On to Our Next Blog

2012 has been an exciting year for us learning more about Following Jesus.  Thanks for spending it with us.

If we're going to follow Jesus, inevitably that means we will join Him in extending His Kingdom from heaven to earth, and that's what our blog will focus on in 2013.  Click here to go to our "It's More Fun in the Kingdom" blog.

Enjoy the adventure of following Jesus!

Shepherd - II

Why Shepherding is So Important to Jesus

MEMORY VERSE

Jesus asked him the third time, "Do you love me?" He said, "Lord, you know all things, you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my sheep." (John 21:17)

REFLECTION
John 21 is a fascinating chapter.  In it we read of the third encounter of Jesus and the disciples after the resurrection.  No doubt all of them were still a bit uneasy about having deserted Jesus in His greatest hour of need, but no one more than Peter.  Jesus not only restores Peter, but commissions him with becoming a shepherd and feeding the sheep.  Why such a task, and to someone who had proven himself so unfaithful?  Our clues lie strewn throughout the gospels and in the very verses preceding Jesus' words.

We know Jesus' vision was to see the kingdom of heaven extended to earth.  Jesus knew how grand a vision this was.  He didn't call believers to complete the task, He called disciples - disciples who would deny themselves, take up their daily crosses, and give up everything.  He knew very few would be willing to become true disciples - that was true then, and it is just as true now.  So, He needed one who would feed the sheep, and one who could train others to feed the sheep as well.  This feeding of the sheep, or discipleship, was central to Jesus' strategy of extending the kingdom of heaven to earth.

With such a challenging strategy, why did Jesus entrust it to the likes of Peter?  Two thoughts come to mind.  First, because Jesus knew it was really His work, not Peter's.  In the first part of John 21, we read of this miraculous catching of fish.  Peter and others had fished all night but caught nothing.  Then a man calls from the shore and tells them to throw the nets on the other side.  It made no sense, but they do it, and catch 153 fish.  John knew that couldn't be just any man on the shore - it had to be Jesus.  It was the work of Jesus that led to the nets bursting with fish.  What Jesus needed then and now is people who would just do what He told them to do.  And that gets to the second reason Jesus chose Peter.  Peter had failed miserably, and the fruit of his failure was that he no longer trusted in just in own skills, intelligence, or resources.  He had caught a glimpse of all that Jesus could do through him if only he would do what Jesus told him to do, even when it seemed irrational or costly.  Peter was just the man Jesus needed to extend His kingdom from heaven to earth.

What about you?  Are you willing to become a disciple of Jesus, or are you comfortable simply being a believer?  There is no greater joy than joining Jesus in extending His kingdom from heaven to earth, but that joy is reserved to those willing to be His disciples.

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER
1.  Are you willing to be a disciple of Jesus or are you comfortable just being a believer?  Are you willing to give up your life for Him, or just expect Him to give up His life for you?

2.  When have you failed in life?  Are you willing, like Peter, to allow Jesus to redeem your failures and have it lead to a greater dependency on Him, not you?
3.  Are you ready to feed or disciple others?  Do you need to be fed or discipled first?  Are you ready for both?
4.  Where is Jesus calling you to throw your nets?  What simple thing is He asking you to do through which He could act powerfully to extend His kingdom?

ACTION STEPS FOR THE WEEK
1.  If you are ready to deny yourself and give up everything, tell Jesus you would like to become His disciple.
2.  Identify one you consider a true disciple of Jesus and ask that person if (s)he would be willing to disciple you.  (If you don't know of anyone and would like to join our discipling community at PEER Servants, email us at volunteer@peerservants.org.)
3.  Identify one you would like to disciple.  Just like Jesus, start praying for that person.  Then, approach that person and ask them if they would like you to disciple them in joining Jesus as He extends the kingdom of heaven to earth.

Shepherd - I

Laying down my life?

MEMORY VERSE

"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep." (John 10:11)

REFLECTION

What does shepherding have to do with us following Jesus?  Aren't our pastors the ones that are supposed to be shepherding us?  While that’s true, if we desire to be Christ-like, and Jesus is called the good/great/chief Shepherd, then that must mean that we, too, not just pastors or elders, are called to shepherd others.

Unfortunately, being an actual shepherd is not a common profession these days, so we probably have a limited understanding of what the characteristics of a good shepherd are.  But the Bible has much to teach us about this, with one of the more familiar passages being Psalm 23.  A great book that breaks down this psalm from a real-life shepherd’s point of view is A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 by W. Phillip Keller – a very helpful read.

Here, though, I’d like to very briefly think about John 10:11 and what it means that a “shepherd lays down his life for the sheep”.  Does it really mean that we should be ready to die for others or does it mean that we should be willing to make some sacrifices for others?  I think the answer is yes to both.  It’s easier for us to think about sacrificing our time and resources to help others and certainly that’s one aspect of shepherding – caring for the needs of others.  But the Bible clearly says “lays down his life” – radical but unavoidable – we should be willing to die for others!  Wow, are we willing to commit to that?  The reality is that Christ laid down His life for us, so that we, through His strength and grace, can slowly begin to understand how we might live this out practically as His followers.

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

1.  What are some qualities of a good shepherd that you can think of? 

2.  Who in your life would you consider as having shepherded you well and why? 

3.  What do you think it means to lay down your life for others?

ACTION STEPS FOR THE WEEK

1.  Memorize and meditate on John 10:11. 

2.  Look up passages in the Bible that reference the word shepherd, especially Psalm 23, and ask for the Lord’s guidance on how you might follow him by shepherding others.

3.  Ask someone you know how you might be praying for them.  Then, set aside (“sacrifice”) some of your time each day to lift up that person in prayer.  Then, make a point to follow up with them.

Serve - III

How do I serve?

VERSE

“For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it." (Matthew 16:25)

REFLECTION

How do I serve? As a servant who gets paid for services? As a slave who would get his freedom back after some years?  As for me, there is no other way to serve but like that of a bondservant. My master purchased me from death.  I belong to Him until eternity. This is simple logic whether I like it or not. A bondservant has made the decision to be fully his master’s possession (Exo.21:2-6).  "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I lived in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me" (Gal.2:20). What a privilege to be fully owned by the King of Kings; in contrast, how frightening to be outside His kingdom.

I realized though it’s one thing to desire and decide to be a bondservant, it’s another thing to truly become one. The following day-to-day activities help me in the process:

1.       Upon waking up: kneeling down to worship the Master; thanking Him for life; asking Him for specific instructions on what He wants me to do for the day or how and what else He wants to be done in an ongoing project; asking for wisdom, strength and joy to do these; asking Him to guide and bless my loved ones; and finally halting all other thoughts to hear Him and meditate on His word;

2.       While doing the duties for the day: continuing to speak to the Master; discussing with Him, any difficulties or issues I am undergoing;

3.       When working with others: praying with them, asking the Master to shepherd us collectively;

4.       When confronted with decision-making and with matters too comprehensive or too deep for my limited capacities: asking the Master to make clear His will that I may just follow Him there;

5.       When realizing my self-centeredness: asking the Master to break my heart for what breaks His;

6.       When faced with restlessness: asking the Master to search my heart; rededicating my life to Him anew, to go where He wants me to go, to do what He wants me to do;

7.       When facing a temptation: asking the Master to take full control of my heart, mind and strength, then fleeing from the situation;

8.      When experiencing loneliness: asking the Master to clarify my heart and to allow me to experience joy from Him alone;

9.       Before lying down to sleep at night: thanking the Master for all the blessings; asking Him to renew my strength for the work the following day, and to likewise grant the blessings of peace, joy and safety to my loved ones.  

QUESTION TO CONSIDER

·         What issues or struggles confront you as you desire to truly become a bondservant for Jesus Christ?

ACTION STEPS FOR THE WEEK

·         Share your issues or struggles with a fellow-bondservant, seeking God’s counsel together through meditation on His word and prayer together, making yourself accountable to him/her to become more and more the bondservant who pleases the Master.

 

 These very challenging words are from our guest blogger this week, Elizabeth Venegas, who serves so faithfully with CCT in the Philippines.

Serve - II

An unworthy servant filled with joy

MEMORY VERSE

Suppose one of you had a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Would he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’? Would he not rather say, ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink?  Would he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do?  So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’ (Luke 17:7-10)

REFLECTION

We have all been called to give ourselves to God’s service. What aspect of God’s ministry are you already participating in or feel prompted to participate in --giving, evangelism, prayers, teaching, counseling, helping others, performing miracles, leadership, tidying the church? We need to understand that we are serving God in those various capacities and none of these acts of service should be despised because God is the motivator for them all. 

When serving God, your service may be clearly visible to others, but many times it goes unnoticed. This worries us so much because our human weakness causes us really to want to be recognized and appreciated. But we should never lose a single breath over it because our Father in heaven notices our service without fail.   When we serve our fellow human beings who God has placed before us, we need to understand that it is not a must for us to receive appreciation. We should not even desire it. The Bible clearly explains that the more praise we get from people, nothing or less will be the praise from God.

The amazing thing is that God takes our acts of service and adds His power. Serving is the opportunity to partner with God, our Master.  If we really love our Master, we will rejoice over the privilege to serve others.  And with the deepest gratitude and sincerity we will say, “We are unworthy servants. We have only done our duty.”

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

1.Which areas of serving God have you despised, tried to avoid or considered “inappropriate” for you?

2. When have you wanted people to notice your acts of service but they did not?

3. What attitudes is God prompting you to change?

4. Who is God prompting you to humbly serve?

ACTION STEPS FOR THE WEEK

Find a way to quietly serve God this week by serving someone in a way that no one will know it is you.

Our guest blogger this week is Patrick Obiga Anyule.  He is the Executive Director of CAFECC (Christian Action for Empowering Church & Society) in Arua, Uganda.  His life is an example of Luke 17:7-10.  He is a great source of encouragement and inspiration to PEER Servants.