God Calls Us'''

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God Calls Us...

• Calling of the Disciples - Part 4
• Discovering Jesus series
• Mark 114-20 and Selected

Pastor Dave Martin Cross Creek Community Church
May 23, 2004
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• Mark 114-20 After John was put in prison, Jesus
  went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of
  God. "The time has come," he said. "The kingdom
  of God is near. Repent and believe the good
  news!"
• As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw
  Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into
  the lake, for they were fishermen. "Come, follow
  me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of
  men." At once they left their nets and followed
  him.
• When he had gone a little farther, he saw James
  son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat,
  preparing their nets. Without delay he called
  them, and they left their father Zebedee in the
  boat with the hired men and followed him.

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• Disciple Learner or follower
• Apostle One sent forth
• Calling of God A deep inner conviction,
  prompted by the Holy Spirit that will not permit
  you to invest your life in any other vocation.

Many Disciples followed Jesus He only choose
twelve to be His Apostles...
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I. God Calls us to SALVATION!

• Jesus does not call the QUALIFIED but qualifies
  the CALLED.
• 1 Cor. 126-27 Brothers, think of what you were
  when you were called. Not many of you were wise
  by human standards not many were influential
  not many were of noble birth. But God chose the
  foolish things of the world to shame the wise
  God chose the weak things of the world to shame
  the strong.

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II. God Calls us to SURRENDER!

• Jesus APPOINTS His Apostles.
• Luke 612-13 One of those days Jesus went out to
  a mountainside to pray, and spent the night
  praying to God. When morning came, he called his
  disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom
  he also designated apostles

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Before Major Decisions...

• Dont be in a HURRY.
• Get ALONE with God.
• Spend time in PRAYER.
• WISELY choose by faith.
• Ephes. 220 (The Church) is built on the
  foundation of the apostles and prophets, with
  Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.

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Yielding to Christs call...

• Andrew the first-called disciple a common
  fisherman
• Peter the primary disciple Simon, listener
  Peter, rock
• John the youngest disciple a fisherman, whom
  Jesus loved
• Jude/Thaddeus/Lebbaeus the courageous disciple
  
• James the silent disciple a brother of John,
  martyred
• Nathaniel the sincere disciple called
  Bartholomew

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III. God Calls us to SERVE!

• Jesus UNIFIES a diversity of people.
• Matthew the oldest disciple hated tax
  collector, wealthy
• Simon the Zealot the revolutionary disciple a
  terrorist
• James the Lessor the small disciple little
  guy, taxman

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IV. God Calls us to STRETCH!

• Jesus uses the DILIGENT workers.
• Thomas the doubting disciple a pessimistic
  twin Didymus
• Philip the analytical disciple cautious
  always asking questions
• Judas Iscariot / Matthias betrayer disciple
  and replacement

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V. God Calls us to SOAR!

• Jesus following can be COSTLY.
• Rev. 2212 "Behold, I am coming soon! My reward
  is with me, and I will give to everyone according
  to what he has done.

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Tradition tells us how each Apostle died...

• Matthew suffered martyrdom by being slain with a
  sword at a distant city of Ethiopia.
• Mark expired at Alexandria, after being cruelly
  dragged through the streets of that city.
• Luke was hanged upon an olive tree in the classic
  land of Greece.
• John was put in a caldron of boiling oil, but
  escaped death in a miraculous manner, and was
  afterward banished to Patmos writing the book of
  Revelation.

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• Peter was crucified at Rome with his head
  downward.
• James, the Greater, was beheaded at Jerusalem,
• James, the Less, was thrown from a lofty pinnacle
  of the temple, and then beaten to death with a
  fullers club.
• Bartholomew was flayed alive.

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• Andrew was bound to a cross, whence he preached
  to his persecutors until he died.
• Thomas was run through the body with a lance in
  the East Indies.
• Jude was shot to death with arrows.
• Matthias was first stoned and then beheaded.
• Paul, after various tortures and persecutions,
  was at length beheaded at Rome by the Emperor
  Nero.

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Paying the price... You will Soar with Jesus!

• Luke 923-24 Then he said to them all "If anyone
  would come after me, he must deny himself and
  take up his cross daily and follow me. For
  whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but
  whoever loses his life for me will save it.