the wound on my side.” Thomas shouted, “It is you, Jesus—my God!” Then Jesus said, “I will bless those even more who haven’t seen, but still believe!”

Soon after that, Jesus met with his disciples over a meal. He said, “John baptized you in water, but in a few days you will be baptized with God’s Spirit. This will give you power to live in my ways and tell the entire world about me.”

Jesus commanded his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, GO and make disciples of all the nations, all over the world. Baptize these new disciples in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach them to obey all the commands I have given you and to walk in my ways.

And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” God’s Spirit will come and live inside of you—giving you peace and leading you in all the ways of truth.”

As the disciples watched, Jesus went up into the sky, disappearing in the clouds right in front of them!

A few weeks later, a group of 120 of Jesus’ followers, including his closest disciples gathered to pray together in Jerusalem. All of sudden, they heard a loud sound, like a roaring windstorm, that filled the house where they were meeting. Each of them was filled with God’s Spirit and started speaking in languages that were not their own! They went out into the street and began to tell people about all that Jesus had done.

This roaring sound was heard throughout the entire city, and a large crowd had gathered outside the house to see what was going on. At that time, Jews from all over the world were living in Jerusalem.

When the people heard Jesus’ followers speaking, they said, “How can this be? They’re from Galilee, but they’re speaking in our own languages. This is amazing!”

One of Jesus’ disciples, named Peter, stepped forward to explain to the crowds what was happening. He said, “This is part of God’s prophecy being fulfilled. We are eyewitnesses of the fact that Jesus was raised from the dead and is the true Messiah!”

Then Peter explained how Jesus had fulfilled everything the prophets said about the Messiah. He told the crowd, “Each of you must turn from your sins and turn to God. In Jesus, you will find forgiveness—he is the final sacrifice for everyone’s sin. This is God’s new covenant offered not just to the Jews, but for all who want to be part of God’s family.”

That day, thousands believed what Peter said and repented putting their trust in Jesus. They turned from their sins to follow Jesus and walk in God’s ways. They were baptized and became a part of God’s family—once again empowered to live out God’s promise to be a blessing to all people.

God’s new covenant was not written on tablets of stone like before, but on the hearts and minds of his people, so they would always know how to live in his ways.

These followers of Jesus were deeply committed to God and each other… sharing everything they had, praying, learning God’s ways together, and helping anyone in need—all with great joy and generosity.

Daily they ate together to honor and remember Jesus’ life given for them.

They saw God do amazing things through them—miracles and healing—as he added people to their group each day.

This was the beginning of what the Bible calls the Church—a community of people all over the world who, because of Jesus, once again enjoy a life that is full and complete—a life lived close to God—the way God always intended it to be!

(Today’s post is from: The Storyformed Way is a derivative of The Story of God © Copyright 2003-2006 Michael Novelli & Caesar Kalinowski, all rights reserved. This derivative was created and distributed with permission. You are free to use, remix, and build upon this work non-commercially if you attribute Soma Communities. For details, see creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/)

Death and Resurrection

The Garden Tomb in Jerusalem

Story from Matthew 26–28; Mark 14–16; Luke 22–24; John 13,17–20

Jesus and his disciples traveled to Jerusalem for the Passover Festival. Everywhere he went he had compassion on people and met their needs. The Pharisees and other Jewish leaders were becoming increasingly upset with Jesus and his claims.

He continued to tell people that he could forgive their sins. This enraged the Jewish leaders—they saw this as the ultimate disrespect to God. They looked for ways to trap Jesus into saying something they could arrest him for, but Jesus was too wise for them.

Many of his stories pointed out the hypocrisy of the Jewish leaders. Jesus said, “When the Pharisees and teachers share with you God’s commands, listen to them—but don’t follow their example. They don’t live out what they teach.”

The High Priest met with these leaders to discuss capturing Jesus and putting him to death. “We can’t arrest him during Passover,” they agreed, “or it will create a huge riot.”

Jesus and his 12 disciples met together in a home to celebrate the Passover. During the meal Jesus picked up some bread, thanked God for it, and broke it into pieces. Giving it to his disciples he said, “Take this and eat it, this is my body given for you.”

Then Jesus picked up a cup of wine and thanked God for it. He gave them the cup and said, “All of you, drink this. It is my blood given for you—a new covenant between God and his people. It is poured out to forgive the sins of many. Remember me when you continue to eat and drink these things together.”

Jesus told them, “When you see what happens tonight you will all abandon me. It is part of God’s plan that I will be betrayed and die. But don’t fear, I will rise again from the dead!” He knew that his disciple Judas would betray him, bringing Jewish soldiers to capture him later that night when no one was around.

After the meal, when it was dark, Jesus went to pray. Filled with pain and sorrow, he pleaded with God, “Father, if there is another way besides my death, please let that happen—but I will do whatever you ask.”

Just as he had finished praying, Judas showed up with an armed mob. He greeted Jesus with a kiss—a sign to show the guards which one they should arrest.

Jesus said to them, “Am I a dangerous criminal that you need weapons to capture me?

Why didn’t you arrest me in the Temple where I’ve been teaching everyday? No! This is part of God’s plan, just as the prophets predicted long ago.”

When the guards arrested Jesus and dragged him away, the disciples ran away and hid. The guards beat Jesus and brought him before the Jewish leaders for questioning.

They asked, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of God?” Jesus answered, “I am, and you will see me seated next to God in power—coming back on the clouds of heaven.”

When Jesus said this, the High Priest tore his clothing in horror and said, “Any man who claims to be God must be put to death.” Then they slapped Jesus in the face and spit on him.

Jesus was brought to the Roman governor, Pilate, since Jews could not execute anyone without official approval. The Jewish leaders stirred up the crowds and pressured Pilate to have Jesus put to death.

They shouted, “CRUCIFY HIM! CRUCIFY HIM!”

Pilate feared a riot would break out, so he handed Jesus over to the Roman soldiers to be crucified.

Crucifixion was the most cruel and humiliating way to die. Jesus was brutally beaten and whipped by the soldiers. They put a crown of sharp thorns on his head and a purple robe around his shoulders. “Hail the King of the Jews!” they laughed. All night, the Roman soldiers continued to beat Jesus and mock him.

When morning came, they led Jesus to a place called Skull Hill. Like a criminal, Jesus was nailed to a heavy wooden cross between two thieves. Hanging there, he cried out, “Father, please forgive them, they don’t know what they’re doing.”

At noon, darkness filled the skies—blocking out the sun for three hours. Suddenly, the thick curtain hanging in the Temple tore down the middle! At that moment Jesus shouted, “Father! I give you my life… it is finished.”

Then Jesus breathed his last breath and died.

The soldiers broke the legs of the criminals crucified next to Jesus to speed up their death. When they found that Jesus was already dead, they didn’t break his legs. To be sure, one of the soldiers stabbed him in the side with a spear—blood and water poured out.

Late Friday afternoon, Jesus’ body was taken down from the cross, wrapped in long strips of cloth, and buried in a rich man’s tomb. A large stone was rolled over the entrance to the tomb and Roman guards were posted to make sure nothing happened to his body.

Early on Sunday morning, some of the women who followed Jesus went to prepare his body for burial.

When they arrived at the tomb, they saw the stone rolled away and the soldiers were gone!

Suddenly, two angels appeared. They said, “Why are you surprised? You are looking for Jesus, but he is not here, he’s been raised from the dead.”

The women were excited but afraid and hurried to tell the disciples the amazing news. Some of them ran back to the tomb and looked inside for themselves… Jesus was not there!

In fact, Jesus appeared to his disciples many times over the next 40 days. They touched him, saw him eat food and perform miracles again. Jesus reminded them of his teaching about the kingdom and opened their minds to understand how the whole Story has led up to him. Over 500 people saw him alive.

(Today’s post is from: The Storyformed Way is a derivative of The Story of God © Copyright 2003-2006 Michael Novelli & Caesar Kalinowski, all rights reserved. This derivative was created and distributed with permission. You are free to use, remix, and build upon this work non-commercially if you attribute Soma Communities. For details, see creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/)