Apprentice 2 Jesus

Discipleship/Spiritual Formation

  • Avoiding Bumper Sticker Christianity

    I really wish to avoid any bumper sticker thinking of any kind. I know it’s not possible. We develop almost all of our political stances off of headlines attached to stories we don’t read, or bumper stickers we see and think, “Yeah… that makes sense.” That’s too bad, but it is what it is. We… Read more

  • The Gospel of Mark and the Power of the Kingdom

    As we read the Gospel of Mark for this week, I have worked on a theory: Everything Mark does in his gospel flows from Mark 1:15. I have no idea if this is actual or not… and I’ve not had enough time, resources, millions of volumes of others who think about this stuff, etc., to… Read more

  • What Keeps Us Away from Following Christ?

    In Mark 10 we have the story of the rich young ruler. He’s done well. He’s worked on. He truly wants to do what is right. Jesus knows it. He looks at him and loves him. He sees this man is on track for the Kingdom. But there is an obstacle. “You are lacking one thing.” I… Read more

  • Why Could We Not Cast It Out?

    Mark 9:14-29. The disciples couldn’t cast out the demon from the boy. The father easily confessed his belief and lack of belief and asked for more. Yet… the disciples are baffled. Mark, in his gospel, leaves the disciples baffled more than the other gospel writers. One of the heart-searching things about the Gospel of Mark… Read more

  • The Offer They Couldn’t Refuse

    We are in the Gospel of Mark this week. Pay attention to the significant differences between Luke, Matthew, and Mark. Mark starts off like a starter’s pistol in a sprint. He doesn’t seem to slow down for anything in the first few chapters. But I want him to slow it up. I want him to… Read more

  • Fixing Our Attention

    There are probably many in our world who still erroneously believe that Christianity is for the weak. It is for those who cannot think for themselves. It is for those in need of a “crutch.” Something like that. The claim I have made for years is the exact opposite. Christianity is not for the weak… Read more

  • A New Series for Group Bible Studies

    As our church has been reading through the New Testament this summer, the format for the reading schedule has come from Biblica’s project The Books of the Bible. I have commented before on how this edition is made more for public reading and getting the reader into the full book of the Bible. IVP has now come out… Read more

  • The Process of Discipleship and the Beauty of Communion

    I wrote earlier about the process of discipleship. When it comes to obedience, we so often need to “loop” right back up to faith. Discipleship isn’t “linear.” It’s a cycle. It’s a cycle that grows, but we never “leave” a certain step or stage of the process. We build. That is the beauty of communion. It… Read more

  • Jesus Mean and Wild

    We like the “meek and mild” Jesus. The tough side of Jesus gets hidden. (Mark Driscoll reverses that, but he’s another story.) In Matthew 8 and 9 we have a lot of stories about miracles and few stories about discipleship. In Matt. 8:18-22 we have one tough lesson on discipleship. The question is basically this:… Read more

  • The Sermon on the Mount and the Process of Discipleship

    For years I have taught that the Sermon on the Mount is the clearest teaching on the Kingdom of God in found in one place in Scripture. Going through Matthew this time as our church prepares for Sunday, I’ve walked through the passage again to find if that still holds true as a statement for… Read more