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No More Excuses: What the Parable of the Great Banquet Teaches Us About Following Jesus

Have you ever felt like you want to follow Jesus more closely, but something always seems to get in the way? The truth is, many of us live with good intentions but delayed obedience. In Luke 14, Jesus tells a powerful story – the Parable of the Great Banquet – that challenges our excuses and calls us into deeper commitment. This message isn’t just for a quiet devotional moment. It’s a direct invitation to examine our priorities and respond to God’s call in our everyday lives. The Parable of the Great Banquet: God’s Invitation Is Ready In Luke 14:16 – 17 (NIV), Jesus describes a man preparing a great banquet: “A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. At the time of the banquet, he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’” Picture it: the table is set, everything is prepared, and the invitation has already been sent. All that’s left is for the guests to come. This banquet represents God’s kingdom: His grace, His presence, and the life He offers through Jesus. The invitation is not partial or delayed. It’s ready now. “They All Began to Make Excuses” Instead of accepting the invitation, the guests respond with excuses (Luke 14:18–20): While these may sound reasonable, they all point to the same issue: something else took priority over responding to the invitation. Today, our excuses may look different, but the heart behind them is the same: None of these are inherently wrong, but when they consistently come before Jesus, they become barriers to spiritual growth. Why We Make Excuses in Our Faith Journey Following Jesus requires surrender. It asks us to: That’s not always easy. Often, excuses are less about time and more about reluctance to fully trust God. We delay obedience because it feels safer to stay where we are. But Jesus makes it clear: the invitation isn’t something to postpone, it’s something to respond to. The Cost of Discipleship: Carry Your Cross Right after the parable, Jesus gives a sobering challenge in Luke 14:26 – 27: “And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.” This doesn’t mean rejecting loved ones, it means putting Jesus first above everything else. True discipleship involves: It’s a call to wholehearted commitment – not casual belief. How to Stop Making Excuses and Start Following Jesus If you’re ready to move from intention to action, here are some practical steps: 1. Identify Your Excuses Be honest with yourself. What’s been holding you back from fully saying “yes” to Jesus? 2. Surrender Your Plans Proverbs 16:3 reminds us: “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.” God isn’t asking for perfection. He’s asking for willingness. 3. Delight in Your Relationship with Jesus Faith isn’t just about responsibility, it’s about relationship. The more time you spend with Jesus, the more your desires begin to align with His. 4. Share the Invitation The servants in the parable were sent to invite others. We are called to do the same through conversations, kindness, and sharing our story. 5. Invest in Others Following Jesus isn’t meant to be done alone. Walk alongside others, encourage them, and grow together in faith. A Clear Call: The Invitation Still Stands The message of the Great Banquet is simple but urgent: God’s invitation is ready – but it requires a response. We can keep making excuses, or we can step into the life Jesus is calling us to live. Not later. Not when things settle down.Now. Reflection: What Is Holding You Back? Take a moment to pause and reflect: Write your answers down, pray through them personally, or share them with a trusted friend. The banquet is ready. The invitation is personal. Will you respond – or make another excuse?

Coffee Devo | Sharing the Gospel with Your Friends

Coffee Devo with Go & Tell Ministries by Pastor Jim and Pastor Nathan from Lincoln, Nebraska. The Great Commission calls followers of Jesus to make disciples, and sharing the Gospel is an important part of that calling. We are not responsible for changing someone’s heart, God is, but we are called to faithfully communicate the Good News and be ready to share our faith when opportunities arise. Is there a friend in your life who needs to hear about Jesus? Have you been waiting for the “perfect” opportunity to talk about your faith?

Coffee Devo | Finding Refuge in God | Psalm 91:1

Coffee Devo with Pastor Jim Halstead reflects on the powerful promise found in Psalm 91:1: “Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.” Psalm 91 reminds us that God is our refuge, our protector, and our place of security. When life feels uncertain, frightening, or overwhelming, we can choose to draw near to God and trust in His presence. To dwell in the shelter of the Most High means more than simply knowing about God. It is an invitation to remain close to Him, place our confidence in Him, and find rest under His care. Our circumstances may change, but God’s character and faithfulness remain constant. Where do you turn when you are afraid or uncertain? Are you making time to draw near to God and rest in His presence? This short Christian devotional encourages believers to trust God, seek refuge in Him, and remember that true peace is found in a close relationship with the Lord. Go & Tell… The Story of His Glory!

Coffee Devo | Evangelism Starts with a Conversation

Coffee Devo with Pastor Jim Halstead and Dustin from West Missionary Church shares an encouraging reminder about evangelism: you don’t have to have everything figured out before you start sharing your faith. You simply need to be willing to begin the conversation. Dustin shares how he learned that sharing the Gospel doesn’t always have to be perfect. Sometimes the most important step is simply being willing to open a conversation about Jesus and see where God leads it. Evangelism is not about having the perfect words or knowing exactly what to say every time. It is about being willing to talk about the hope we have in Jesus and trusting God to work through our conversations. A simple question, a personal story, or an honest conversation about faith can become an opportunity to point someone toward Christ. Go & Tell… The Story of His Glory!

The One Thing Every Church Leader Needs to Ignite Multiplication

You’ve prayed for growth. You’ve preached the Great Commission. You’ve cast vision for evangelism and discipleship. Yet deep down, many pastors and church leaders wrestle with the same question: Why does our church experience addition… but not multiplication? The answer isn’t more programs.It isn’t good marketing.It isn’t even more passionate preaching. The breakthrough lies in one foundational shift: An intentional, systematic approach to equipping every believer as a disciple-maker. When churches recover this biblical model, multiplication becomes not just possible -but inevitable. The Multiplication Gap: Why Most Churches Plateau Look at the typical church calendar: Each creates a burst of excitement. Some participate. A few new people join. But over time, the same core group carries the weight while most remain spectators in their spiritual journey. This is the difference between addition and multiplication. Addition Model In an addition model: Multiplication Model In a multiplication model: The Great Commission doesn’t say “make converts.” It says to make disciples – teaching them to obey everything Jesus commanded, which includes making more disciples. Multiplication is built into authentic discipleship. So why don’t more churches experience it? Because inspiration without implementation creates guilt, not growth. People hear powerful sermons about evangelism. They feel stirred. But without practical training and structured support, they don’t know what to do next. Shifting Church Culture: From Passive to Active Evangelism Multiplication requires more than motivation. It requires culture change. Instead of organizing your church around attendance and events, organize it around developing disciple-makers. Instead of measuring success by how many people show up, measure it by how many people are actively making disciples. This cultural shift affects everything: But here’s the key insight: Culture doesn’t change through announcements. It changes through systems. If you want multiplication, you must build processes that: When this happens, evangelism becomes a lifestyle—not just a church event. The Biblical Foundation for Multiplication Multiplication is not a modern church growth strategy. It is the apostolic pattern. In Ephesians 4, Paul explains that leaders exist to equip the saints for the work of ministry. That means ministry isn’t reserved for professionals. Every believer is called and equipped. Jesus modeled this perfectly. Rather than trying to reach everyone personally, He invested deeply in twelve disciples. Those twelve multiplied His ministry across the known world. The early church understood this instinctively. Every believer saw themselves as a missionary in their everyday context. Contrast that with consumer Christianity today: Biblical Christianity looks different: Multiplication begins when believers stop consuming and start participating. The Compounding Power of Disciples Making Disciples Multiplication follows exponential growth. If one believer leads one person to Christ each year – and each new believer does the same – the growth curve quickly becomes remarkable. But multiplication isn’t just about numbers. It’s about: Event-based evangelism creates spikes of activity.Systematic disciple-making creates sustained growth. When people experience the joy of leading someone to faith and walking with them in discipleship, enthusiasm spreads. Stories multiply. Mission becomes contagious. But this only works if the process is simple and reproducible. If disciple-making depends on a pastor’s charisma, it won’t scale.If evangelism requires professional training, most won’t try. Multiplication thrives on clarity and simplicity. Evaluating Your Church’s Evangelism Effectiveness Before building new systems, evaluate your current reality. Ask honest questions: Many churches have strong systems for attendance – but weak systems for multiplication. This isn’t a failure of passion. It’s often a structural blind spot. Clarity leads to action. When you identify the gap between biblical calling and current practice, you can build bridges through intentional disciple-making systems. From Vision to Implementation Knowing multiplication is biblical isn’t enough. You need a plan. Here’s a practical path forward: 1. Start with a Core Team Identify faithful, teachable believers with a heart for evangelism. Train them intentionally. 2. Build Reproducible Frameworks Create simple processes anyone can learn and teach. Avoid complexity. 3. Normalize Evangelism Share testimonies. Celebrate gospel conversations. Make disciple-making ordinary. 4. Subtract to Multiply Eliminate programs that drain energy but don’t produce disciple-makers. Multiplication often requires subtraction. When disciple-making becomes your organizing principle, everything changes. Your Next Step Toward Church Multiplication You stand at a crossroads. You can: Transformation doesn’t require perfection. It requires direction. Start with evaluation. Get clarity on your current disciple-making health. Identify gaps. Create intentional training pathways. Establish accountability structures. The world doesn’t need more church events.It needs churches that take disciple-making seriously. Multiplication isn’t mysterious. It begins with one decision: Equip every believer to make disciples. When that becomes your foundation, growth stops being something you try to manufacture – and starts becoming the natural outcome of obedience. The question isn’t whether multiplication is possible. The question is:Will you take the first step this week to make it inevitable?

Go & Tell Ministries March 2026 Newsletter

I want to thank you for your prayers and financial support for me and Go & Tell Ministries. https://mailchi.mp/goandtellministries/go-tell-ministries-march-2026-newsletter-16539512

The Word of God: Our Pillar of Fire and Daily Guide

Just as the pillar of fire never wavered in brightness, Scripture provides steady, reliable guidance. It does not merely suggest a direction; it goes before us, preparing the way. It brings clarity in confusion, wisdom in decision-making, and peace in seasons of uncertainty.