It appears that there is a curious Pharisee living in Capernaum, who has been following the ministry of Jesus. He is intrigued enough to risk his reputation and invite Jesus over for a meal with some of his friends. Jesus accepts the invitation and what transpires is nothing less than life transforming. Take a look!
Knowing Him Study: pages 121-123
Wow! I hope you are wrestling with leading like Jesus. I so want to be a leader that loves, is humble, has great faith in God and who knows who his authority is. I struggle with all four aspects of leadership and so need Jesus living in me and through me to be the leader He calls me to be. Note also that as we work our way through this study in the life of Christ, I was forced to pick only fifty events, thus we will be leaving out important events like the one found in Luke 7:11-17 when Jesus shows the power and authority over the dead by raising a widow’s son to life.
Jesus was often misunderstood as a leader. In today’s study, Jesus pays tribute to another greatly unappreciated and misunderstood leader. He honors this leader who was both His dear friend and co-laborer in the Kingdom of God. Come learn some
more from the Master about leadership.
Knowing Him Study: pages 117-120
After choosing the first leaders for the movement and laying out the Father’s plan for reaching the world, Jesus comes down from the mountain and returns to His home and ministry center in Capernaum. His leaders are now with Him almost 24/7. And who does the Father have waiting in the wings but a Roman centurion? Oh, the humor of our Father in Heaven! How will Jesus model His new leadership style? How will it all play out?
Knowing Him Study: 114-116
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After letting His disciples know what they should expect as they leave this mountaintop experience with Him, He turns His attention to explaining the Father’s plan for reaching the world. I imagine the atmosphere was electrifying with everyone shouting, “Let’s take the world!” Jesus quiets them and begins sharing the game plan to bring freedom from Rome and the curse of sin. They all listen with great anticipation to the new plan. It is an awesome plan and one Jesus will explain and live out in front of His new leaders and disciples over the coming two years. It will end in the ultimate act of love — His own death. Get ready to have your world rocked!
Knowing Him Study: pages 11-113
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When we left Jesus yesterday He had just announced the appointment of twelve leaders. I am not sure that everyone was happy with the final decision. What about the women disciples? Yes, there were many women who were not just Christ-followers, but also disciples. In Luke 8:1-3 we have a list of several of these women. As Jesus looks into the faces of those not chosen as well as those who were chosen, I am sure He saw many different expressions. Maybe everyone expected Peter, but how about Matthew, the tax collector? Surely some people had a hard time with this selection. After all, Matthew was a traitor to his people and hated — how could Jesus choose him? And how about the fact that eleven of the twelve were from the region of Galilee?
Knowing Him Study: 108-110
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As Jesus moves into this new phase, He knows it is crucial that He listen carefully to His Father in order for the movement to expand according to the Father’s master plan. Jesus called an isolated (perhaps secretive) meeting with His disciples from every area He has been in over the past two years. Probably some 120 disciples move quietly to the mountains of Naphtali just northwest of Capernaum. As they are arriving from all over, Jesus climbs to a high spot. What will He do? What will He say? What will be the next step His Father will ask Him to take? Let’s take a look.
Knowing Him Study: 105-107
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This phase in Jesus’ life is focused on leadership development. As the movement continues to grow, Jesus begins to hand-select from His disciples a few to be servant leaders of the movement. After a full night of prayer, consulting with His Father, Jesus appoints twelve men who will begin their apprenticeship as leaders and will eventually become the leaders of the movement.
Knowing Him Study: pages 101-104
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The sixth fishing expedition is amazing and, honestly, a bit astonishing to me. There is this guy living in Capernaum — he is well off, well-dressed, has it all. He is, in fact, the son of the powerful Alphaeus and commissioned, trusted and protected by Rome to collect taxes from the people of Israel. He may have been following Jesus from afar and weighing carefully the call to leave everything and follow. But there is so much
to leave — the house, the money, the job, the lifestyle. If he could only know for certain that Jesus could give him what he most wants. Let’s see what he discovers.
Knowing Him Study: pages 98-100
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After this last fishing expedition, the movement is snowballing. Did you catch how the movement of multiplication is beginning to get out of control? Peter notes that during this time in the ministry, the leper “went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely place. Yet the people still come to him from everywhere” (Mark 1:45). From the eyewitnesses that he interviewed, Luke notes: “Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses” (Luke 5:15). What will happen next?
Knowing Him Study: pages 95-97
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As Jesus moves throughout the Galilee of the Gentiles, sharing who He is, He comes across a man covered from head to toe with a fatal disease. What will happen and how will this lead to a teaching experience and a fishing expedition for His team? Let’s dig right in.
Knowing Him Study: pages 92-94
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