Pastor's Corner: WHAT'S THE BIG IDEA?

  Discipleship 101: HIS WORD IS TRUTH! Mark 1:21-28 Introduction : In response to the question, “ Who is Jesus? ” people often say, “ He was a great moral teacher, but I don’t believe He is God! ”   Already in the first chapter of Mark, we see clearly that He must be more than a great teacher! Mark has pointed to the witness of Scripture, the testimony of John the Baptist, the descent of the Spirit and the testimony of the Father. He leaves no doubt that Jesus was no mere human teacher.   “ Heralded by John, commissioned by the Father, filled with the Spirit, victorious over sin and Satan, and accompanied by His disciples, the Lord Jesus began His public ministry with every necessary credential demonstrated .” (John MacArthur, Mark .) The evidence already is compelling.   Without question, “ God spoke in times past to the fathers through the prophets, but in these last days He has spoken in the Son ...” (Heb 1:1).   Mark has begun to present his case, a...

  Laser-Focused Disciples; A Gospel Focused Church Mark 1:14-20 Introduction : Lasers are something we may take for granted. They have a role in all kinds of technologies: certain kinds of surgery, in gun sights, pointers, construction applications, weapons guidance systems, industrial applications, etc.   They are effective because they are focused, all the photons are aligned, moving in the same direction. Focused light is powerful, and a focused church can be more effective.   We’ve been talking quite a bit about the need to stay focused, “laser focused,” on our mission. The truth is, we can’t do everything as a church, we can’t do all the ministries that we might want to do, but God doesn’t require that of us. We need to stay focused, keeping centered on the Gospel, and on our calling to be His witnesses, starting where we are.        God has ordained the church as His means of carrying out His mission in the world. Why did God sav...

  Discipleship 101: Gospel Foundations Mark 1:9-13 Introduction:  The News, these days, can be discouraging. From the suffering and death in Ukraine, to millions facing starvation in Africa, to car jackings and violence in our city, there is a lot of bad news. And then there are the political ads… can’t they just tell us what they believe? Remember Sergeant Friday on the old TV show Dragnet ?   “Just the facts ma’am, just the facts.”!   As we consider Mark’s portrait of Jesus, we get the facts. He’ll tell us who Jesus is and what He did, but always reminding us about what it means to follow Him. Mark keeps our focus on the “Good News,” the Gospel! He won’t give a lot of detail about the teaching of Jesus, but rather he shows that Jesus came to reveal Himself in history and to carry out the Father’s plan. Jesus did not come primarily to teach us how to live a moral and good life. He did that, but the primary aspect of his mission was to save sinners, to do for us...