Easter Is Coming! Get Pumped

Elevation Church Easter Opener from Elevation Church on Vimeo.

Why Would Jesus Rebuke His Own Mother? (Or Because We're All In This Together)

I promise I'm not as boring as I may sound.
Ok.
You may continue.


To set it up, Jesus has just rebuked his concerned mother (she thought he was going a little overboard with this whole Savior-thing) in front of a crowd of his disciples because it was so crowded that she couldn't get close enough to him. So, she basically tells a random disciple, "Hey, please get Jesus's attention & tell him that his mother & brothers are here to get him."(Ouch!)
Jesus essentially replies, "These are my mothers & brothers; the ones following me, listening to me, & obeying me."

Now, the explanation.
As I read this portion of commentary from the Life Application New Testament Commentary (by the way, one of my favorite resources) I knew I had to share it's contents which explain the story.

"Jesus gave a respectful rebuke to his overly concerned mother; he was not severing ties with his earthly family. Through this incident, Jesus gave another lesson to his followers by explaining that spiritual relationships are as binding as physical ones. This would be the basis for the new community that Jesus was building--the Christian family [aka. The Church]...In these words, Jesus was explaining that in his spiritual family, relationships are ultimately more important and longer-lasting than those formed in one's physical family." (in reference to Luke 8:19-21, emphasis added)

I love it!
Shouldn't this then change our attitude & behavior towards the people in our church communities?
Now, let these words sink in:

"Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples." (John 13:35, NLT)

Is It Time For You To Move? Probably.

How many of us like to move? (Let me chime in: I don't!)

I'm currently reading through the book of Numbers (the one in the Bible...you know, the one we never use in church) and I've got to say that this time around I'm seeing some good stuff.

In about the middle of chapter 9 the famous "cloud by day, pillar of fire by night" story is touched on. I've got to admit, I wish it was as clear as it was back then, but it's not. But honestly, just because it was clear didn't make it any easier. When God moved, the people had to move. Maybe they stayed in their spot for a week; maybe a month; sometimes a couple of days.

What I'm getting at is this: moving, adjusting, making some changes, etc is a core characteristic of following Jesus. If you don't like "moving" then you've picked the wrong person to follow for the rest of your life. Whether it's the big moves in life or the minor steps, we've got to keep moving.

So, when's the last time you moved? We've got to keep moving.