Redeemed & Transformed by a Personal God

Just as the twelve disciples were called over two thousand years ago to follow, we are also called to do the same. We are not called to follow at a distance but to an up close and personal walk with Christ. Just as the twelve walked with Jesus in a very intimate and personal way, we too are called to the same.

When the twelve disciples were called, Jesus was here on earth in the flesh. Today, Jesus calls us with the Spirit He left behind. The Spirit I am speaking of is the person of the Holy Spirit. The third part of the trinity, fully God. The Holy Spirit is continually wooing us, or rather, calling us to “follow.” Calling us to leave everything the world has to offer behind and walk in the foot steps of Jesus. Will we join him?

When making any big decision, we should probably take a look at a few things first. We should evaluate the risks, requirements, consequences and the benefits of following Jesus. What better way to do that then to look at those that served Jesus as His first followers?

Matthew 4:18-20- And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brother, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” They immediately left their nets and followed Him.

Follow me, Jesus said to Andrew and Simon Peter. They left their nets and followed Him.



Matthew 4:21-22 – Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.

James and John were called by Jesus. They left their boat and father and followed Him.

Matthew 9:9 – As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” So he arose and followed Him.

Follow Me, Jesus said to Matthew. So he arose and followed Him.

John 1:43 - The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee and He found Philip and said to him, “Follow Me”

Follow Me, Jesus said to Philip. So he followed.

Repeatedly we are shown in scripture that when Jesus calls someone, the request is simple. Follow Me, He says. He speaks two very simple words that carry a huge impact. What exactly did He did mean?

Looking back at the Greek meaning of follow, there were two different words for it. The first being, akoloutheo meaning “as a particle of union.” The second word being, keleuthos, meaning “to be in the same way with or to accompany.

So the word follow itself is used literally and metaphorically. Literally, as if walking together with Jesus day by day and metaphorically as in being united, part of a union spiritually.

How fabulous is that? We are called to be in union with Jesus. Called to a personal relationship with the Almighty God. Not to a list of rules and regulations but a personal friendship, companionship with Jesus Christ. Now who wouldn’t want that?

Jesus wants us to know Him, to be with Him, to spend our days walking with Him as the first twelve did. Imagine a day with Jesus where He is walking with you, talking to you and teaching you as you go about your daily business. You are asking questions and He is telling you more than you had anticipated. What a journey that would be.

I think the one on one face time the twelve disciples got was priceless. What I wouldn’t give to see Jesus in the flesh. To be able to ask Him all the silly little things that I think about all day long. Sometimes I like to day dream and imagine about the day I will meet Him face to face. I dream about what it will be like and what I will say to Him. But wait, I don’t have to wait to have personal time with him. I can do that right now. And that is exactly what He wants from me, to be with Him.

Behind my house is about three hundred acres of manicured lawn. I live on a golf course, so I don’t have to manicure all that grass. Praise God for the small things! Thank you Jesus for not making me mow! If it were my responsibility we would be in big trouble. That first sentence above would read more like this, behind my house is about three hundred acres of wild grass and thistles….

Anyway, the view behind my house is a beautiful sight. It’s full of rolling hills, a pond and walking paths. Oh yeah, and golfers but I try to ignore them. In the morning when the sun comes up, the sunrise is breathtaking. Sometimes I like to take advantage of the sunrise and walk along the paths as God is in the process of waking up everything around me. In those times as I walk and talk with Jesus I almost feel as if He is there with me in flesh and bone. It is so personal that I am grateful the golfers have not started to appear yet. It is a time for just me and Jesus to walk alone. I cherish our time as I am sure He does also. But I am sure if I were to ask Him, He would want to walk with me even when were not alone. He would want to be with me in all that I do.

Just as the disciples walked with Jesus all the time, we too need to walk with Him all the time. What will happen as we do is a transformation will begin to occur.

Just as the transformation occurred in each of the disciples, we too will have the changing power of Jesus take the old nature from us and fill us with a new one.

Simon Peter began his walk with Jesus as the unpredictable one. The one that swore allegiance to Jesus, never to deny Him in Mark 14:29. Only to deny Him three times and curse His name later the same day.

Jesus named Simon Peter the “rock” and built His church through him. Through no strength or ability of his own, Simon Peter became the leader of the twelve disciples and also the early church. His first sermon recorded in Acts 2:14-40 shows a new, transformed man full of the Spirit. He went on to preach with power and conviction until he was eventually put to death for his faith.

The brothers James and John were named “sons of thunder” by Jesus. These two young men, full of thunder were a force of nature. They were bold, ambitious and sometimes overconfident. Mark 10:35-41 records their attempt to be seated on both sides of Jesus in His glory. Here they are, vying for position with God Almighty. I would say they were some what self-serving and self-motivated. They were looking for what they could get from Jesus.

That soon changed though. James, the first to suffer a martyr’s death, converts his accuser to Jesus Christ as he stands to die. His accuser goes to his own death along with him. In the end, we see a man no longer self consumed, but a man full of God. We see a new James, transformed by the Spirit into a strong and powerful witness for Jesus Christ.

John became known to all as the apostle of love. No longer was He the ambitious young man he once was. Penning one of the gospel records of Jesus’ life, the three letters of John and the book of Revelation, John left us much knowledge with his contributions. Living longer than all the other disciples, John was able to leave behind, in his writings, a treasure of wisdom to guide us.

So how does transformation of this magnitude come about for us? How do we get from the old self to the new?

It is only by belief, surrender and repentance that we begin a transformation like this. First, we must believe in Jesus Christ, accepting the good news that He died on the cross and rose again to pay for our sins. Surrender comes in the form of giving over our lives to Jesus and letting Him be the one that guides our life. The final piece comes when we repent. Turning from our old ways and living in the new life we have received.

We are drawn by the Father and no one will come to Jesus without the Father granting it. It is in the privilege of receiving the love God has to offer that we are truly filled with what we are looking for.

John 6:44 – No one can come to the Me unless the Father who sent Me draws Him.

Drawn to Jesus by the Father. Jesus then says “Follow Me” to each of us. The decision of if we will or won’t “follow” is left up to us. What ever the case, the question must be answered. Will we leave our old life behind and follow or will we refuse?

Some would say that by avoiding the question we are not answering. The truth is, not answering is really just another way of saying no. When we ignore, avoid and side step, we are telling Jesus “No, I will not follow you.”

On the other hand, when we make the decision to say yes, we are filled with the Spirit and the transformation begins. The power of God then surges through us, giving us the ability to do things that would otherwise be impossible. We are given the power to stand boldly at the cross while our savior is crucified. We are given the power to preach the gospel in the midst of those that hate Jesus. We are given the power to live a life full of grace, love and mercy for others. We are even given the power to die for our belief.

Everyone is looking for a reason for why we are here on this earth. We each need to know that our life is not in vain. All of us are searching for a supernatural connection. We are looking for something that is bigger than ourselves. Something with power behind it that can overcome what we feel inadequate to control ourselves.

That supernatural power resides in heaven with the Father, by His side in His Son Jesus and the Holy Spirit left behind to fill His believers. God in three parts is the only thing that can give us that power. He’s the only thing that can fill the empty holes inside our heart. He’s the only thing that can bring meaning to what we see in the world around us.

That supernatural connection, that transformation is available to all, but we must first begin to “follow.” What will we decide?

Called to Follow - Philip

I have the feeling that many of you will relate to today’s lesson about Philip. His story is much like most everyone’s story. An ordinary person, full of fault and failures comes to Jesus in spite of those things. He is used by Jesus even though he has flaws and little faith at first.

Philip, called to "follow", just like the other disciples we have looked at this week. We see his story begin at Bethabara beyond the Jordan River. As Jesus is on his way to Galilee, he finds the young Philip.

John 1:43 - The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, "Follow Me."

Jesus, once again sees an ordinary young man and decides "this one, I'll ask this one." Although, this scripture doesn't say "he followed", we know that he did. We know this because he was included in the list as one of the twelve in other scripture.

What we do know about Philip though, is he had the heart of an evangelist. The first thing Philip does after his encounter with Jesus is go find Nathanael. He brings Nathanael to meet Jesus and he becomes a follower himself.

Like Andrew, Philip knew right away that Jesus was the Messiah. He knew the importance of finding Jesus and wanted others to come to the same knowledge. He ran immediately to find his friend Nathanael and bring him to the Messiah.

Philip and Nathanael must have studied scripture together. The way Philip tells Nathanael indicates knowledge of the prophecies about Jesus. He says to him "We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote - Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." (John 1:45) Philip had no doubt that he had encountered the Messiah written about by Moses and the prophets. He was fully confident of his decision to follow Jesus and willing to bring others to the same.

Confidence in his decision didn't change some of his character flaws though. He was still full of flaws as all of us are. Being pessimistic and the facts and figures type, Philip sometimes had wavering faith. We see this unfold in the story of feeding five thousand in John 6:5-7.

Jesus seeing a great multitude coming toward him said to Philip "Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?" Jesus knew what He would do to feed all these people; he didn't need the help of Philip. Instead, this was an opportunity for Philip to show his faith. How did he respond?

Instead of responding with faith, his bean counter mentality kicked in and he began to tally the cost and concluded it could not be done. He saw the impossibility of the situation not the possibility Jesus brought to it.

"Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little" was Philips response to Jesus.

How often do we do this ourselves? Assess the situation and decide that it’s impossible? Never once looking at it the way Jesus would. We approach the impossible situations in our life with a narrow focus, pragmatic and cynical instead of with vision and faith. Just like Philip, we can see only the here and now and forget the power Jesus brings to the table.

Philip missed the opportunity to step out in faith again in John 14:7-11.
We see him not fully getting the bigger picture when immediately after Jesus tells him something he makes the following request.

"Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us."

Jesus had just said "If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him."

Hello! Philip, get a clue! Jesus has just told you that if you see Him, you have seen the Father. Evidently he was thinking of practical down to earth matters and missed what Jesus meant.

Once again, guilty myself! I have been in Philip's shoes, how about you? Missing the boat completely and not understanding what Jesus is telling me is familiar to me. Sometimes my rudimentary mind will wait until He slaps me in the face with it before I finally get what I am supposed to. Those of us with practical, simple, stubborn minds take a little longer sometimes.

Good news! It's those of us that are simple and full of weakness that God intends to use. It is the weak God can make strong.

I Corinthians 1:27 - But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty.

Jesus did just that with Philip. God chose him not because he had great ability but because he had a moldable, pliable heart. He created Philip into a mighty warrior for the good news. Multitudes came to Jesus from the preaching of Philip. In spite of all his human frailty and faults, he was greatly used by God.

Like the rest of the disciples, Philip stood strong in faith in life and death. He too was eventually martyred for the cause of Christ. In AD 54 after laboring diligently, he was scourged, thrown in prison, and afterwards crucified.

That my friends, is a transformed man. Transformed from a pragmatic man lacking understanding and faith, into a bold, spirit filled man, faithful to Christ to the end.

Lord, I want to be like that!

Called to Follow - John the brother of James

John the brother of James. Sounds so familiar to me.... As I said in the last posting about James, I was often spoken of in the same way. For many years I was Sherri, the little sister of Tammy. I hated to be called that.

Looking back now, I believe I was upset that my identity was so closely tied to someone else. I was nothing like my sister, although we had similar facial features. Because she had gone through the school two years before me, people thought I would be the same as my sister. It was as if I had no identity of my own.

What they did not realize is that I was a very different person with my own talents and abilities. I was not just Tammy's little sister, I was Sherri. A person created by God with her own purposes. I believe the same could be said about John. Although we see him referred to as the brother of James, he was his own person. John had his own individual reasons that Jesus called him to be a disciple and we will see that unfold for us.

John was called to follow Jesus at the same time as his brother was and shortly after named along with James "sons of thunder." Both of the brothers were zealous, ambitious and overconfident but John had some individual characteristics we need to look at.

John was bold and impulsive but he was also very emotional. His emotions would often erupt in his conversations with Jesus. We see in Mark 9:38 a very emotional reaction as John tells Jesus they forbade a man from casting out demons because he was not a follower of theirs. Jesus tells John not to forbid him because anyone that works miracles in His name would not speak evil of Him after doing that.

In Mark 10:35-41 John, along with James ask for a favor from Jesus. They ask to sit on the left and right sides of Jesus in His glory. How ambitious! Jesus asks if they can drink the cup he drinks and their answer is yes. Talk about overconfidence.

Our young John at the time called by Jesus was indeed bold and confident. Maybe even a little too confident. But his boldness and confidence would serve him well a little later in his journey.

At the time of Jesus death, John was the only disciple who dared to stand at the foot of the cross. (John 19:26-27) He gave not concern to the consequences that he might face and instead stayed as the ugly scene of Jesus' crucifixion played itself out.

Then Jesus speaks his last instruction to John. As Jesus is hanging there, with little life left and not much breathe, He commits his mother into John's care. From that hour, John took Mary the mother of Jesus as his own mother to care for.

What sadness and doom he must have felt as he watched his master die. Then to have insulted added to injury just a few days after when Mary Magdalene comes to say the tomb is empty. The horror! The tomb empty, now His body taken?

In John 20:1-10, we see as John outruns Simon Peter to look for himself. Stooping down to peer into the grave, he finds Mary’s words to be true. All that remained in the tomb was the linen cloth used to dress him. Since the disciples did not know the scripture that the Messiah would rise again, they left and went back to their homes. The walk back would not be like the run there. Instead it would be a slow pace with feet made of lead. A final blow. The Messiah gone.

Thankfully this was not the last encounter we see John have with Jesus. In John 20:19-21, we see this. That very evening, the same one where John finds the tomb empty, John is assembled with the other disciples behind closed doors. As the meeting goes on, Jesus comes and stands in the midst and says "Peace be with you." He shows them His hands and His side and sends them out to do as He had done, share the good news.

What rejoicing must have taken place behind those closed doors! Did they sleep after that? I sure wouldn't. I can imagine that John was riding three feet off the ground, not to touch down for some time to come. Who would even try to put their head on a pillow after seeing the risen Lord right before your eyes? Who needs sleep, Jesus is alive!!

I often think about what it will be like when I see Jesus in person. What will I feel? Will I laugh, cry, weep uncontrollably or just be speechless? Maybe I will be able to do nothing but fall to my face and worship. But until this very moment, I have not thought about meeting the risen Lord like the disciples did. What an amazing moment that must have been. I would have loved to of been there.

John, the bold, ambitious and overconfident young man was also one who was transformed by Jesus Christ. Given the power of the Holy Spirit, he became a force used by God to preach the good news.

He was to become known as the Apostle of love. Besides teaching of Jesus death and resurrection, John taught of the character of God. Penning the three letters of John, he taught that God is love, showed us to walk in the light and that there is no life with out God.

In his final years, John left us with two jewels. Recording the life of the one he loved so dearly, John wrote for us the Gospel according to John. Then while exiled on the island of Patmos before his death, John penned the book of Revelation. Known to be the only book telling us the end of the story. This book brings a great hope to all believers. It gives us an eternal hope, just as it must have given John.

Called to Follow - James Son of Zebedee

Were you the eldest sibling amongst your brothers and sisters? The one looked to first by family or maybe friends and teachers at school? I was not. Instead I was the younger of two girls born just two years apart. I remember so vividly everyone looking to my older sister first and feeling a bit under appreciated. Especially at school. I heard the words, "Your Tammy's sister aren't you?" so often that I began to reply, "NO! MY NAME IS SHERRI."

James, unlike me, did have the privilege of being the eldest sibling. We are told in scripture he was the older brother of John. When we see James mentioned in scripture, we always see his brother John also mentioned. Unlike my sister and me though, sibling rivalry didn't seem to divide the brothers. Instead, we see two brothers working very closely together. Maybe that says something for the character of both James and John in the way they handled their position in the family. James instead of using his position as a form of control over his brother became an inspiration and encouragement for John. John instead of being petty or jealous looked up to the one who could teach him much.

It is no surprise that they were called to be followers of Jesus at the same time. Mark 19-20 shows us this.

When He had gone a little farther from there, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the boat mending their nets. And immediately He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went after Him.

Just as Andrew and Peter had, they left everything and followed after Jesus. James and John even had there father present, leaving him behind still in the boat. Once again we see, when we are called, we must leave behind our personal choices and begin to just follow Jesus.

Both of these brothers were seen at some critical places while following Jesus during His earthly ministry. First we see them on the mountain when Jesus' transfiguration occurred in Matthew 17:1-3. We see them question Jesus on the Mount of Olives in Matthew 17:10. Once again we see them witness the grief and passion of Christ as he prayed in the garden of Gethsemane before he was to go to his death. (Mark 14:33)

The picture painted for us in scriptures is one of two brothers that stuck together like glue. Although there is much value and many lessons about brotherly love we can take from there togetherness, I would like to pull them apart for a just a little bit and look at James by himself.

Each of us being of a very different make up from our creation, we have our own uniqueness and contribution to offer Jesus. Let's see what James individual contribution was.

In Mark 3:17 Jesus gives both brothers the name Boanerges, meaning "Sons of Thunder". What a curious name to be given. What did it mean?

James being a passionate, fervent man, was zealous for the things of God. Sometimes zeal can go to the extreme, which was the nature of our disciple James. He was thunderous, a force of nature.

Maybe this became his nature because of the experiences he went through with Jesus. To see the one you are following transfigure in front of you must have been an incredible experience. In Matthew 17:2 it says Jesus' face shone like the sun and His clothes became as white as the light. Verse 3 says that Moses and Elijah (who had long been dead) appeared and were standing there talking to Jesus. How incredible would that be to see the glory of God exposed right before your very eyes? Then not only is Jesus a glowing light, as bright as the sun, but Moses and Elijah appear! WOW! That's got to make you just a little bit zealous for Jesus.

But that wasn't all our friend James saw. In Mark 14:33 we see his journey to the garden of Gethsemane with Jesus. As the hour of betrayal approached, Jesus takes James along with Peter and John with him into the garden. Jesus is troubled and deeply distressed. Here in his humanness, just like us at times, he is deeply troubled inside. He then says to them "My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death." His soul, being fully God but yet fully man, was overwhelmed with sorrow. So much sorrow that it felt like death. Jesus then goes a little further, falls to the ground, weeping tears of blood he asks of the Father, “if possible let this cup be taken from him.”

What it must have been to see someone you loved go through such pain and betrayal. To be present in those last moments, then witness Him arrested and dragged away.

James, full of zeal was the first of the disciples to be martyred. Hated by Herod Agrippa for his fervent belief, the King hoped to squash the Christian movement with James' death. Instead the word of God grew and multiplied. According to Foxe's book of Martyr's, James' accuser was brought to repentance at the death of James. This man saw his extraordinary courage and undauntedness, and fell down at James feet to request his pardon, professing himself a Christian, and resolving that James should not receive the crown of martyrdom alone.

What courage and extraordinary character this elder brother had. If only we too could be so steadfast in faith. Steadfast in life and even unto death just as James was.

What must we learn from James? I believe we must first see his amazing transformation from a man willing to go off the deep end for no reason to a man full of zeal for Jesus Christ. We also must learn to have an undying belief in Jesus that will sustain through all things. It is in that kind of faith that we will not only live life well but also live death well, leaving a lasting legacy behind.

Called to Follow - Simon Peter

Called to faith in Christ by his brother Andrew we see Simon also called Peter. Andrew who ran to his brother to share the good news, "I have found the Messiah." He tells Simon Peter.

How quickly Simon Peter grasps a hold of the news and believes. This fisherman from Galilee did not know that his destiny was to become the strongest disciple and leader of the early church of Jesus Christ. He only knew what he was being told by his brother.

Andrew brings his brother to Jesus for his first encounter with the one he will soon follow. Jesus looks at him and says "You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas."

What a curious encounter. To meet up with the one his brother emphatically claims to be the Messiah and be given a new name by Him. Not just any name but one meaning the "rock". What would this mean to him and his future? This impetuous, volatile, unpredictable young man with a temperament of varying from one extreme to another would be called "rock." Not plausible or even possible, he must of thought.

After returning home with Andrew and resuming there fishing career, along comes Jesus. We are not told how long in between these two encounters but we know they were convinced of Jesus' position. Because they dropped their nets and went with Him at His command to follow. After Jesus spoke the words Follow Me, we see in Matthew 4:20 that they immediately left their nets and followed Him.

I find it interesting that it speaks to the immediate response by the two brothers. There were no questions raised or remarks made, only obedience.

So how does an unpredictable young man respond to the life of a follower of Christ?

In Matthew 16:15-16 we see Peter answer who Jesus is "You are the Christ, Son of the Living God." And Jesus commends him in verse 18 "And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it."

Seven verses later we see Peter take Jesus aside and rebuke him. Jesus, tells the disciples of his impending death and is told by Peter "Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!"

Jesus turns to Peter and says “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men."

This was often the dialog with Simon Peter, from one extreme of emotion to the other. Even up to the end, when Jesus is about to go to the cross. Peter emphatically proclaims his devotion to Christ and that he will never deny him in Mark 14:29. Only to turn around in verse 71 and not only deny him but to do it three times, then curse the very one he swore allegiance to.

Let’s not stop the story here though. If we did we would only see the tragedy in his denial. If we move forward past Jesus' resurrection we see a transformation that shows the incredible power of the Holy Spirit.

At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit descended on the disciples, which included our friend Peter. This once impetuous, volatile young man became the incredible leader of the early church. He was known by the other disciples as the strongest of them and the leader. He was molded by the Spirit of God into a stable, dynamic man that led many to the saving grace of Jesus Christ.

In Acts 2:14-40 we see the new man emerge as he preaches the gospel to all who will listen. Here we see the Holy Spirit led Peter deliver the first bold sermon that would lead others to Christ.

So what can we learn from Peter?

We can learn many things from him, but the one that stands out the most to me is this. What ever our character, our identity, our behavior is before we meet Jesus Christ, it will certainly not be the same once the Holy Spirit does its transforming work in us. Nothing, and I mean nothing, is beyond the transforming power of Christ.

We may be in a bad place, but we need not stay there. There is a God. There is a powerful life changing God that wants to transform our lives. Not only does He want to transform our lives but also our character. He is in the business of renewing, restoring and transforming. He will not stop until the end comes and we descend to heaven.

In the end when the job is complete we will stand before the Father in heaven. I believe He will then say, "You look just like my son, you look like Jesus"

The transforming work will be complete.