Aren’t you glad that scripture lets you look behind the curtain to see the hot mess Jesus had to deal with in the disciples he chose?
We’re talking about the process of taking a rabble of theological know-nothing blue-collar nobodies, dropping them into the heat of a divine forge for three years so that by the end, Jesus has a handful of people who are ready to flip the planet upside-down for the Kingdom of God.
It’s one thing to scan through Acts and the Epistles and see the Apostles walking in the full strength of their calling. It’s awesome to see them staring down political and religious authorities and daring them to do their worst, or writing letters of wisdom, warning, and encouragement to guide and protect the young church.
But seeing them earlier in their journey as the raw material Christ had to build that generation of badasses out of? That’s a whole other story.
It’s rough stuff.
Here’s the secret: that before-and-after story is good news for the rest of us. Because if Christ could commission a generation of dragon-slayers out of the rough raw material we see in the gospels, that means there’s hope for the rest of us po’ rubes, too!
Better than hope.
There’s a Divine Plan ready and waiting for us. (Eph 2:10) It’s the kind of plan that’s far bigger than any dream we dared dream for ourselves.
All we need to do is cowboy up and embrace it on HIS terms rather than ours.
What kind of a hot mess was Jesus dealing with — and what can we learn from their mistakes?
That’s what’s covered in this week’s message. Giddy up!
Here’s the book that was mentioned at the end:
Lionhearted: Making Young Christian Males Rowdy Biblical Men
Dear young Christian male, this book you’re about to read is meant to challenge you to your very core. Its intent is not to make you feel warm and fuzzy. Some of the chapters will upset you greatly, especially if you’re a dandy who was raised with kid gloves by a helicopter mommy.
That said, in addition to the holy introspection contained herein, this book will also shoot adrenaline into your soul. It’ll push you to be a Godly risk taker and earth shaker. A veritable Rebel With A Cause just like the Captain of Our Salvation, the Lord Jesus Christ.
If you want a feel-good book that tickles your ears and morphs you into a little Christian popinjay, this tome ain’t for you. You should put this book down and walk away from it immediately. However, if, young man, if … your motto is to give God your utmost for His highest, and you wanna live a life worthy of Christ’s death, then this book will be grist for your mill.
Get your copy of Lionhearted: Making Young Christian Males Rowdy Biblical Men TODAY!
