Follow me John 21:18-25 By Ysrael De la Cruz We are here today because we claim to be followers of Jesus. Some of us began this journey a while back and some of you just started this journey. The followers of Jesus were also known as disciples and years later were given the name “Christians.”…
God’s love: unconditional John 3:16 By: Ysrael De la Cruz One of the most discussed topics in the Bible is the love of God, but I believe it’s one of the most misunderstood when left to our own explanation. To understand God’s love, its nature, we must go to the Scriptures to see how…
If you are truly a follower of Jesus, you will soon learn that there are qualities or characteristics that would identify you as one. There are things you do and choose not to do that would show others whether you are a disciple of Jesus or not. It’s very easy to identify followers of Jesus in the New Testament time. They are the ones who strive to work on their relationship with Jesus.
Jesus defined the type of relationship he wants with his followers. When he said, if anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross and follow me. The Bible uses tons of figures of speech (metaphors) to help us understand our God’s relationship with us. God is known as our Father and his people his children. (Our Father who art in Heaven…) The Potter and clay, the vine and branches; the husband and bride; God is known as a shepherd and his children are known as sheep. The Lord is my shepherd.
The question “Who is Jesus?” has baffled minds for ages. This is a very dangerous question because your eternity depends on how you answer it. There are lots of people today, even in churches who still don’t know who Jesus is. I love the first line in the gospel of Mark. He wrote this gospel so that people would know who Jesus is. Mark 1:1 The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
Jesus didn’t fit the mold of religion in the society he grew up in. As a Jewish rabbi, he did things that went against the dorms of religion. This is why more often than not, we find the religious groups mad at Jesus when they saw him doing things that went against their cultural and traditional expectations. Jesus was accused of being a drunkard, a glutton, a friend of tax collectors and sinners. Matt.11:19 Jesus often was invited to dine with tax collectors and he would go. The reason Jesus would hang out with sinners was because they are the ones who need grace. They are lost and need to be found. He said, I didn’t come to call righteous people, but sinners to repentance. Luke 5:30-32
We everything that is going on in our world today, wars, hate, discrimination, etc. It’s evident more and more that our world needs Jesus, his touch, his love and compassion in order for it to eliminate hate and animosity from our midst. Think about it, if we treated each other the Jesus way this world would be better. People who came in contact with Jesus were never the same; their lives were transformed. We need transformation in our lives, but we are seeking in the wrong places.
With the beginning of the New Year people tend to start making their resolutions; pledges or plans they would like to achieve. Things that they have been thinking about but have never been able to accomplish. People talk about quitting smoking, losing weight, eating healthier, taking on a new hobby, working on their relationship, marriage, etc. How about working or growing in your relationship with Christ.
