"Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men"
Their job is to go out and bring people into
the Church, they were to share in his ministry.
"they left their nets and followed him"
Instant faith. They were willing
to give up everything. It shows
the authority Jesus had and the
obedience of the four men.
We should trust the call of God and have
the courage to follow.
Mission of the Twelve
"sent them out two by two."
"Take nothing for the journey except a staff-no bread,
no bag, no money in your belts. wear sandals but not an
extra tunic."
"stay there until you leave that town"
"shake the dust off your feet"
Rude gesture of disrespect.
"preached...drove out many
demons...anointed may sick"
He wanted himself and the disciples to reach as
many people as possible in the short time he
had left.
You must trust in God and have faith in him to take risks.
Prepared to put others first.
Prepare to fight against evil.
Peter
Promise
"even if all fall away, I will not."
Convinced he won't let Jesus down.
"before the rooster crows twice you
yourself will disown me three times.
Denial
"I don't know this man you're talking about"
"Peter remembered the word of Jesus...he
broke down and wept."
Committed a crime against his friend.
Good
He had faith, was the first to declare
Jesus as the Messiah.
He spoke his mind an essential quality for a leader.
He learnt from his mistakes.
Even if we deny Jesus we can
repent and start again.
We can relate to Peter as he isn't perfect.
He responded immediately to Jesus' call.
Bad
He denied Jesus 3 times.
He did not listen to others and always
spoke first and reflected later.
He was boastful and claimed he was better than
some of the other disciples.
Had no faith in The Calming of the Storm.
Fell asleep in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Argued with Jesus.
The Cost of Discipleship
""take up his cross and follow me"
Disciples should be expected to suffer.
"whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but
whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel
will save it."
Discipleship could involve you losing
your life to get to the kingdom-martyr.
"anyone is ashamed of me...the Son of
Man will be ashamed of him when he
comes in his Father's glory with the holy
angels.
Must be willing to make sacrifices, if you give up everything
and follow God's values you will be rewarded eternal life.
The Rich Young Man
"What must I do to inherit eternal life?"
"You know the commandments...all these I
have kept since I was a boy"
He has not broken any laws.
"Go sell everything you have and give
to the poor, and you will have
treasure in heaven. Then come,
follow me."
It's not enough to just follow the rules you must
be willing to make big sacrifices.
"the man's face fell"
Teaching on Wealth
How hard is it for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God?
"It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a
needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of
God."
"Who then can be saved?"
"With man this is impossible,but not
with God; all things are possible with
God."
Money can get in the way of a relationship
with God. You need to rely on God's
goodness.
Christians can learn that money shouldn't be the main focus in
their lives, things are more important than money, should be
humble and put others first and if they struggle they will be
rewarded in the next life.
Rewards of the Kingdom
"no one who has left home... for me and the gospel will fail
to receive a hundred times as much in the present age and in
the age to come, eternal life."
"Many who are first will be last, and the last first."
If you are willing to give up everything you will be rewarded
in the present and in the future. Given the greatest gift of
eternal life.
Jesus' Teaching on Service
"whoever wants to become great among you must be your
servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all."
"For even the Son of Man did not come to be served,
but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for
many."
If you wish to follow Jesus you must be prepared
to be a servant. If you serve you will become the
greatest.
Christians must be prepared to serve and shouldn't
be concerned with power or status.
The Greatest Commandments
"Out of all the commandments, which is the most important?"
"Love the Lord your God with all your heart."
"Love your neighbour as yourself."
A persons duty is to love God and this love
would lead to love for fellow people.
The Widow at the Treasurey
"I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more
into the treasurey than all the others"
"put in everything- all she had to live on."
Even though she was poor she gave up everything,
she was not looking for praise like the rich.
Christians should give to charity to help,
and give up their time and talents.
Parable of the Sower
"the seed"
The word of God
"eaten by the birds"
Listener does not respond or is tempted
away by Satan.
"rocky ground...scorched
my the sun and dies."
Listeners enthusiasm is
killed of by persecution and
other troubles.
"thorny ground is choked by the weeds."
Listeners response is stifled by materialism
and worldly concerns.
"fertile ground produces a bumper harvest.
Listeners response is positive, in
belief and action.
The Commission
"Go into all the world and preach the good
news to all creation."
Even Gentiles.
Spread the Word of God.
"drive out demons"
"speak in new tongues"
"when they drink deadly poison, it will
not hurt them at all"
"place their hands on sick
people, and they will get well."
God will help them and provide them with
skills whilst also protecting them.
The Mustard Seed
It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest seed
you plant...it grows and becomes the largest of all
garden plants"
The Kingdom of God grows from small beginnings and the message
would eventually spread all over the world.
No matter what Christians encounter the message will grow.
Mother Maria of Ravensbruck
A Catholic nun living in Paris during WW2. When
the Germans began attacking the Jews many
came to her convent seeking help. She helped
and got took to a concentration camp. She died in
1945 when she gave her life in the place of
someone else.
Mother Teresa
Joined a convent in Ireland from where
she was sent to teach in Calcutta. One
day she felt God calling her to help the to
poor. She left the convent and formed th
Missionaries of Charity. She led a life
centred around Gods love. said mass,
rescued babies and tended the sick and
dying. She was awarded the Nobel Peace
Prize.