THE CRUCIFORM LIFE The invitation of Jesus to follow Him is nothing less than radical. Jesus began His famous invitation in Mark 8:34 saying, “If anyone wants to follow me…” Do you want to follow Jesus? If so, why? What does it look like to actually follow this Rabbi who has ascended back to Heaven? […]
EVERYTHING WELL The story found in Mark 7:31-37 seems a bit odd at first, but shows us how incredibly compassionate Jesus was and is. Throughout Mark 7 we encounter Jesus saying and doing things that can seem odd, or even unkind, at first. When Jesus says something difficult, how do you respond? Do you press
ENOUGH FOR YOU TOO The story found in Mark 6:30-44 is well-known. Jesus leads his disciples to a remote place, but they are met by an eager crowd desiring to hear from Jesus. In his compassion, Jesus uses a small meal of bread and fish and multiplies it to feed 5000 men and their
Power for the Powerless MARK 5 Pastor Tim led us through the first half of Mark 5. In this passage, Jesus was confronted by a demon-possessed man. He cast the demons out and into a herd of pigs, which then ran off a cliff. When the man asked to stay with Jesus, he was instructed to go
GROW BY MARK 4 Mark 4 is full of farming parables. These may not mean as much to us in modern culture, but for his followers, farming was a part of life. Three stories in this chapter illustrate different aspects of the gospel. Verses 1-20 tell us about seeds with four different landing spots. Some seeds
AND YOU ARE This week, we studied Mark 2:13-17. Jesus called the tax collector, Levi, to follow Him as a disciple. At Levi’s house, Jesus had dinner with his disciples, sinners and tax collectors. This caused quite a stir among the religious leaders of the day who the disciples why Jesus would eat with “sinners.”
ASTONISHED This week, we examine Mark 1:21-28. Jesus enters a synagogue teaching with authority, astonishing all who heard him. A demon-possessed man attempts to call Jesus out. Jesus casts the demon out of the man, commanding him to be silent. All those who see are amazed and begin to question who Jesus is. The story of
WHERE WE PLANT OUR FLAG Jesus set clear goals for his followers. He told them to go, make disciples, and teach them to obey. Even as he first called his disciples, he told them he would make them fishers of men. The message they were sent out with was that Christ’s kingdom had come. We
JOYFUL PREPPERS For the third week of Advent, we focus on how we can experience the real joy of Christ. Happiness and joy are both responses to stimuli in our lives. Happiness is circumstantial and fleeting; it comes and goes. Joy is lasting and not based on circumstances, but on truth. A few years ago, a
A BOLD CLAIM FOR PEACE Isaiah 9 tells us that the Messiah will be called the Prince of Peace. Isaiah 26:3 says, ”You will keep the mind that is dependent on you in perfect peace, for it is trusting in you.” In order to truly experience peace, we must keep our focus on the Author