Sunday 22 June, 2014

12 John had been put in prison. When Jesus heard about this, he returned to Galilee. 13 Jesus left Nazareth. He went to live in the city of Capernaum. It was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali. 14 In that way, what the prophet Isaiah had said came true. He had said, 15 “Land of Zebulun! Land of Naphtali! Galilee, where non-Jewish people live! Land along the Mediterranean Sea! Territory east of the Jordan River! 16 The people who are now living in darkness will see a great light. They are now living in a very dark land. But a light will shine on them.” (Isaiah 9:1,2) 17 From that time on Jesus began to preach. “Turn away from your sins!” he said. “The kingdom of heaven is near.” 18 One day Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee. There he saw two brothers. They were Simon Peter and his brother Andrew. They were throwing a net into the lake. They were fishermen. 19 “Come. Follow me,” Jesus said. “I will make you fishers of people.” 20 At once they left their nets and followed him. 21 Going on from there, he saw two other brothers. They were James, son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee. As they were preparing their nets, Jesus called out to them. 22 Right away they left the boat and their father and followed Jesus.

Spiritual attack and bad news has a tendency to precede Kingdom opportunities and blessing. Here’s the process for Jesus..

– Temptation and hunger Matt 4:1-11

– Bad news (John the Baptist arrested) v12

– Gospel gets preached for the first time v17

– First disciples are called and respond immediately. V19. The spread of the gospel began!

The rest is history. The world is forever changed – I am here, saved, rescued, free from hell and death because of these events.

Jesus wasn’t derailed by bad news. He didn’t fall apart or give up when temptation came. He understood the process. He was prepared to combat it head on. And He knew something extraordinary was just around the corner.

Lord Jesus, please grant me your resilience and perception. Give me the tools to stay strong and never give up. Help me see the blessing that’s just around the corner.

Amen

Written by Boudy Van Noppen