Luke 18:28-30

Luke 18:28-30 Peter said to him, “We have left all we had to follow you!” “I tell you the truth,” Jesus said to them, “no one who has left home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to receive many times as much in this age and, in the age to come, eternal life.”

Mark 10:29-31 I tell you the truth,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields — and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.

Jesus promised prosperity if we would follow him completely. Peter said, we left all to follow you, Jesus. Jesus responded to Peter's statement by saying his disciples would be blessed a hundred times more in this age and in the age to come. Now, how could Jesus' statement be true, for we know the disciples led very difficult lives. James was beheaded by Herod; tradition has it that all the disciples were martyred except John who was banished to the island of Patmos. We know the disciples did not die rich men; they died as they had lived: servants of the MOST HIGH. In 1 John we read, Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

Jesus surely would not promise us something that would hurt our relationship with the God. Yet, Jesus did promise the disciples prosperity, but He promised the blessing of community and the comfort of the Holy Spirit, not material goods. He promised them homes, places for lodging; fields for food, to strengthen their walk; brothers, sisters, mothers, and children, for relationships; and the Spirit, to guide and to teach them. Within the community of believers, Jesus' promise is fulfilled. Today, in many Christian fellowships, believers address each other as brother or sister. They even speak of older women as mothers, such as Mother Jones or Mother Smith. For some of us, this seems too informal, too personal, but in the above scriptures, Jesus tells us this is the reality of God's kingdom. We are a community, known as the body of Christ. We are not only a family here, we are eternal brothers and sisters, blessed with the DNA of Christ. Everything we are belongs to each other. We are one in Christ and He is one in us.

As a family, we have obligations to each other. We have the spiritual obligations of praying and encouraging each other as we gather together, and we also have material responsibilities, especially to the poor among us. In the United States, Christians tend to close our personal lives off from one another. We are rich enough to live autonomous lives, not needing to depend on others for sustenance or help. We can isolate ourselves from fellow believers if we desire. This is a serious fault in the American church because the Bible tells us to gather together more often as we see the end times approaching. Since every generation should expect Jesus' return, the end times are now for every generation. The end times began with Christ's return to heaven; the early church believed that.

Christians need each other; we need Spirit-led worship, we need fellowship, we need prayer, we need help. Only the true servants of the Lord see that. They understand the body of Christ needs them to function well as they face this alien world. Christians do not just add Jesus to our lives; we allow him to replace our lives with his concerns, his interests, his service. I have to confess that servanthood, giving my all, is a constant challenge to me. I so often protect, serve, and care for myself at the expense of others. Such behavior is not good, and it is not servanthood. But praise God, He is not through with me. He is long suffering, patient, willing to work with a recalcitrant heart. As I confess my faults, He forgives me and perfects what concerns me.

My own father and mother left all to evangelize small communities in Washington State. With nine children, they definitely did not prosper financially. In fact, they left the field of evangelism quite discouraged, feeling they weren't very successful. However, looking back, I know God prospered them. They are dead now, but their progeny serves God fervently. They literally have hundreds of Christians including pastors and teachers, brothers and sisters in Christ, serving God as a result of their committed lives. I sometimes wish they were alive to see God's prosperity stretching out toward eternity. Jesus said, I tell you the truth, no one who has left home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to receive many times as much in this age and, in the age to come, eternal life. This was the truth for his disciples and the early church, and it is true for each of us today.