Jesus said “The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”
It is not that the disciples were unwilling to stay awake as Jesus prayed, it’s that they were not completely willing. Of course this was before the Spirit baptized the 1st century church in Acts chapter 2.
The 1st Century Church was completely willing. Willing in spirit. Willing in body.
There are amazing stories of the depth the Church of Jesus Christ went to help anyone that had need.
Are you willing? Completely willing?

1st Century Church 6 – Willing from Redemption Church on Vimeo.
 
1st Century Church connecting with a 21st Century World Part 3: Willing
Here we are in the final week of our Vision series.  Have you enjoyed this series? I have enjoyed preaching it.  Are you excited about the mission and vision of Redemption Church?  Here is a speedy review of our series!
Mission 
To declare the Good news of Jesus and see others become followers of Christ.
1st Century TITLE
Redemption is a 1st Century Church connecting with a 21st century world.
We have pointed to 5 things we see in the 1st century church. Here is a quick cheat sheet of the 5 previous weeks.

* All about Jesus
* Spiritual Transformation
* Community
* Missional
* Culture

In this 6th and final week we see that the church of the book of Acts was always WILLING
In Matthew 26 Jesus takes 11 of his 12 disciples to a garden called Gethsemane. The 12th disciple, Judas, had gone to betray Jesus. Jesus asked his disciples to watch over Him as He prayed…  His disciples fell asleep.
They fell asleep during the most amazing prayer meeting to ever take place.  Jesus prayed so hard he sweated blood… he takes the cup of sin in this garden.  The entirety of human history hinges upon this moment in the garden….  They were there for it… but they were asleep.  #convicting
Matthew 26:41 (NIV) …The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.
Jesus doesn’t speak this in anger.  He speaks it as simple fact. He understood that His disciples, although they were following Him, although they were committed, there was a part of them that was not willing.  There was a part of each of those 11 disciples that wasn’t able to stay awake.  There was a part of them not willing to watch over Him as he prayed.
But Jesus… He’s always Willing.   2 Peter 3:9 says He is “not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”
He tells the disciples… Part of you is willing… but part of you isn’t…
BUT aren’t you glad that ALL OF JESUS IS WILLING.  He was willing in Spirit.  He was willing in His body.  He wasn’t arrested against His will… He willingly surrended.  They didn’t beat Him against His will… He willingly received those stripes for your healing.  His life wasn’t taken from Him…
John 10:18 (NIV) No one takes it from me, but I lay it down…
He is always Willing!  Every part of Him is willing.
You ought to view the Bible through the Lens of Willingness.  Mankind messed up in the Garden of Eden – But He was willing…  Israel was one rebellion after the next… But God was willing. Jesus was sent into the world but we rejected Him…  God remains willing.
God is willing today!  The question is… are you willing?
Matthew 26:41 (NIV) …The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.
A first century church is Willing..  They are willing in Spirit and willing in their body. They are completely willing.
We all know what it feels like to want to do something…  Perhaps you have seen someone in great shape and thought… I wish I looked like that.  There is a part of you that is willing to look like that… but there is a part of you that perhaps is unwilling…  Unwilling to eat healthier… unwilling to go to the gym…
Part of you is willing… but part of you is unwilling…