https://www.fapjunk.com https://pornohit.net london escort london escorts buy instagram followers buy tiktok followers Ankara Escort Cialis Cialis 20 Mg
Tuesday, March 19, 2024
Home Leaders Spiritual Life Why Jesus Let People Walk Away

Why Jesus Let People Walk Away

In John 6, Jesus is being chased around the Sea of Galilee by a large crowd. He’s healed terrible diseases, fed thousands with a few loaves and fishes, and taught with great authority. Things were going so well the crowd was planning to make Him king by force. In modern language, Jesus was a rock star.

What would you have been thinking if you were one of the disciples? “Surely this is the moment. You’ve got them eating out of Your hands … literally! Use Your power to make them follow You.”

But in one of the countless ways Jesus defies expectations, He doesn’t capitalize on His fame. Desiring true disciples over admiring crowds, He proclaims harder – even potentially offensive – teachings. The result?

On hearing it, many of His disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?” … From this time many of His disciples turned back and no longer followed Him. (John 6:60, 66)

What happens next is staggering. Jesus didn’t beg or run after them to clarify: “Wait, I got a little carried away. Let Me rephrase.” He let them walk away. And then, as if to drive the point home, He turned and said to the Twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?”

I’m not saying we should select the most difficult passages in the Bible to scare people away. But if our goal is the same as that of Jesus – true discipleship and life-change – we have to be willing to let people walk away. Jesus always honored the dignity and choices of those He met. Remember the rich young ruler. The unrepentant criminal on the cross. You and me.

In our work at Hope International, we give clients the opportunity to choose: to be a client of a Christian organization; to participate in times of Bible study; and, increasingly, to engage in deep discipleship opportunities outside of regular meetings. When people choose to attend a Bible study led by local pastors or talk with their loan officer about troubles they’re facing, these choices are some of the best indicators we have of hearts moving toward Christ.

So as you share Jesus with friends, neighbors, or family, remember that if Jesus honored others’ choices to walk away, there will be times when we need to do the same. Giving others the space to say no is hard and requires great discernment. It certainly doesn’t mean we stop praying for them, showing God’s love to them, or looking for opportunities to connect with them.
[ecko_contrast]But as we share His call to a life of fully committed discipleship, we can be confident that, no matter what, no one can walk too far to be beyond God’s reach.[/ecko_contrast]

Matthew Rohrs
Matthew Rohrs
Matthew works for HOPE as director of spiritual integration in 2010, bringing with him a passion for finding synergy between ministry and business. A graduate of Taylor University (B.S., business systems) and the University of Notre Dame (MBA), Matthew spent nearly a decade in pension investment consulting and earned the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation before joining HOPE. While working in the marketplace, Matthew developed a deep love for the Church and discipleship. His eight years of service as a small group leader and four years as a church elder blossomed into a desire to empower the Church on a global scale. As Matthew’s interest in the ministry of microfinance and sustainable approaches to poverty alleviation grew, he became the founding member of HOPE’s regional board in Indiana. Matthew remains an active volunteer member of the regional board and now serves professionally with HOPE, helping the organization fulfill its core objective of honoring and obeying Christ in all aspects of its work. Matthew and his wife, Jeanne, have three children, Isaiah, Jackson, and Dillon.

1 COMMENT

  1. Excellent lesson !
    To be created in the image of God, whatever else it implies, means that human beings enjoy a divine prerogative to choose their own fate.
    When Yahweh chose to create beings who were less divine than himself, he must have known that they would abuse their freedom and so “mess up.” This presents a particular challenge to Yahweh, how to win back free creatures who have turned away from him, whether “in Adam” or by personal choice.
    Were Yahweh to have set in place some kind of inevitable trap or invisible mechanism to make some submit to him, then the fallen angels could rightly accuse him of favouritism or of moral deceit. Were Yahweh to have left us to our deserved fate, then those same fallen angels could rightly have ridiculed him for an inept failure.
    Each of the systematic theologies tries to solve the divine challenge in its own rationalistic manner, without — for me — a convincing logic.
    In any case, those who walk away from Jesus are allowed to do so, because they remain bearers of the divine image, whilst those who turn to Jesus and stay with him, do so with all the same divine freedom.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

- Advertisment -

Most Popular

Eminem – Stronger Than I Was

We woke reasonably late following the feast and free flowing wine the night before. After gathering ourselves and our packs, we...

Dj Dark – Chill Vibes

We woke reasonably late following the feast and free flowing wine the night before. After gathering ourselves and our packs, we...

Leona Lewis – Bleeding Love (Dj Dark & Adrian Funk Remix)

We woke reasonably late following the feast and free flowing wine the night before. After gathering ourselves and our packs, we...

Silicon Valley Guru Affected by the Fulminant Slashed Investments

We woke reasonably late following the feast and free flowing wine the night before. After gathering ourselves and our packs, we...

Recent Comments

Ngallendou Dièye on Navigating the Wave of Need
subash on 3 Kinds of Leaders
Ngallendou Dièye on 3 Kinds of Leaders
Eric Richardson on 3 Kinds of Leaders
Malcolm Webber on 3 Kinds of Leaders
Ngallendou Dièye on Our Evangelical Cover-Up?
Mark Larson on Is Competition Wrong?
betty-wiseheartedwomen.blogspo on Is Evangelical Worship Headed for a Huge Crash?
Ngallendou Dièye on 3 Fears that Paralyze Potential
Mwesigye Batatwenda Peterson on Pain
Mwesigye Batatwenda Peterson on 5 Reasons We Struggle to Rest
Michelle Chiappelli Zvyagin on Is Evangelical Worship Headed for a Huge Crash?
Ngallendou Dièye on Why Jesus Let People Walk Away
Jim Sutherland on How to Help Someone Not Change
Ngallendou Dièye on How to Help Someone Not Change
Ngallendou Dièye on Alone in a Crowd
Nancy Watta on Leaders Act!
Dr George Varghese on The Weapon of a Clear Conscience
Ngallendou Dièye on 10 Ways To Lose Great Staff
Ngallendou Dièye on Christian Celebrity Culture
Ngallendou Dièye on What NOT to Say to Someone in Pain
Joel Loewen on How to be Patient
Ngallendou Dièye on A Bit of Advice on Giving Advice
Malcolm Webber on 7 Key Paradigm Shifts
Malcolm Webber on 7 Key Paradigm Shifts
Ngallendou Dièye on 7 Key Paradigm Shifts
Ngallendou Dièye on Leaders Act!
Elisha kakwerere on 10 Reasons Leaders Stop Growing
Ngallendou on The Idolatry of Missions
Kyla Alexander on The Idolatry of Missions
Edgard Abraham Alvarez Muñoz on Little Church, Big Mission
James Ruark on A Church Led By Scholars
Ngallendou on A Church Led By Scholars
Bill Blatz on A Church Led By Scholars
Bill Frisbie on Who Stole My Towel?
niklaseklov on Who Stole My Towel?
Malcolm Webber on We Need to Learn Empathy!
Hansraj Jain on Honoring Your Predecessor