There is No Politically Correct Response to Jesus

Posted on Feb 19, 2012 in Reflection | 0 comments

by Richard L. Burguet •

Jesus made them angry! One thing about it, no one encountered Jesus without some kind of response, and frequently it was a response of anger or unbelief. The scribes and Pharisees were angry when Jesus forgave the paralytic his sin and healed him. Jesus had pronounced forgiveness and that was something only God could do… and they thought He had blasphemed, and knew that He had certainly overstepped the bounds of Jewish tradition and the Law. The scribes and Pharisees were genuinely angry about this incident.

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About Those Four Fishermen

Posted on Dec 4, 2011 in Reflection | 0 comments

by Richard L. Burguet •

Just so you realize, that as we read Mark 1 and see Simon, Andrew, James and John respond to Jesus’ call to “follow me, and I will make you fishers of men” – this was not the very first time they had met Jesus. From John’s gospel (John 1:35-41) these men had been invited to come and see where Jesus lived and become His spiritual followers about a year earlier. Here in Mark’s account of their calling, their obedience is deepened and they are called to become the Lord’s more steady companions. As they responded to Jesus calling they were made aware of the fact that they were being trained for something more. The calling is to become a fisher of men, and was for them a call to apostleship.

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The Principle of Overflow

Posted on Jul 3, 2011 in Reflection | 0 comments

by Richard L. Burguet •

At the end of the feast Jesus stood and cried out, “If any man is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water.’ But this He spoke of the Spirit.” John 7:37-39

The evangelism God uses is the result of an overflowing heart of someone vitally connected to his heart. Ultimately, authentic and effective outreach is what is left in our wake when we hotly pursue after Jesus. If we are overwhelmed by God’s grace, we will overflow with His Spirit and we will not be overcome by the fears which so often paralyze and discourage us from sharing our faith. Our primary preparation, then, is to first preach the Gospel to ourselves so that the refreshing truth of His grace flows deeply in our own hearts. Then we will attract those who are thirsty for the “living waters” of His grace. (John 4:13-15)

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