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Tag: Jesus calls

Jesus Calls :: Known, Know and Follow

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On June 22, 2012

In Christian, Jesus Calls

Jesus referred to himself as the good shepherd and his people as the sheep who know him and are known by him (John 10:14) and then he went on to add that “my sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me” (John 10:27). When Jesus calls, his people hear his voice and he knows them and his people respond by following him. They follow him because they know him. What does it mean to know Jesus? To know Jesus is to believe in him, the chief Shepherd (1 Peter 5:4), which is eternal life (John 17:3).

Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8) and his call today is just as he expressed. He knows his sheep and he calls them. His sheep know him, hear his voice and follow him.

Points to ponder:
Does Jesus, the chief and good Shepherd, know you/me? Do you/I hear the voice of Jesus, the chief Shepherd? Do you/I know him? i.e., Are you/I assured of eternal life? If you/I know him and you/I hear his voice, do you/I respond by FOLLOWING him. Jesus calls – “Follow me”.

John 10:14 , 27-28 (KJV)
14 I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.
…
27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

John 17:3 (KJV)
3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

Jesus Calls :: Finding

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On June 21, 2012

In Christian, Jesus Calls

When Jesus called Philip, the Bible records that he found him (John 1:3). Jesus sought out and found Philip before telling him, “Follow me.”

Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8) and his call today to follow him and to be his disciple is very similar. He seeks you and me out and he finds you and me, before he asks us to follow him. Imagine this, that the God of the universe is seeking you to find you as a good shepherd seeks out the sheep that is lost (Luke 15:4).

Points to ponder:
Today if you hear his voice, harden not your heart, but respond to “Follow Jesus Christ” for he seeks you to find you. The question that remains, which demands an answer is, Have you in turn sought Jesus and found him and when you find him, are you willing to follow him, as he has concisely and precisely commanded?

John 1:43 (KJV)
43 The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me.

Luke 15:2-7 (KJV)
2 And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.
3 And he spake this parable unto them, saying,
4 What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?
5 And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
6 And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.
7 I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.

Jesus Calls :: Precisely

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On June 20, 2012

In Christian, Jesus Calls

When Jesus called his disciples, he was very precise. When he saw Simon Peter and his brother Andrew, the fishermen, he called them by saying “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” (Matthew 4:19). He was very specific about what he wanted his followers to be – fishers of men.

Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8) and his call today is just as precise as it was when he called Simon Peter and Andrew. His call today for you and me is “Follow him” so that he can make us fishers of men.

Points to ponder:
Today if you hear his voice, harden not your heart, but respond to “Follow Jesus Christ” for he has precisely commanded us to be made “fishers of men”, when we follow him.

Matthew 4:18-20 (KJV)
18 And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.
19 And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.
20 And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.

Jesus Calls :: Concisely

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On June 19, 2012

In Christian, Jesus Calls

When Jesus called his disciples, he was very concise, often using just a few words. When he saw Matthew, the tax collector (who was despised by his own people for his profession and deemed a sinner), he concisely commanded “Follow me” (Matthew 9:9). He isn’t garrulous in his call and is very direct. Jesus did not see Matthew for who he was (a sinful tax collector) but who he was going to be (his disciple).

Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8) and his call today is just as direct and concise as it was when he called Matthew, to be his disciple. He does not see us today for who we are, but who we are going to be as his disciple. His call today for you and me is concise – “Follow me” (to be his disciple).

Points to ponder:
Today if you hear his voice, harden not your heart, but respond to “Follow Jesus Christ” for he has concisely commanded – “Follow me.”

Matthew 9:9 (KJV)
9 And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him. 

Jesus in the NT :: Luke

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On December 7, 2011

In Christian

The book of Luke gives us a glimpse of who Jesus is in the  New Testament (N.T)

It is written by Luke, a physician by profession, who writes about Jesus, THE PHYSICIAN.

Jesus healed
– the possessed to show that those who are in bondage can be made free and he/she whom Jesus makes free is free indeed (John 8:36)
– the blind to show that darkness is dispelled by the Light (of the World)
– the deaf to show that the good news can be heard
– the mute to show that even the dumb can proclaim the good news
– the paralytics to show that that invalid can be made valid
– the lepers to show the unclean can be made clean
– the shriveled hand to show that the withered can be made whole/stretched to serve
– the lame to show that one can no longer have a lame excuse to not walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4)
and even
– the dead to show that In him is life, life abundant and those who believe in Him, though they are dead yet shall they live (John 11:25).

The one verse summarization of who Jesus is, as portrayed by Luke can be found in the story of Zacchaeus (the seeker) that is recorded in Luke 19:10 which reads “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that  which was lost.” Not only does this verse inform us of the PERSONALITY of Jesus Christ, but it also informs us of His PURPOSE and POSITION. Jesus’ personality is a SEEKING personality for He is the Good Shepherd that will go after even the One who is lost (Matthew 18:12) so that His purpose, which is to SAVE all  (2 Peter 3:9) who believe is fulfilled and even though He is the Son of God, He took on the form of man, as the Son of man to SEEK and to SAVE.

In Luke, Jesus is portrayed as the Son of man, but what does that title mean. Before we delve into exploring what the title “the Son of man” means, it is interesting to note that the book of Luke is the only gospel that records the childhood of Jesus and gives us a model of how our own children should be raised. The two verses that speak of Jesus’ childhood are Luke 2:40 and Luke 2:52. Luke 2:40 informs us that as Jesus grew, he grew strong in Spirit and was filled with wisdom (the reverence/fear of the Lord) and God’s grace was upon him. Luke 2:52 lays down the four-fold development model as to how we should raise our own children. It states, And Jesus increased in wisdom (mentally) and stature (physical), and in favour with God (spiritually) and man (socially).  We must raise our children in the fear of the Lord as well so that they can grow mentally, physically, spiritually loving God and socially loving their neighbor as themselves.

So what does the title “the Son of man” mean? To answer this question, we need to go to the Book of Daniel. Recorded in Daniel 7:13-14 in a vision which gives us a clue. Daniel 7:13-14 reads
13 I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven (Mark 14:62), and came to the Ancient of days (Psalm 90:2), and they brought him near before him.
14 And there was given him dominion, and glory (a Name above all names – Philippians 2), and a kingdom (the King of the Jews), that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him (all knees should bow to Jesus and confess that He is God): his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom (the kingdom of the King of kings) that which shall not be destroyed.

In Luke, Jesus is the Son of man, which means He is the King of kings, with an indomitable indestructible kingdom, who first came to SEEK and to SAVE (heal) all who are lost (dead without God), and who will come with the clouds of heaven to be SERVED.

Points to ponder:
The sheep that refuses to fall into the seeking hands of the Good Shepherd cannot be saved. Jesus is seeking you! Have you placed your life in his hand by believing in Him. If you do, he will place you on his shoulders (Luke 15:5) and lift you up out of the horrible pit/abyss and place your foot on a strong and sure foundation (Psalm 40:2), which is Himself.

And for those who have been Saved by His Grace, are we practicing to serve Him here on earth, for we certainly will be serving him in heaven, when He returns and it may be a good idea to get some practice now.

Personal God

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On January 19, 2009

In Christian

Ever wondered how both in the Old testament times as well as in the New testament times, most of the times, that the Scripture (Holy Bible) records the interactions that God has had with man/men/woman/women directly or through the angel of the Lord, He has called them by their first names, personally.

Let’s look at a few examples –
Cain is questioned, where is Abel thy brother? (Genesis 4:9)
Abraham, Abraham on mountain in the land of Moriah (Genesis 22:11)
Moses, Moses from the burning bush (Exodus 3:4)

When Jesus called, the IRS guy up the tree, he called him by his first name and said, Zacchaeus,  make haste and come down , for I must abide at thy house. (Luke 19:5)
On resurrection morn, Mary was asked by Jesus who said, “Woman, why weepest thou?” and until he called her by her first name “Mary”, she did not recognize him. (John 20:12-15)

If God is calling us today, are we hearing His voice; are we recognizing him.
Be assured that He is calling us by our first name, because He is a personal God and He wants to have a personal relationship with each one of us.

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