It's all about that GRACE, bout that GRACE, bout that GRACE-no trouble!

January 10, 2021
LUKE 5:1-11 (NIV)

It is simply amazing to me that in the ancient of days, when Jesus had trained, devote Jewish people available to Him that he chose Simon Peter and many other "common", untrained people to be His disciples. 

Peter did not come with an impressive résumé. He was just an ordinary, uneducated fisherman working on the shores of the Sea of Galilee.

When we take a closer look at Peter's life as he followed Christ we learn; he made some pretty major mistakes, he could be egotistical, he often misunderstood Jesus' teachings, he had trouble forgiving others, he had an issue with trusting others and he even denied knowing Jesus three times as Christ journeyed to the Cross to die for the sins of mankind, Peter's sins and ours!

Peter was an ordinary person like us — someone who had good intentions but didn’t have it all together — and yet, Jesus still called him to be his disciple. Peter’s life was transformed through his RELATIONSHIP with Jesus. Because of that relationship Peter became a great Christian leader, a holy saint, a courageous witness to Christ and even a martyr in Rome.

God loves and chooses us just as we are, but he loves us too much to let us stay where He finds us. It’s the call to follow him that comes first, before the expectation to do great things. And if we answer the call, he will heal us and equip us to live as His disciples.  If Jesus can take weak, imperfect, far-from-holy men like Peter, James, John and Andrew and transform them over time into godly men, he certainly can do the same with us.

Discuss: Does knowing that Peter was not necessarily the most gifted and talented person in the world encourage you? In what ways have you had good intentions to be who Jesus was calling you to be, but failed?

"THE DUST OF THE RABBI" - FLATTERY WILL GET YOU EVERYWHERE WITH JESUS!

It is said that the highest form of flattery is imitation. 

In the ancient of days, there was a Jewish folk tale regarding the young Levite boy who was being trained to be a priest in the Temple. Levite boys were educated about the Torah, the Word of God, and at the age of 12 were dedicated into service to the Lord at the Temple.

Sometimes, those priests in training would follow a well seasoned priest about the countryside as he preached and taught the people. The folk tale, "The Dust of the Rabbi" was a story of dedication about the learners devotion in living, learning and experiencing life with the priest who was mentoring the young Levite boys. It was all about RELATIONSHIP. The camped together, ate meals together, served the poor together, shared the Word of God together and performed all the duties of the priest as instructed by God.

Disciples, therefore, studied not just the text of Scripture but also the “text” of the rabbi’s life.

This is why Jesus didn’t simply ask his disciples to listen to his preaching in the synagogues. He said “Come, follow me” and basically invited them on a three-year camping trip as they journeyed throughout Galilee together during his ministry.

Think about that: living with Jesus, day in and day out, for three years! How much his disciples would have been influenced by his example! They’d notice the way he woke up early to pray. They’d witness his compassion in helping the sick. They’d be struck by his pressing need to go out to the sinners, Gentiles and outcasts. They’d see miracles of healing and resurrection. They’d also observe how he taught the crowds, debated his opponents, called people to repent and offered them mercy. Much of Jesus’ way of living would have become His disciples way of life, our way of life.

Discuss: How does this idea of discipleship change the way you think about what it means to be a disciple of Jesus?