Came to Die
The third time the charm. This is the third and final time that Jesus tells his disciples plainly what the Son of Man came to do (Mark 8:31, 9:31, 10:33-34). We have made a few comments about this as we have gone through this study, but it is worth pausing in this passage to reflect more on this amazing passage. Out of the three times in Mark, Jesus tells the disciples what the Son of Man came to do. This
Eye of a Needle
Cut to the heart. A few times in my life, someone has said something utterly true that then rings through my ears and feels like a dagger has been rammed through my heart. I can think of several times when someone has said a small sentence that has significantly impacted my life. The words ring still to this day. Some have had positive effects that remind me of my hope in Christ and the delight of heaven. While others show
Let the Children Come
Children have an interesting role in society. They do not bring much value (financial) to the community. They can be seen as a burden. They need full-time care; they need to be instructed and trained. They do not pay taxes. They cannot vote or run for office. Yet, we all see the need for children because they become society at some point. Children are sometimes seen as a blessing but often seen more as a burden. This passage shows this
Let No Man Seperate
Divorce is not something we talk about within our culture. You can ask questions about someone's wedding, but the conversation can become awkward when you begin to ask questions about divorce. Today's passage can bring up tough questions. To some people, these questions are personal. We all know someone who has had a divorce. The United States of America has one of the highest divorce rates in the world. The divorce rate in the USA is declining but so is
Topsy-Turvey
Topsy Turvey means to turn something from its top to make the top the bottom and the bottom the top. The Christian worldview has this idea that flows throughout its thought. This is understandable because if what the world calls good, we call evil, or what we call evil the world calls good, then we will come to a world view of the opposite understanding. What we value is what they despise. In the next section in Mark, we see
One holy catholic
Hijacked word: a word that once had previous means but takes on a new meaning over time because of the regular use by a particular group. Take, for example, “Pentecostal,” all Bible-believing Christians believe in the Pentecost (Acts 2). However, over time it begins to be used by those who believe in the continuation of supernatural spiritual gifts. One of these words that have been hijacked is ‘catholic.’ People assume that you belong to the Roman Catholic church when you
Help!
It has been said the three most challenging things to say are, “I am sorry,” “I need help,” and “Worcestershire Sauce.” The third one is difficult because of the syllables and pronunciation. However, the first two are not difficult due to pronunciation but because we rarely want to verbalize our weaknesses. We might speak of our weakness humorously, making light of the situation. However, to confront our weaknesses in the face is quite a daunting task. To see our failures,
A-la-carte
The last section of the Creed was also expanded in 381. The original Creed (325) stopped after the line, “and the Holy Spirit.” The last section of the Creed has a similar form to the Apostles Creed. One might call this section ‘a-la-carte;’ a mis-mash of one-liners. However, the last lines of the Nicene Creed speak of the Church and its believers. It ties the first word of the Creed, ‘We,’ to the rest of the Creed. Sadly, many people
Before the great and awesome day
The past few weeks, we have been looking at the transfiguration. Last week we looked at the question of why Moses was at the transfiguration. This week we look at the question of why Elijah was at the transfiguration. This is the question the disciples asked following the event in verse eleven. I have often pointed out the many things we take for advantage as we read the Bible. We are blessed to live with the complete Bible from Genesis
Who spake by the prophets
Trinitarian theology is more than an academic discussion. Sadly, as I have mentioned before, Christians only see their need for Jesus. However, we need the true living God, who exists in three persons, Father, Son, and Spirit. Take, for example, the doctrine of adoption; the Father adopts us through the Son by the Spirit (Gal 4:4-6). Many doctrines have recently been questioned that quite possibly come back to a failure to understand Trinitarian theology and I might argue more specifically
