Day 53: What is The Reliable Pattern (ReCap)?
To finish out the week, we return to a key topic: The Reliable Pattern of Transformation. We have been talking about our response to the Good News of the Gospel. Saying “yes” to Father God in Christ is the way we enter into this life-long process of following Christ.
How Should We Respond to the Gospel?
WORDwork:
Mark 1:14–17
…Jesus went to Galilee, preaching the good news of God: 1:15 “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe in the good news!”
1:16 As He was passing along by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew, Simon’s brother. They were casting a net into the sea, since they were fishermen. 1:17 “Follow Me,” Jesus told them, “and I will make you fish for people!”
What does Jesus do in this passage?
How does He instruct people to respond to this message?
What does Jesus call Simon and Andrew to do?
Today we return to some foundational truths that we covered in the first study, Recovering The Master Story. This is the reliable pattern for transformation that we illustrated with the chart below:
We Hear the Good News of the Gospel.
God the Father has sent the Gospel, the Good News, into the world to seek us out and save us. Jesus began His ministry by proclaiming the Gospel of God to the Nation of Israel: “The King is in your midst and the Kingdom is close at hand.”
Today, after the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus, the content of the Gospel has expanded, but the reality is the same. God the Father is working in the world in Christ through the Spirit to redeem Adam’s fallen descendants. The Gospel is a message that is to be proclaimed so that others may hear. Just “hearing” the Good News is not enough however; we are called to respond to it.
We are called to Repent and Believe the Gospel.
Anytime anyone hears the Truth, the Gospel, at that moment they have the opportunity to say “Yes” and receive God’s gracious gift of new life “in Christ” through faith. The Gospel only makes sense to those who realize and admit that they are in need of God’s salvation. Unless you are convinced that you are dead in your sins, held captive by the Devil, and living a life futile condemnation, the “good news” of the Gospel will probably sound like foolishness.
In the passage above, after He proclaims the Gospel, Jesus instructs the crowds to repent and believe. Repentance is the mental shift that takes place when we realize we are wrong and on the wrong path and need to change our thinking and the direction we are headed. Repentance means reorienting and changing the way you think about the One True God, yourself, and your place in the World based on the Truth of Gospel. Repentance involves realizing that you are on the way that leads to death and turning to Christ who is the Way of True Life. Once we turn from the old way, we believe, we place our ultimate confidence in Christ as our Savior.
Another great truth that is revealed in the Bible is that faith is actually empowered by the Message of the Gospel. Hear and consider this:
Romans 10:17
Now faith comes from what is heard,
and what is heard comes through the preached word of Christ. {NET}
When the Gospel is spoken the Devil’s power to blind the mind is broken (see 2 Corinthians 4:4) and the light of truth penetrates to the darkened heart. The Gospel is the instrument that God the Father uses to initiate a personal relationship with us in Christ through the Spirit. Paul said that as he and others went about proclaiming the Gospel, they were acting as “ambassadors” or emissaries for Christ, calling people to turn to God:
2 Corinthians 5:20
Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, certain that God is appealing through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf, “Be reconciled to God.”
When the Gospel comes to us, God Himself is making a personal appeal to us to return to Him. The Gospel calls for us to let go of our futile and worthless way of life to posses a whole new way of eternal life in Christ Jesus. Anyone who hears this message has the ability to say “yes” or “no” to the gift that the Father is offering.
We are Called to Follow Jesus.
Once we say “yes” to Father-God’s gracious gift to us, we are also called to follow Christ for the rest of our lives here on Earth. Following Christ and learning from Him, our Master Teacher, is called discipleship. Notice in Mark 1:17 above that as Jesus calls his first students/disciples/apprentices (who were fishermen), He says that He would make them into “fishers of people.” This means that just as Jesus had come to “seek and save” those who are lost, He would also entrust this mission to the people he trained as well.
This process of following Christ is something that is vitally important for you to realize. The reason is that salvation is not about getting a “ticket to heaven” so that we can go there when we die. Our Father loves and accepts us in whatever condition He finds us, but His love for us seeks to transform us into people who become more and more like Jesus so that we can share His goodness with others.
KEY Realization:
The Unrealized Reality of Discipleship: You are following someone and someone is following you. If you are a human being this principle is true whether you are aware of it or not. Our Lord Jesus wants us to follow Him so that we may be living examples of His truth, goodness, and beauty. He wants us to take what we learn from Him and invest it in the lives of others.
As we follow Jesus, we will discover that He has a unique role for each of us to play in His Kingdom. We will discover that He has shaped us and given us gifts to serve others in a unique and significant. We will learn all that He has for us as we learn to keep company with Him in all things, following Him in all things.
This pattern of [Hear > Turn & Trust > Follow] is the pattern of life for all who place their faith in Christ. It is not just something we do one time; this is the shape of our life as we engage the process of spiritual growth and transformation.
Scan back over or reflect on this week’s reading and ask yourself:
1. What have I learned that gave me new ideas and images?
2. How do these truths call me to change the way I am thinking?
3. How do these truths call me to trust Father-God more?
*You can find a complete list of all the MilktoMeat readings here.
