Jeff understands and dispenses grace, with passion, humour and thoughtful content - a rare combination. PHILIP YANCY
WITH LUCAS APPLYING GOD’S WORD TODAY
OCTOBER – DECEMBER 2025
The Chosen
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A WORD FROM JEFF
WELCOME TO LIFE WITH LUCAS!
Jesus chose His team to change the world. But He picked an unlikely group; headstrong, committed, petulant, and deeply flawed in turn. In his gospel, Mark especially portrays the disciples as bumbling, slow learners, and the other writers make no attempt to spare their blushes. Despite all Jesus taught them about servanthood, two of them request thrones in His coming Kingdom. They ask Jesus to send hungry people away, and rebuke parents who seek blessing for their children. They don’t understand but won’t ask clarifying questions. Often they demonstrate little faith, and don’t apply previously learned lessons. Yet most of them fulfilled their calling and turned their world upside-down. So, over the next few months, we’ll take a close look at some of Jesus’ chosen team, especially focusing on the lesser known characters, and considering what Scripture and church tradition reveal. We will come to the two most famous disciples, Peter and John, another time. And as we approach Christmas, we will pause our study, to prepare ourselves to celebrate the Jesus who came to rescue us all! Thank you, as always, for joining me. May God bless you and yours.
VIDEO INTRODUCTION lifewithlucas.co.uk /intros
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© Novio Published 2025 by Novio – Life With Lucas, PO Box 239, Unit 3 Burnt Oak Farm, Heathfield, TN21 1EH, UK All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission in writing of Novio. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Reader’s Version® (US version), The “NIRV”, “New International Reader’s Version”, “Biblica”, “International Bible Society” and the Biblica Logo are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc. The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the Publisher. Design by David Graham – davidgrahamdesign@me.com
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PO Box 239, Heathfield, TN21 1EH | Tel 01892 752920
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INTRODUCTION
GETTING THE MOST OUT OF LIFE WITH LUCAS! CHOOSE A TIME Find the best time that works for you, ideally the same time, same place every day, when you can concentrate and have the least number of distractions. PAUSE AND TALK TO GOD Take a moment to focus on God and ask Him to speak to you as you read and reflect on His word. READ GOD’S WORD Read the daily passage from your Bible. Don’t be tempted just to skip this part. It’s important: who knows how the Holy Spirit might speak to you as you read the actual text? MAKE NOTES
ONLINE VIDEO INTRODUCTIONS, AND GOING DEEPER When you see the video icon, this points you to a brief Video Introduction to the subject. Make the most of the occasional Going Deeper resources when you see this icon. They will help you delve further into the passage. GIVE YOUR DAY TO GOD Thank God for what you’ve learned and ask for help if the day’s notes brought to light anything especially applicable to your life at the moment.
Writing slows you down and helps you focus. Write in your Bible, a notebook, or in the white space in the devotions. Don’t hesitate to underline, write in the margins, or circle words. 5 RC1231_LWL_Issue-16_V7.indd 5
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WED 01 OCT
WHY DISCIPLES?
READ Luke 14:25-33 Matthew 10:37-38
FOCUS In the same way, you must give up everything you have. If you don’t, you can’t be my disciple. Luke 14:33
GOING DEEPER
lifewithlucas. co.uk/goingdeeper
Regular readers of Life with Lucas will recall that in the last edition, 'Rediscovering Jesus,' we saw that being the disciple of a first century rabbi was a great privilege. For those just joining, and to refresh our memories, let’s briefly consider why Jesus chose to build that team. In calling His disciples, He was following the normal teaching pattern of the day, as students ‘walked in the dust of their rabbi’s feet’, they were called to watch, learn, ask questions, and wrestle with truth. Of course, Jesus was like no other rabbi. Not only did He speak with such authority, but He also performed stunning miracles. His group of apprentices were called to assist Him in His mission, and to work in that power themselves, taking authority over sickness and evil spirits. They would be shaped to continue His work and take His good news to the world, and ultimately to go and make disciples of others. In gathering His team, Jesus was birthing the one group that God Himself promises to build throughout history – the Church. But at the heart of His call was the invitation to be with Him, to be in His constant company – and ultimately to become like Him through the transforming, ongoing work of the Holy Spirit after His ascension. But those who joined the team did so knowing that the cost to them would be great – there would be times of uncertainty ahead. They were called to an exhilarating and often terrifying life. And so are we. Prayer: Lord, when following You is costly, strengthen me to be faithful, and enable me to stay close to You when storms come. Amen.
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THUR 02 OCT
A MIXED BAG
READ Luke 9:46-50 Acts 15:1-6
FOCUS The disciples began to argue about which one of them would be the most important person. Luke 9:46
GOING DEEPER
lifewithlucas. co.uk/ goingdeeper
Jesus did not choose the members of His team because of their competence, knowledge of the Torah (the law), or leadership skills. Nor were His decisions based on their mutual compatibility. One of them was Simon, a Zealot, part of a Jewish group committed to the armed overthrow of the hated Roman occupying force. He had to share his days with a former tax gatherer, considered a lackey to those same Romans. And the gospels make it clear there was real tension in the team. Spending a great deal of time together meant deep friendships were forged, but there were plenty of misunderstandings too. Arguments broke out at least three times, usually fuelled by ego, as they bickered over who would be the greatest (Luke 9:46-48, Matt. 20:20-28), and even the Last Supper was blighted by yet another spat (Luke 22:24). In the New Testament, there’s no attempt to airbrush the conflicts that the Early Church had to navigate. The Church is a gathering of people who, without Jesus, would not know each other, and so at times we will disagree. But this freedom to disagree is healthy: it means we are not living in a cult, under the tyranny of bullying and abusive leadership. It also means, however, that we have to have realistic expectations about our local churches. We can’t despair when there are relational tensions. We need to be realistic, and accept that a church with no tensions, ever, is simply an illusion. Let’s commit to what is real. Prayer: Thank you for the privilege of being a part of Your people, Father. When healthy conflict arises, help us to disagree well. Amen.
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