Tag: Jesus

One Of The Best Ways To Invest In Eternity – Mark 13:21-37

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From my reading in Mark 13:21-37 in the One Year New Testament.

Eternal Words 

In the middle of Jesus’ discourse on the end times he includes this powerful statement.

“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” Mark 13:31

This is one of the most powerful statements Jesus made about importance of his words. Jesus’ words will last forever! By saying this, he was basically saying  his words are on an equal level as the rest of the Bible.

” The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.” Isaiah 40:8

When we read, hear, or study the God’s word we are investing in something eternal.

Three Things That Will Last Forever

In the campus ministry I was a part of at OU there was a popular phrase. 

There are three things that will last for eternity, God, His Word, and the souls of people.

What better way to spend your life than to invest in those things?

How can you make learning God’s Word more of a priority in your life? I encourage you to make a plan and do it with someone to help keep you on track.

Invest in eternity, learn your Bible!

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The Biggest Offering Ever Made – Mark 12:28-44

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From my reading in Mark 12:28-44 in the One Year New Testament.

Jesus and his disciples were sitting near the collection box in the Temple observing people give their offerings. Jesus was a genius as using ordinary situations to teach the disciples important lessons.

First they saw many rich people putting in large amounts of money. Then a poor widow come and dropped in the two small coins worth only about $2! Jesus then said this about the widows radical gift.

“I tell you the truth, this poor widow has given more than all the others who are making contributions. For they gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she had to live on.” Mark 12:43–44

God is more interested in the amount of sacrifice than the amount of money.

This woman gave all she had to live on! Jesus is showing us that you don’t have to be rich to contribute to the kingdom of God!

Each of us should give generously and be inspired by this woman of faith.

The reason I can say this is the biggest offering ever made is that you can’t give more than 100%! This story is not teaching us that everyone has to give everything away, instead let it inspire you to give from the heart, not for show, and to give generously!

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Why Did Jesus Willingly Accept Rejection? – Mark 12:1-27

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From my reading in Mark 12:1-27 in the One Year New Testament.

Jesus just finished telling one of his most clear parables against the religious leaders. In the story, the tenants of the vineyard killed messengers of the owner and then killed the only son of the owner. This was a clear allegory of how they would kill Jesus. After telling the parable Jesus quoted Psalm 118:22-23,

“The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing, and it is wonderful to see.” Mark 12:10–11

Even though Jesus was rejected, he came back to life and was placed at the right hand of God. He is the cornerstone and head of the Church. The Bible Knowledge Commentary Walford and Zuck write,

“This dramatic reversal of the builders’ decision and exaltation of the rejected stone was God’s sovereign doing, a remarkable thing. God overrules in amazing ways rebellious human attempts to block His purposes.”

God worked through man’s rebellion to do the most wonderful thing, save us from sin and death. Out of the greatest evil God brought about our greatest good.

Praise God that he was willing to be rejected so that we wouldn’t have to be! 

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What Does “Hosanna” Mean?

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From  Mark 11:1-18 

Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey in order to fulfill  prophesy and the people shouted praises…

“Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!” Mark 11:9–10

Save, I Pray

Hosanna is one of those fancy words worship leaders like to put into songs, but what does it mean? Lowe Nida Lexicon defines it as,

“an Aramaic expression meaning ‘help, I pray’ or ‘save, I pray’… its association with liturgical expressions involving praise and exaltation resulted in the expression acquiring quite a different significance; hence, a phrase such as ‘hosanna in the highest’ became equivalent to ‘praise be to God.”

So Hosanna basically means “save, I pray” but generally when used as in the praise “hosanna in the highest” it was used as an exclamation of worship. The use of this word along with the phrase “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” is showing that the people connected Jesus with Ps 118:25-26.

“Save us, we pray, O Lord! O Lord, we pray, give us success! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! ” Psalm 118:25–26a

Save Us, We Pray

Next time you sing the word “Hosanna” remind yourself that the person you are worshiping is powerful and can help you, save you, and give your success! Jesus really did enter Jerusalem that day in order to save us by eventually dying on the cross for our sins.

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One Of The Most Powerful Evangelism Questions That Jesus Used – Mark 10:32-52

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From my reading in Mark 10:32-52 in the One Year New Testament.

Blind Faith

As Jesus was leaving Jericho, a blind beggar named Bartimaus called out to Jesus. “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

This is an insightful phrase because he called him “Son of David”, which shows that he believed that he was the promised Messiah! Others were trying to shut him up but he yelled louder.

What do you want me to do for you?

Then Jesus called for him and when Bartimaeus got to him, Jesus asked.

 “What do you want me to do for you?” Mark 10:51

He was blind!  What did Jesus think he wanted?; he wanted to see! Jesus then said,

“Go, for your faith has healed you.” Instantly the man could see, and he followed Jesus down the road.” Mark 10:52

This is a great story of a man’s faith and Jesus’ willingness to answer his request.

Meet The Need

There is an outreach principle we can learn from this passage. as well. We should be aware of and sensitive to the needs of people we are trying to reach.

One tool that I have seen to help with starting ministries and churches is surveys asking people about the needs of the area.  This shows them you care and it better equips your ministry to reach the culture.

This is also a good question to ask of the people in your life whom you would like to serve.  I challenge you to ask someone this question today.

What do you want me to do for you?

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6 Statements of Jesus That Don’t Fit With “The Prosperity Gospel” – Mark 8

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Reflection from my reading in Mark 8 in the One Year Bible New Testament.

Jesus didn’t promise us a life of ease and riches. The “prosperity gospel” doesn’t generally love passages like this, but they are very important to our faith.

1. Turn From Selfishness

“Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways…” Mark 8:34

It’s not about you! We all are naturally selfish and when we decide to follow Jesus we are deciding to turn from our selfish ways.

Selfish people are often the most lonely, sad and purposeless because living for yourself is such a small thing to live for.

 2. Be Willing To Suffer

“… take up your cross, and follow me.” Mark 8:34

Jesus said this BEFORE he died on the cross. To “take up your  cross” didn’t have the same spiritual significance we see in it. It meant that we must be willing to suffer, even if it means a painful death.

3. Sacrifice For Jesus

“If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it.” Mark 8:35

True life is found when we give up our agenda Jesus. The joy that we receive from serving him far outweighs any earthly rewards.

  4. Sacrifice For the Gospel

“If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it.” Mark 8:35

We are not all called to be missionaries, but we all must make sacrifices for the spreading of the good news. Working together to share our faith with others has been one of the most rewarding things in my life. Mission trips and opportunities I have had to share my faith are the times in my life I’ve felt most alive!

5. Don’t Forfeit Your Soul

“And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?  Is anything worth more than your soul?” Mark 8:36–37

The answer is this: nothing is more valuable than your soul. Unfortunately, many of the most successful people let pride stop them from giving their lives to Jesus. They literally have everything the world has to offer, but in the next life they will lose it all.

6. Don’t Be Ashamed

“If anyone is ashamed of me and my message in these adulterous and sinful days, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” Mark 8:38

This doesn’t mean (as some preachers would have you believe) that if you receive Jesus but don’t stand up in church then it doesn’t count. What it does mean that if you reject Jesus because you are afraid of what others will think, then you will be rejected when Jesus comes back.

If you have decided to follow Jesus, then I  encourage you to be open and unashamed of your commitment. Jesus can use your openness to draw people to himself through your example and testimony.

Give your life to Jesus, it won’t be easy but he will give you the most purposeful life as you follow him.

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How To Know If You Are A Legalist – Mark 7:1-13

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Reflection from my reading in Mark 7:1-13 in the One Year Bible New Testament.

When Tools Become Rules…

Jesus had a confrontation with the religious leaders about the Jewish ritual of ceremonial hand washing before eating. The religious leaders wondered by Jesus’ disciples didn’t follow this age-old tradition of hand washing. Jesus said…

 “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, “ ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me;  in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.” Mark 7:6–7

Jesus is saying that the religious leaders and their followers became so focused on human traditions that their hearts grew distant from God. When tools become rules, people’s priorities get mixed up.

When keeping traditions becomes more important than commands to love God and love your neighbor as yourself you die spiritually.

Is This God’s Law or Human Tradition?

“You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.” Mark 7:8

How foolish is it to focus on tools set up by men when we have God’s commands! 

Jesus gives the example of how they were given the command to “Honor your father and mother” but instead of helping their needy parents they choose to donate their money to God.  

In other words they choose to look spiritual by doing a tradition when the right thing to do would have been to take care of their parents! Jesus said this about them..

“Thus making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And many such things you do.” Mark 7:13

Ironically in their attempts to serve God they are disobeying God’s word! 

It is easy to point the finger at the religious leaders here without asking ourselves this question…

Have we over emphasized helpful tools to the neglect of the most important commands?

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What is Your Motivation for Teaching God’s Word? – Mark 6:30-56

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Reflection from my reading in Mark 6:30-56 in the One Year Bible New Testament.

Work Hard, Rest Hard!

Jesus and his disciples were exhausted of all their work they didn’t even have time to eat! So Jesus said…

“Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.” Mark 6:31

Jesus modled a life of hard work, but also showed us the value of rest.  As they were going to rest they landed on the other side of the lake a huge crowd had followed them!

Jesus Motivation

“When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things.” Mark 6:34

Jesus was exhausted and on his way to his spiritual retreat when his plans were interrupted by love. Because of his compassion he was willing to stop and preach for the rest of the day, long enough that they had to get food for them (feeding of the 5,000)!

Jesus laid down his plan in order to sacrificially love us, and he did it through teaching! 

Compassion Ministry

Often the phrase “compassion ministry” has been reserved for feeding the poor or helping the less fortunate, but sometimes compassion ministry can be teaching God’s word. 

If God has gifted you to teach then often the most compassionate thing that your can do with your time is work hard to teach well.  Like Jesus, love and compassion should be our primary motivation for our preaching and teaching.

When you teach is your motivation to benefit others or make yourself look good?

When you look at the crowd are you filled with genuine love and compassion for them? 

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How To Deal With Rejection in Witnessing – Mark 6:1-29

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Reflection from my reading in Mark 6:1-29 in the One Year Bible New Testament.

If you have tried to witness chances are that you have been rejected. Here’s what Jesus told his apostles to do when they were rejected by people.

 “And if any place will not receive you and they will not listen to you, when you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.” Mark 6:11

This is a command specifically for the apostles, but there is a principle that applies to missionaries and people doing evangelism today. The Bible Knowledge Commentary explains what it means to “shake off the dust” in this context.

“Devout Jews did this when they left Gentile (alien) territory to show that they were dissociating themselves from it. This would tell Jewish hearers they were acting like pagans in rejecting the disciples’ message. This was to be done as a testimony against the citizens. It warned them that the disciples’ responsibility to them had been fulfilled and those who rejected the message would have to answer to God for themselves”

 Jesus tells them to basically “shake them haters off”. Here’s the principle,

If they are not interested, MOVE ON!

It sounds really simple, and it seems kind of harsh, but it is actually genius. Instead of spending all of your time bugging those who are not interested we should be looking for those who are ripe for the gospel.

Harvest The Ripe

One principle I have recently been encouraged by my Dad (John Worcester) is to harvest the ripe.

Church planters and missionaries specifically should sow the gospel seed broadly, but realize that the spiritually ripe are the ones who are going to respond. If we do our ministry with this goal we won’t be as worried and waste time trying to pull unripe fruit off the trees. We need to work with and seek out those who are spiritually interested and then help them discover Jesus!

There are many people who are ready to respond to Jesus if we will be faithful to seek them out.  Next time you are rejected for sharing your faith don’t let it get you down, simply move on and keep looking for those who are ripe for the good news.

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What is The Role of Our Faith In Healing? – Mark 5:21-43

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Reflection from my reading in Mark 5:21-43 in the One Year Bible New Testament.

In this passages there are two simultaneous stories. One about the local synagogue leader named Jarius’s daughter and a woman who had been bleeding for 12 years! Both exhibited faith on different levels.

Your Faith Has Made You Well

The woman who was bleeding believed that if she touched his robe she would be healed, and God allowed that to happen! Here was Jesus’ response to her.

“Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.” Mark 5:34

Jesus told this woman that her faith had made her well and she went away healed. Jesus clearly tells her that her faith played a role in her healing.

Do Not Fear, Only Believe

While this was happening messengers  showed up and told Jesus Jairus’ daughter had died, but they didn’t want to trouble Jesus with coming. They didn’t  believe that Jesus could raise her from the dead. Here was Jesus’ response.

 “Do not fear, only believe.” Mark 5:35–36

Even though Jarius and his messengers wavered in their faith Jesus was  able to do an even bigger miracle. Everyone was crying because of her death and Jesus said…

“Why are you making a commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but sleeping.” Mark 5:39

The crowds were also displaying a lack of faith by laughing after Jesus said this statement. Even though Jarius, his messengers, and the crowds didn’t believe Jesus could raise the girl from the dead he did it anyway! This shows us an important principle…

Weather you have a little faith or a lot of faith Jesus can heal if he chooses to. 

As we can see there was some faith in both examples. One woman had great faith the others had some. There are also many other people who have had great faith but God for one reason or another God choses not to heal.

Faith does play an important role in healing, but it is not a tool to control God or make him do something that is not part of his plan.

Christ’s healing does not come from our amount of faith but His ability to heal! 

We should have faith that Jesus is able to heal in any situation, but it’s His choice if He will or not.

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