What Would A Day With Jesus Be Like?

If you would spend a day with Jesus, do you think he would take you to the mall? Would you two catch a movie or maybe relax at the beach together? Maybe. But knowing who Jesus is and what he is capable of doing, it is probably more likely he would take you along on some fantastic adventures which would make an incredible difference in your life and the lives of other people.

As we continue our study through the Gospel of Mark this Sunday (10:00 am) we come across a description of what a typical day for Jesus was like when he lived on the earth. From this account, we see he was a man on the move. A man who had an intense compassion for people and an equally intense ability to do something about their problems. Wherever Jesus Christ went, people were never the same.

Two thousand years after he walked our planet, Jesus Christ continues to change lives. The powerful healing he brings to people is not limited to space or time. It's for eternity. And he offers it to you!

Are You Shadowing Jesus?

When starting a new job, a trainee will typically shadow an experienced worker. The benefits of shadowing are pretty obvious. It gives a person a chance to observe, ask questions and watch how an expert accomplishes the work. After a certain amount of time the veteran begins to let the trainee do the work and makes helpful suggestions on how to improve. The goal of shadowing is to enable the newly hired person to achieve the same level of work excellence as the teacher.

Have you thought of the Christian life as shadowing Jesus? When Christ started his ministry he immediately called disciples or followers, and for three years these men shadowed him. They listened to his preaching. They often asked questions. Jesus sent them on preaching missions and debriefed them on their return. After his resurrection, he commissioned those same followers to be his representatives in this world.

Any person who has received Jesus Christ as his/her Savior and Lord becomes His disciple and follower. What that means in practical terms is that we are to live our daily lives in such a way that our behavior demonstrates we are shadowing the One we confess. Have you thought about your life in those terms? Have you considered what might have to change if you would shadow Jesus on a day to day basis? Most importantly, do you understand the blessings he promises to those who shadow him?

Join us this Sunday at 10:00 am. Together let’s make shadowing Jesus the priority of our lives.

Jesus and the Pretenders

When it comes to repairing cars, some of us are more challenged than others. Instead of admitting our inability to diagnose and fix problems, however, many of us choose to ignore sure signs that something is wrong with our vehicle. If someone points out that a light is suddenly flashing on the dashboard, signaling a problem, our typical response is something like, “Not to worry, it will go off soon enough.” We pretend not to hear rattles or see mushy tires. As long as the car gets us from one point to the other, we’re happy. Of course, our days are numbered and sooner or later we end up at the repair shop, facing a huge bill. When it comes to keeping one’s car running, a person can’t pretend everything is fine when it isn’t.

When it comes to life, we humans should be called “The Great Pretenders”. We act like everything is okay. We say we have life under control. We bristle when it is suggested that possibly we need outside help to fix what has gone wrong. And yet, year after year the same kinds of tragedies are repeated causing pain, suffering and anguish. One generation passes after another, each following the same path of aging and then finally dying off. Is something wrong with human beings? Only a pretender would deny that truth.

The reason Jesus Christ encountered so much resistance during his earthly ministry is that he dared to openly tell people something was wrong and only he could fix their problem. The word “repent” has fallen out of fashion these days but it is exactly the right word to describe the first step in learning to live without pretending. To repent means to accept we’re incapable of living on our own terms, to acknowledge there is a personal God whom we have greatly offended and to approach him for his solution for our lives. Jesus Christ is that solution. The time he spent on this earth was about one thing, teaching people to stop pretending, admit their error and then receive the forgiveness and new life he offers.

Have you come to the point in your life that you want to stop pretending as though all is well when it isn’t? Join us this Sunday at 10:00 am. Let’s start a new life journey together…with Jesus.

Good News for the Start of a Great Year

Depending on who you listen to, predictions for 2012 range from cautiously optimistic to depressingly pessimistic. With so much uncertainty throughout the world, most people are just hoping to hold their own in the coming twelve months.

It is interesting to note that Jesus Christ had a startling disinterest in economic forecasts, political elections and cultural movements. In fact, he seemed oblivious to just about everything we consider important. When people tried to get his opinion on current affairs, he always turned the subject back to the individual and asked questions like, "Where are you in your relationship with God? Are you ready to meet him in death?" Questions like that can seem overdramatic or too pointed, but they demand an answer. We can put off answering them, claiming we have too much to do right now or aren't really interested, but those kind of responses don't deal with the issue at hand.

Death is the single most important moment in a human being's life. If you found out that you had five minutes to live, it would not matter if you were the President of the United States or the Heisman Trophy winner or the richest person in the world. None of those things would make an iota of difference. You would have one question and one question only--what will happen to me after I die?

Here is Good News to get you off to a great start in the New Year: Jesus Christ didn't come to this earth just to ask tough questions, he came to give definitive, eternity changing answers to those questions. This Sunday (January 8 at 10:00 am) we'll begin a sermon series studying in depth what Jesus said and did. If you build 2012 on Christ, you don't have to worry about what people predict will happen. You are going to have a great year.