How do you put a positive spin on the words, "All men will hate you because of Me"? Especially when they come from the mouth of Jesus [which makes them a little bit harder to ignore or explain away]. Perhaps that is why Mark 13.1-13 is not a particularly popular passage for those who don't specifically preach continuously through the Bible? The rest of it is End of the World stuff which generally is good [...]
So we are continuing through Mark and this is a bit of a dejavu passage as Jesus repeats a miracle He has done before [feeding the crowd] but this time with a slightly smaller crowd and the disciples are still struggling to get it. To add to his frustrations his good friends the Pharisees pitch up demanding a sign leading into a deep sigh of frustration and him actually climbing back into the boat and [...]
i am not a big fan of tradition when it is solely taking place for tradition's sake [even if the original meaning and intention might have been good but has been lost or watered down along the way] but there are some traditions which are rich and full of life [baptism, communion, a family that eats together etc] that are incredible. Join me as I look at Mark 7.1-13: [to continue to the [...]
Jesus has just fed a crowd of more than 5000 people using one child's lunch so how does He follow that up? By slowing things down and spending time with His Father, feeding His soul and replenishing His batteries... after which He is right back at it as He catches up with His crew by taking a stroll on the lake to meet them... Come and take a listen as we read Mark 6 verse [...]
When trying to feed a big gathering of people, it is normally essential that you plan way in advance and consider things like seating, table settings, courses of food, what time the function will start, who has been invited and the like... Jesus decides to skip all that by throwing an impromptu crowd feeding... did i mention that He attempts this without food? [Don't worry, He passes the buck to His disciples - "You feed [...]
Rule number 1 when trying to keep your head attached to your body - don't piss off the king. More importantly, do not piss him off directly to his face by telling him exactly how you think he is publically sinning. If you do happen to inadvertently do that, be sure to be interesting enough when talking about God and life and the kingdom that he will keep you around out of curiosity and actually [...]
there is a great principle of ministry that you can see glimpses of in the life of Jesus: Teacher does, pupils watch. Teacher does, pupils are involved and do it with Him. Pupils do and teacher watches. Pupils do by themselves and report back to teacher. Then later the pupils find their own pupils and the whole scenario begins again. In this passage in Mark 6.6-13 we see Jesus sending the disciples out to try [...]
this passage is a semi well-known one where Jesus speaks about a prophet in their own town not being welcomed or recognised - i decided to take a look at the aspect of potential which i saw hidden in here... Join me as i look at Mark chapter 6 verse 1 to 5 [to continue to the next passage where Jesus sends the disciples out to try the stuff, click here]
the journey through the book of Mark continues and this next passage is a little longer but contains two powerful stories and i am just going to pull one or two points out of them. they illustrate one of the most powerful lessons tbV and i learnt from our time with the Simple Way - namely that of making space for the interruption. join me as i look at Mark chapter 5 vs 21 to [...]
What i chose to focus on in this story that we have heard a lot of different preaching on, is the aspect of Jesus working out of the box in a sense and challenging the way things work and also a closer look at the response of people to God pitching up in a very clear way which both amazes and terrifies. Mark chapter 5 verse 1 to 20. The question we are left with [...]