Category Archives: Mark

Posted on

2,000 Years and Going Strong

Read: Mark 4

“…And finally the grain ripens.” (Mark 4:28, NLT)

Jesus spent a fair amount of time in both private settings and public presentations describing the kingdom of God to people.  One of the compelling ways he did that was through stories—parables—earthy vignettes that revealed spiritual truth about God, heaven and the kingdom life. Jesus did that because people’s understanding of God’s kingdom had gotten messed up over the thousands of years since God first called the tribes of Israel out of Egypt and fashioned them into a people for himself. So through parables, he reminded them of what God and his rule was really like.

Of the many wonderful descriptions Jesus gave, we find two stories about seeds in Mark 4:26-34 that describe the amazing, unstoppable growth of God’s kingdom on Planet Earth: The parable of the growing seed and the parable of the mustard seed.  The point of both is that when the seed—the Word of God—is faithfully planted in good soil—the hearts of open and hungry people—the rule of God will begin to grow.  Little by little, imperceptibly, over time the kingdom begins to expand, dominate and even perpetuate itself until it becomes a major, irresistible, governing force in individual lives, whole families, communities, and entire people groups.

I hope that encourages you—it does me!  Sometimes we get frustrated by the lack of growth of God’s kingdom in our lives, or our churches, or perhaps by what we may perceive as a falling away from the rule of God in our nation.  To be sure, there are enemies and forces that not only oppose the kingdom, but are actively working to kill it off. The truth is, the growth of the kingdom is not an easy thing because there is a very strong Enemy whose chief objective is to stop it. Satan is alive and well on God’s planet, and he will be a force to be reckoned with until his time is up.

However, at the end of the day, the kingdom of God is unstoppable.  People who claim to follow God may come and go, churches that once thrived may plateau, decline or perhaps even close their doors; denominations will rise and fall; nations will wander from the guiding principles that once made them a godly nation—and you might even find your own passion for the rule of God waxing and waning a bit.  Yet the kingdom of God is doing just fine after 2,000 years since Jesus gave it its start.  What began with twelve unlikely fishermen from Galilee has spread around the world to hundreds of millions today who have joyfully surrendered to God’s rule—and it shows no signs of abating.

So don’t get discouraged, my friend.  You may not be able to see the seed growing, but it is—and it will. You may never see the end result, but that does not diminish the seed’s potential. Just keep planting that seed wherever you can.  Water the soil—in your own life, in your family, your circle of influence and at your church.  Keep the weeds pulled—it is a constant battle because the Enemy keeps sneaking into the field to sow tares.

Just stay faithful to the kingdom, don’t lose heart and never give up.  You have a stake in something that is truly, indescribably amazing—and the full results of its growth will not be known until the other side of eternity.

Yes, the grain will finally ripen!

“The seed once sown grows…of itself, from its own impulse and power of life….The self-inherent power of growth of the kingdom of God.” ~Rudolph Stier

What If God Took Over?

Recommit your life to the kingdom of God today—especially if you have become discouraged by its lack of growth in your own life or its waning vitality in your church or some other circle of concern—by praying this prayer:  “Heavenly Father, may your kingdom come, may your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.  For yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever! Amen.”

 

Posted on

Weekend Meditation: Christ’s Outrageous Claim

Read: Mark 2-3

Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “My child, your sins are forgiven.” But some of the teachers of religious law who were sitting there thought to themselves, “What is he saying? This is blasphemy! Only God can forgive sins!”  (Mark 2:5-7, NLT)

“Who is Jesus, really?” That’s a great question.  In fact, it is the question of questions—a question that every human being will have to answer in this life, or in the next.

Here is what I believe about Jesus: I believe in his deity, in his virgin birth, in his sinless life, in his miracles, in his vicarious and atoning death through the blood he shed on the cross, in his bodily resurrection from the dead, in his ascension to the right hand of the Father, and in his personal return in power and glory some day—hope very soon.

Now where did I come up with all those outlandish assertions about Jesus?  Well, from Jesus himself.  Throughout the Gospels, he made some pretty outrageous claims about himself—including the one quoted above from Mark 2:5-7 when he told the paralyzed man that his sins were forgiven.

Jesus was clearly claiming Divine status, since only God has the standing to forgive sin. That’s what the teachers of the law were miffed about: “Only God can forgive sins!”, they said.

So how did Jesus respond to their challenge?  He said, “Yeah, and your point is?” Then he healed the crippled man just to make his point:

“So I will prove to you that the Son of Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!” And the man jumped up, grabbed his mat, and walked out through the stunned onlookers. (Mark 2:10-12, NLT)

Now I would say that was a pretty convincing attribute of deity, wouldn’t you!

When you consider the claims Jesus made about himself, you’ve got to eliminate most of the nice-sounding, politically-correct things people say they believe about him.  In other words, Jesus can’t be just a good teacher, just a great moral leader, just a respected prophet, just a great figure of history.

With Jesus, you’ve got to eliminate “just” from your vocabulary.  The real, Biblical Jesus pulled those options off the table.  Nope—he was who he, himself, said he was: God the Son, Second Person of the Holy Trinity.  When you examine the evidence, you cannot honestly accept any other possibility.

The most important piece of evidence to me, however, is that of untold millions, if not billions of people, who have experienced dramatic life-changes over the past 2,000 years because of this man who proved himself to be God. And I was one of them. Like the paralyzed man, I, too, was healed and forgiven.  I have been forever changed by Jesus—and I will be eternally grateful!

Yep—no doubt about it: Jesus is God!

“The discrepancy between the depth and sanity of his moral teaching and the rampant megalomania which must lie behind his theological teaching unless he is indeed God has never been satisfactorily got over.”  ~C.S. Lewis

What If God Took Over?

You will have a chance this weekend to join with other believers in your place of fellowship to worship Jesus.  I hope you will be extra aware when you are in church raising your voice in praise just who it is you are worshiping when you sing out his name.

Posted on

21st Century Demons

Read: Mark 1

Suddenly, a man in the synagogue who was possessed by an evil spirit began shouting, “Why are you interfering with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One sent from God!” Jesus cut him short. “Be quiet! Come out of the man,” he ordered. At that, the evil spirit screamed, threw the man into a convulsion, and then came out of him. (Mark 1:23-26, NLT)

When did demons become extinct?  What I mean is, we read about them in Scripture and accept that they were part and parcel of Jesus’ war on Satan to bring Planet Earth back under the Creator’s dominion, but we think and act as if they don’t exist in twenty-first century America. We have medical and psychological explanations for everything that ails us these days, and either a pill or a professional to help us cope with our “disorders”. But I get the sense when I read the Gospels that some of today’s disorders are, to a greater or lesser degree, nothing more than demonic influences in disguise.

Now please, please, please, don’t misunderstand what I am saying.  I am not looking to find a devil under every rock.  Don’t go flushing your meds down the drain or calling your counselor an idiot.  Let’s stay balanced and Biblical as we explore the possibility of demonic activity in your world and mine. As C.S. Lewis warned in the preface to his book, The Screwtape Letters,

“There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors and hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight.

Let’s not be guilty of either of those errors!  Having said that, I agree with what a twentieth-century English theologian by the name of Ronald Knox said, “It is so stupid of modern civilization to have given up believing in the devil when he is the only explanation of it.” If you didn’t get that, here’s how Martin Luther said it,

“Idiots, the lame, the blind, the dumb, are men in whom the devils have established themselves: and all the physicians who heal these infirmities, as though they proceed from natural causes, are ignorant blockheads.”

Look, I’m not saying the devil is the cause of every headache you get, or every cussword that slips from your lips, or every nasty thought that ricochets around your brain.  Nor am I trying to create fear in you that there are demons under your bed and they’re going to get you tonight while you sleep.  What I am saying is that if Jesus faced them—sometimes even in church—then demonic forces are alive and well in people’s lives today, wreaking all kinds of havoc.  And if Jesus took authority over them and drove them out with just a word—and if he passed that authority on to us—then perhaps we ought to learn to discern the presence of demons today and boldly use Jesus’ authority to boot them out of town just like he did.

I do recall reading some place that Jesus said driving out demons was a sign that we believe.

“No one is a firmer believer in the power of prayer than the devil, not that he practices it, but he suffers from it.” ~Guy H. King

What If God Took Over?

There is obviously a great deal of competing information today on demons and demonic activity that feed the two extremes Lewis warned about: disbelief in their existence and unhealthy, excessive interest in them.  To learn more—which every Christian should, since Jesus said the demons had to submit to us—let me suggest the following plan:

First, study the Scriptures—especially the Gospels—to gain a foundational understanding of the devil, his demons, how they operate, and how Jesus dealt with them and how Jesus didn’t deal with them.  Never go beyond what the Bible says in forming your theology.

Second, I would encourage you to download and read the position paper entitled “Can Born-Again Christians Be Demon Possessed? You can find the pdf file at: http://ag.org/top/Beliefs/Position_Papers/index.cfm

Third, let me suggest this book to help fill in some of the details regarding the subject of demons: “Sense & Nonsense About Angels & Demons”.  It can be found at: http://www.christianbook.com/sense-nonsense-about-angels-demons/kenneth-boa/9780310254294/pd/254290?item_code=WW&netp_id=479066&event=ESRCN&view=details

Posted on

How’s Business?

Read: Mark 16

Jesus told his disciples, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone. Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned. (Mark 16:15-16)

You may recall the television show from years ago called Mission Impossible. It always began with a scene in which Mr. Phelps, leader of a team of government spooks, would receive a tape describing his next mission. The tape usually began with the line, “Your mission, should you choose to accept it…” Then, after describing the mission, the tape would self-destruct in a puff of smoke.

For the believer, Jesus’ command here at the end of Mark’s Gospel is our “mission possible.” But unlike Mr. Phelps, we don’t have the option of accepting it. If you desire to be a Christ-follower, you will do this.

The mission is very clear and quite simple: Take the Good News with you wherever you go and share it. That is the mission of the Christian.

Don’t let the word “preach” trip you up. For sure, the Gospel is to be formally preached by preachers from pulpits in church services and by evangelists to great crowds of listeners. But the word “preach” has a simpler application as well. It simply means “to proclaim.”

Proclamation can happen in both formal presentations as well as informal conversations. I think the church has done a pretty good job in the formal aspect of this mission. It is the informal, everyday part of the mission to be carried out by the individual believer where we have not done so well.

The mission of the Christian is proclamation. You and I are tasked to go and tell the story of Jesus. That is our business.

So that begs the question: How’s business? When was the last time you talked about your faith in Christ in a casual conversation with a friend or a co-worker? In the last six month? This past year? In the last five years? Have you ever shared Christ with another?

Don’t you think it’s time we get back to business? I do!

How about you and I look for opportunities today to carry out the mission! Jesus is counting on us.  So let’s get our “preach” on!

“Evangelism is not a professional job for a few trained men, but is instead the unrelenting responsibility of every person who belongs to the company of Jesus.” ~Elton Trueblood

What If God Took Over

Remember, your mission is simply to share what Jesus has done for you.  There is no more powerful witness than a satisfied customer.  By the way, Jesus charged you only with going and sharing, the results are up to the Holy Spirit.

Posted on

God-Forsaken Places

Read: Mark 15

At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock. Then at three o’clock Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” (Mark 15:33-34)

Frederick the Great, was the King of Prussia for almost a half century in the 1700’s. He was in Potsdam when he encountered one of his generals, who was in his severe disfavor. At their meeting the general saluted with the greatest respect, but Frederick abruptly turned his back on the officer. To that, the general humbly said, “I am happy to see that Your Majesty is no longer angry with me.”

That got Frederick’s attention, so he turned and asked, “How so?”

The general responded, “Because Your Majesty has never in his life turned his back on an enemy.”

It was said that the general’s daring statement led to his reconciliation with Frederick.

There was another time in a far more important place when God turned his back on his very own Son as Jesus hung on the cross. That’s why Jerusalem, right in the middle of the day, went pitch black. In that awful moment, with the cross as Ground Zero, our planet became a God-forsaken place.  With Jesus willingly hanging on the cross, taking into his own life all the evil, vile sin-filth of mankind, God couldn’t watch.  The Father was forced to treat his Son as an enemy; his righteous wrath was poured out on him as he hung on that cross. Jesus became God’s enemy and paid the price of reconciliation so you could become God’s friend.

On the cross, Jesus took on your sins and mine—he became sin for us.  It was our sin, the sins of the whole world, that he bore on the tree, and it was that sin at which God’s righteous anger was directed. The Apostle Paul wrote in II Corinthians 5:21,

“For God made Jesus who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

What a beautifully simple yet unfathomable truth: Christ’s death on the cross was the only means to our reconciliation with God. Jesus paid the ultimate price to satisfy God’s righteous wrath and bring us peace with God.  We who were enemies were brought near to God, now as friends.

For Jesus, the cross was a God-forsaken place.  Hallelujah for God-forsaken places!

“Christ took our sins and the sins of the whole world as well as the Father’s wrath on his shoulders, and he has drowned them both in himself so that we are thereby reconciled to God and become completely righteous.” ~Martin Luther

What If God Took Over?

Gratitude is the hallmark of the redeemed.  Take a minute to thank God yet again for what he did for you by placing Jesus on the cross in your stead.

Posted on

Oops, I Did It Again

Read: Mark 14

Peter swore, “A curse on me if I’m lying—I don’t know this man you’re talking about!” And immediately the rooster crowed the second time. Suddenly, Jesus’ words flashed through Peter’s mind: “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny three times that you even know me.” And he broke down and wept. (Mark 14:71-72)

Oops, there he goes again. Poor Peter, he just can’t seem to catch a break.

He is the guy who boldly stepped out of the boat to walk on the water—and promptly sank like a rock. He was the one who inappropriately blurted out, “Hey, let’s build three tabernacles” when Jesus was talking about his impending death with Elijah and Moses on the Mount of Transfiguration. He was the first to declare, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” but within seconds was sternly rebuked when Jesus said, “Satan, get behind me, you are an offense to me.” Now, at the Last Supper, Peter blurts out, “if all else fall away, I never will”, but within hours he had denied Jesus three times!

Interestingly, each of the four Gospel writers—Peter’s brothers in Christ— have no problem recording Peter’s failures, particularly his denial of Jesus, in exacting detail, to be read again and again throughout the ages.

Peter’s blunder is like those sports bloopers of athletes blowing their teams chances for victory that get replayed over and over again on TV. Remember the poor guy named Steve Bartman, a Chicago Cubs’ fan who interfered with a Cub’s outfielder trying to catch a fly ball. The Cubs were in the playoffs for the first time in, like forever, and if they won, they would go to the World Series. And this over-zealous fan reaches out and takes a foul ball away from his own player, and the Cubs lose. That faux pas will be replayed on TV forever, or until the Cubs win the World Series, which may be just after forever!

So will Peter’s denial. But thankfully, the story doesn’t end with this fireside blooper. If you take a sneak-peak at the end of the story in Mark 16:7, after the crucifixion, when the women came early in the morning to the tomb on Easter Sunday, an angel at the entrance of the empty tomb gave them this message,

“But go, tell His disciples—and Peter—that Jesus is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you.”

Did you notice the specific reference to Peter? “Tell the disciples…and you especially need to tell Peter!”

Why did Mark add this line? He specifically wanted Peter, and by extension, you and me, to know that the cross covers the worst of our failures, and by the cross God takes the initiative to restore us to full fellowship with himself. That is really the core message of the Gospel! Peter’s blunder forever reminds us that by the power of the resurrection, failure doesn’t have to be final and sin does not have to be fatal.

“Oops, I did it again” doesn’t get the final word on you. God’s grace does. Jesus made sure of that at the cross!

“Free grace can go into the gutter, and bring up a jewel!” ~Charles Spurgeon

What If God Took Over?

Doesn’t Peter’s blunder cause you to thank God for his great grace that is greater than all your sin?  Maybe this is a good moment to do just that—thank God.

Posted on

Keep An Eye On The Sky

Read: Mark 13

“You, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know when the master of the household will return—in the evening, at midnight, before dawn, or at daybreak.” (Mark 13:35)

Will there really ever be a second coming of Christ? The early believers were convinced that Jesus would return in their lifetime, but he didn’t. Were they mistaken?

Now it’s 2,000 years later and he still hasn’t returned. Can we keep saying we are living in the end times and that Jesus could come back at any moment, or are we mistaken as well? All these signs that he predicted here in Mark 13 have been fulfilled—yet still no Jesus! Are we just fooling ourselves?

We would do well to remember what Jesus said in Mark 13:31 & 37, “Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear… I say to you what I say to everyone: Watch for him!”

I suppose it is possible that Jesus could delay his coming another 2,000 years—I don’t think so, given the increasing instability of Planet Earth. Whatever the case, 2,000 years is no reproach whatsoever to God’s faithfulness or the truthfulness of his Word. That is precisely the point Peter made when he responded to the scoffers who taunted, “Where is the Lord’s coming?” (II Peter 3:4, 8-9)

“But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

The real reason Jesus has delayed his return is not negligence or carelessness, but kindness and mercy. And frankly, I am glad for that! I am glad Jesus didn’t return in 1956, because I would not have been born. I am glad that Jesus didn’t return in any one of the years since then, because in each successive year I know people who became followers of Jesus and were spared from a Christless eternity.

The fact that 2,000 years have passed is utterly irrelevant to the promise of Christ’s return. His coming is still imminent. It could occur at any moment. And his command to be watchful and ready is just as applicable today as it was to the early church. In fact, the possibility of his return should be even more urgent for us because we are now 2,000 years closer to it.

Paul said in Romans 13:11-12, “The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here.”

The writer of Hebrews said, “So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. For in just a very little while, ‘He who is coming will come and will not delay. But my righteous one will live by faith.’” (Hebrews 10:35-38)

What Jesus, Paul, Peter, the writer of Hebrews and every other New Testament author are all saying is that one of the greatest acts of faith is simply this: To keep an eye on the sky and live each day as if Jesus might return at any moment!

That is how the early church lived, and that is exactly how God wants you and me to live! And if we were to truly grasp that, here is what that would mean for us today:

  • We would be more patient in suffering. (Hebrews 10:32-39)
  • We would be more loving and kind. (Jude 21)
  • We would be more assertive in sharing Christ. (II Peter 3:9)
  • We would be more forgiving to those who have hurt us. (James 5:8-9)
  • We would be more careful in our moral life—our thoughts, attitudes, words and actions. (II Peter 3:11-12)
  • We would be better stewards of the resources God has given us. (Matthew 25)
  • We would be more focused on the eternal and less concerned with the temporal. (II Peter 3:13)

The truth is, we were made for another world! Jesus said, “when all these things begin to happen, stand straight and look up, for your salvation is near!” (Luke 21:28, NLT)

So as you go about your business today, keep one eye on the sky—this could be the day!

“Has this world been so kind to you that you would leave it with regret?  There are better things ahead than any we leave behind…If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.” ~C.S. Lewis

What If God Took Over?

When God is truly in total control of your life, you can sincerely pray this exciting prayer: Even so, come Lord Jesus!