Jesus Boot Camp: A Lenten Series → Allies Praise

Dear Reader, I love the season of Lent! I love how it draws me into the ministry and fellowship of being called by Jesus in an intimate way. Lent makes me slow down and really reflect on what it means to me to be a Christ-follower.

As I began to look forward to Lent this year, I began to look beyond the victory of Resurrection Day. I began to think about how the disciples may have felt after the Ascension.

It’s easy for us to bump into a valley after a triumph. This wasn’t the case with the disciples. They left the Ascension, went back to Jerusalem, and got to work (Acts 1: 12-26).

Living in a political hotbed didn’t make the disciples’ task any easier. Or their diversity…or their lack of corporate training videos..or funding options.

What the disciples did have was nearly three years of on-the-job training with Jesus. Just to make sure He wrapped it up and tied it with a bow, Jesus gave the disciples final instructions and a promise:

Before he went, he talked to the apostles he had chosen. With the help of the Holy Spirit, he told them what they should do…”the Holy Spirit will come on you and give you power. You will be my witnesses. You will tell people everywhere about me—in Jerusalem, in the rest of Judea, in Samaria, and in every part of the world.”
Acts 1: 2, 8 ERV

Whether we speak of the original eleven, or the 120 disciples who gathered in Jerusalem, those men and women were our first Church leaders. They were equipped as believers and empowered as leaders through the Word of God and His Holy Spirit then…just as we are now.

Like soldiers preparing for battle, the first Christians went through intense training in Jesus Boot Camp. Through the power of the Holy Spirit and God’s Word we are still being recruited for Boot Camp.

Please join me during Lent, beginning February 18, as we explore a few of the ways Jesus prepares us to serve the Kingdom. Let us cling to the assurance of Lent that Resurrection Day isn’t the end of the journey: it’s the beginning!