Luke 9 The cost is affordable really, we can't afford the luxury of NOT followng Jesus

Scripture selections are taken from the Rock Church Daily Bread Reading schedule for each month. “Lena’s Journalin’” are Lena’s comments on the specific passages from her Daily Journal.

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Luke 9:1-62
Jesus Sends Out the Twelve Apostles
1One day Jesus called together his twelve apostles and gave them power and authority to cast out demons and to heal all diseases. 2Then he sent them out to tell everyone about the coming of the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick. 3"Don't even take along a walking stick," he instructed them, "nor a traveler's bag, nor food, nor money. Not even an extra coat. 4When you enter each village, be a guest in only one home. 5If the people of the village won't receive your message when you enter it, shake off its dust from your feet as you leave. It is a sign that you have abandoned that village to its fate."
6So they began their circuit of the villages, preaching the Good News and healing the sick.
Herod's Confusion
7When reports of Jesus' miracles reached Herod Antipas, F41 he was worried and puzzled because some were saying, "This is John the Baptist come back to life again." 8Others were saying, "It is Elijah or some other ancient prophet risen from the dead."
9"I beheaded John," Herod said, "so who is this man about whom I hear such strange stories?" And he tried to see him.
Jesus Feeds Five Thousand
10When the apostles returned, they told Jesus everything they had done. Then he slipped quietly away with them toward the town of Bethsaida. 11But the crowds found out where he was going, and they followed him. And he welcomed them, teaching them about the Kingdom of God and curing those who were ill. 12Late in the afternoon the twelve disciples came to him and said, "Send the crowds away to the nearby villages and farms, so they can find food and lodging for the night. There is nothing to eat here in this deserted place."
13But Jesus said, "You feed them." "Impossible!" they protested. "We have only five loaves of bread and two fish. Or are you expecting us to go and buy enough food for this whole crowd?" 14For there were about five thousand men there. "Just tell them to sit down on the ground in groups of about fifty each," Jesus replied. 15So the people all sat down. 16Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and asked God's blessing on the food. Breaking the loaves into pieces, he kept giving the bread and fish to the disciples to give to the people. 17They all ate as much as they wanted, and they picked up twelve baskets of leftovers!
Peter's Declaration about Jesus
18One day as Jesus was alone, praying, he came over to his disciples and asked them, "Who do people say I am?"
19"Well," they replied, "some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say you are one of the other ancient prophets risen from the dead."
20Then he asked them, "Who do you say I am?" Peter replied, "You are the Messiah sent from God!"
Jesus Predicts His Death
21Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about this. 22"For I, the Son of Man, must suffer many terrible things," he said. "I will be rejected by the leaders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. I will be killed, but three days later I will be raised from the dead."
23Then he said to the crowd, "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross daily, and follow me. 24If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for me, you will find true life. 25And how do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose or forfeit your own soul in the process? 26If a person is ashamed of me and my message, I, the Son of Man, will be ashamed of that person when I return in my glory and in the glory of the Father and the holy angels. 27And I assure you that some of you standing here right now will not die before you see the Kingdom of God."
The Transfiguration
28About eight days later Jesus took Peter, James, and John to a mountain to pray. 29And as he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothing became dazzling white. 30Then two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared and began talking with Jesus. 31They were glorious to see. And they were speaking of how he was about to fulfill God's plan by dying in Jerusalem.
32Peter and the others were very drowsy and had fallen asleep. Now they woke up and saw Jesus' glory and the two men standing with him. 33As Moses and Elijah were starting to leave, Peter, not even knowing what he was saying, blurted out, "Master, this is wonderful! We will make three shrines F42 —one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." 34But even as he was saying this, a cloud came over them; and terror gripped them as it covered them.
35Then a voice from the cloud said, "This is my Son, my Chosen One. F43 Listen to him." 36When the voice died away, Jesus was there alone. They didn't tell anyone what they had seen until long after this happened.
Jesus Heals a Demon-Possessed Boy
37The next day, after they had come down the mountain, a huge crowd met Jesus. 38A man in the crowd called out to him, "Teacher, look at my boy, who is my only son. 39An evil spirit keeps seizing him, making him scream. It throws him into convulsions so that he foams at the mouth. It is always hitting and injuring him. It hardly ever leaves him alone. 40I begged your disciples to cast the spirit out, but they couldn't do it."
41"You stubborn, faithless people," Jesus said, "how long must I be with you and put up with you? Bring him here." 42As the boy came forward, the demon knocked him to the ground and threw him into a violent convulsion. But Jesus rebuked the evil spirit and healed the boy. Then he gave him back to his father. 43Awe gripped the people as they saw this display of God's power.
Jesus Again Predicts His Death
While everyone was marveling over all the wonderful things he was doing, Jesus said to his disciples, 44"Listen to me and remember what I say. The Son of Man is going to be betrayed." 45But they didn't know what he meant. Its significance was hidden from them, so they could not understand it, and they were afraid to ask him about it.
The Greatest in the Kingdom
46Then there was an argument among them as to which of them would be the greatest. 47But Jesus knew their thoughts, so he brought a little child to his side. 48Then he said to them, "Anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes my Father who sent me. Whoever is the least among you is the greatest."
Using the Name of Jesus
49John said to Jesus, "Master, we saw someone using your name to cast out demons. We tried to stop him because he isn't in our group."
50But Jesus said, "Don't stop him! Anyone who is not against you is for you."
Opposition from Samaritans
51As the time drew near for his return to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. 52He sent messengers ahead to a Samaritan village to prepare for his arrival. 53But they were turned away. The people of the village refused to have anything to do with Jesus because he had resolved to go to Jerusalem. 54When James and John heard about it, they said to Jesus, "Lord, should we order down fire from heaven to burn them up F44 ?" 55But Jesus turned and rebuked them. F45 56So they went on to another village.
The Cost of Following Jesus
57As they were walking along someone said to Jesus, "I will follow you no matter where you go."
58But Jesus replied, "Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but I, the Son of Man, have no home of my own, not even a place to lay my head."
59He said to another person, "Come, be my disciple." The man agreed, but he said, "Lord, first let me return home and bury my father."
60Jesus replied, "Let those who are spiritually dead care for their own dead. F46 Your duty is to go and preach the coming of the Kingdom of God."
61Another said, "Yes, Lord, I will follow you, but first let me say good-bye to my family."
62But Jesus told him, "Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God."
FOOTNOTES:F41: Greek Herod the tetrarch. He was a son of King Herod and was ruler over one of the four districts in Palestine. F42: Or shelters; Greek reads tabernacles. F43: Some manuscripts read This is my beloved Son. F44: Some manuscripts add as Elijah did. F45: Some manuscripts add And he said, "You don't realize what your hearts are like. 56For the Son of Man has not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them." F46: Greek Let the dead bury their own dead.
Copyright Statement: Holy Bible, The New Living Translation

~ Lena’s Journalin’~
It seems like when a believer dies, passes on, he leaves more of his life’s message than was here when he was here. It’s like reproduction becomes multiplication, kind of like a seed is one seed, but brings forth like 3 ears of corn on a stalk with hundreds of kernels on each ear! 1 Cor 15 speaks of such a principle in kingdom sowing and reaping, a life brings forth lives.
They kill John, they get more Johns, they kill Jesus they get more Christians!, They kill Stephens they get more disciples and apostles…etc. Especially when those who are killed give the life, rather than allow the enemy to take it. They lay it down as an offering to God and He multiplies that which is given. This is how it works with us, when we give our lives, lay down our own desires, our own selfish ways and plans in life each day. What you sow you shall reap in this life and in eternity. The enemy will be confused saying, I thought I killed them, I thought I hurt and injured them, I thought I rendered them dead and useless by offending them, so why are there MORE of them out and about now than were before? They gave of their own life unto God, an offering it as a , a sweet smelling savor.
The way of true, successful multiplication is government. The more people who died for the gospel around these disciples the more serious the others became about setting up His governmental order in the earth. This is the crux of the beginning of His government ruling in us. It starts with this, it starts with this in us personally. If we never get here personally, He’s not really our Lord, maybe our Savior, but not yet Lord. If not Lord, we are not yet His.
Here’s the crux of the kingdom message. Not My way LORD, but Yours….
"If any of you wants to be my follower, you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross daily, and follow me. 24If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for me, you will find true life. 25And how do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose or forfeit your own soul in the process?
After we make Him Lord, He shows us the multitudes and says – YOU feed them! What a test of faith to be made bread for nations of peoples.
The making of bread is a process, so is salvation. He who stays in the process will truly be saved (especially from His self life!). Bread starts out as grain in a field unharvested-unsaved, in unbelief, when harvested it is then brought to the threshing floors where it is separated out from what is precious and what is waste- eternally and for earthly consumability. Once separated out (from the world and it’s ways) it is beaten and crushed along with others like it, and milled to be so fine it is like mere dust (from dust we cane and to dust we return, it pleased the Lord to crush-bruise Him), then the dust product sits till chosen to be mixed with other useful ingredients such as love, life, forgiveness and power etc. Then all of this goes into the heat of an oven to be proven and rise to the occasion, the very intent behind harvest, is to become food. If the dust abides alone it will be consumed alright, by mite and, maggots, without ever being used properly for it’s intended use.
Jesus said, you who were once harvested material, You now feed them!
Whoever is the least among you is the greatest."
Any one who is not against you is for you."
Amen!
Daily Repetitive Verses -
John 17:15 I'm not asking you to take them out of the world but to protect them from the evil one.