apokatalasso

" What would this year be like if..." I were totally and consciously convinced that every follower of Jesus, including me, is mandated to be sent out from church as a witness to Jesus through every area of his or her life (home, work, school, uni, neighbourhood...) I spent as much time with non-Christians as I do with Christians and church activities I accepted that my mission field is every day from my waking to my sleeping wherever that take me. I prayed every morning 'Jesus, I'm ready to be your sower of your seeds. I go out expectant of people encounters today.' I realised the potential for building friendships with people I brush shoulders with each day or week I made a concerted effort to invest in 3-5 new friendships I committed to building mutual respect and trust with my non-Christian friends and left the converting to God! I asked myself, coming out of chu...

 

After Peter identifies Jesus as the Son of God, the Saviour (Mt.16; Mk.8; Lk.9), He explains to his disciples and the crowd following him what being a disciple is fundamentally all about, "if anyone actively and voluntarily desires to follow behind me, he (or she) contradicts him/herself and takes up his/her cross and comes in the way with Me." 1. Note that the "following" is not a grasping, forcing neither by us of God nor of God towards us. Nor is it a passive waiting on someone or something happening, neither is it through a rational, logical or willful purpose or assumption. The original text underlines the subjective possibility "if." Jesus is clear when he is speaking that it is not a command but an invitation. That is not to be assumed or taken as fact that all will be the followers of the kind He is calling for in this text. The follower of Jesus demonstrates a free, pleasurable, active desiring. This is a hallmark of true followers of Jesus. Wh...

What did Jesus have in mind when he addressed the words "Follow Me" to his disciples and many among the crowds that followed him, listening to him speak, witnessing his miracles? The Greek word "akolouthei" translated sometimes as "follow me"  means "come in the way of me." It paints three images that describe what it is to respond to Jesus calling to us "follow me." 1. "follow me" is a call to relationship.  It does not infer as would the religious leaders of Jesus' day to a scholar, professor, teacher to a student or pupil. Jesus first and foremostly invites us to walk with him a reflection of the way God had the habit of walking with Adam in the cool of the evening (Ge.3:8). Imagine what you would talk about as you "walked with Jesus..." 2. "follow me" is a call to abide. Abiding is about sticking to him, never getting left behind, but being close so as not to miss anything that J...

Welcome to Apokatalasso Blog Thoughts! The idea is to regularly share thoughts from the Bible to provide stimulation in our relationship with God and fresh inspiration for our lives. Keep and eye on this space