Darkened Glass Reflections

Tag: discipleship

  • Triumphal Entry, Worship, Betrayal, and Abandonment

    Triumphal Entry, Worship, Betrayal, and Abandonment

    Christians know the triumphal entry story so well that we can miss the point. We can learn a lot from the disciples because they are terribly human. They are a lot like us. Sometimes, they show us heroic faith that we hope to imitate. At other times, they show us just how badly we can…

  • Resolving to Follow Christ in the New Year

    Resolving to Follow Christ in the New Year

    As I write, the year 2017 is approaching its end. Many people are writing down their New Year’s resolutions. Although I usually quip that my New Year’s resolution is to avoid making New Year’s resolutions, I must admit that there is some value to this tradition. Many of us can think of ways we would like to improve our lives.…

  • Modern-Day Elijahs VIII: No Turning Back

    Modern-Day Elijahs VIII: No Turning Back

    The relationship between Elijah and Elisha offers numerous lessons. For a few years, Elisha followed his mentor, learning how to be a prophet. Most importantly though, he learned the character of a man of God. He learned to remain faithful, to refuse to give in to discouragement; to ask, watch, persist, and believe that God…

  • Modern-Day Elijahs VII: The Call to Follow

    Modern-Day Elijahs VII: The Call to Follow

    Will we cling to the past and present—to our comfortable existence—or will we sacrifice them to God? Will we surrender our future to Him? God may not call us out of our present physical circumstances. He may call us to serve Him while we continue in the ordinary occupation in which He found us. However,…

  • Imitating the Father

    Imitating the Father

    God the Father gave us His best self-portrait when He sent His Son to show us who He is and what He is like.

  • Obeying God—1 Samuel 15:22–23

    To obey God is better than sacrifice—or evangelism, or serving in the church, or worship, or prayer, or reading the Bible, or tithing, or fasting, or anything else we say we are doing for God. To wilfully disobey God defiles the sacrifice or ministry. To do your own thing and ask God to bless it…

  • The Two Sides of Discipleship—Luke 10:38–42

    When a Mary rises from the feet of Jesus and brings His presence into the world by serving others like Martha would, discipleship is complete.

  • Scripture Sabbath Challenge—John 20:21–23

    The focus of Jesus’ teaching turned in a new direction after His resurrection. For three years, He taught the disciples the gospel and principles of the kingdom of God. After His resurrection, He focused on how they would proclaim that gospel throughout the world.

  • Scripture Sabbath Challenge—Mark 8:34–38

    Jesus’ message would seem very foreign to much of modern American Christianity. Many Christians and churches have merely adopted the secular worldview of American culture, perhaps rejected a few more blatantly unacceptable elements thereof, and baptized the rest of it in biblical jargon.

  • Your Way AND His Way

    As He healed him, Jesus said, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” Jesus encouraged him to go home with his healing. Instead, Bartimaeus “followed him on the way.”