Posts with the category “after”

INTRODUCTIONThe following is a guide to help facilitate discussion. Feel free to add or subtract or change questions to fit the conversation, and pray for the Spirit to lead in all things.OPENWhat do you imagine your “After” story would be? If your biography was written today, what would be said about you? Who would you want to have write it?HEADRead Acts 1 together and share any wisdom, insights,...  Read More

We never really hear from Matthias again. That is not an indictment on his character, just that he was not used by the Holy Spirit as powerfully as many of the other apostles, and certainly not in any fashion as close to how powerfully Paul was used by God. But that does not mean that he was not a witness to the resurrection of Jesus. Not everyone who witnesses becomes famous for doing so, or for ...  Read More

Peter had taken the role that was prepared for him, as leader of the small group of witnesses to the resurrection of Jesus. He was trying to get things organized in those moments after Jesus had left. One of the tasks was to study scripture in order to know what to do next. He believed that it was to fill the gap left by Judas and his betrayal of Jesus. Therefore, as he searched scripture, particu...  Read More

Have you ever denied Jesus, or done anything that distances you from Jesus? Have you ever done something that actually stops Jesus from becoming a savior to someone else? These are hard questions. If you did these things purposefully but have come back, there is forgiveness, but it is sometimes harder when you have done these things with the best intentions. As a pastor, I know that I have made pe...  Read More

So after the ascension of Jesus, they went back to pray, united in their experience, and the room was filled with more than simply the disciples. There were many followers around. This tells us a few things about that early expression of the church. It tells us that they were not exclusive to just the men who were designated as disciples. No, there were women, and a diversity of ethnicities around...  Read More

The ascension comes quickly. But we should not forget to mention that they had been filled with the Holy Spirit. The culmination of their submission to Jesus was a gift of the Holy Spirit, so that they could continue the work of Jesus throughout their lives. Of course, after Jesus said these things, they were anxious to know when their struggle would end and the kingdom would be established. These...  Read More

Book dedications were common among the Greeks. Luke had dedicated his Gospel to his Greek-speaking friend Theophilus (Luke 1:3). He continues his contact with Theophilus to complete the story from the birth of Christ to the establishment of the church all around the Mediterranean world. Immediately he emphasizes key ideas of his book: the command to witness; the role of the apostles; the significa...  Read More

INTRODUCTIONThe following is a guide to help facilitate discussion. Feel free to add or subtract or change questions to fit the conversation, and pray for the Spirit to lead in all things.OPENHave you ever had a secret to tell that when you told it, no one believed you? Or can you remember a time when you got to be the first one to share news with another that they hadn’t heard before?HEADRead Joh...  Read More

This is an interesting little text. We see that the Holy Spirit was given, and this is much before Pentecost. It is a commissioning of sorts, but it is also very specific. It is a continuation of the work that Jesus was doing on Earth, and not a new work. He is trying to get them to understand that this work he began needs to continue through them. In fact, they are to be his proxy, his presence i...  Read More

Okay, this is a little new for us. Jesus breathed the Holy Spirit into them, but at the same time, he asked them to receive the Holy Spirit. We know that later in Acts the idea of the Holy Spirit is explained and experienced in greater detail. But here we have Jesus bequeathing the Holy Spirit directly into his disciples. Mission, or sending is at the heart of discipleship, and therefore, the givi...  Read More

There it is! The admonition to be sent. We say it often here at Crosswalk, we are saved to be sent, not to sit! And that is the message Jesus had for his disciples. The training is over, it is time for you to go and change the world with the message of the gospel, this message of hope and love and to lovewell. The world will only change at the pace we leave our comfort areas and move into the hard...  Read More

“They were filled with Joy. . . “ I mean, why wouldn’t they be. But even with joy comes confusion at times. Jesus put out his hands in order for them to be able to see the wounds, which would have been a verification of what he had gone through. I wonder what they looked like? Would they have been clean? Would they have been just as bloody as they were when he hung on the cross? I know this is a g...  Read More

The disciples were very human in their responses to what was happening around them. They were deeply nervous about what would happen to them. Afterall, their leader had been crucified as an enemy of the state and as an enemy of their faith. Needless to say, they were scared, anxious, and probably had every right to be. So they did what most of us would have done, they hid. You have to remember tha...  Read More

Mary found the disciples in the place she had left them. As she came running back to them to let them know that she had seen the Lord, she must have been filled with an incredible excitement and a purpose that she had not had in a little while. Can you imagine having that information? What would it do to you? It has a fantastic and unreasonable quality that has to be recognized. She was talking ab...  Read More

INTRODUCTIONThe following is a guide to help facilitate discussion. Feel free to add or subtract or change questions to fit the conversation, and pray for the Spirit to lead in all things.OPENThink about and share a time when you had a family reunion or you reunited with some dear loved ones. What were those moments like for you?HEADRead John 21:1-25 together and share any wisdom, insights, or que...  Read More

This story ends on kind of a strange note. John inserts himself into the narrative, almost awkwardly, and we see Jesus make a statement that then John feels like he needs to clarify. It is a little strange that this would be added in such an uncomfortable way at the end of this great story of reversal and forgiveness. But here it is, so we should deal with it. First, it is clear that John wanted t...  Read More

Jesus inviting his disciples to fellowship and share a meal signals his love for us. But he has some unfinished business with Peter to take care of. Remember, Peter denied Jesus in a pretty profound way before he was on the cross, and Jesus avails himself of this opportunity to have a crucial conversation with Peter. Throughout this story, Peter has been referred to as “Simon Peter.” However, Jesu...  Read More

153 large fish seems like a great big haul! The fact that the net did not break is pretty amazing. Not that I know much about fishing nets, but the way that this story is written, the net not breaking is pretty important. In fact, there are a lot of theories about the number of fish, but that is not really as important as the miraculous net keeping from breaking. Jesus speaks first, with a second ...  Read More

When the disciple Jesus loved, John, told Peter that it was the Lord, Peter put his clothes ON and then swam to shore. This is a little surprising in a few ways. One, it was interesting that he had to put his tunic back on because he had been working so hard he took it off. Two, John found it necessary to again tell everyone that Jesus loved him significantly. Perhaps this was the function of John...  Read More

I have to tell you that I have always thought this was a little silly. I mean, why would they throw the nets on the other side simply on the advice of some guy that they couldn’t really see? The only way that I can figure they would have done that is that they were either desperate, or they were so tired they would have taken any suggestion that sounded in any way plausible. These were professiona...  Read More

I am a horrible fisherman. Truly, I am just the worst. I’ve been fishing maybe 10 times in my life and I have caught nothing. I barely caught anything when we would go spearfishing when I was a student missionary in Majuro, and that was almost like shooting fish in a barrel. (I mean, if the barrel was the Pacific Ocean.)Probably the worst thing about being a fisherman is when you don’t get any fis...  Read More

INTRODUCTIONThe following is a guide to help facilitate discussion. Feel free to add or subtract or change questions to fit the conversation, and pray for the Spirit to lead in all things.OPENWhat’s a favorite memory, or a favorite aspect, about Easter?HEADRead John 19 - 20 together and share any wisdom, insights, or questions in response to the reading. How do you think the crowd could go from sh...  Read More

For some believers, whether or not the translation is more active, like “gave up the ghost” or “breathed his last,” in which Jesus appears to be making a decision is very important. Because He was fully God and fully man, Jesus could have taken himself off the cross, remained alive, and exerted His divine authority. He chose not to do so. His divine nature means He intentionally had to choose to n...  Read More

This may appear overly simplistic. The temptation is to take these words and interpret them in some overly spiritualized manner. We might equate “thirsting” with Christ’s call to “hunger and thirst after righteousness” (Matthew 5:6). Another possible connection would be to link this statement with Christ’s invitation that all who are thirsty are invited to drink from the waters of life (Revelation...  Read More

God draws a supernatural darkness over the scene. Jesus, as the Lamb of God, is "forsaken" (i.e., judicially disfellowshipped, rejected) by the Father, suffering the agony and torment of spiritual death (i.e., separation from the Father) on behalf of fallen men. (It was the prospect of this spiritual separation that had so terrified Jesus as He contemplated the cross.) Jesus is silent until late i...  Read More

“Father Forgive Them. . .” We mentioned this one yesterday. Luke 23:34 says it clearly. These were the first words of Jesus on the cross. In light of what is known about the process of ancient Roman crucifixion, it is incredible to think that he would think of us at all, let alone with such grace and mercy. “Today you will be with me in paradise”This text has been used at times to consider what ha...  Read More

The next three hours were pretty brutal. They put him on the cross, and then the soldiers divided his clothes and threw dice to see who would get what of his belongings. They placed a sign above his head claiming that he was the king of the Jews; the crowds and religious leaders mocked him, and even those who hung beside him made fun of him. However, through all this abuse, we see Jesus reminding ...  Read More

This week we will spend our time thinking about the last moments of the life of Jesus, and the time in between his death and resurrection, and of course include the resurrection in our study. These final moments have had books written about them. If I were going to recommend a book about the Cross of Jesus Christ it would be John Stott's book, “The Cross of Christ.” It is a seminal work of theolog...  Read More

INTRODUCTIONThe following is a guide to help facilitate discussion. Feel free to add or subtract or change questions to fit the conversation, and pray for the Spirit to lead in all things.OPENCan you recall a time when you were preparing for something BIG? Maybe it was an exciting event or trip, perhaps it was a certain Christmas, an important graduation, a funeral, or some other major moment in y...  Read More

Good Friday is the most difficult day of the last week of Jesus’ life. Christ's journey turned difficult and painful in these final hours leading to his death. There was treachery, deceit, and tragedy in these final hours.According to Scripture, Judas Iscariot, the disciple who had betrayed Jesus, was overcome with remorse and hanged himself early Friday morning.Meanwhile, before the third hour (9...  Read More

Holy Week takes a darker turn on Thursday.From Bethany, Jesus sent Peter and John ahead to the Upper Room in Jerusalem to make the preparations for the Passover Feast. That evening after sunset, Jesus washed the feet of his disciples as they prepared to share in the Passover. Jesus took a bowl and a basin and redefined greatness that night.  By performing this humble act of service, Jesus demonstr...  Read More

The Bible doesn't say what the Lord did on the Wednesday of Passion Week. Scholars speculate that after two exhausting days in Jerusalem, Jesus and his disciples spent this day resting in Bethany in anticipation of Passover.What do you think you would do knowing that you had just upset the apple cart of faith for your people and that you were about to sacrifice everything for these people in the n...  Read More

On Tuesday morning, Jesus and his disciples returned to Jerusalem. They passed the withered fig tree on their way, and Jesus spoke to his companions about the importance of faith.Back at the Temple, religious leaders were upset at Jesus for establishing himself as a spiritual authority. They organized an ambush with the intent to place him under arrest. But Jesus evaded their traps and pronounced ...  Read More