Need some Weekly Wisdom? Here are my favorite resources of the week.
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. -Ephesians 6:12
After Jesus’ baptism (Mark 1:9-11), He is “thrown out” (ekballo) by the Spirit into the wilderness for a cosmic battle with Satan himself (Mark 1:12). Since God has said that this Son is well-pleasing in His sight (Mark 1:11), why is it important for Him to be tempted?
Why is baptism so important to Christians? The main reasoning is because Jesus modeled it and Jesus commanded it. Jesus, while not needing baptism, was baptized to identify Himself with the people He came to save. Sinful people had been baptized in that water through a symbolic washing away of sins. Sinless Jesus was baptized in order to plunge Himself among the people’s sins.
Studying the Bible can be a daunting task. The sheer size and amount of content can appear overwhelming to students who desire to know more. While gleaning insights from individual passages is important, it is also important to understand the biblical patterns and how all of the content fits together.
Jesus pleased His Father in what He did and in what He didn’t do. As followers of Jesus, we should seek to imitate His obedient lifestyle.
Need some Weekly Wisdom? Here are my favorite resources of the week.
If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. -John 15:7
I’m a parent. And as a parent, I have primary responsibility for the formation of my children. Whether it is spiritual, mental, emotional, relational, physical, or sexual development, as their parent, I am responsible to God to set the pace and to establish the curriculum. While we each may have certain areas that are easier for us to talk about than the others, we must prioritize teaching our children about sexuality.
Open up your Bible and open up your life to teach your children regarding God’s design for gender, sex, and marriage.
Need some help in the complaining department?
Here are 10 verses to study or memorize to help you combat complaining.
The Bible provides an incredible depiction of Jesus through four unique Gospels. The Gospel of Mark emphasizes the need to follow Jesus immediately. In order to study this book, let’s address the differences between the four Gospels and the unique nature of Mark’s Gospel.
John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus’ arrival. We must make room for Jesus in our own lives to join Him in His Kingdom work.
Need some Weekly Wisdom? Here are my favorite resources of the week.
We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. -Romans 15:1
I chose to preach through the Gospel of Mark because of the book’s two main focuses:
Our world is in need of a higher view of both of these concepts. We need to know who Jesus is and we need to know what discipleship is.
Planning sermon series regarding direction, content, and schedule can be a daunting task. When I decided that I wanted to study a Gospel and focus on discipleship, I chose Mark because of the focus. As I drafted out potential sermons, I first came up with 48 sermons and tried to reduce the number but felt like our church family would miss out if I did.
John Mark wrote the Gospel in the New Testament that we commonly refer to as Mark. While he is mentioned in the New Testament in a few spots, what do we really know about the man who wrote what was probably the first Gospel written?
The Multiply Initiative is our simple yet aggressive plan to multiply disciples. As we make disciples within our own church, our prayer is that we will see growth in our church and in the churches we plant or replant.
God blessed the nation of Israel in order to be a blessing to all other nations, but eventually, they refrained from sharing that salvation with others. After the work of Jesus in our lives, we are called to go outside the walls of the church to multiply as we make disciples and plant churches.
Need some Weekly Wisdom? Here are my favorite resources of the week.
He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God. -Romans 4:25
I am preparing to preach through the Gospel of Mark at our church. As I prepared the series, it is going to take 1 year to preach through this Gospel. While there are 4 Gospels in the New Testament (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John – same story but told from different perspectives), I have chosen to preach through this one for a few different reasons.
As hundreds of teenagers spilled into the auditorium, I was going through last-minute preparations to preach. As I went to get my microphone, a pastor introduced himself to me and wanted to chitchat before the service began.
“So which one are you?”
“Umm…I’m not sure what you mean.”
“We come to this event every year, and there are only two types of preachers that they invite to speak. Either they are very theologically sound or very engaging to our students. The theologically sound ones are painfully boring and must think it is a sin to be engaging. The guys that are very engaging often struggle in their theology and I have to clean up after them. So, which one are you going to be?”
Honestly, I had a difficult time thinking of how I wanted to respond because I was so brokenhearted about his perspective and my fear that he was correct.
The Multiply Initiative is our simple yet aggressive plan to multiply disciples. While we can multiply programs, events, services, and churches, the heart of strategy plan is when disciples begin to multiply themselves. If a new Christian simply replicated your life, would you be pleased with his or her maturity? PD 14 – Multiply Yourself Gathering Disciples Jesus first called …
Paul instructed his disciple, Timothy, to take everything he had learned and entrust it with others who would turn and do the same thing. To multiply disciples, we must be intentional with our relationships for Kingdom purposes.
Need some Weekly Wisdom? Here are my favorite resources of the week. Verse of the Week and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” [Mark 1:15]. Book of the Week The Effective Executive: The Definitive Guide to Getting the Right Things Done by Peter F. Drucker The measure of the …
Adultery ruins lives, but no one would engage in something if they knew that was the result. So how do people end up there? One of Satan’s greatest tactics against marriages is his fantasy-type portrayal of adultery. The adventure of seduction awakens many bored spouses. The danger of it all provides an excitement that may have been lacking for …
Church isn’t about you. Christianity began with a sinless Savior sacrificing himself on a rebel’s cross, and yet we are still trying to divide his garments among us. It’s all about what we can get rather than what we can give. We treat Jesus like a lottery ticket expecting to cash in big on worldly treasures. We treat Jesus like …
The Multiply Initiative is our simple yet aggressive plan to multiply disciples. Our church is an established church with almost two centuries of discipleship work. As we go forward during this time, we wanted to simplify our strategy as a church and clarify our expectations for our covenant members. The Great Commission Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, …
The Great Omission Matt. 28:16-20 After Jesus’ resurrection, he commanded his followers to go and make disciples of all nations. Instead of committed disciples obeying the Great Commission, we can revert to becoming consumers who succumb to the great omission. The Kingdom is composed of disciples who have a commission to the world, a commitment to the church, a commandment …
Need some Weekly Wisdom? Here are my favorite resources of the week. Verse of the Week Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us [Ps. 62:8]. Book of the Week Jesus the King by Tim Keller A startlingly fresh perspective on the life of Christ from The New …
If a person believes in God, one of the most inevitable questions for him or her is: “What is God’s will for my life?” It’s an important one too. If God made you, then you should naturally consider what he wants for your life. When people ask for God’s will, they seem to want details more than direction. It never …
Since Jesus rose from the grave, the Church has not grown by addition but by multiplication. What will it look like if we truly multiply disciples and churches?
The Risen King & the Running Disciples Matt. 28:1-15 On Easter Sunday, the disciples eagerly shared the joy of Jesus’ resurrection. If Jesus has truly defeated sin and death, we should fervently run to the world in order to multiply disciples with the news of his salvation. The Empty Tomb (Matt. 28:1-7) The angel didn’t roll the stone away for …
When the Cherubim Laid Down His Sword Matt. 27:45-54 Ever since sin entered the world, Mankind had been barred from reentering the presence of God. When Jesus died on the cross, the veil was torn and we were invited back to commune with God. The cherubim denied sinners’ access to the presence of God after the Fall of Mankind (Gen. …
Need some Weekly Wisdom? Here are my favorite resources of the week. Verse of the Week And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins [1 Cor. 15:17]. Book of the Week Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ by John Piper The depth and complexity of Jesus shatter our simple mental frameworks. …
There’s some good Christian music out there today. Not all of it is good, but a lot of it is good. In recent years, there have also risen some very strong female vocalists, songwriters, and performers. I recently realized that many of the ladies we listen to in our home are not common names. Some of that might be due …
You can gather with other believers Every single chance you find You can walk through religious doors Every time they’re open wide You can slip in and slip back out And yet still be barely known For all the good you think you’ve found You can’t make it on your own You can read your Bible daily And think how …
Colossians 4:7-18 You Can’t Make It On Your Own In Paul’s concluding remarks to the Colossians, he provides personal comments regarding specific ministry partners. Within these comments, Paul models the type of friends that a disciple will need to continue towards maturity. Why Mention These People? A commitment to Jesus is a commitment to His people. Our beliefs and our …
Need some Weekly Wisdom? Here are my favorite resources of the week. Verse of the Week Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart, for I am called by your name, O LORD, God of hosts [Jer. 15:16]. Book of the Week I am finishing up …
Marriage comes with baggage. In particular, in-law baggage. When you marry a person, you inherit a family. Whether or not you realized it, your marriage came as a packaged deal. You just added a slew of people who are now considered as family. The marriage union is distinct from any other relationship. Once the vows have been spoken, your previous …
Most people talk about their jobs relating to how tired they are. We almost wear busyness and stress as a badge of honor. With the growing level of technology, we were supposed to experience more margin and less work but quite the opposite has happened. What causes work-related exhaustion? I think before you realize what you need to do with …
A critical element in discipleship is training someone how to overcome temptation. While everyone is tempted, particular people are more prone to certain temptations than others.
In order to overcome temptation, let’s identify Satan’s strategy, Jesus’ success, and our steps needed to succeed.
You must be logged in to post a comment.