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

  Discipleship 101: Kingdom Priorities Mark 1:35-39 Introduction : One of the older, classic books on the Christian Life in my library, is entitled, Balancing the Christ Life. The author, Dr. Charles Ryrie (a past president of Philadelphia College of the Bible), breaks down various means that God has given us to maintain “balance” in our life as a follower of Jesus. Mark’s Gospel is also interested in not only telling us who Jesus is and what he did, but also showing us how we should therefore live . We’ve been framing our study of Mark in terms of three questions: 1) Who is Jesus? 2) Why did He come? And 3) What does it mean to follow Him? To follow Jesus includes knowing Him as He is, as He is revealed in the Bible. It means trusting in what He did for us in His death and resurrection. It also means believing Him, taking Him at His Word, and learning from His example. This passage that we come to today points to the priorities Jesus had, as revealed by his own example . We n...

  Discipleship 101: Finding Our Place in the Mission of God Mark 1:29-34 Introduction :   Looking back to the opening of Mark’s Gospel, Mark gave us something of a “thesis statement” that he has been expanding on in the first chapter: The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. The Jews were expecting a Messiah, a descendant of David who would lead them to a life of security and prosperity in the Land. But they had little understanding that this Rescuer would be One who would provide a much more profound deliverance: He would save them from their sins by making a way, actually by being the Way, for them to be reconciled to God .        That sets the context. Many were rightly expecting the coming of Messiah, but they had a limited and inadequate, view of His nature. Jesus’ authority in the spiritual and physical realm revealed His identity: the kingdom was “ at hand ” because the King was present . Jesus presented himself in...