pastor || writer || speaker
Then Jesus said to his disciples, "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. (Matthew 16:24) What does it mean to follow Jesus? What does it mean to be His disciple or apprentice? Where are the ways in which our lives are different? Where are the …
Continue reading "Apprenticed to Jesus . . . what does it mean?"
Two Sundays ago, August 22, was my last Sunday at Brooklife Church. I gave a message entitled "Follow" that expressed some things that God has been speaking to me over the past 6-9 months. I looked at Matthew 4:18-22, where Jesus calls the first disciples to follow Him. My main points were built around three …
Every Sunday morning before church, I have been reading through chapters from the book Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross. Each week, I am struck by the different facets of Jesus' sacrifice and how that reflects the tremendous love of God. I have also been thinking about how my life should reflect Jesus' pattern of …
The second part of Jesus' statement in John 14:21 reveals that obedience and love for Christ impact two other parts of our spiritual life. Our love for Christ becomes tangible on the pathway of obedience to Christ. That pathway of obedience leads to the love of the Father for us. Now, we know that God's …
Continue reading "Obedience to Christ and Experience of Christ (part 2)"
Whoever has My commands and obeys them is the one who loves Me. Anyone who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I too will love them and show Myself to them. (John 14:21) I find this verse inescapable. If I truly love Christ, then I will both know ("have") His commands and …
Continue reading "Obedience to Christ and Experience of Christ (part 1)"
Matthew Erickson 