mission

CALLING ALL CHRISTIANS

October 29, 2025 by Eddie Leave a Comment

Someone once asked Jesus, “Lord, will only a few people be saved?” If you read the story in Luke 13:22-30, you will see that the person asking Jesus about this is most likely a Jew who feels certain that he is saved. And Jesus is once again upset about the arrogance and aloofness of the person asking, practically brushing him aside and saying “Away from me, I don’t know you.”

Here we have another confrontation where Jesus surprises the audience and reminds them to take their faith in God to a much deeper level than they have been superficially doing.

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JESUS DIDN’T ALLOW PUSHBACKS TO STOP HIM — So should you. Stay on mission.

October 31, 2024 by Eddie Leave a Comment

“Some Pharisees came to Jesus and said to him, ‘Leave this place and go somewhere else. Herod wants to kill you.’” We find this incident told in Luke 13:31-35. This passage shows us how committed Jesus was to obey His Father, despite threats on his life, and how the plan and purpose of Jesus in fulfillment of the Scriptures written centuries before His time was so perfectly executed.

At this point in His ministry, Jesus is still preaching and performing miracles in Galilee. The Pharisees want to get rid of him, and so they intimidate Him to leave Galilee saying that Herod Antipas (who was the one who had John the Baptist killed, remember?) was ready to have Him killed too. These Pharisees hope that Jesus will run for His life and depart from Galilee, away from the territory of Herod.

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JESUS SENDS US INTO UNPLEASANT AND HOSTILE ENVIRONMENTS — and there He joins us

October 18, 2024 by Eddie Leave a Comment

There was a time when Jesus sent 72 disciples to go to various towns and villages to bring blessings of peace and to announce that “The Kingdom of God has come near to you.” He also gave them authority to perform miraculous healings. BUT Jesus also warned them that they should expect opposition, because they would be going out like sheep among wolves. You can find this in Luke 10:1-9.

Those of us who have heard and embraced the good news of Jesus Christ are called to continue this mission, for indeed the harvest is plentiful and the workers are few. And we would be well advised to anticipate, as many of you must already have experienced, that there will be all sorts of opposition to the good news, ranging from callous indifference, to skepticism, and even attacks on our person.

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THE HEROES AND MARTYRS IN OUR LIVES

August 29, 2023 by Eddie Leave a Comment

Yesterday, National Heroes Day, our nation remembered her heroes of long ago — men and women who fought for what they believed was our sovereign right as a people and who braved death against all odds. Today, in our gospel reading (Mark 6:17-29), the evangelist Mark tells the story about the martyrdom of John the Baptist.

This is a familiar story to many of us. John, who was the voice crying in the desert, was sent by God to prepare the way of the Lord. Scripture tells us that many people followed John looking to him for hope, perhaps expecting some great Messianic power, but John never allowed himself the false honor of receiving these people for his own glory. He knew his calling was one of preparation. And when the time came, he led his disciples to Jesus. And yet even then, he did not hesitate to speak the truth and accused the guilty, even King Herod himself. And this led to his imprisonment and to his most gruesome and untimely execution as described in today’s gospel.

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