Have you ever been so tired that you slept right through a storm? That is where we find Jesus today. As the movement continues to expand, Jesus finds it harder and harder to find a place to rest or even get a bite to eat. In Mark 3:20, Peter notes, "Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat." Luke records, probably from Mary's mem...  Read More

It appears that a curious Pharisee is living in Capernaum who has been following the ministry of Jesus. He is intrigued enough to risk his reputation and invite Jesus for a meal with some of his friends. Naturally, Jesus accepts the invitation, and what transpires is nothing less than life-transforming- let’s see!Read Luke 7:36-50What does this passage tell us about Simon the Pharisee (a religious...  Read More

I hope you are wrestling with leading like Jesus. I want to be a leader who loves, is humble, has great faith in God, and knows who his authority is. I struggle with all four leadership aspects, so I need Jesus to live in me and through me to be the leader He calls me to be. We're only doing 50 days; therefore, we will leave out events like the one found in Luke 7:11-17 when Jesus shows the power ...  Read More

After choosing the first leaders for the movement and laying out the Father’s plan for reaching the world, Jesus came down from the mountain and returned to His home and ministry center in Capernaum. His leaders are now with Him almost 24/7. And who does the Father have waiting in the wings but a Roman centurion. Oh, the humor! How will Jesus model His new leadership principle of living graciously...  Read More

After letting his disciples know what they should expect as they leave this mountaintop experience with him, he begins explaining the Father's plan for reaching the world. I imagine the atmosphere was electrifying, with everyone shouting, "Let's take the world!". Jesus quiets them and begins sharing the game plan to bring freedom from Rome and the curse of sin. They all listen with great anticipat...  Read More

When we left Jesus yesterday, he had just announced the appointment of twelve leaders. I don't think everyone was happy with the final decision. What about the women disciples? Yes, many women were not just Christ followers but also disciples. In Luke 8:1-3 we have a list of several of these women. As Jesus looked into the faces of those not chosen and chosen, I am sure he saw many different expre...  Read More

As Jesus moves into this new phase, He knows HE must listen carefully to His Father for the movement to expand according to the Father’s master plan. So Jesus called an isolated (maybe even secretive) meeting with His disciples from every area He has been in over the past two years. Probably some 120 disciples move quietly to the mountains of Naphtali just northwest of Capernaum. As they arrive fr...  Read More

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This 6th “fishing trip” is impressive and a bit astonishing. This guy is living in Capernaum– He is well-off, well-dressed has it all. He is, in fact, the son of the powerful Alphas and commissioned, trusted, and protected by Rome to collect taxes from the people of Israel. He may have been following Jesus from afar and weighing carefully the call to leave everything and follow. But there is so mu...  Read More

After this last "fishing trip," the movement is snowballing. Did you catch how the movement of multiplication is beginning to pick up momentum? Mark notes that during this time in the ministry, the leper "went out and began to talk freely, spreading the good news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from every...  Read More

As Jesus moves throughout the Galilee of the Gentiles, sharing who He is, He comes across a man covered from head to toe with a fatal disease. What will happen, and how will this lead to a teaching experience and a “fishing for men” trip? Let’s go!Read Luke 5:12-16, Matthew 8:2-4: Mark 1:40-45Where is Jesus “Fishing”?Who is He fishing for?What is Jesus modeling about “Fishing for men” in a city?Ho...  Read More

Okay- So far, we've seen Jesus "fishing for men" at a synagogue and Peter's house. Jesus and his disciples planned the first, and the other was spontaneous. What kind of "fishing trip" will be next? When we left Jesus yesterday, under the direction of the Father, Jesus went to Peter's house with His disciples (or at least some of them) for the surrounding villages to train His young Ministry Team....  Read More

We are in the process of looking at the first six “fishing trips” Jesus goes on with his young ministry team. We are doing this for two reasons, do you remember what they are? Jesus' goal was to 1. train the ministry team and 2. reach the masses. Although Fridays trip was well executed, today’s “fishing trip” may surprise you. When we left Friday, Jesus had healed a demon-possessed man of an evil ...  Read More

Jesus is now ready to begin what will be another year and a half of fishing expeditions with His disciples. We will be looking at the first six expeditions. These are the first six outreach events that Jesus does in order to train His young ministry team to reach the masses with the good news that He is the Messiah. There is a progression to these fishing trips, a good pattern for us to follow, an...  Read More

Jesus leaves Jerusalem and makes His way back up north to His new home in Capernaum. He most likely heads over to the shores of the Sea of Galilee to meet up with some of His early followers, who had returned home as well to their parents, wives and families. He arrives early in the morning, just as the sun breaks over the horizon. These fishermen have just come off of a long night of fishing and ...  Read More

This is a big day for Jesus! Today he will appear before the religious leaders in Jerusalem. He is bring brought up on two very serious charges.Charge #1: Jesus broke the Sabbath by healing the man and then telling him to carry his mat (working).Charge #2: Jesus was claiming that God was His real Father and that He and God the Father were equals. Yikes! This is going to get tense!Read John 5:16-47...  Read More

After moving to Capernaum, Jesus makes the long trip down to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Jews. (Some believe this was the second Passover that Jesus attended. Some believe it was the Feast of Tabernacles, thus placing the following two events about 6-7 months later.) Remember what happened last year at the Passover (John 2)? Jesus definitely shook things up then! I wonder what will happen this ...  Read More

Jesus now moves into a period of transition in the ministry. After preaching in Nazareth in his hometown synagogue and being rejected by the people, Jesus moves. Where will He go and how will the ministry change? His fame is becoming widespread now and people are coming from all over looking for Him.Jesus, during this time,  will make four transitions that we want to point out before we look at ho...  Read More

These next two phases in Jesus’ life are what we have called Ministry Training and Expanded outreach. We do this because we see Jesus doing two things here at the same time. As the movement of multiplication grows, Jesus issues His next call:“‘Come, follow me’ Jesus said, ‘and I will make you fishers of men.’” (Mark 1:17)This is the third call. It is made to those He has already called: “come and ...  Read More

Jesus now moved back to His hometown of Nazareth, the place where he had grown up. Remember what it had been like for Jesus from your study in Psalm 69? Jesus may have suffered here in His youth at the hands of the elders who had constantly ridiculed him and his family,and the town drunkards who seemingly made up songs about Him. Now he was retuning to teach in their synagogue on the Sabbath. What...  Read More

As Jesus and His followers leave Samaria and head back to Galilee, the news about Him has already reached the people and the talk in all Israel is about the new prophet on the scene–Jesus of Nazareth. As His hometown tries to sort through their emotions about who Jesus really is and how they could have missed it, Jesus makes His way a little north, to the town of Cana. Remember Cana? Jesus had bee...  Read More

Jesus leaves His best friend John at the River Aenon and heads back down into Judea where He had left His first followers to continue testifying about Him and baptizing the people (John 4:1-3).Do you remember what baptism meant? Jesus’ early followers were helping the people to identify with the person and work of Jesus. This was why they were baptizing them. Jesus collects his followers and begin...  Read More

You may have a hard time finding  Aenon on the map. It is believed to be about 8 miles south from the Sea of Galilee. This is a very important place, and we need to ask the question- Why was John the Baptist near Samaria? What was he doing there? Up until this time, he had spent his time preparing the way for the Messiah among the Jewish people, like a voice crying in the desert, making straight t...  Read More

Jesus’ display of passion in the temple during the Passover must have raised many eyebrows, but Jesus was then launched onto the stage of popularity in His day. The Bible says, “when he arrived in Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him. They had seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, for they also had been there”. (John 4:45) But before that, Jesus had a meeting with a man name...  Read More