Jesus:  His People

Jesus transformed a rough group of laborers into dedicated disciples.  This is the story of that change.

I.        Jesus Saw What a Person Could Be

John 1:40‑42
40        Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus.
41        The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, "We have found the Messiah" (that is, the Christ).
42        And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, "You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas" (which, when translated, is Peter).  (NIV)

Have you ever had a teacher, or someone who believed in you, and saw something that no one else saw?  How did it make you feel?

Perhaps there are some people in your world that others have overlooked, but who could be wonderful leaders for Christ if given the opportunity.

II.       Jesus Asks the Disciples to Follow Him

Mark 1:14‑17
14        After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God.
15        "The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!"
16        As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen.
17        "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." (NIV)

In our world today, what does it mean to follow Jesus?

We read about his life in the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) to learn how he lived and what he taught. Reguardless of how we are perceived by people we simply do what he taught us to do. The exciting thing is that he will give us help to live like him. We do not have to do it on our own.

How would our world be different if we followed Jesus?

Jesus is all about true love, and treating each other according to the golden rule. If we all lived by the golden rule business, government, and families would function smoothly.

Relationships would be rich with meaning.

III.      Jesus Proved Himself to the Disciples

John 2:7‑12
7          Jesus said to the servants, "Fill the jars with water"; so they filled them to the brim.
8          Then he told them, "Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet." They did so,
9          and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside
10        and said, "Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now."
11        This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed at Cana in Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him.
12        After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother and brothers and his disciples. There they stayed for a few days.  (NIV)

What were some of the things that convinced you that Jesus was God?

IV.     Jesus Gave Them a Ministry

Luke 9:1-6
1          When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases,
2          and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.
3          He told them: "Take nothing for the journey‑‑ no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra tunic.
4          Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town.
5          If people do not welcome you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave their town, as a testimony against them."
6          So they set out and went from village to village, preaching the gospel and healing people everywhere.  (NIV)
 
What is the Gospel? 

Why was the gospel the primary focus of Jesus’ ministry?

Gospel means “good news”.  It is the best news in the world that God reached down to sinful man and give him the opportunity to be forgiven and to come into a relationship with the God of the Universe.

He came to earth with the purpose of helping us come into a relationship with him.

V.      Jesus Demonstrated His Power

Luke 9:10-20
10        When the apostles returned, they reported to Jesus what they had done. Then he took them with him and they withdrew by themselves to a town called Bethsaida,
11        but the crowds learned about it and followed him. He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed healing.
12        Late in the afternoon the Twelve came to him and said, "Send the crowd away so they can go to the surrounding villages and countryside and find food and lodging, because we are in a remote place here."
13        He replied, "You give them something to eat." They answered, "We have only five loaves of bread and two fish‑‑ unless we go and buy food for all this crowd."
14        (About five thousand men were there.) But he said to his disciples, "Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each."
15        The disciples did so, and everybody sat down.
16        Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke them. Then he gave them to the disciples to set before the people.
17        They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.
18        Once when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them, "Who do the crowds say I am?"
19        They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life."
20        "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" Peter answered, "The Christ of God."  (NIV)

If you had been one of the disciples what could you have learned from this incident?

The disciples had first hand evidence that this was no ordinary man they were dealing with.  This guy was different.  He was God.

VI.     Jesus’ Impact Grew

           
Luke 10:1-3
1          After this the Lord appointed seventy‑two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go.
2          He told them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.
3          Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.  (NIV)

Laborers for the harvest are dear to God’s heart. 

VII.    Private Teaching

Luke 10:17-23
17        The seventy‑two returned with joy and said, "Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name."
18        He replied, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.
19        I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.
20        However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven."
21        At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure.
22        "All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him."
23        Then he turned to his disciples and said privately, "Blessed are the eyes that see what you see.  (NIV)

In what ways do we get more excited about what God can do through us than about the fact that we are forgiven?

It is so easy to be self centered rather than God centered.  Pride can take over when we do ministry, and we can think it is about us, when the reality is, it is all about Jesus and what he has done for us.

VIII.   The Disciples are Left to Carry on the Mission

Acts 1:7‑14
7          He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.
8          But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
9          After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.
10        They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them.
11        "Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven."  (NIV)

Acts 2:14
14        Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: "Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. (NIV)

Acts 2:22-24
22        "Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know.
23        This man was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross.
24        But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.  (NIV)

Acts 2:36-41
36        "Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ."
37        When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?"
38        Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
39        The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off-- for all whom the Lord our God will call."
40        With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.

41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day."  (NIV)

Summary

The Disciples watched this wonderful man of compassion for only a few years.  He rubbed off on them.  His priorities became theirs.  Through the disciples a church began of which we are all recipients.  Today more than 1 Billion people claim to be his followers. 

Phil 3:12
12        Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.  (NIV)

Let us see what God has for us to do, and let us run after it with all our heart.

Extra Information:  The following is an article by Josh McDowell which appeared in the Focus on the Family newsletter April 2000.  The resurrection is an important historical event in relation to the Life of Christ.

“And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins….If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.”
I Corinthians 15:17,19

As disciples of Christ we are called on often to defend the faith which we have.  The following article can help you with information you may need as others ask questions about your faith.
 

If I Had Faked the Resurrection
By Josh McDowell

            I set out as a young man to debunk Christianity.  I met a young Christian woman who challenged me to intellectually examine the evidence for Christianity, and I accepted her challenge.  I aimed to show her -- and everyone -- that Christianity was nonsense.  I thought it would be easy.  I thought a careful investigation of the facts would expose Christianity as a lie and its followers as dupes. 

            But then a funny thing happened.  As I began investigating the claims of Christianity, I kept running up against the evidence.  Time after time, I was surprised to discover the factual basis for the seemingly outlandish things Christians believe.  And one of the most convincing categories of evidence I confronted was this: The resurrection accounts found in the Gospels are not the stuff of fable, forgery or fabrication.

            I had assumed that someone, or several someones, had invented the stories of Jesus Christ's resurrection from the dead.  But as I examined those accounts, I had to face the fact that any sensible mythmaker would do things much differently from the way Matthew, Mark, Luke and John did in recording the news of the Resurrection.

            As much as I hated to, I had to admit that if I had been some first-century propagandist trying to fake the resurrection of Jesus Christ, I would have done a number of things differently:

I WOULD WAIT A PRUDENT
PERIOD AFTER THE EVENTS BEFORE
“PUBLISHING" MY ACCOUNT.

Few historians dispute the fact that the disciples of Jesus began preaching the news of His resurrection soon after the event itself; in fact, Peter's Pentecost sermon (Acts 2) occurred within 50 days of the Resurrection.  And textual research indicates that the written accounts of the Resurrection, especially the creedal statement of 1 Corinthians 15:3-8, are astoundingly early in origin, possibly within two years of the event.  Such early origins argue against any notion that the Resurrection accounts are legendary.

I WOULD PUBLISH MY ACCOUNT
FAR FROM THE VENUE WHERE IT
SUPPOSEDLY HAPPENED.

Dr. William Lane Craig writes, "One of the most amazing facts about the early Christian belief in Jesus' resurrection was that it originated in the very city where Jesus was crucified.  The Christian faith did not come to exist in some distant city, far from eyewitnesses who knew of Jesus' death and burial.  No, it came into being in the very city where Jesus had been publicly crucified, under the very eyes of its enemies."

I WOULD SELECT MY "WITNESSES"
VERY CAREFULLY.

I would avoid, as much as possible, using any names at all in MY account, and I would certainly avoid citing prominent personalities as witnesses.  Yet at least 16 individuals are mentioned by name as witnesses in the various accounts, and the mention of Joseph of Arimathea as the man who buried Jesus would have been terribly dangerous if the gospel accounts had been faked or embellished.  As a member of the Sanhedrin, a Jewish "Supreme Court," he would have been well known.  J. P. Moreland writes, "No one could have invented such a person who did not exist and say he was on the Sanhedrin if such were not the case." 

His involvement in the burial of Jesus could have been easily confirmed or refuted.  Perhaps most important, I would avoid citing disreputable witnesses, which makes significant the record of Jesus' first appearances-to women since in that time and culture women were considered invalid witnesses in a court of law.  If the accounts were fabrications, the women would never have been included in the story, at least not as first witnesses.

 
I WOULD SURROUND THE EVENT
WITH IMPRESSIVE SUPERNATURAL
DISPLAYS AND OMENS.

As Jewish scholar Pinchas Lapide  writes, "We do not read in the first testimonies [of the Resurrection] of  an apocalyptic spectacle, exorbitant sensations, or of the transforming impact of a cosmic event...According to all New Testament reports, no human eye saw the Resurrection itself, no human being was present, and none of the disciples asserted to have apprehended, let alone understood, its manner and nature.  How easy it would have been for them or their immediate successors to supplement this scandalous hole in the concatenation of events by fanciful embellishments!  But precisely because none of the evangelists dared to 'improve upon' or embellish this unseen resurrection, the total picture of the gospels also gains in trustworthiness."

I WOULD PAINSTAKINGLY CORRELATE
MY ACCOUNT WITH OTHERS I KNEW,
EMBELLISHING THE LEGEND ONLY
WHERE I COULD BE CONFIDENT OF
NOT BEING CONTRADICTED.

Many critics have pointed out the befuddling differences and apparent contradictions in the Resurrection accounts.  But these are actually convincing evidences of their authenticity; they display an ingenuous lack of collusion, agreeing and (apparently) diverging much as eyewitness accounts of any event do.

I WOULD PORTRAY MYSELF AND ANY
CO-CONSPIRATORS SYMPATHETICALLY,
EVEN HEROICALLY.

Yet the Gospel writers present strikingly unflattering portraits of Jesus' followers (such as Peter and Thomas) and their often skeptical reactions (Mark 16:11,13;  Luke 24:11,37;  John 20:19,25; 21:4).   Such portrayals are very unlike the popular myths and legends of that (or any) time.

I WOULD DISGUISE THE LOCATION
OF THE TOMB OR SPECTACULARLY
DESTROY IT IN MY ACCOUNT.

If I were creating a resurrection legend, I would keep the tomb's location a secret to prevent any chance that someone might discover Jesus' body, or I would record in my account that the angels sealed it or carried it off into heaven after the Resurrection.   Or I might have taken the easiest course of all and simply made my fictional resurrection a "spiritual" one, which would have made it impossible to refute even if a body were eventually discovered.  But, of course, the Gospel accounts describe the owner of the tomb (Joseph of  Arimathea) and its location ("At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb," John 19:41), and identify Jesus' resurrection as a bodily one (John 20:27).     

I WOULD TRY TO SQUELCH
INQUIRY OR INVESTIGATION.

I might pronounce a curse on anyone attempting to substantiate my claims, or attach a stigma to anyone so shallow as to require evidence.  Yet note the frequent appeal of Jesus' disciples, to the easily confirmed -- or discredited -- nature of the evidence, as though inviting investigation (Acts   2:32, 3:15, 13:3 1; 1 Corinthians 15:3-6).  This was done within a few years of the events themselves; if the tomb were not empty or the Resurrection appearances were fiction, the early   Christians' opponents could have conclusively debunked the new religion.  As Dr. Edwin Yamauchi says of the citation of the resurrected Christ appearing to more than 500 people in 1 Corinthians 15, "What gives special authority to the list [of witnesses] as historical evidence is the reference to most of the five hundred brethren being still alive.   St. Paul says in effect, 'If you do not believe me, you can ask them."'

I WOULD NOT PREACH A MESSAGE
OF REPENTANCE IN LIGHT OF THE
RESURRECTION.

No one in his right mind would have chosen to create a fictional message that would invite opposition and persecution from both civil and religious authorities of those days.  How much easier and wiser it would have been to preach a less controversial gospel -- concentrating on Jesus'    teachings about love, perhaps -- thus saving myself and the adherents of my new religion a lot of trouble.

I WOULD STOP SHORT OF DYING
FOR MY LIE.

Lee Strobel has written, "People will die for their religious beliefs if they sincerely believe they're true, but people won’t die for their religious beliefs if they know their beliefs are false.  "While most people can only have faith that their beliefs are true, the disciples were in a position to know without a doubt whether or not Jesus had risen from the dead.  They claimed that they saw him, talked with him, and ate with him.  If they weren’t absolutely certain, they wouldn’t have    allowed themselves to be tortured to death for proclaiming that the Resurrection had happened."

These are not the only reasons I believe in the truth of the Bible and the reality of the Resurrection.  But these were among the "many convincing proofs" (Acts 1:3) that I encountered in my attempts to prove Christianity wrong, which eventually led me to the conclusion that Jesus    Christ was who He claimed to be and that He really did rise from the dead.  It didn’t happen immediately, but eventually I gave in to the truth, and on Dec. 19, 1959, the Risen Christ radically changed my life.  I've seen Him do the same for countless others, and I pray, if you haven’t done so already, you will let Him do the same for you.

This Article appeared in The World Wide Challenge Magazine of Campus Crusade for Christ. Josh McDowell is a speaker, author, and traveling representative for Campus Crusade for Christ.  His books include Evidence That Demands a Verdict, More Than a Carpenter, and The New Tolerance.  He was assisted in writing this article by Bob Hostetler, an award-winning writer who lives in Hamilton, Ohio.

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