Read Luke 9:1-6 and Matthew 10:5-15. What spiritual truths can we learn from the verses about how Jesus called these men? Luke describes the commissioning of the apostles as a three-step process. First, Jesus called them together (Luke 9:1). The word call or calling is as vital to Christian mission as it is to Christian … Continue reading –>
Discipleship is not self-made. It is a result of responding to the call of Jesus. Luke mentions that Jesus has already called Peter, Andrew, John, and James (Luke 5:11, Matthew 4:18-22) and Levi Matthew, the tax collector (Luke 5:27-32). Now the writer places the selection of the Twelve in a strategic location in his narrative: immediately … Continue reading –>
Simon and Andrew had toiled all night. Seasoned fishermen, they knew the art of fishing, and they knew when to quit. Nightlong work yielded nothing. In the midst of their disappointment came an unsolicited command: Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch (Luke 5:4, NKJV). Simon’s response was one … Continue reading –>
Read for This Week’s Study: Luke 5:1-11, Luke Luke 6:12-16, Luke Luke 9:1-6, Matt. 10:5-15, Luke 10:1-24, Luke 9:23-25, Matt. 16:24-28. Memory Text: Then He said to them all, If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me (Luke 9:23, NKJV). Disciple means a follower, or … Continue reading –>
During the time of China’s cultural revolution, it was very dangerous to own a Bible. Someone we knew, however, was able to obtain one. Since it was such a rare and precious book, he wanted to share it with as many people as possible, so he carefully took the Bible apart and gave one or … Continue reading –>
Avoid every question in relation to the humanity of Christ which is liable to be misunderstood. Truth lies close to the track of presumption. In treating upon the humanity of Christ, you need to guard strenuously every assertion, lest your words be taken to mean more than they imply, and thus you lose or dim … Continue reading –>
Read all three Gospel accounts of the Transfiguration (Luke 9:27-36, Matt. 17:1-9, Mark 9:2-8). (Read also Peter’s firsthand account of the incident, and note the truth the apostle establishes from his eyewitness experience; see 2 Peter 1:16-18). What additional information does Luke provide, and why is it important? Luke begins the narrative with a detail that … Continue reading –>
Probably the image most Adventists have of Elder John Byington is based on the only photograph they’ve ever seen which portrays the aged patriarch as a silver-haired, balding, bearded, wrinkled, scowling preacher in a black frockcoat and white shirt buttoned tightly around the neck. Consequently, they might be surprised to learn that he was a … Continue reading –>
Read Luke 9:18-27. Why would Jesus have asked the disciples a question whose answer He already knew? What lesson was He seeking to teach them not only about Himself but about what it means to follow Him? Who do you say that I am? (Luke 9:20, NKJV). The question that Jesus asked 2,000 years ago … Continue reading –>
The charge would have been attempted murder. They fully intended to kill Him. What makes this more shocking is that they accosted Him in the sacred temple. The solemnity of their worship was turned into a mob scene of violence. In a rage they pounced on Him, grabbing and dragging Him out of the temple, down the streets … Continue reading –>
