Year 4, Day 243: Acts 10

Theological Commentary: Click Here 

Discipleship Focus: Obedience

• Obedience: Genuine and satisfying obedience comes out of our identity.  Our true identity comes only from Father.

In my theological commentary to which I link above, I do a fair bit of picking on Peter.  We need to realize that Acts 10 happens about a decade after Pentecost.  It takes Peter 10 years to be open to the possibility that Gentiles might be acceptable to God without them converting to Judaism first!  It takes a decade for Peter to change that thought process!

However, the greater point is that Peter does change.  Peter is obedient.  Peter does learn the lesson that God desires for him to learn.  Peter is open to God’s new work.

Think about it.  Peter could have looked at God and said, “No, Lord.  I’m not going to that Gentile’s house.  After all, not only is he a Gentile, he’s a roman soldier!”  Peter could have dug in his heels and refused to go outside the proverbial “Jewish-box.”  But Peter is willing to think outside of that box.

What is the result of Peter’s obedience?  Peter gets an opportunity to proclaim Christ to Gentiles.  He gets to watch as the Holy Spirit descends upon the Gentiles.  He gets to watch as the Holy Spirit precedes their baptism in water and open their eyes to truth.  Peter gets to see God at work in an incredible new way.  All of this happens to Peter because he is willing to be obedient and follow God outside of the box.

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Year 4, Day 242: Acts 9

Theological Commentary: Click Here 

Discipleship Focus: Grace

• Grace: Grace comes to us when we make mistakes and have a failing of character.  Grace comes to us when we have a typical D₂ moment.  Grace comes to us when we need space to recognize a mistake, repent of it, and allow God to redeem it while calling us back into His will.  Grace is partnered by Time and Vision.

Do you know what we call it when God looks upon a person who seeks to persecute His people and turns that person into an incredible evangelist?  Grace.  Paul has a moment of failure.  Paul has a crisis of character.  Paul starts persecuting Jesus Himself – note Jesus’ introduction to Paul in Acts 9:4.  What does Paul get when he deserves a good smiting?  He gets grace instead.

That’s such a cool point.  Paul gets grace.  For the record he also gets time and vision.  He gets time to think about what happens to him.  He also gets new vision – literally and figuratively!  But he gets grace most of all.  Considering how much fervor he employed in persecuting Christ and His followers, Paul should have been struck by lightning or had a meteor crash into his head or perhaps some other divine judgment.  But Paul doesn’t get divine judgment.  He gets grace.

You don’t fall into too many bigger pits of despair in a lifetime than Paul gets here.  You don’t have many moments of crisis in faith like Paul has here.  But God is with Paul.  After all he’s done, Paul is still open to God.  Grace takes over and Paul finds himself able to crawl out of that great pit of despair.  If Paul can do it, so can you!

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Year 4, Day 241: Acts 8

Theological Commentary: Click Here 

Discipleship Focus: Chemistry

• Chemistry asks whether the person in question can work with the other people that God has called.

You might be surprised to see me pull out the topic of chemistry when Acts 8 is such a huge chapter with respect to the spreading of the church.  I could have gone with Philip’s obedience.  I could have gone with Simon’s approval.  I could have even gone with the discipleship square and the persecution the disciples received.  But today I want to stop and focus on Philip through the lens of chemistry.

Philip goes out into the world when persecution comes.  Persecution drives him out, but he quickly finds himself paired up with people who will listen.  Philip has a clear chemistry with the Samaritans!  As he goes out into the world, he is capable of working with the people that God places in his life.

Furthermore, look at Philip as he leaves Samaria.  He finds the eunuch.  Again we can see the chemistry that happens between Philip and the eunuch.  The eunuch wants to learn and Philip is willing to teach.  Philip isn’t shy, nor is he heavy-handed.  Philip is able to communicate the message of the gospel to the eunuch.  There is a clear chemistry between Philip and the people God is putting into Philip’s life.  It’s one of the reasons that Philip knows to whom God is calling him to speak.

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Year 4, Day 240: Acts 7

Theological Commentary: Click Here 

Discipleship Focus: Obedience, Provision

• Obedience: Genuine and satisfying obedience comes out of our identity.  Our true identity comes only from Father.
• Provision: God gives us what we truly need.  God knows our needs better than we can know them.  We learn to trust God to provide for us.

This chapter is a very high challenge chapter.  Here we have a story of a person who stepped up to do the work of God and dies for it.  It is actually a reminder that all but two of Jesus’ own disciples died as a direct consequence of proclaiming their faith.  Judas, who hanged himself, and John, who was exiled to Patmos because of his faith, are the only two who did not directly die in martyrdom for Jesus.

This is fundamentally a question of obedience.  Stephen is willing to speak the truth and not just lose his livelihood but his whole life!  He is willing to give up everything to gain his eternal life.  He is obedient even when everyone around him rejects his message.

In the theological commentary to which I linked above, I actually drawn a neat conclusion that I’d like to reflect here.  The comments between Tom and I are also quite insightful.  Recognizing just how high challenge this chapter is, I can’t help but wonder why I don’t speak truth more often as Stephen does.  I wonder how much obedience is tied to the idea of provision.  If I truly believed in God’s ability to provide for me what I truly need, would I be more willing to sacrifice more in my life?  Or, as it is stated in the comments on the theological commentary, what does it mean that I would give up my whole life easily but struggle with giving up my comfort while continuing to live?  How much does my ability to obey connect with my faith in God’s ability to provide?

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Year 4, Day 239: Acts 6

Theological Commentary: Click Here 

Discipleship Focus: Power

• Power: This is the natural outcome when we truly get our authority from the king.  When our authority is from God, we are equipped with His power to accomplish His will.  We act on His behalf in a world that He desperately loves.

As I started to type this post, the song “Burning in My Soul” by Matt Maher came over my computer.  I can’t help but marvel at the timing.  The first words of this song are these: “There is power - power here in this hour, this hour.  We’re all together - together waiting here as one.”  I have no doubt that as Matt Maher composed this song that he thought of these first few chapters of Acts.

What do we see as Stephen comes on the scene?  This man rises up out of nowhere and is filled with power for teaching and preaching.  People who have been trained in Judaism cannot stand against his wisdom.  The Holy Spirit works through him to empower his teaching.  God gives Stephen the words to say.

Let’s get something straight, though.  So often we think of this story of Stephen as a victory.  We hear that the people could not stand against his wisdom and think he won.  And from a spiritual perspective he absolutely did win.  But as we’ll see in the next chapter he is dragged before the Sanhedrin and killed.  We typically think of this story as a glorious story where Stephen got the last word and got it with profound emphasis.  But that’s just not true.  Stephen spoke in truth and the Sanhedrin eventually killed him.

When we talk about power, this is an important dynamic to remember.  Power does not always equate to victory.  Power does not always equate to people having no rebuttal.  Power does not always equate to getting the last word.  Power equates to being able to speak truth in the midst of persecution.  Power means being able to speak truth and sometimes die for it.  That’s the power that comes only from the King.

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Year 4, Day 238: Acts 5

Theological Commentary: Click Here 

Discipleship Focus: Up

• Up: Up is the word we use for what we worship.  If we are following God’s will, God will occupy the Up position.  Our life, our identity, our mission, our family on mission is all derived from Up.  This is why God needs to be in our Up position.

Up represents our spiritual origin.  It also represents our spiritual destination.  God is the source of our identity, the focus of our obedience, the foundation of our authority, and the basis for our power.  Up should be where we find God.

I can’t help but wonder what was Up for Ananias and Sapphira.  On one level, I genuinely believe that they loved God.  After all, why would they sell land and bring it to the apostles if they didn’t love God in the first place?  But on the other hand, why would they imply they sold the land for one amount while keeping some of the money back for themselves?  Why would they lie if they genuinely were worshipping God?  Why wouldn’t they give what they can, be honest about what they are doing, and allow God’s name to be praised?  The truth is that while I do believe they were in a relationship with God on one level, they were still worshipping the money in their life, too.

On the other hand, what about Gamaliel?  Sure, he was a wise member of the Sanhedrin.  Sure, he found himself on the opposite side of the fence as Jesus’ disciples.  But he does seem to be a man who pursued God’s truth.  He tells the rest of the Sanhedrin to not persecute the disciples for two significant reasons.  First, if Jesus’ disciples are right, then the Sanhedrin will find themselves struggling against God and that is no place to be.  Second, if the disciples aren’t of God then they’ll eventually fade away like a bad fad among the people.  Here is a man who is focused on seeking out God and God’s wisdom – even if he didn’t get it all perfectly right.  But then again, who does, right?

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Year 4, Day 237: Acts 4

Theological Commentary: Click Here 

Discipleship Focus: Authority, Power

• Authority: Our calling.  This comes from God as king.  Because He calls us as His representatives, He gives us authority to go and do His will.
• Power: This is the natural outcome when we truly get our authority from the king.  When our authority is from God, we are equipped with His power to accomplish His will.  We act on His behalf in a world that He desperately loves.

When we look at Acts 4, we really do see an empowered Peter and John in the scriptures.  Don’t forget, these are the same people who weeks before – perhaps months at the most – had sentenced Jesus to be crucified.  Peter and John had every reason to be afraid when they are brought before the Sanhedrin.  They had every reason to expect that their life might come to the same unfortunate ending as Jesus’ life.  Of course, they would have every reason to also believe God would resurrect them at Jesus’ return, too.

In spite of whatever fear they might have had, Peter and John speak without fear.  They speak with the authority of God.  They speak the boldness of truth.  There is power in their words!

How do we know that there is power in their words?  They are let off with a warning because the name of God is being praised.  God is glorified, and because God is glorified the Sanhedrin cannot touch Peter and John.  The power in their speech reaches into the people in a deep and meaningful way.

Furthermore, look at the way that the community responds.  The persecution of the Sanhedrin only serves to bind the Christian community closer together.  The believers continue to gather together.  They continue to draw upon God and each other for strength.  They continue to display God’s ways through themselves!  The authority and power through which Peter and John speak only serves to bring God’s people closer together.

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Year 4, Day 236: Acts 3

Theological Commentary: Click Here 

Discipleship Focus: Power

• Power: This is the natural outcome when we truly get our authority from the king.  When our authority is from God, we are equipped with His power to accomplish His will.  We act on His behalf in a world that He desperately loves.

What happens when we recognize that God is indeed the king of the universe?  When God is king of our life, we gain His authority.  When we gain His authority, we gain His power.  But this doesn’t mean that that we will have our way with the world.  We have the power to bring about the kingdom of God.  But we do not have the power to force people to recognize it.

Look here at Peter and John.  These were two of Jesus’ closest disciples.  They are filled with the power of God.  The lame walk.  A miracle is performed.  It seems like a glorious day.  For Peter, John, the lame man, and a few others I’m sure that it is!

However, we’ll also get to look at the reaction of the people – and we’ll get an especially close look tomorrow.  But today we hear how the people were filled.  But with what were they filled?  They were filled with awe and wonder and amazement.  But when we look at Peter’s reaction we can tell that they weren’t inherently filled with belief.

When they gather around Peter, he begins to talk to them about their need for repentance.  He tells them about their need to put their trust in God and believe in Jesus the Messiah.  Peter chastises them, proclaiming faith boldly.  We would imagine that the power of God would lead to greatness and faith.  But that is not always so – especially in the masses.  As we shall see all throughout Acts, the power of God actually leads to proclamation of the need for repentance and the rejection of the world.

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Year 4, Day 235: Acts 2

Theological Commentary: Click Here 

Discipleship Focus: Bear Fruit

• Bear Fruit: We bear fruit after we grow.  Bearing fruit is ultimately the goal of abiding and the goal of being called into the Kingdom of God.  However, while bearing fruit is our calling, it is not the end.  We bear fruit so that we can then prune, abide, grow, and bear more fruit in another season.  Bearing fruit is not the end, but rather only a portion of the whole rhythm of life into which God has called us.

What topic would be better in a study after focusing on abiding than bearing fruit?  After all, we abide so that we might draw close to God and be prepared to bear fruit for His kingdom!  Granted, we also bear fruit so that we can abide and grow closer to God.  It is a cyclical rhythm, not a linear progression!

So yesterday we focused on the disciples and their calling to abide and wait for the Holy Spirit.  Now we see them growing and bearing fruit.  The Holy Spirit comes upon them and a powerful demonstration of God’s power is manifested.  People from all over the world hear the disciples speaking in languages that in all reality they couldn’t have known.  Remember, these are fisherman and people like them.  They are scholars who would be world travelers speaking many different languages.  God’s power is put on display indeed!

In the rest of the chapter we also see a very specific example of bearing fruit done through a single man: Peter.  Remember who Peter is.  He is the guy who jumped out of the boat and began to sink.  He is the guy to whom Jesus said, “Get behind me Satan.”  He is the guy who asked all the questions, often had the wrong perspective, and while genuinely desiring to follow Christ he got an awful lot wrong.

But look at what Peter does here.  In this story Peter stands up and takes charge.  He begins to explain things.  He begins to be the person who teaches others.  He is rising up in power and bearing fruit in a new and incredible way.  It is awesome to see.  Peter has taken time to abide and grow, and now he bears great fruit.

But notice something.  Having born fruit, what do we see the disciples doing at the end?  They pause.  The prune.  They go back into their community.  They share among one another.  They abide.  While the focus of this chapter is indeed on the fruit, we do see the full completion of the cycle from bearing fruit back to abiding.

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Year 4, Day 234: Acts 1

Theological Commentary: Click Here 

Discipleship Focus: Abide

• Abide: This is a moment, day, or even a season when we focus on God.  It is a time when we are rejuvenated by God.  It is the time for us to gather up what we will need for the coming growth after a season of pruning.  However, abiding is not the end.  We abide so that we can grow, bear fruit, prune, and abide again.

Acts chapter one is akin to the deep breath before God’s story really picks up momentum.  Jesus came.  Jesus made disciples.  Jesus died.  Jesus rose.  Jesus ascended.  Now Jesus is gone and the Holy Spirit is coming to really get things going.  But there is a pause here.  There is time for the disciples to abide.

What do we see the disciples doing in this time?  We see the disciples begin an incredibly healthy tradition.  They get together and fellowship.  They get together and support one another.  They spend time around one another.

When Jesus’ disciples need to recuperate, abide, recover strength, rest, plan, or anything else we see them coming together.  It’s a great lesson.  I think it is also a very important lesson.  It is, after all, the first lesson in the whole of the book of Acts.

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Year 4, Day 233: Luke 24

Theological Commentary: Click Here 

Discipleship Focus: D2, Time, Vision, Grace

• D₂ is the step in the discipleship process where God builds character as we begin to help in God's work.  Often it involves us taking a good long look at ourselves and seeing what needs to be cut away.  Affectionately, this process is referred to as “the pit of despair” because when we see ourselves for who we really are it is easy to despair and feel like we’ll never get it right, we’ll never be right, and we’ll never be useful to God.  The disciple needs time, vision, and grace to come out of the pit of despair.

I’m not sure that there are many pits of despair deeper than watching your Lord and Savior die on the cross and be buried in a tomb.  After all, human beings have a saying: Dead is dead.  It had to be pretty hard to imagine how God was going to make Jesus His Messiah from the tomb.  I feel for those disciples.  How impossible that pit must have felt!

Then God does the unthinkable.  Jesus is raised!  Hallelujah!

Jesus comes to the women and gives them grace just by coming to them in the midst of their doubts.  He gives them vision by telling them to go and proclaim.  He gives them time by not expecting them to already have it figured out.

The same is true about those disciples on the road to Emmaus.  They didn’t have it all figured out.  They didn’t know what was going on.  Jesus comes among them to help them out.  He gives them vision by explaining the scriptures to them.  He gives them grace when He reveals Himself to them in the breaking of the bread.  He gives them time by not laying upon them the expectation of having to have it already figured out.

The same is also true about the disciples back in Jerusalem.  Jesus doesn’t expect them to have it all perfectly figured out.  In fact, He encourages them to take their time in figuring it all out until the Holy Spirit comes upon them.  He gives them grace by coming among them and not abandoning them to their doubt.  He gives them vision by showing them His body so they can know that He is who they say that He is.

Jesus knows the way out of the pit of despair.  When the pit of despair comes, we need time, vision, and grace.  We need it from God.  This means we need it through the spiritual people around us through whom God speaks.  When we’re in the pit, draw close to those spiritual people and allow them to mentor you through God’s hand at work in your life.

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Year 4, Day 232: Luke 23

Theological Commentary: Click Here 

Discipleship Focus: Forgiveness

• Forgiveness: Forgiveness is when our sins are absolved by God.  We do not deserve this forgiveness, but God grants it to us anyway.  We cannot earn forgiveness, but God gives it to us anyway.  As we are forgiven by God, He also asks us to forgive others.  In fact, Jesus Himself teaches us to pray for our forgiveness in the Lord’s Prayer when He says, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

Yesterday I spent all of my space talking about obedience.  Today we see the effect of that obedience.  Jesus dies on the cross.  That’s obedience.

It’s also forgiveness.  He dies so that we might live.  He dies so that our sins might be forgiven.  He dies so that we can be in a relationship with God that we do not deserve.  He dies so that we may reap the benefit.

Look at how many places we can find forgiveness in this chapter.  Jesus forgives the thief on the cross who humbles himself before Jesus.  Jesus forgives the people gathered around Him as He is hung on the cross.  Again and again Jesus could have lashed out in divine power and demonstrated His superiority.  But instead, He forgives.

The world seems to win.  Jesus is dead.  God dies upon that cross.  Rebellion seems to succeed.  But God’s hand is at work bringing true forgiveness into the world.

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Year 4, Day 231: Luke 22

Theological Commentary: Click Here 

Discipleship Focus: Obedience

• Obedience: Genuine and satisfying obedience comes out of our identity.  Our true identity comes only from Father.

I don’t think that there can really be any better topic to focus upon with respect to the crucifixion than obedience.  It is at this moment in time that Jesus’ obedience is on its greatest display.  I can’t imagine for a second that Jesus’ fully human side wants to go forward at all.  But I can’t imagine that Jesus’ fully divine side wants anything except to fulfill His identity from His Father.

Look at Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane.  “Take this cup away, but not my will be done.”  That’s obedience.

Look at Jesus at His arrest.  Jesus has disciples ready to come to His aid.  Yet what does He yell?  “Enough.”  He could have commanded His disciples to do their worst and they would have done so.  But Jesus orders them to stand down.  That’s obedience.

When Jesus is before the Council He is mocked.  He is cornered.  How does He respond?  He tells the truth even though He knows it will be used against Him in order to crucify Him.  That’s obedience.

There is nobody greater at obedience than Jesus.  His example should astound us.  He gave up His life knowing that it would happen to Him just because the Father asked.

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Year 4, Day 230: Luke 21

Theological Commentary: Click Here 

Discipleship Focus: Guidance, Protection

• Guidance: God grants us His guidance.  Sometimes this guidance is God leading us away from temptation.  Sometimes this guidance is helping us to follow in a direction for which He has chosen.  Our default position should be to wait for God’s guidance and then follow when it comes.
• Protection: In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus teaches us to pray that God might deliver us from evil – even the Evil One.  Sometimes we need God’s protection from the sin around us.  Sometimes we need protection from the sinful people around us.  Other times we need protection from the sin that lies within ourselves. In any case, Jesus’ point is clear.  We need protection from the Father to make it through each and every day.

Luke 21 is a really depressing chapter on so many levels.  Jesus tells His disciple that the true example of giving is the widow’s mite, which is a symbolism that should stand for giving every last drop instead of giving a small amount.  We hear about Jerusalem being destroyed.  We hear Jesus warn His followers about being persecuted and dragged before councils.  Then we hear Jesus warn us to not be led astray from this world but instead keep watch and stay alert.  It is a difficult chapter full of hard lessons.

Yet at the same time, what an incredible chapter to hear about God’s protection and guidance!  Jesus tells His disciples to plainly not worry about their own defense.  God will guide our thoughts and our words.  God will allow us to persevere.  God will bring us through it.  Who can take away the great gift that God has given to us?  God’s guidance is amazing indeed!  Only He can guide us through persecution as well as guide us through the temptations that would pull us away from Him.

The same is true about protection, too.  Persecution will come, God will protect us.  Look at the example of the rest of God’s Word.  How many of the original disciples were persecuted?  Yet how many of them were protected by God and will find eternal life with Him?  How many towns tried to imprison the apostle Paul?  Yet look how God protected him again and again.  We cannot go into a place where God cannot protect our eternal salvation as long as we put our faith in Him.

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Year 4, Day 229: Luke 20

Theological Commentary: Click Here 

Discipleship Focus: Authority, Power

• Authority: Our calling.  This comes from God as king.  Because He calls us as His representatives, He gives us authority to go and do His will.
• Power: This is the natural outcome when we truly get our authority from the king.  When our authority is from God, we are equipped with His power to accomplish His will.  We act on His behalf in a world that He desperately loves.

What a great chapter about what is at the root of the human experience.  Control.  What a dirty little word that operates behind the scenes of almost everything we do.  Control is highly tied to the concept of authority.  So let’s look how we see what we can learn about the idea of authority in this chapter:

• When Jesus teaches about the baptism of John, Jesus uses the Pharisees desire for control to illustrate their hearts.  Because they wish to remain in control, Jesus can force the Pharisees to not take a stand.  They want to be in control, so they do not take a position.  Jesus has authority over them.
• In the parable of the vineyard, we hear a similar theme.  The tenants dispossess everything that the master of the land sends their way.  They want control of the land.  However, Jesus shows authority over them by teaching them that the desire for control puts them at odds with the master.  When we try to be in control of our life, we are trying to wrestle away God’s authority instead of accepting and submitting to His authority.
• With regard to taxes, Jesus speaks authoritatively into the crowd and religious leaders.  Who likes paying taxes, right?  But when we realize that everything is God’s and nothing is ours, taxes aren’t actually all that worth getting upset over.  If I get 100% of something I don’t deserve, why am I upset about having to give away a smaller portion of it?  Jesus demonstrates authority by removing our desire for control completely.
• With respect to the afterlife, we hear the Sadducees want to focus Jesus on the experience they desire.  The Sadducees want control over the concept of eternal life.  Jesus speaks authoritatively into their question by reminding them that eternal life is something over which God has authority, not us.

Again and again in this chapter we see Jesus confront the concept of control through the lens of authority.  We like to have control over everything; Jesus reminds us that we are better of seeking the authority that comes from the King.

What’s neat in this chapter is how we see the connection between authority and power.  Because Jesus lives out of the authority granted to Him by the King instead of desiring His own control, He also is able to have power over those who would desire to entrap Him.  But His power doesn’t come from His great humanity.  His power comes from the authority granted to Him by the King.

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Year 4, Day 228: Luke 19

Theological Commentary: Click Here 

Discipleship Focus: Challenge, Invitation

• Challenge: God does not merely wish us to be in relationship with Him as we are.  He challenges us to grow, stretch, and transform as we take on the mantle of being His representatives to this world.
• Invitation: God is always inviting us into relationship with Him. He desires that we know Him and that we know His desire for us.

The story of Zacchaeus is a great story through which we can see invitation and challenge.  These two dynamics must always be calibrated with the people we meet.  They need not always be in balance, but they do need to be appropriately calibrated for the people that God brings into our life.

At first Zacchaeus feels the invitation.  Jesus Christ is coming to town.  He runs like a little kid to see this powerful and well-known person.  Now pay attention here.  Zacchaeus, a very wealthy man, runs to Jesus.  The wealthy people don’t usually run to see celebrities; they know that the celebrity will run to come to them. 

Jesus passes by and senses the opportunity.  He looks up to Zacchaeus and seizes the opportunity.  He invites Zacchaeus into relationship.

Then comes the challenge.  You see, Jesus doesn’t invite just to make us feel good.  Jesus invites in order that we should know change.  Jesus invites so that we may become more like Him.  Jesus challenges Zacchaeus with his life so that he can experience change.  And we know that Zacchaeus does experience change.  He commits to making it right with all the people from whom he stole.

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Year 4, Day 227: Luke 18

Theological Commentary: Click Here 

Discipleship Focus: Identity

• Identity: Our true identity comes from the Father.  Only when our identity comes from God can we be obedient in ways that satisfy our person to our core.

Luke 18 is a great chapter through which we can see the lens of identity.  Let’s take a look at the Pharisee and the tax collector.  The Pharisee prays about how great he is and how glad he is not like the people who are worse than him.  His identity is in his own perception of his greatness.  The tax collector, however, prays in a humble manner that acknowledges his failings.  His identity is true.  He doesn’t see himself as he wants to see himself; rather, he sees himself as God sees him.  His identity is in the Father.

Or, take the rich man and Peter.  The rich man comes to Jesus thinking that he’s done everything perfectly.  The rich man sees himself as an obedient follower of the law.  But he is only looking externally at his own works – and even in that he is certainly having a biased opinion.  Jesus tells the rich young man to give up his wealth and we get a glimpse of the truth: his identity is his wealth.  Peter, on the other hand, reminds Jesus that he has given up everything for Jesus.  His identity is not on the stuff of this world.  Peter’s identity is rooted in his relationship with the Father.  For the record, Peter also shows us what it is like to live out of that identity into obedience.

We can live for just about anything.  We can live for material goods.  We can live for fame.  We can live for the praise of other people.  We can live for power.  Or we can live for God, getting our identity from Him, and living out of that identity as best as possible.

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Year 4, Day 226: Luke 17

Theological Commentary: Click Here 

Discipleship Focus: Obedience

• Obedience: Genuine and satisfying obedience comes out of our identity.  Our true identity comes only from Father.

What does faith look like?  Faith looks like us looking to the Father to get our identity and then obediently living out of that identity.  But what does that really look like?

Jesus gives us an example in Luke 17.  Jesus talks about the servants.  The servants do work in the field.  When the work in the field is done, the servants come in and care for the routine of the house.  The servants know what is expected of them and do it.

That sounds rather mundane, doesn’t it?  So many times we think of people with great faith as people who can do incredibly spiritual things.  We think about people of great faith as those who can speak in tongues, or heal people with a touch, hear voices from heaven.  Don’t get me wrong, these are clear displays of faith.

But look at what Jesus says is true faithfulness in this section of Luke 17.  True faithfulness is doing what God expects to get done.  It’s really that simple.  True faith is being obedient to the identity that comes from the Father.  You don’t have to be a miracle worker to know true faith.  You simply have to be obedient.

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Year 4, Day 225: Luke 16

Theological Commentary: Click Here 

Discipleship Focus: Father

• Father: This is the pinnacle of the Covenant Triangle.  God is the Father.  He is the creator.  He is love.  Our relationship with the Father is rooted in His love for us.  We get our identity through Him.  When the Father is in our life, obedience becomes clear.

Father.  Our identity comes through the Father.  Everything good comes from the Father.  He should be our focus.

When it comes to the dishonest manager, the question we are to ask with relationship to the Father is simple.  How do I manage what the Father has given to me?  How do I manage the time that the Father gives to me?  How do I manage the relationships that the Father has given to me?  Am I shrewd?  Granted, the Father doesn’t call me to be dishonest.  But the Father does call me to use what I have to increase the work of God’s kingdom.

Or what about the teaching on divorce?  Divorce is a sign of the fickleness of our hearts.  We crave our own desires over what God wants for us in community with one another.  We crave our own passion rather than the love that God freely gives to us.  Divorce is a place where our identity is not coming from the Father.

Or take the rich man and Lazarus.  When the rich man was alive, did his identity come from the Father?  Was he focused on what God wanted for his life?  If so, why did he have to plead with Abraham for himself and his brothers?  How sad that the rich man found out too late that the Father and His ways are so important.

On the other hand, Lazarus is at Abraham’s side.  Lazarus is comforted in death by his Father.  He may have had a difficult life on earth, but because he is found in the Father he can know comfort in death.  It makes me wonder just how much a life of identity focused on anything but the Father is really worth it.

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Year 4, Day 224: Luke 15

Theological Commentary: Click Here 

Discipleship Focus: Forgiveness

• Forgiveness: Forgiveness is when our sins are absolved by God.  We do not deserve this forgiveness, but God grants it to us anyway.  We cannot earn forgiveness, but God gives it to us anyway.  As we are forgiven by God, He also asks us to forgive others.  In fact, Jesus Himself teaches us to pray for our forgiveness in the Lord’s Prayer when He says, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

Jesus’ story of the Prodigal Son should really be called the story of the Forgiving Father.  After all, look at what happens.  Here’s a man with two sons that he loves deeply.

The first son doesn’t value him in return.  His identity is coming from something other than honoring his father and mother in a godly manner (remember that from the 10 Commandments, right?).  Because his identity is coming from the wrong place, he sins against his father.  He takes his inheritance and squanders it.  But when he comes back to his senses, the young son returns.  He comes the whole way back intending to serve his father.  But when he gets back to the father, the father forgives him.  He didn’t earn the forgiveness and he certainly didn’t deserve it.  But he still received forgiveness.

Then there’s the action of the older child.  The older son comes in from the field because he hears the celebration.  When he finds out what happened, he is furious.  Again, this son’s identity is not coming from honoring his father in a godly way, either.  He argues with his father and misses an opportunity to celebrate and be joyful at the coming of redemption.  But when the father speaks, the father demonstrates forgiveness.  The son didn’t earn the forgiveness and he certainly didn’t deserve it.  But he still received forgiveness.

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Year 4, Day 223: Luke 14

Theological Commentary: Click Here 

Discipleship Focus: Discipleship Square

• D₂ is the step in the discipleship process where God builds character as we begin to help in God's work.  Often it involves us taking a good long look at ourselves and seeing what needs to be cut away.  Affectionately, this process is referred to as “the pit of despair” because when we see ourselves for who we really are it is easy to despair and feel like we’ll never get it right, we’ll never be right, and we’ll never be useful to God.  It is easy to feel like a failure in the pit of despair.

In this chapter of Luke, we have several difficult moments with Jesus.  First, Jesus is faced with choosing between not healing on the Sabbath – and while following the Law being branded an uncompassionate man – or healing on the Sabbath and breaking the Law.  I love that Jesus chooses compassion over Law.  I love that Jesus chooses mercy over strict adherence.  I love what this story teaches us about Jesus’ character and how he models that character for His disciples.

Jesus also gives us an interesting teaching.  Don’t sit at the head of the table.  Don’t invite the wealthy around you to dinner.  Hang out with the poor and in need.  Again we get to take a look at a story from Jesus where we can see character being built.  Who among us really has what it takes to intentionally hang around those who need us all the time?  Don’t we like to hang around those who can help us out or elevate us to a new position?  Do we really have what it takes to be obedient to God in this world?

Or take Jesus’ hard words about discipleship?  Whoever doesn’t leave family for me cannot be His disciple.  Whoever doesn’t bear his own cross cannot be Jesus’ disciple.  Whoever does not count the cost cannot be His disciple.  Whoever does not renounce all that he has cannot be Christ’s disciple.  Here we see the pit of despair, truly.  How many of us can live up to that teaching?  What do I have to change in my life to make that true about me?  That’s what discipleship is all about.

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Year 4, Day 222: Luke 13

Theological Commentary: Click Here 

Discipleship Focus: Bear Fruit

• Bear Fruit: We bear fruit after we grow.  Bearing fruit is ultimately the goal of abiding and the goal of being called into the Kingdom of God.  However, while bearing fruit is our calling, it is not the end.  We bear fruit so that we can then prune, abide, grow, and bear more fruit in another season.  Bearing fruit is not the end, but rather only a portion of the whole rhythm of life into which God has called us.

Luke 13 is a fairly ominous passage with several points of warning.  We begin this chapter with the stark warning of Jesus, “Repent or perish!”  Immediately Luke takes us from this challenge into the parable of the fig tree.  We have an analogy that supports Jesus’ challenge.

In this parable, this is the third year that the master had come looking for fruit.  But as the theological commentary linked above explains, this is likely the seventh year of the tree’s existence!  I don’t think any of us would really fault the master for expecting some kind of fruit in a tree’s seventh year!

The master is willing to be patient with the tree.  The gardener tells the master that he is going to mulch the tree with all kinds of nutrients.  The gardener wants to put the tree in as best of a position as possible.

God is no different when it comes to us.  God expects us to bear fruit.  But God has also given us the best position as possible in order to do so.  God has given us His Son.  God has given us His Spirit.  God has given us spiritual people around us to support us and strengthen us.  He has every right to expect us to bear fruit given the situation in which we have been placed by Him.

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Year 4, Day 221: Luke 12

Theological Commentary: Click Here 

Discipleship Focus: Provision

• Provision: God gives us what we truly need.  God knows our needs better than we can know them.  We learn to trust God to provide for us.

This chapter has several really great teachings with respect to provision.  In fact, outside of the Lord ’s Prayer – “Give us today our daily bread” – I think this chapter has the most iconic passage about God’s provision.  “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on.  For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing … And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you.”  Or, perhaps you like the verses that come earlier in the chapter.  “And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not be anxious about how you should defend yourself or what you should say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”

We can’t really miss Jesus’ point in this chapter.  God has everything under control.  What can’t He do?  What can’t He provide?

Oh yeah.  God has everything in control.  And the world hates God for it.  If they hate God enough to destroy His only Son, why would we think that they won’t hate us, too?  But we need not fear.  For God knows our physical needs.  He also knows our spiritual needs, too.  He will give us the words to say in moments when we need them.

That’s God’s provision.  It’s more than food and clothes and shelter.  It’s peace when we need it.  It’s words when we need it.  It’s joy when we need it.  It’s faith when we need it.  That’s provision.

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