Acts 6 As the gospel spread throughout Jerusalem, more and more people believed and committed themselves to the cause of Christ. In Jerusalem, like in most cities, there was a diverse group of people, and believers themselves grew more and more diverse as well. Hebraic Jew, Grecian Jew (dispersed Jews living outside Palestine. Their primary language was Greek), Samari...

ACTS 5 They died! They fell over and died! That seems like a bit much. What did he do to deserve the death penalty? Acts 5 Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. 2 With his wife's full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles' feet. That's it! On first...

Acts 4 A couple of Sundays ago, I kicked-off our new sermon series, "Follow Me," with a message from Mark 3. The statement that really jumped out to me in that passage was, (Mark 3:14) "He appointed twelve that they might be with Himand that He might send them out to preach." Before they were called to do stuff for Him, Jesus wanted them to be with Him. In Acts 4,...

ACTS 3 Sometimes when I read the gospels or the book of Acts, I think to myself, "Why doesn't this happen anymore?" In yesterday's passage, it summarized the early church with this statement: Acts 2 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. Daily? As you read the book of Acts...

ACTS 2 Holy Spirit You are welcome hereCome flood this place and fill the atmosphereYour glory God is what our hearts long forTo be overcome by Your presence Lord ("Holy Spirit" by Bryan Katie Torwalt) I love the books of Acts. I love the boldness of the Apostles, thegenerosityand selflessness of the saints, the growth of the church, the clarity of the message an...

Acts 1 In Acts 1 scripture tells us that if we truly are Christ followers the Holy Spirit will indwell us. "You heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now." Acts 1:4,5 Nothing here is too explicit as to what that means but here are some basic implications or thoughts on the Holy Spirit We beli...

Mark 16 Mark 16 gives us one of the greatest narratives in all of scripture; He has risen (v6). This is where we see that Jesus has overcome death and the grave. This is where we see that Jesus is in fact who he claimed to be; the Messiah, the Christ, the Son of God, he is God. This is where we can know that we can trust in him and all that he claimed. This is very good...

Mark 15 Mark 15 has so much happening in this chapter. Jesus is arrested, falsely accused, mocked, tortured, crucified, is abandoned and then dies. I remember reading about the "Passion" for the 1st time with the awareness that I caused all of this. I was ashamed and sorrowful. It should have been me. This sacrifice, Christ's sacrifice is what ultimately led to me placi...

Mark 14 This chapter is a greater reminder of how the Bible has both divine and human origins. While I fully believe the Bible is inspired by God, I also believe He allowed the original author's voices to be heard in the text. To fully appreciate Mark 14, you have to understand its origin. Mark, the author of the Gospel of Mark, was a companion of the apostle Peter. I...

Mark 13 The Gospel of Mark moves so quickly. If you were to read it in a single sitting, it would only take you about 45 minutes. Just 45 minutes to tell us the story of the most significant person in the history of the world. These 16 brief chapters walk us through the 3-year ministry of the Savior. As the story reaches its climax, there is a shift in the tone. Jesus i...

Mark 12 "Do you all want to be known as liars? Is that what you aspire to? Because as I see it, if we sell a product with no intention to support it -- that's what we are!" That's a paraphrase of a challenge that lives on in the "lore" of the company I work for and that marks a stark turning point in our company mindset. The man who delivered it was a subordina...

Mark 11 Jesus instructs two of His disciples to go into a nearby village and get a colt (or donkey) for him to ride. This is reference back to Zechariah 9:9 which states: 9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!Behold, your king is coming to you;righteous and having salvation is he,humble and mounted on a donkey,on a colt, the foal ...

Mark 10 Jesus continues to speak with authority to the real issues of the day in Mark 10. Whether it is the heart issues that surround marriage and divorce, the value of each child to their Heavenly Father, the pride that comes from making our own way, making our own righteousness, or striving for position, Jesus nails it with truth and the ability to see within our heart...

Depending on which translation you're reading, you may have one of two questions while reading Mark 9: Either: Why are verses 44 and 46 missing? Why do verses 44, 46, and 48 all say, "Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched"? If you're reading the King James Version of the Bible or the New King James Version of the Bible, you might have asked t...

Mark 9 As you've probably noticed, Mark's gospel moves REALLY fast! This chapter goes in so many different directions that I could have written six very different blog posts. I chose to look at the section you're probably the most familiar with. Lose It! Mark 9 42 "If anyone causes one of these little onesthose who believe in meto stumble, it would be better for ...

Mark 8:1-38 I am so thankful that the perfect scriptures honestly record the imperfections of its people. (Mark 8:4) - The disciples want to send away 4,000 hungry people, even though Jesus had already proved (Mark 6) that He could feed 5,000. (Mark 8:16) - Jesus warns them about the heart attitude (leaven) of the Pharisees and the disciples think He's upset tha...

Mark 7 Mark 7 is all over the place, so to follow suit here is a side note before we even jump in something cool is happening when Jesus gathers a crowd here in Mark 7:14. It seems as if the people who are listening to Jesus are aware of the fact that they are unclean. We call that Common Grace. If you feel that, it's not necessarily a bad thing. That awareness, that we...

Mark 6:1-56 In Mark chapter 6, Jesus goes to His hometown with His disciples and begins to teach in His own synagogue on the Sabbath day. This is a great opportunity for Jesus to be a blessing to those who have known Him the longest. (Small town boy makes it big!) (Mark 6:2) and many who heard Him were amazed. "Where did this man get these things?" they asked. "What's ...

Mark 4:35-Mark 5:43 How do you respond when you don't understand the circumstances of life? What do you do when life gets hard and there's no good explanation? In today's passage (and a little bit of yesterday's), we see four different groups of people face four different trials. Each responds differently. What Does This Teach Me About Jesus? JESUS HAS POWER OVER STO...

Mark 4:1-41 Parables are confusing, right? In fact, they can even be a little bit frustrating. Why is that? Because, there is something in me, let's call the "Consumer," that expects truth to be handed to me in the most simple and palatable way possible. Now, I don't need a "silver platter," but I don't want to work for it. Parables cause us to work for it. Parables mak...

Mark 3:1-35 Isn't it interesting how we can completely miss the point? At the start of this chapter, Jesus entered thesynagogue on the Sabbath and encountered a man with a deformed arm. Nearby, a group of Pharisees were watching, looking for an excuse to condemn Him. Jesus picked up on their scheme, and asked them a question that exposed their intentions. When they d...

Mark 2:1-28 It has often been lamented that, "familiarity breeds contempt."But, I think more often, it simply breeds indifference. It's kind of like this. Every now and then I imagine how awesome it would be to live somewhere really beautiful (California, Colorado, Maine, Hawaii), where I could wake up ever day to stunning scenery that would take my breath away. But, I...

Mark 1:1-45 The Gospel of Mark hits the ground running. There's no introductory genealogy. There's not an elaborate backstory with a description of Jesus' miracle conception and birth. There's not even much of a theological explanation of what you are about to read. There is simply, "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God." What does this tell me a...

"Behold my Servant..." The opening words to this passage are what we will be spending the rest of the year (and all of eternity) doing. Isaiah probably seems like a strange place to begin a read-through of the New Testament. After all, Isaiah wrote these words around 700 years before the birth of Christ. Regardless, that is exactly WHO he was writing about, and this p...