Sonlife Making Disciples As Jesus Did

After rising from the dead, Jesus appears to His disciples on several occasions. Paul lists the appearances in 1 Corinthians 15:3-8. He appeared to many people individually — to His leaders on several occasions and even to a group of disciples numbering more than 500. On one of these appearances Jesus repeats a miracle that had changed Peter’s life early in the ministry. This is the last breakfast with Jesus. See what instructions Jesus gives about being a leader!   Knowing Him Study: pages 177-179 Check out video #37 at www.knowinghimvideos.com | sonlife.com

After laying His life down for you and me, two men come to retrieve His body and prepare it for burial. One is Joseph of Arimathea and the other is our friend Nicodemus. As you read today, take special note of these two men. The Lord is risen indeed!   Knowing Him Study: pages 174-176 Check out video #36 at www.knowinghimvideos.com | sonlife.com

Jesus is identified to the crowd of people who have come to take Him away by Judas, who has come to betray Him. Judas kisses Jesus, and Jesus responds by calling him “Friend” (Matt. 26:50). He was a friend of sinners until the end! Betrayed into the hands of the religious leaders, Jesus is led away to be questioned, lied about, treated unjustly, beaten, whipped and, finally, to be hung on a cross between two criminals.   Knowing Him Study: pages 171-173 sonlife.com

Jesus shared a lot of cool stuff with His disciples that night in the upper room, besides the fact that He loved them and expected them to lead as servant leaders. He tells them once again that He will be leaving them but not to be afraid, that He is leaving to prepare a place for them. He tells them to remember that He is the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6). He shares what the role of the coming Holy Spirit will be in their lives and much, much more. Come and take a look.   Knowing Him Study: pages 168-170 Check out video #31, #33, #34, #35  at www.knowinghimvideos.com | sonlife.com

Jesus spends the week teaching at the temple during the day and in prayer, communicating to His Father each evening on the Mount of Olives (Luke 21:37). The things Jesus teaches this week are incredibly significant. They are a study, in and of themselves, full of leadership lessons and truths. The week is coming to a close, and Jesus’ time is short, so He has a few of His disciples make arrangements for a Passover supper in town. Jesus has been eagerly anticipating and preparing for this particular evening. He says, “‘I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God’” (Luke 22:15-16). What will happen on this last Passover night? Take a look.   Knowing Him Study: pages 165-167 Check out video #31 at www.knowinghimvideos.com | sonlife.com

As Jesus makes His way from Jericho to Jerusalem, He is about to receive an incredible gift from the Father — a king’s welcome into the Holy City. It is a day of celebration and great emotion. What will happen as Jesus enters into Jerusalem? Take a close look!   Knowing Him Study: pages 162-164 Check out video #31 and #32 at www.knowinghimvideos.com | sonlife.com

After spending several months on the other side of the Jordan River in Perea, Jesus makes His way back across the Jordan and into the town of Jericho, where He will reinforce many of the leadership principles that He has been teaching His growing team of leaders. He will live them out and put them into practice once again. Jesus was a person who did not just talk about things, but actually acted on them. He so desires to live out these principles through you and me today, if we will only yield to Him. Check out Jesus in action, living out what He teaches, unlike the Pharisees.   Knowing Him Study: pages 159-161 Check out video #30 at www.knowinghimvideos.com | sonlife.com

Jesus continues His teaching over the next several months. We only have time in this study to cover a couple of His lessons on leadership development. These days for Jesus are packed with incredible teaching on the development of leaders. One of the most important teachings that Jesus gives during this time is on being an unleavened leader. Read carefully and digest what Jesus is saying to His disciples about leadership. He is calling for a radically different style of leadership than what they had seen their whole lives from the religious leaders. As you read, ask God to examine your leadership style.   Knowing Him Study: pages 156-158 sonlife.com

Jesus leaves the Feast of Dedication and travels to the other side of the Jordan River, where John had baptized him three years earlier (John 10:40). Jesus will use this as a base for the next few months, awaiting His final entrance into Jerusalem and His pending death on the cross. What will He do in these last several months to ensure that the movement continues after He is taken up to His Father? What will His final steps be? Let’s look in on what this passage says.   Knowing Him Study: pages 153-155 Check out video #29 at www.knowinghimvideos.com | sonlife.com

Jesus returns to the Galilee and continues to train His apostles and prepare the next group of disciples who He will soon send out on their first mission trip. But there is another feast, the Feast of Dedication, or Lights. This is not an Old Testament feast, but a new one added several years before Jesus comes on the scene. This was in honor of the miracle that took place when God supernaturally provided light in the lamps when there was not enough oil to keep them burning, when the temple was taken back during the Jewish Maccabees’ revolt under the leadership of Judas Maccabees. What will happen on this next trip to Jerusalem? Who will Jesus meet and what trap will the religious leaders set for Him? Read on!   Knowing Him Study: pages 150-152 sonlife.com

After meeting with Moses and Elijah, they went back down the mountain and “[w]hen they came back to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and the teachers of the law arguing with them. As soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with wonder and ran to greet him” (Mark 9:14-15). Jesus comes down off the mountain and is immediately confronted with the needs of the people. He ministers to the people as the movement continues to expand. I wonder what will happen this year at the feast? Check it out!   Knowing Him Study: pages 146-149 Check out video #28 at www.knowinghimvideos.com | sonlife.com

Six days after this incredible leadership team evaluation, Jesus reveals that He has begun a movement that is so powerful that the gates of Hell will not be able to slow its advance. Jesus, as the leader of this movement, is Himself the Lion of Judah and will lead the charge through the centuries. As they walk, He reveals to them that this advancement of the movement would not be without great personal suffering and loss of life (Matt. 16:21). Jesus then makes a bold move. Take a look!   Knowing Him Study: pages 143-145 sonlife.com

After walking on water, Jesus continues to train His leadership team for the mission. He is teaching them about love, humility, faith and their understanding of authority. He will cast out various demons, heal a little girl, confront the religious leaders once again and feed 4,000 people, a similar miracle because “they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened” (Mark 6:52). It is time now for another retreat with His leadership team, so He takes them north to the district of Caesarea Philippi (Matt. 16:13). Check out what happens next!   Knowing Him Study: pages 139-142 Check out video #26 #27 at www.knowinghimvideos.com | sonlife.com

After a full day of ministry and picking up twelve baskets of leftovers, Jesus sees that the disciples are exhausted. So He sends them off in a boat, onto the Sea of Galilee to get them away from the crowd and allow them to rest, while he dismisses everyone else (Mark 6:45). After bidding the crowd farewell, Jesus makes His way back up a nearby mountain to spend some time debriefing with His Father (Mark 6:46). It has been a long day, filled with a whirlwind of emotions for Jesus. He begins to relax and is just enjoying the communion with His Father, when…   Knowing Him Study: pages 136-138 Check out video #25 at www.knowinghimvideos.com | sonlife.com

The news of John’s death and the way in which he died stung like a sharp knife, piercing Jesus’ soul. Grieving, Jesus retreats to the comfort of the Father and the silence of the Sea of Galilee. He tells His disciples to come with Him and He escapes to a secluded place. People were coming from everywhere after hearing the news about John’s death (Mark 6:31). Some feel that this crowd is angry and ready for a revolution and a new king (John 6:15)! What is going to happen?   Knowing Him Study: pages 133-135 Check out video #25 at www.knowinghimvideos.com | sonlife.com

Meanwhile, as the disciples are wandering the countryside having the adventure of a lifetime, something else very exciting was happening in Israel. It was the birthday of King Herod and he was throwing a party for himself that would last for days, if not weeks. At this party something would happen that would launch the movement to a new level at a deep personal cost to Jesus Himself. Read this sad story very carefully.   Knowing Him Study: pages 130-132 Check out video #25 at www.knowinghimvideos.com | sonlife.com

After months of intensive leadership training, it is finally time for the twelve apprentices to be sent out on their own mission trip. Remember, Jesus called these twelve guys for two reasons: first, so that they might be with Him and grow closer to him and second, so that He might send them out (Mark 3:14). It is no surprise to them that Jesus is sending them out. It is an exciting time, and yet the twelve are scared to death. How will they respond to the challenge? Where will Jesus send them? What will He say to them and what will happen? Check it out! Knowing Him Study: pages 127-129 Check out video #25 at www.knowinghimvideos.com | sonlife.com

Have you ever been so tired that you slept right through a storm? That is where we find Jesus today. As the movement continues to expand, Jesus finds it harder and harder to find a place to rest or even get a bite to eat. In Mark 3:20, Peter notes “Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat.” Luke records, probably from Mary’s memories, “Now Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see him, but they were not able to get near him because of the crowd” (Luke 8:19). Can you imagine how hard it must have been to constantly come back to a full house and growing crowds? Where could Jesus escape or get away from the crowds? Come and see!   Knowing Him Study: pages 124-126 sonlife.com

It appears that there is a curious Pharisee living in Capernaum, who has been following the ministry of Jesus. He is intrigued enough to risk his reputation and invite Jesus over for a meal with some of his friends. Jesus accepts the invitation and what transpires is nothing less than life transforming. Take a look! Knowing Him Study: pages 121-123 sonlife.com

Wow! I hope you are wrestling with leading like Jesus. I so want to be a leader that loves, is humble, has great faith in God and who knows who his authority is. I struggle with all four aspects of leadership and so need Jesus living in me and through me to be the leader He calls me to be. Note also that as we work our way through this study in the life of Christ, I was forced to pick only fifty events, thus we will be leaving out important events like the one found in Luke 7:11-17 when Jesus shows the power and authority over the dead by raising a widow’s son to life. Jesus was often misunderstood as a leader. In today’s study, Jesus pays tribute to another greatly unappreciated and misunderstood leader. He honors this leader who was both His dear friend and co-laborer in the Kingdom of God. Come learn some more from the Master about leadership. Knowing Him Study: pages 117-120 sonlife.com