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Talk 26    Mark 9:1-8    The Transfiguration – a Glimpse of Heaven Welcome to Talk 26 in our series on Mark's Gospel. Today we're looking at Mark 9:1-8 where we read of a truly awesome event in the life of Jesus and three of his disciples. It's what is known as the transfiguration. The chapter begins with Jesus saying: I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God come with power. There has been much discussion about what Jesus meant by this, but in my view the explanation is almost certainly found in the following verses where we read how Jesus took Peter, James and John up a high mountain and he was transfigured before them (v2). So let's begin by reading verses 2-8: 2 After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. 3 His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. 4 And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus. 5 Peter said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters – one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah." 6 (He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.) 7 Then a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and a voice came from the cloud: "This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!" 8 Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus. Transfiguration is not a word that's in common use today, but its basic meaning is transformation. The Greek word that's used in verse 2 is metamorpho'o from which we get our English word metamorphosis which we use to mean a change in the form of a person or thing into a completely different one, as, for example, when a caterpillar turns into a chrysalis and then into a butterfly. In the case of Jesus, Mark tells us that his clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them, but in 2 Peter 1:16-18 Peter himself describes what he saw: 16 We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 For he received honour and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." 18 We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain. He refers to the transfiguration as the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Compare this with what Jesus said in verse 1 about the kingdom of God coming with power). He uses words like, majesty, honour, glory, and God's voice coming from the Majestic Glory. It seems clear to me that what Peter is describing is nothing less than a glimpse or foretaste of Heaven itself. Of course, the day is coming when Jesus will finally come in power and great glory, a day Jesus refers to in 8:38 when he talks about the Son of Man coming in his Father's glory with the holy angels. But that was not to happen yet. Jesus must first suffer and die and rise again (v12). The transfiguration was not the second coming, but it was certainly a prophetic foretaste of it, a revelation of Jesus in power and glory, that Peter wanted to assure his readers was not a cleverly invented story. He had seen it for himself. He knew it was true. And, as he was approaching the end of his earthly life, his hope and his faith for eternity were securely founded on the revelation of Heaven he had received on that mountain. So, with this in mind, let's look at the passage and see what we can learn about Heaven. What is Heaven like? If you know Jesus as your Saviour, you're already on your way to Heaven, but do you have any real idea what it's going to be like? My wife, Eileen, went to Heaven recently and I've been trying to imagine her there. Actually, I've found it quite hard, and I've realised how little we know about Heaven. Of course the Book of Revelation paints a certain picture for us, but it contains so much symbolism that it's hard to know whether some passages are to be taken literally or metaphorically. Even the great apostle Paul had to admit that now we know only in part (1 Corinthians 13:12) and that we cannot yet imagine the things that God has prepared for those who love him (1 Corinthians 2:9). So it looks as though we'll have to wait and see. But that does not mean that we know nothing about what Heaven is like, and today's passage gives us some clear pointers. Heaven is a place of dazzling purity and awesome majesty In verse 3 Mark tells us that Jesus' clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. In Matthew 17:1 we're told his face shone like the sun. Paul on the road to Damascus had a glimpse of that brightness. Testifying before King Agrippa he says: At midday, I saw in the way, O king, out of heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round me a light – and having fallen to the earth…I heard a voice… (Acts26:13-14). John on the Isle of Patmos saw it too: His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance. When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: "Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades (Revelation 1:14-18). Heaven is a place of dazzling purity and awesome majesty. But it's a place  where it's good to be – a place where you'll want to stay! Notice what Peter says in verse 5: Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters – one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah. Of course he didn't realise what he was saying. Jesus, Moses and Elijah would not have needed shelters! All Peter knew was that he wanted the experience to last. Heaven is a place where the righteous dead are still living v4 And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus.            The Sadducees, who did not believe in life after death, once asked Jesus about a woman who had had seven different husbands because they all died one after the other. In the next life, whose wife would she be? Jesus replied that they were making a big mistake because they neither knew the power of God nor understood the Scriptures. Quoting the well-known passage in Exodus 3, he pointed out that God had revealed himself to Moses, saying, I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. The point here is that God did not say, I was. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob had all died centuries before God said this. Yet God still said I am. He was still their God centuries after they had died, so they must be still alive! Now, in today's passage, we have another evidence of this. Moses and Elijah appeared and were talking with Jesus. They had both died centuries earlier and Moses had died well before Elijah was born. So they were still alive long after they had died. What's more, they were recognisable. We don't know how the disciples knew who they were. Perhaps they overheard them referring to each other by name – it doesn't really matter. What does matter is that in Heaven we will be able to recognise and communicate with each other, even with Christians of earlier generations whom we have never met. Furthermore, they were not only recognisable, they seem to have been still serving God. It must surely have been God who sent them to have this conversation with Jesus. The exact details and the purpose of the conversation we do not know, but Luke tells us that they were speaking about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfilment at Jerusalem (Luke 9:31). More of this later, but I'm glad that in the life to come it seems that God will have something for us to do! Heaven is a place where Jesus is recognised for who he is At the transfiguration God declares Jesus to be his Son (v7). The disciples are to listen to HIM. He is exalted above both Moses (representing the Law) and Elijah (representing the prophets). He fulfilled them both and supersedes them both. All authority is given to him. No wonder Peter could say that Jesus received honour and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." Heaven is a place where Jesus is recognised for who he really is, and only those who recognise it will be welcome in Heaven. In the end the disciples are left seeing no-one except Jesus (v8). In the final analysis, Jesus is all that matters. Not the Law. Not the prophets. Just Jesus. It's our response to him that will determine our final destiny. Experiencing a foretaste of Heaven I have already suggested that the disciples' experience of the transfiguration was a glimpse or foretaste of Heaven itself. But that raises the question whether it's possible for us today to have such a foretaste – obviously not an identical one, because that was unique, but is there any sense in which Christians can experience a taste of heaven today? And the answer is certainly yes. They are rarely, if ever, as dramatic as that of the disciples at the transfiguration, but Hebrews 6 tells us that as Christians we have tasted the heavenly gift and… shared in the Holy Spirit… and tasted the good word of God and the powers of the coming age (vv4-5). In my book, Just a Taste of Heaven, I have sought to show that the supernatural healings we receive now through the power of the Spirit are best understood as a foretaste of the age to come, when we will enjoy permanent good health in the new imperishable bodies we will receive when Jesus comes again (1 Corinthians 15:52-54). But of course, healing is not the only foretaste. All the supernatural gifts of the Spirit are available, as he determines, to bring us into a new dimension beyond the natural level of our everyday lives. This is confirmed by Paul's use of Greek words like arrabon and aparche to refer to the Holy Spirit. Both these words indicate that through the Spirit now we may receive a foretaste of what Heaven will be like. But these experiences are of course just a taste! There's much much more when Jesus comes again! But for a detailed explanation you might like to take a look at the final chapter of my book, The Holy Spirit – and Introduction, or listen to podcasts 022-024. Meanwhile, as we wait for Heaven, there's a sense in which we ourselves are being transformed. The same verb as is used for Jesus being transfigured, or transformed, is used elsewhere about Christians. In Romans 12:2 Paul encourages us not to be conformed to this world, but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. And in 2 Corinthians 3:18 he tells us that  …we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. For us the transformation is gradual. The extent to which we reflect the Lord's glory will depend on how much time we spend in his presence renewing our minds. Remember, the disciples experienced the transfiguration while they were alone with Jesus (v2). What makes Heaven possible for us We said earlier that the transfiguration was a metamorphosis – a change in the form of a person into a completely different one – not a different person, but a different form. But actually this was not the first transfiguration. Jesus had changed his form before. Look for a moment at Philippians 2:5-8, which translated literally reads like this: Jesus, being in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself empty, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross! The word I have translated as form is morphe from which is derived metamorpho'o, the word used to refer to the transfiguration in Mark 9. So the first ‘transfiguration' was the incarnation. At the incarnation he remained God but took upon himself the form of a man. At the transfiguration, he remained a man, but took again for a brief moment the form of God which he later resumed after his resurrection and ascension. Our salvation was only possible because Jesus was willing to take the form of a servant, to be made in human likeness, to appear as a man, and to humble himself to death on a cross. As we have seen, he came to fulfil the Law and the Prophets, to live a sinless life in obedience to his Father, to suffer and die in our place. We mentioned earlier that Luke tells us that Elijah and Moses were speaking with Jesus about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfilment (or accomplish) at Jerusalem (Luke 9:31). The word used for departure in this verse is exodos which means a way out. Jesus' death on the cross was to be his way out. But it was also to be ours. As God provided a way out of slavery in Egypt for the Israelites in the Book of Exodus, so Jesus has provided a way out for us from the slavery of sin and the death penalty it brings. One day we shall all be transformed into his likeness, for we shall be like him because we shall see him as he is (1 John 3:2). Meanwhile let us seek to be daily transformed by the renewing of our minds and to allow the Holy Spirit to be constantly changing us from one degree of glory to another as we spend time in the glorious presence of Jesus.      

For the last week our TV has been selecting the channels we are able to watch! I turn to BBC and it says “no signal” and yet when I go through the channels Spark TV is fine….great news for Harriet, but not so wonderful news for me, whose Luganda is basic to say the least. But the other night both BBC and Spark had “no signal” and so we trawled channels which I hadn't even realised amongst our package. At last, there was a flicker on the screen and “Record TV” burst into our living room. It was showing a drama about the women who had been bleeding for many years, and had ultimately been healed through touching the cloak of Jesus…. The subject of our message today! But actually, the story on the TV was not so much about the healing from her bleeding, but rather about how this sickness had caused her to separate from her husband and be ostracized by her wider community…. Nobody wanted to associate with her! Chantal, my daughter, was transfixed and, despite it being past our 10pm bedtime… we stayed up a little longer to watch the end. We all know the healing story…. she touched the cloak of Jesus…. and was healed. BUT alongside this physical healing was also the relationship healing between herself, and her community, her family, and indeed her husband, with the drama closing with the couple hand in hand watching children playing. OK, all a bit mushy and sentimental, but I had been praying about what to share in this message… and God said…. I've shown you this story… read the passage and then talk about it… and so here I am talking to you about “Touching the Cloak of Jesus”Matthew 9 v 18 - 2618 While he was saying this, a synagogue leader came and knelt before him and said, “My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live.” 19 Jesus got up and went with him, and so did his disciples.20 Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. 21 She said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.”22 Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed at that moment.23 When Jesus entered the synagogue leader's house and saw the noisy crowd and people playing pipes, 24 he said, “Go away. The girl is not dead but asleep.” But they laughed at him. 25 After the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up. 26 News of this spread through all that region.If we look back in the chapter, we see that all this started as Jesus was finishing a meal at the house of Mathew – the writer of this gospel – just after he had left his tax collectors booth to follow Jesus. Of course, the associates of Mathew at that time were not the sort of people the “proper” religious people, and even the other disciples of Jesus, felt he should be mixing with:Mathew 9 v 10 - 1110 While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew's house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. 11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”And Jesus gives the wonderful answer:Mathew 9 v 13b For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinnersBut this is a text for another sermon.Anyway, at the end of this nice meal a synagogue leader comes in and knelt before Jesus to ask Jesus to bring his daughter back to life, as she had just died. Quite a request, but it shows you the faith and expectancy that was already building amongst people in regard to Jesus. Jesus got up, left and went following the Rabbi, but as he was moving through the street a women came up behind him and touched his cloak. In the description of this event in Matthew, Jesus just turns around and tells the women she has been healed because of her faith. BUT, in the Luke narrative of the same event we get a little more detail of what actually happened.Let's read all the Luke narrative so that we are fully informed:Luke 8:43-4843 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years,[a] but no one could heal her. 44 She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped.45 “Who touched me?” Jesus asked.When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.”46 But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.”47 Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. 48 Then he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.”From Luke we find out that the crowd was pushing against Jesus and many people could have touched Him, but Jesus knew that one person had touched him with a purpose…. “He had felt the power go out of him”. Luke 8 v 4747 Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed.I think there are a few important facts to notice in this extra detail which Luke gives:The women realized that she could not go unnoticed – This was an important fact for the women because of the rule given in Leviticus 15 v 25: 25 “‘When a woman has a discharge of blood for many days at a time other than her monthly period or has a discharge that continues beyond her period, she will be unclean as long as she has the discharge, just as in the days of her period. This poor lady had been bleeding for 12 years and hence, by Jewish law had been unclean and untouchable for all this time. It must have been a very hard and lonely existence.And because of this law and her long isolation she was well known within the community and hence the writers of the gospel knew what problem she had. Hence both start their stories with the fact that…. “There was a women who had been suffering from bleeding for 12 years”This is also why she came with “trembling” and fell at the feet of Jesus. She had touched him, made him unclean(?), and this confession in-front of all the people. What would be the consequence?But, as always, Jesus seeks to draw in, and love, those who would normally be rejected by people. I love the way his response is stated in the Matthew passageMatthew 9 v 2222 Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed at that moment.To look into the face of Jesus is always such a life changing experience. However, you are feeling today…. On top of the world….or passing through the deepest valley….. close your eyes…. and in your “minds-eye” look into the face of Jesus…. You may see joy…. You may see sadness…. But you will always see LOVELuke 22 v 6161 The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter.All Peter could see in that face was LOVE, a love he had just denied 3 times… and he wept bitterly.This is brilliantly put in the old hymn written by Helen Lemmel over 70 years ago:Turn your eyes upon Jesus,Look full in His wonderful face,And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,In the light of His glory and graceThe lady was instantly healed, and in both passages Jesus states that it is due to her faith that she was healed.And this is where I want to close, as both people in our Mathew passage, the synagogue leader with the child who had died, and the women who had been bleeding for 12 years, both sought to contact Jesus in FAITH that He could change a hopeless situation in their lives. Both had to overcome their fears – the synagogue leader kneeling before a man who was mixing with sinners, and the women risking that she would be noticed and even attempting to touch Jesus' cloak as she was unclean.Yes, faith does require us to step out from our comfort zones at times, but as we do this with Jesus as our focus, we have nothing to fear. People may look, people may point, gossip may start….but it is our faith in JESUS CHRIST AS OUR LORD AND SAVIOUR that will see us through. Matthew 9 v 24 to 25He (Jesus) said, “Go away. The girl is not dead but asleep.” But they (the mourners) laughed at him. 25 After the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up.Matthew 9 v 22And the woman was healed at that momentFrom Peter's message last week concerning the timing of God, we know that the workings of God in response to our requests, might not be instant, as they were in the case of the two people in our passage today. But this should not stop our FAITH FOR THE MOMENTNOW is the time to reach out and “TOUCH THE CLOAK OF JESUS”!PRAYERQuestions to ponderLet's start with the difficult one – why do you think God allows people to suffer through illness and loss? – There is not a simple answer, but thinking about the problem and sharing with others will help to clarify our thinking.How do we respond to people who have been ostracized from community life for one reason or another? Can we show love to the unlovely?Share testimonies of prayers answered in your lives – small things, big things, it doesn't matter, and what roll did faith play?Thanks and God Bless!

Peter had denied Jesus three times before he died on a cross. After the resurrection he sits at a fire with Jesus watching the fish cook and Jesus asks him three times, “Do you love me?” In the English language we miss what Jesus is really asking Peter. Jesus is trying to get Peter to realize that he will have to love him unconditionally to make it through the days ahead when persecution starts. All Peter wanted to do was focus on another disciple and Jesus tells Peter, “You don’t worry about him and follow me.” Far too often we want to look at other people when we should be looking at ourselves and focusing on what we can do for the kingdom. We need to be obedient…

In this episode of Y.E.L 2.0, your host Peter Voogd shares the story behind his first 10 million dollars. From humble beginnings himself, Peter knows what it takes to achieve success from any starting point!   Episode Highlights: After dropping out of college, Peter went against everyone’s advice and started a direct-sales business in Tacoma, WA Peter sacrificed fun times with his friends in college to build his business All Peter wanted was to have something different than the 9-5 schedules that surrounded him growing up Slowly, Peter began to realize what it took to build a business and establish an incredible leadership team Doing all the wrong things taught Peter what it took to do all the right things The most important thing is that you start; you will learn what you need to along the way You must constantly seek to expand your capacity as you are learning how to become a great leader From doing $140k over 90 hour weeks to over $800k in half the hours just 2 summers later Building the right team and becoming a master of his own time fueled Peter to take that big leap Escaping reality through drugs, alcohol, or other means will only make your reality worse Investing in people and making them feel a part of something will help you build a team that will go to war for you Don’t judge anyone by where they are from or their background because you don’t know their potential With over 20 rentals to his name now, people don’t realize that Peter lived in 6 or 7 terrible apartments during his growth Having an important purpose and mission will give you and others a reason to keep pushing Change didn’t come to Peter’s life until he was willing to take responsibility for everything in it   3 Key Points While all of his friends were partying in college and enjoying life, Peter decided to move away and build his business. Peter was willing to sacrifice weekends, holidays, and time with family to make a real impact on the world. Learning how to develop people, master his time, and be more efficient and effective allowed Peter to grow exponentially.   Tweetable Quotes: “You have to start somewhere.” - Peter Voogd “I knew nothing about leadership. I knew nothing about success. All I knew was that I wanted something different.” - Peter Voogd “The only way to expand your capacity is by taking on more than what you currently think you are capable of.” - Peter Voogd “We had such a mission here that people wanted to be a part of it.” - Peter Voogd “When you’re on purpose and off yourself, all the successful things will start coming to you.” - Peter Voogd   You can download Peter’s exclusive networking blueprint at https://gamechangersmovement.com/networking - This blueprint will give you the exact scripts Peter uses to get ahold of anybody.     Resources Mentioned: Peter Voogd’s Website Peter Voogd’s Instagram Peter Voogd’s LinkedIn Peter Voogd’s YouTube Game Changers Academy

Vanderpump Rules OG Peter Madrigal steps Behind The Rope. Back in a simpler time when everyone had their Bravo contracts in place, a mere week ago, Peter sat down with The Rope to tell it all. What does HE think about it ALL? Peter explains exactly how the show was cast way back when and it is not what was expected. Peter is kind enough to entertain the Rope's desires to talk about all of his cast mates. Who changed the most since the beginning of the show? What does he personally think of Jax's marriage? What did he think of this past season and the newbies? Does he think the future of VR should be broken into two shows? How does he feel to be one of the only OGs to actually still work at Sur? What role does he play in helping cast the show as the real manager of Sur? Whose wedding was his favorite? House? Of course we also address the season finale's breaking of the 4th wall and how it felt like a series finale with everyone going their separate ways. The future of Vanderpump Rules? All these and more questions answered in this no holds bar sit down with the OG himself, Mr. Peter Madrigal. @Peter_madrigal@behindvelvetrope@davidyontefBonus Episodes Available at - https://www.patreon.com/behindthevelvetrope Merch Available at - https://www.teepublic.com/stores/behind-the-velvet-rope?ref_id=13198 See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

4. Freak-out-Worthy Acceptance(Luke 4:38- 5:11)I wish I could go back through time and hand-deliver this book to all of the survivors I've known through the years. I'd write a personal apology in the front of each book.It would say, “I'm sorry that I tried so hard to change you. I'm sorry I didn't accept you the way Jesus would have. I apologize for not seeing the beauty and awesomeness of your life. You forever impacted my life with your strength. I'm sorry I didn't value it more when we knew each other.”See, as much as I rag on religious people in this book, a lot of my disgust is aimed at myself. I'm really good at what I call “following Jesus from a distance.” I like working on all the stuff we see on the surface. I like helping people get better jobs, have better relationships, and better morals. While these are important things to work on, they aren't the ultimate things. Fixing outward behaviors and circumstances doesn't get at the heart of our deepest needs. Jesus sees past those surface behaviors; he cares about the pain and mess in our souls.For most of my adult life, I was great at following Jesus from a distance. I liked everything Jesus was saying. I thought I believed it all. I cleaned up my life and it looked really good on the outside. I was doing a lot of great things. God was at work in my life. But I was still carrying shame around. I was still trying to feel worthy of being loved. I still wanted religious people to respect me.What I didn't understand then, and I can barely grasp now, is how completely Jesus accepts us and how completely none of us deserve his acceptance. I was so busy trying to “clean” everyone else up, because it was a twisted way for me to also “clean” myself up. But Jesus never asked me to do that. He accepted me and all my unclean, messy messiness! Then he said, “Let's start sorting this out together.” There was no measure of how clean I had to be in order to gain his acceptance; I just had to accept his acceptance!So, I'm sorry if you are one of the people I hurt along the way. I truly didn't understand how much Jesus accepted both of us as we were! I was keenly aware of how much we didn't deserve it, but missed the mark on how freely Jesus accepted us anyway!The disciple, Simon Peter, also followed Jesus from a distance for a while. His story starts right after the religious people from Jesus' hometown tried to throw him off of a cliff. Jesus shrugged off the experience and went to another town and began preaching and healing people. (Which I think is pretty amazing considering how quickly I let an insult set me back). Jesus loved people more than I can comprehend, but he didn't need their approval. It's interesting how he wasn't ever stopped by their hate.In Luke 4: 31-37 we find that all the small towns around the area began talking about how awesome Jesus was. They were amazed at his teaching and all abuzz about the miracles he was doing (which I'm guessing was a real burr in the butt of the people in his hometown!) Verse 31, tells us they were amazed because his “words had authority. This was a big deal because teachers in Israel didn't just say stuff the way we do. They had to cite their sources. They quoted and referenced important people to give authority to their words. Jesus had no need to do this. He just taught. He was fully God in the flesh and didn't need validation from other people.In Luke 4:38, the incredible story of Simon Peter begins. As you read his story, try to step back from overly romanticized versions of Peter with a holy glow about him. Imagine a real working-class man with a lot of bravado living out this story. Luke tells us, after Jesus preached in the synagogue, he went to the home of a man named Simon, who later became known by the Greek name, Peter. (It was a confusing, complicated time for names. From now on, I will call him Peter.)Jesus healed Peter's mother-in-law, who was suffering from a high fever. She immediately got up and began waiting on all of their guests. (Which, kudos to her, ‘cause I would have still been milking the “I was just on my deathbed” thing. Probably instant healing from Jesus gives you a different perspective though.)Verse 40 tells us, that evening, crowds of people came to Peter's house. Jesus stayed up all night healing the sick among them and casting out demons. Peter must have thought it was extremely cool to have this happening in his home. Hospitality was everything to people back then. Who you ate with and who you stayed with were “your people”. They were the people you identified with. It was a huge honor for a Rabbi to be staying in the home of a working-class man. Religious leaders strove to associate themselves with the most important people they could find. Jesus chose to stay with regular people like Peter. We don't know how long he stayed or how often, but Peter's home was a base for Jesus while he continued to preach in the area.In Chapter 5, we learn that Peter was a fisherman. Fishing was really hard work back in the ancient day. Boats were harder to navigate and equipment was bulkier. There were no fish finders, GPS navigation systems, boat motors, or elaborate gear set-up thingys. Just nets, boats, and oars. They threw the nets out, let them sink, then pulled them up to see if they caught anything. It was grueling, repetitive work.One morning, Peter was cleaning his nets after fishing all night with nothing to show for his efforts. I'm sure he was in a rotten mood. All Peter wanted to do was go home and crash in his comfy bed and sleep until it was time to get up and do it again. As Peter was working and dreaming of rest, Jesus walked up with a crowd following him. He got into one of the boats and asked Peter to push out into the water so he could preach to the crowd. Peter showed his tremendous respect for Jesus by immediately doing what he asked.After Jesus finished preaching to the crowd, he told Peter to do something which was probably even harder for him to obey: Jesus said “put, out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”Peter answered “Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything.” Then he said “But because, you say so, I will let down the nets.” Luke 5:5 (NIV)I love that Peter puts a qualifier in there, “because you say so.” Peter was acknowledging how crazy it was to go fishing again, during the day. He probably wanted everyone around to know it wasn't his idea to go back out again. This was Jesus. They'd seen him do some crazy stuff already. Still, Peter seemed to want everyone to know he thought it wouldn't work.So, Peter and some of his fellow weary fishermen rowed far out into the deep water. They threw their nets out where Jesus told them to. Then they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. They had to call the other boats to come help them. All the boats were so full of fish that they struggled to row back to shore. For ancient fishermen without sophisticated equipment, this was like winning the fishing lottery. They were astonished.Peter's reaction to the huge catch of fish is really strange:… when Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus' knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken.Jesus said to Peter, “Don't be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.” Luke 5:8 and 11 (NIV).Wait! What? Why did Peter tell Jesus to go away?Think of all the things Peter had already seen from Jesus. He'd seen him heal tons of people, including his mother-in-law. He'd seen Jesus casting demons out of people, which, seems like it would be way more awe-inspiring than telling someone where to catch fish.Peter had already heard Jesus preach. He obviously thought Jesus was a great teacher and a powerful man. Why did he react to this miracle with fear and asking Jesus to go away from him?Because of what this miracle meant. This miracle was specifically for Peter. Sure, it had been cool to see Jesus helping people and listening to him preach. Getting to serve him seemed special. It had been an honor to have a teacher like Jesus in his home and on his boat. Peter was serving Jesus which made him feel special.But the miracle of the huge catch of fish? That was directly for Peter. That was Jesus serving Peter. Jesus looked into Peter's life and saw his need and cared about it. Before Jesus called Peter to be his disciple, he provided for Peter's family through a miraculous load of fish.God was showing Peter how much he cares about our needs. Peter dramatically fell in front of Jesus, the way a peasant would fall in front of a king, in fear and recognition of how he knew he didn't deserve to be fully seen and fully cared for. Peter said, “get away from me. I'm a sinful man” (vs 8). Any pride Peter had, was thrown aside in this moment, because there was no way for him to convince himself he deserved this miracle. This man who seems to have so much bravado, fell on the ground in front of Jesus when he realized how much he cares and saw a glimpse of his power.When we truly understand what Jesus has done for us, we should freak out the way Peter did. This truth of who Jesus is and how much he cares for us is the hardest thing in the world for humans to grasp. Somehow, our pride wants to make it more complicated. But in those moments when we see it, even just a little, we, like Peter, are filled with a sense of how undeserved God's love really is. It's a natural response to want to send Jesus away from our messy lives. Like Peter, I've often felt I didn't want Jesus anywhere near the mess I was making of my life. I knew I was a train wreck. I knew I deserved the junk in my life and I knew I didn't deserve his care. I wanted to follow Jesus. I wanted to be associated with him. I wanted to clean up my life so I could deserve good things. But Jesus saw past all of that and accepted me fully. He cared about my deepest needs even as I followed from a distance. Gradually, I began to accept his love.You know how you can tell who gets this? Which people understand how little they deserve to be accepted by God? You can tell when you meet them because they are gracious in how they love and accept other people. They don't need to go around “fixing” everyone's problems so those “cleaned up” people can come to Jesus. People who have fallen at Jesus' knees and said, “Get away from me! I don't deserve your love” know that nothing we ever do can make us good enough for such undeserved grace. We simply accept it and give it to as many other people as possible.I'm truly sorry for all the times I didn't show this because I couldn't accept it myself. I pray that for the rest of my days I will do a better job at representing Jesus!I pray for you also, that you see how freak-out-worthy Jesus' acceptance of you is. He sees beneath the surface of your life and wants to walk with you anyway. He doesn't want you following from a distance, he wants to care about what is happening in your life, right now. That thing you are thinking about that you wish you could hide from him. He knows about it. He cares. He wants to help you with it. If you don't find that scary, you aren't fully comprehending it! It is also the answer to your search for peace. You are accepted as you are, even with that thing you want to hide! You can find peace when you accept his acceptance of you, no matter what happens in your life, even if you get worse. And the crazier-awesomer, un-freaking-believable thing is that Jesus wants to give you hope to actually get better and one day be free from the deepest hurt you are hiding. You and I don't deserve this hope, but he freely gives it anyway!

When we look past who Peter became and we consider where he began, we're left with the question, Why would Jesus call a nobody? Why would Jesus start a world-wide movement with a fisherman. The reason not only reveals the heart of Jesus, but it offers each of us the encouragement of knowing that God can use us too because We are All Peter.

19 May 2019 - Can anything good come out of Caesarea? Michael Kerem walks us through the story of Cornelius and its history-shifting implications. When we won't willingly cooperate with God, he sticks us in a place so we can watch him move sovereignly. So it was with Peter, who barely said anything before the Holy Spirit was poured on the household of a Roman centurion in proof that repentance that leads to life had been gifted to non-Jews, too. All Peter could say in his defense was, "Who was I that I could stand in God's way?" Readings: Acts 11:1-18; Revelation 7; John 13:31-35 Blessed by our teachings? Consider saying thank you with a small (or large) donation. www.christchurchjerusalem.org/donate/

True stories told live across the UK. We’ve seen and heard a lot at Spark - stories that have made us laugh, cringe, cry, gasp, pause for thought, rethink everything. I’d thought we’d seen it all to be honest but in January this year, Peter McCleave took to the stage and asked us to save his life. That was a first. In 2016 Peter, a thirty nine year old triathlete and father of two, was diagnosed with a blood cancer called Myeloma and given seven years to live. Two years in, he now has five. But that doesn’t have to be the case. All Peter needs is someone who is a genetic match to donate their stem cells. In fact, that’s all most people in Peter’s situation need in order to survive. Trouble is around only two percent of the UK’s population is on the stem cell donation register. So Peter is on a mission to get that number up. Getting on the register is simple, pain free and could save someone’s life, so why not register today? To find out more visit: www.10000donors.comCan’t register but still want to help? You can donate to Peter’s just giving page here: https://bit.ly/2WL9QIv See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

There’s nothing uglier than jealousy in ministry. When two individuals who claim to be serving and following Christ begin to question why the other seems to be getting an easier path to walk or more acclaim for their efforts, it is not a pretty picture. And in the final chapter of John, chapter 21, we get a not-so-pretty look at Peter and his response to some not-so-great news from Jesus regarding how his life was going to turn out. But upon hearing this news from Jesus, Peter immediately turns his attention to John. He wants to know how HIS life is going to turn out. Peter is feeling slighted, as if he has been selected for some kind of punishment for his past sins. But Jesus will give Peter a fairly blunt response and refuse to answer his questions. All Peter needed to know is what was in store for him. Nothing else mattered. This wasn’t a competition. Peter didn’t need to compare his life with John’s or anyone else’s for that matter. But that’s what we’re prone to do. We can’t seem to help comparing our circumstances with those around us. We look at other believers and wonder why they’re more blessed than we are. We question why they seem to get all the breaks. But Jesus would simply say, “What is that to you?” Our job is to follow Him, not question Him. Our task is to keep our eyes on Him, not on those around us.

00:00 - Introduction 03:05 - Scripture Narrative (Romans 1:16-17) 08:48 - Free-for-All (Favorite Book as a Kid) 21:21 - Main Topic (A Reformation Postlude) On episode THIRTY-TWO of Let the Bird Fly! Mike and Peter welcome back Wade, who you may know from his previous role on the splendid podcast Let the Bird Fly! In a surprising move, Wade discusses Paul’s epistle to the Romans in the Scripture Narrative (demonstrating that he does know of books other than the Gospel according to St. Mark). In the Free-for-All Peter decides to strike out with another pretentious comment, that clearly was a bridge too far for Wade and Mike. They mercilessly attack him, until he’s left trying to convince them that the Mr. Men/Little Miss books were not actually part of a British literature phase he went through in grade school. As they typically do, however, the guys find their way to the main topic, which they call A Reformation Postlude. In this 500th anniversary of Lutheran Reformation (typically marked as beginning on October 31, 1517), they guys decide to discuss the ways in which the Reformation of the Church still plays out today. Far from simply a(n) historical fact, they suggest that the Church is constantly working through the questions of the Reformation, both corporately and as individual Christians maturing in their faith (and even trying to share the faith with their children). We hope you enjoy the discussion. If it sparks any thoughts, questions, comments, outrage, please let us know (well, maybe you can keep the last one to yourself). We love hearing from you! As always, if you are enjoying the show, please subscribe, rate, and review us on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or TuneIn Radio. You can also like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. And, of course, share us with a friend or two! If you’d like to contact us we can be reached at podcast@LetTheBirdFly.com, or visit our website at www.LetTheBirdFly.com. Thanks for listening! Attributions for Music Used in this Episode: “The Last One” by Jahzzar is licensed under an Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 International License. “Horses to Water” by Topher Mohr and Alex Elena “Gib laut” by Dirk Becker is licensed under an Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives (aka Music Sharing) 3.0 International License. “Whistling Down the Road” by Silent Partner “Not Drunk” by The Joy Drops is licensed under an Attribution 4.0 International License.  

00:00 - Introduction 04:09 - Scripture Narrative (Mark 16:9-20) 13:35 - Free-for-All (Class every student should take) 29:29 - Main Topic (A Path Strewn with Sinners)  On episode THIRTY of Let the Bird Fly! the guys abandon Peter, so he is forced to find something to talk about. He manages to dredge up some guy who recently wrote a book entitled A Path Strewn with Sinners: A Devotional Study of Mark’s Gospel & His Race to the Cross. You may have heard of the author, as it turns out he is also the host of a podcast (that happens to be extremely popular with your demographic) called Let the Bird Fly!; his name is Rev. Dr. Wade Johnston. (Peter knows this schtick is getting old...sorry, he can’t help himself.) In this episode Peter takes the reigns again to talk to Wade about his latest book. Before letting Wade talk, though, Peter demonstrates a level of humility that Wade can only dream about by taking the Scripture Narrative and discussing the Gospel according to St. Mark (even though he knows full well, there’s a much more compelling Gospel account out there). In the Free-for-All Peter and Wade play king-of-the-world (or at least king-of-the-classroom) and discuss what classes they would require for every high school student and what class for every college student, if they were given such power. But eventually Peter allows Wade to talk about his book; and who knows you might even find it interesting. As the subtitle suggests, A Path Strewn with Sinners is a devotional text, which is accessible for the layperson and structured in such a way that makes it a great fit for personal or family devotions, as well as corporate devotions. Since we’re quite sure we’ve hit our target audience with you, we’re giving away TWO copies of the book (maybe we’ll even try to get the haughty author to sign them for you...we’ll see, he’s pretty full of himself); just head over to our BOOK GIVEAWAY page for all the details. And make sure to share the podcast and the giveaway with your friends and family! As always, if you are enjoying the show, please subscribe, rate, and review us on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or TuneIn Radio. You can also like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. And, of course, share us with a friend or two! If you’d like to contact us we can be reached at podcast@LetTheBirdFly.com, or visit our website at www.LetTheBirdFly.com. Thanks for listening! Attributions for Music Used in this Episode: “The Last One” by Jahzzar is licensed under an Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 International License. “Horses to Water” by Topher Mohr and Alex Elena “Gib laut” by Dirk Becker is licensed under an Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives (aka Music Sharing) 3.0 International License. “Whistling Down the Road” by Silent Partner “Not Drunk” by The Joy Drops is licensed under an Attribution 4.0 International License.  

Our scripture text really begins with Jesus teaching a multitude of people. This is the miracle of the loaves and fishes. After teaching the multitude, he fed them and sent them away. Bro. Custer observes that is how it is with some people. They come and experience God and go home. Some in the bible experienced him as part of the multitude and went home, but others sought more and desired for more. With all that God has done and how He has blessed His people, Bro. Custer declares that he does not understand how people can simply experience God as part of the multitude. We must step out and seek more. Jesus sent the disciples across the sea and told them that He would meet them on the other side. They were fishermen and were comfortable with traveling in boats. When they set out, they were comfortable with the situation. However the storm was greater than they had ever experienced. They had weathered storms before and had come through, but this time it was different. In the midst of their greatest storm, Jesus comes walking on the water. Mark says that it appeared as if He would pass them by. Peter, once he heard that it was Jesus, ask to meet Him on the water. All Peter needed to know was that it was Jesus. He didn’t’ have to understand how Jesus was walking on the water, or why He wasn’t sinking, all he needed to know was that it was Jesus. While the others chose to remain in the boat, Peter decided to step out from the multitude and to seek more.