When Jesus said, “follow Me” to the four fisherman by the Sea of Galilee (), He was not interested in them just becoming His traveling companions. The phrase “follow Me” literally reads “come behind Me” and, according to one commentator, involves “no thought of continuous following from place to place, but of immediate detachment from the present sphere of their interest and of attachment to Jesus as their leader.” Such is the journey that all of us must make if we are going to truly follow Jesus.

History happens quietly. For several weeks now people have worked and prayed diligently for the 24th Southside Lectures. Flash! They’ve come and now they’ve gone—passed into history. Now we will look, God willing, to the 25th.

Baptism is from baptizo, to dip, plunge, or immerse. You can’t actually pour somebody; and you can’t actually sprinkle somebody. But you can dip them, you can plunge or immerse them.

We stood in line for three hours to tour the White House. It was cold, rainy, and miserable. But it was worth it. We walked from the Washington monument to the Lincoln Memorial. We were hungry, tired, and sore. But it was worth it.

Few things are more repugnant than hypocrisy. And yet it reaches into nearly every life at some time or the other. We almost always assign hypocrisy to the other fellow, but if we’re not careful we’ll be going around wearing a mask ourselves, almost without knowing it.

Remember that song? Or how about the one from Disney’s The Lion King—“Hakuna Matata”? Even though both of those songs were at one time very popular, we still live in what is called the “Age of Anxiety.” Apparently, the problem of worry is not unique to our generation or Jesus never would have devoted a large section to this issue in His Sermon on the Mount () as thorns which choke out the life of the word of God.

Remember that song? Or how about the one from Disney’s The Lion King—“Hakuna Matata”? Even though both of those songs were at one time very popular, we still live in what is called the “Age of Anxiety.” Apparently, the problem of worry is not unique to our generation or Jesus never would have devoted a large section to this issue in His Sermon on the Mount () as thorns which choke out the life of the word of God.

One of the amazing things about Scripture is that it never changes. What it said when it was first spoken is the same thing it says now. The Scriptures were written in a language called Koine Greek, a type of the language which is no longer spoken and so is frozen in time. That is no accident; it is a providential provision. That means that the language of the Bible is never in a state of flux like other languages. Its word meanings are sealed in time. It still says the same thing it said when it was first revealed to the apostles and prophets ().

Sowing the Seed

The sower in Jesus’ parable ) “who went forth to sow” didn’t plant seeds one by one in pots or window boxes. He was broadcasting the seed. And the seed he cast fell on all kinds of soil—a tamped roadway, a rocky patch, a thorny hedge, and a fertile plain. He was indiscriminate in casting the seed. He threw it everywhere—and left the soil to receive the seed as it would.

Can you believe the Southside Lectures are only six weeks away? For the 24th year in a row, the month of June will bring a week of spirited singing, Bible-based preaching, reverent worship, and times of refreshment and revival to the members of the Southside congregation. Some of you have been here for all twenty-three. But what will this year’s lectures mean to you?