Oct 21, 2018
The Risks and Rewards of Following Jesus
By: Rev. Bob Weeks
Series: Journey With Jesus

October 21, 2018 The Risks and Rewards of Following Jesus

Following Jesus is risky business.... maybe that's why churches sometimes tamper down certain parts of the Gospel when trying to increase their membership rolls. We advertise that our preacher is eloquent and charismatic. Our congregation welcomes visitors warmly. Our choir sings with glorious passion. Join us and your Sunday mornings will be well-spent and your spirits lifted.

It can make following Jesus sound like a Saturday on the golf links at the local country club.

What we often don't advertise are the numerous warnings in the Bible about the inherent risks of being a Jesus-follower. Jesus often discussed these risks with his disciples, a "buyer beware" approach based on his reading of their hearts. Jesus knew that many would enthusiastically begin their journey of discipleship with him, only to grow fearful and disillusioned along the way.

Following Jesus has its rewards.... For no matter how many and great the risks, Jesus offers us peace in the midst of conflict, joy in the light of his presence, and an eternity in heaven where our tears will be dried in the very presence of God. This and so much more.

Come this Sunday morning as we open God's Word and discover the risks and rewards of following Jesus.

Grace and peace, Pastor Bob

Matthew 10:32-42

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  • Oct 21, 2018The Risks and Rewards of Following Jesus
    Oct 21, 2018
    The Risks and Rewards of Following Jesus
    By: Rev. Bob Weeks
    Series: Journey With Jesus

    October 21, 2018 The Risks and Rewards of Following Jesus

    Following Jesus is risky business.... maybe that's why churches sometimes tamper down certain parts of the Gospel when trying to increase their membership rolls. We advertise that our preacher is eloquent and charismatic. Our congregation welcomes visitors warmly. Our choir sings with glorious passion. Join us and your Sunday mornings will be well-spent and your spirits lifted.

    It can make following Jesus sound like a Saturday on the golf links at the local country club.

    What we often don't advertise are the numerous warnings in the Bible about the inherent risks of being a Jesus-follower. Jesus often discussed these risks with his disciples, a "buyer beware" approach based on his reading of their hearts. Jesus knew that many would enthusiastically begin their journey of discipleship with him, only to grow fearful and disillusioned along the way.

    Following Jesus has its rewards.... For no matter how many and great the risks, Jesus offers us peace in the midst of conflict, joy in the light of his presence, and an eternity in heaven where our tears will be dried in the very presence of God. This and so much more.

    Come this Sunday morning as we open God's Word and discover the risks and rewards of following Jesus.

    Grace and peace, Pastor Bob

    Matthew 10:32-42

  • Jul 21, 2013All for Sinners’ Gain
    Jul 21, 2013
    All for Sinners’ Gain
    By: Rev. Bob Weeks
    Series: Journey With Jesus
  • Jul 14, 2013“Out of the Pan, into the Fire”
    Jul 14, 2013
    “Out of the Pan, into the Fire”
    By: Rev. Bob Weeks
    Series: Journey With Jesus
    The second in a three-part series on the Gospel of Matthew. We explore the true meaning of Christian "call" and the ways in which Jesus has called us to follow him in an often hostile world.
  • Jul 7, 2013Challenged from the Start: Bethlehem to the Wilderness
    Jul 7, 2013
    Challenged from the Start: Bethlehem to the Wilderness
    By: Rev. Bob Weeks
    Series: Journey With Jesus
    SERMON SERIES:  JOURNEY WITH JESUS, PART 1 Challenged from the Start:  Bethlehem to the Wilderness This morning's sermon challenged us to rethink the first stages in the life of Jesus from the Gospel according to Matthew. Here's a summary of Matthew 1-4: 1) Jesus is born in squalor and scandal; 2) Jesus' birth so disturbs Herod the Great that he attempts an assassination of Jesus by massacre; 3) To escape Herod, Jesus and his parents become refugees in Eqypt; 4) Jesus is baptized by his cousin John, a wilderness prophet strongly critical of the religious establishment who would later be beheaded; 5) Jesus encounters and overcomes the trials of the Tempter in a cruel wilderness experience. QUESTIONS: What does it mean that God chose this particular time and place for the birth of Jesus? What do the stories of Matt. 1-4 mean to the modern church and contemporary followers of Jesus? Are we too concerned with respectability and propriety - and not enough with the poor, the outcast, the lost? Have we allowed our culture and church to so soften the story of Jesus that we have lost a realistic sense of its transforming power?
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