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Posts Tagged ‘disciples’

Faith Building Verses-I John 1:2-4

March 14th, 2022 No comments

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Faith-Building Verses are First John 1:2 to 4.

“The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make our joy complete.”

One of the compelling evidences of the Christian faith is the witness of those disciples who walked and talked with Jesus. Before Jesus died on a cross, Peter denied Jesus. Before seeing the nail scars, Thomas doubted Jesus. The Disciples deserted Jesus at the sight of His arrest. But after they were witnesses of His resurrection, they went forward in faith with a fresh new boldness to proclaim the good news of God’s love. As they shared the Gospel, the church grew in size and spread throughout the world.

These faith-building verses inspire us to be bold and credible witnesses for Jesus in the Year of Relationship.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

20/20 Insight-Witnesses of the Resurrection

April 16th, 2020 No comments

JOHN SHIRK – In the Year of Vision, today’s 20/20 Insight focuses on the testimony of Jesus’ disciples to His resurrection.

In John 20:25, the disciples told Thomas, who had not yet seen Jesus alive, “We have seen the Lord.”

One of the compelling pieces of evidence that Jesus rose from the dead is found in the Bible.  There were witnesses, and those witnesses were the disciples of Jesus. 

Tim Keller explains why this is significant in his book “The Reason for God.” “Virtually all the apostles and early Christian leaders died for their faith, and it is hard to believe that this kind of powerful self-sacrifice would be done to support a hoax.”

Even though Thomas did not initially believe this report, he too would be convinced after seeing Jesus with his own eyes one week later.

Focusing on the resurrection of Jesus from the dead gives us greater clarity for living out the Christian life.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

Reason To Believe-Martyrdom of Jesus’ Disciples

February 10th, 2016 No comments

JOHN SHIRK – In the Year of Exploration, today’s Reason to Believe is the martyrdom of Jesus’ disciples.

According to church history, most of Jesus’ Twelve disciples became martyrs for the Gospel. They lived and died for Jesus. In cases like that, there is no doubt about someone’s conviction that they believe their cause to be true and worth dying for.

There is something that Jesus’ disciples shared in common, except for Judas Iscariot. They were witnesses to Jesus’ resurrection after His death.

Peter said in Acts 10:40, “God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen-by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead.”

That was the calling of Peter and the other disciples that they faithfully proclaimed to the end of their time here on earth.

The faithfulness of Jesus’ disciples to preach the Gospel and die for their faith is a reason to believe in God’s good news.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

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Reason To Believe-Changed Lives

January 22nd, 2016 No comments

JOHN SHIRK – In the Year of Exploration, today’s Reason To Believe is how the Gospel changes lives.

If you have been touched by the grace of God, it is quite likely that you can recall specific ways you changed after coming to faith in Jesus-attitudes, behavior, or priorities.

The disciples became followers of Jesus and would later be appointed as leaders of the early church.

After an encounter with Jesus, the heart of Zacchaeus changed from being greedy to being generous.

A jailer put his faith in Jesus and was changed from being suicidal to being filled with joy.

God’s grace changes people’s lives in various ways, but one common thread is that in whatever way the person changes, it results in bringing glory to God.

One example of that is how Christians responded to reports of the Apostle Paul’s conversion. Galatians 1:23 says, “They only heard the report: ‘The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.’ And they praised God because of me.”

“Changed lives” reveal the power of the Gospel and is a reason to believe in God’s good news.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

Encounter With Jesus-Appointment of Disciples

September 11th, 2015 No comments

JOHN SHIRK – In the Year of Connection, today’s Encounter with Jesus examines the appointing of His disciples.

In Mark 3:13 and 14, we gain insight into Jesus’ purpose for appointing certain men to be His disciples.

Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. He appointed twelve-designating them apostles-that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons.

There is a process involved in the making of a disciple to become a disciple-maker. An effective leader in the church learns to follow Jesus. This is more than just the initial experience of accepting Jesus as Savior and Lord. This is a moment-by-moment walk with Him, where He leads us with His wisdom, and we say yes to His plan for our lives. The disciples underwent a few years of spiritual training, learning the ways of God’s Kingdom as they got to know Jesus personally. After spending considerable time with Him, and witnessing His resurrection from the dead, they would embark upon the next chapter of their calling, which was to be witnesses of the Gospel and leaders in the early church. They were faithful to the task and were used of God in extraordinary ways to persuade people to follow Jesus.

A daily connection with Christ is the key to being an influence for the Gospel.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com