Growin' Up Gregory

Jesus has provided the disciples with the tools they needed, a purpose, and even provided instruction on what they didn't need.  So what else is left?  Here's the story again from Mark 6:7-13. And he called to the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits.  He charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff - no bread, no bag, no money in their belts - but to wear sandals and not put on two tunics.  And he said to them, "Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you depart from there.  And if any place will not receive you and they will not listen to you, when you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them."  So they went out and proclaimed that people should repent.  And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them. Jesus provided the disciples with success.  The last two sentences of the story read,...

We've looked at how Jesus provides us with tools and a purpose, so what's next?  Here's the story from Mark 6:7-13 again. And he called to the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits.  He charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff - no bread, no bag, no money in their belts - but to wear sandals and not put on two tunics.  And he said to them, "Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you depart from there.  And if any place will not receive you and they will not listen to you, when you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them."  So they went out and proclaimed that people should repent.  And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them. Jesus provides what we don't need.  "He charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff - no bread, no bag, no money in their belts - but to wear s...

We looked at how Jesus provides us the tools we need to accomplish His will, so what's next?  Well once we have the tools, we need to know our purpose.  Here's the story from Mark 6:7-13 again. And he called to the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits.  He charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff - no bread, no bag, no money in their belts - but to wear sandals and not put on two tunics.  And he said to them, "Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you depart from there.  And if any place will not receive you and they will not listen to you, when you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them."  So they went out and proclaimed that people should repent.  And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them. This story is actually in the Bible several times (which tells you how important it is) a...

If I came up to you, and gave you a brand new golf club, would you be thankful?  Probably so, even if you don't play the club may have some value if you were to sell it.  But what if I gave you the club and told you we were going to play tennis?  Or maybe I give you a brand new hammer, but then I tell you that you've got to use it to dig a hole?  These tools aren't quite as functional when being used for the wrong purpose and you're not quite as  thankful anymore are you?  Do you think that Jesus properly equipped his disciples and equips us today to do the job he calls us to do?  Let's take a look at a story in Mark 6:7-13 and see. And he called to the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits.  He charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff - no bread, no bag, no money in their belts - but to wear sandals and not put on two tunics.  And he said to them, "Whenever you e...

As we've studied through this story of what it's like to become a disciple of Jesus, let's recap some of the bigger picture applications in this story from John 1:43-51. One day Jesus decided to go to Galilee.  He found Philip there and said to him, "Follow me."  Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.  Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found him of whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." Nathanael:  "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip:  "Come and see." Jesus saw Nathanael coming and said to him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!" Nathanael:  "How do you know me?" Jesus:  "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you." Nathanael:  "Rabbi, you are the Son of God!  You are the King of Israel!" Jesus:  "Because I said to you, I saw you under ...

We've looked at this story and seen Philip's reaction to Jesus, Nathanael's reaction to Philip, and now we'll look at Nathanael's reaction to Jesus in this story in John 1:43-51. One day Jesus decided to go to Galilee.  He found Philip there and said to him, "Follow me."  Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.  Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found him of whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." Nathanael:  "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip:  "Come and see." Jesus saw Nathanael coming and said to him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!" Nathanael:  "How do you know me?" Jesus:  "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you." Nathanael:  "Rabbi, you are the Son of God!  You are the King of Israel!" Jesus:  "Because I said to you,...

Last time, we looked at what it's like to become a disciple and we saw how Philip reacted after his encounter with Jesus.  Here's the story again from John 1:43-51 for you. One day Jesus decided to go to Galilee.  He found Philip there and said to him, "Follow me."  Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.  Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found him of whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." Nathanael:  "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip:  "Come and see." Jesus saw Nathanael coming and said to him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!" Nathanael:  "How do you know me?" Jesus:  "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you." Nathanael:  "Rabbi, you are the Son of God!  You are the King of Israel!" Jesus:  "Because I said to you, I saw you under t...

Disciple is a word that many in the Christian community throw around sometimes without really letting others know what it is.  Basically, a disciple is a follower of Jesus.  So how does someone become a disciple?  What happens when you begin to follow Jesus?  Let's look at a short story found in John 1:43-51 and see. One day Jesus decided to go to Galilee.  He found Philip there and said to him, "Follow me."  Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.  Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found him of whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." Nathanael:  "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip:  "Come and see." Jesus saw Nathanael coming and said to him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!" Nathanael:  "How do you know me?" Jesus:  "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you....

I've made some mistakes, and done some things I really wish I hadn't done in my past, maybe even this weekend.  How do I become a good person?  How do I get right with God?  Does this sound like you, or someone you know today?  Please allow me to offer a brief answer, and some encouragement. There was a man in the Bible named Saul.  He was persecuting and even killing Christians.  I'm sure most of us aren't that bad, hope not anyway.  But when he had an encounter with Jesus Christ, his whole life changed direction.  He went from attacking Christians, to spreading the Word of Christ.  How does that happen?  It's a miracle, a gift of salvation.  Saul, who then became known as Paul, was justified before God immediately upon his conversion.  He had not yet done anything good for the Lord, but he had placed his faith in Him.  "Yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through fai...

I've prayed about this and thought about it, and still am unsure if it's worth posting or not.  But these are my thoughts and feelings on the current elections and questions on my sample ballot.  That's the first thing, please take a look at what all will be on your ballot BEFORE you go to the polls, or at least before you step into the booth to cast your vote.  These are important decisions and can sometimes require much thought and understanding before you can accurately cast your vote the way you intend.  Let's start at the bottom of the ballot and work up to the top.  - Must a one percent sales and use tax be levied in Union County for the purpose of allowing a credit against a taxpayer's county and municipal ad valorem tax liability and for the purpose of funding county and municipal operations in the Union County area?  You will then either vote in favor of (yes), or opposed to (no). - My thoughts.  I'm in favor of a sales tax increa...

Don't do this long, because I don't want anyone to blame me for bad eyes one day.  But when you turn a light on some time today, take a good, quick, look at the light bulb itself, like directly at the bulb.  While the light is on what can you see?  I couldn't see much.  The actual pieces of the bulb that produce light are masked by the glow while it's burning.  But when the light is on, I can see many things around it.  Lights make it so we can see in a dark room, drive down a dark road, and go any number of places with the ability to see things around us. The Bible tells us that as Christians we should be lights.  "You are the light of the world.  A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who ...