I decided to study the book of Mark in the bible, I will blog my thoughts in a chapter by chapter day by day blogpost on the gospel. If anyone reading wants to study thru the book with me please feel free to do so and submit your thoughts! Jake
here are some of my thoughts on Mark 1...
v.21-21- the religious people in Capernaum were "amazed" (NLT) by Jesus' teachings, they were amazed because he was different. He spoke with authority. There was something about Jesus and his teaching that was much different than the teachers of the law, and the people responded greatly. speak truth.
v.44- After Jesus had healed the lame man, he told him to go into the town and show that he had been healed. He was told not to talk about it. This made me think of the effect it has when you recognize the change in someones life as opposed to when you hear that person talk about it.
People will notice that you are different if you are living in the Spirit. They only hear you have changed if you only talk about it, but they will be amazed when your life reflects a change. Becoming a christian WILL undoubtedly change you, but to reach people, lead by example and make that change appealing.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Friday, June 18, 2010
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Dad
I was at the pool with some friends after church this past Sunday and while throwing the ball with my brother and Jeff I saw this really beautiful picture of a fathers love.
We were hanging out and this family walked up to the pool area, set their stuff down, then covered their little son with sunscreen. He could not have been over the age of 3. His dad brought him into the water and the kid immediately got scared. It took a little bit of time for him to become comfortable with the water. The dad would have never let his son be in harms way but the kid was still very scared. A little bit of time went by and the dad stood his son up on the edge and wanted him to jump into his arms. The boy looked like he would take the leap but as soon as he lost his fathers grip he was afraid again. The boy eventually jumped, but would he have known that his father would keep him safe and never let anything happen to him had he not have jumped?
This, to me, was such an amazing portrait of our relationship with the Lord. We are so afraid when we are not the one in control. Your Father has you. He is not going to let you drown... so jump.
"I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty" 2 Corinthians 6:18
We were hanging out and this family walked up to the pool area, set their stuff down, then covered their little son with sunscreen. He could not have been over the age of 3. His dad brought him into the water and the kid immediately got scared. It took a little bit of time for him to become comfortable with the water. The dad would have never let his son be in harms way but the kid was still very scared. A little bit of time went by and the dad stood his son up on the edge and wanted him to jump into his arms. The boy looked like he would take the leap but as soon as he lost his fathers grip he was afraid again. The boy eventually jumped, but would he have known that his father would keep him safe and never let anything happen to him had he not have jumped?
This, to me, was such an amazing portrait of our relationship with the Lord. We are so afraid when we are not the one in control. Your Father has you. He is not going to let you drown... so jump.
"I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty" 2 Corinthians 6:18
Friday, May 14, 2010
Forever Young
Last night I had a really great conversation with a good friend. We were talking about what it means to be an adult from the worlds perspective. you have to know my friend to understand his sense of humor but he said that from the worlds perspective of being an adult means taking a knife to your childhood dreams and brutally murdering everything you thought life would be and settling for what brings you the most "comfort".
It is a funny way to put it but think about it, how many folks do you know that look back at everything they dreamed about and realize that their life is very ordinary? When we were young the world was awesome, truly awesome, and we could have every bit of it if we dreamed big enough. God made us this way. So many people crucify their dreams on the the cross and move on with life. This isn't life! It can't be! Instead of surrendering your dreams surrender your life and the Lord gives you your dreams and and says run. I love this, Psalm 103: 2-5 the message "Praise the Lord O my soul. He forgives your sins - every one. He heals your diseases - every one. He redeems you from hell - saves your life! He crowns you with love and mercy - a paradise crown. He wraps you in goodness - beauty eternal. He renews your youth - you're always young in his presence." He restores our youth. Why is it that as we get older and more "realistic" we give up on the things we have always wanted? The world used to be so full of wonder! It was magical, all of my friends were astronauts and baseball players. We were digging up bones in the back yard, we only knew what we believed in our hearts as true. Since Ive grown up the world has lost its wonder, the world has tried to sell me on what they say is true and has tried its hardest to get me to abandon my heart to follow their rules. The world was beautiful and now it just seems full of rules and responsibilities, not that God does not want us to be responsible (that is a whole blog unto itself). God did not create us to live by a list of visible limits. He created us to explore in His presence and His creation, and to give us our dreams.
Think about the world as you did when you were a kid, remember what you thought of the world? You were right.
It is a funny way to put it but think about it, how many folks do you know that look back at everything they dreamed about and realize that their life is very ordinary? When we were young the world was awesome, truly awesome, and we could have every bit of it if we dreamed big enough. God made us this way. So many people crucify their dreams on the the cross and move on with life. This isn't life! It can't be! Instead of surrendering your dreams surrender your life and the Lord gives you your dreams and and says run. I love this, Psalm 103: 2-5 the message "Praise the Lord O my soul. He forgives your sins - every one. He heals your diseases - every one. He redeems you from hell - saves your life! He crowns you with love and mercy - a paradise crown. He wraps you in goodness - beauty eternal. He renews your youth - you're always young in his presence." He restores our youth. Why is it that as we get older and more "realistic" we give up on the things we have always wanted? The world used to be so full of wonder! It was magical, all of my friends were astronauts and baseball players. We were digging up bones in the back yard, we only knew what we believed in our hearts as true. Since Ive grown up the world has lost its wonder, the world has tried to sell me on what they say is true and has tried its hardest to get me to abandon my heart to follow their rules. The world was beautiful and now it just seems full of rules and responsibilities, not that God does not want us to be responsible (that is a whole blog unto itself). God did not create us to live by a list of visible limits. He created us to explore in His presence and His creation, and to give us our dreams.
Think about the world as you did when you were a kid, remember what you thought of the world? You were right.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
A city on a Hill...
What is the one thing that everyone was afraid of as a child? What is it that makes us uncomfortable walking to our cars late at night? The dark. I think that God planned us to be uncomfortable in the dark. Darkness is, by definition, the absence of light...
Matthew 5:14-16 "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." Jesus tells us in the Sermon on the Mount that we, believers, are the light of the world. Think about that for a minute, you are what keeps Gods light shining. You!
Think about a room that is completely dark. No light whatsoever. Now light a match, a little flame. You can faintly see everything around you. That little flame gave enough light for someone to be able to walk through the room with direction, instead of stumbling through the room falling over every pizza box you left on the floor. Now think bigger, the world we live in is a dark place. What is it that lets us see? Is it the light that radiates from the sun mixed with the receptors in our eyes? Think deeper. Lets not see with our eyes for a bit. Jesus' light gives direction and peace and we are commanded by Jesus himself to be the light of the world. Even in the dead of night there is a small light hanging in the sky that reflects light from a sun that is miles and miles away. You can walk outside at midnight and there is enough light to see, simply reflected from a huge source of light. I like to think about our walks as being little moons that reflect a much larger light.
So I know that most of us are not afraid of the dark. I would bet that most of us do not sleep with a nightlight or with the bathroom light on and the door cracked. Are we really not afraid or do we just understand the dark, and understand that there is nothing to be afraid of? We have been given a power that the darkness runs from, the Holy Spirit! Don't be afraid and let your light Shine!!
Matthew 5:14-16 "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." Jesus tells us in the Sermon on the Mount that we, believers, are the light of the world. Think about that for a minute, you are what keeps Gods light shining. You!
Think about a room that is completely dark. No light whatsoever. Now light a match, a little flame. You can faintly see everything around you. That little flame gave enough light for someone to be able to walk through the room with direction, instead of stumbling through the room falling over every pizza box you left on the floor. Now think bigger, the world we live in is a dark place. What is it that lets us see? Is it the light that radiates from the sun mixed with the receptors in our eyes? Think deeper. Lets not see with our eyes for a bit. Jesus' light gives direction and peace and we are commanded by Jesus himself to be the light of the world. Even in the dead of night there is a small light hanging in the sky that reflects light from a sun that is miles and miles away. You can walk outside at midnight and there is enough light to see, simply reflected from a huge source of light. I like to think about our walks as being little moons that reflect a much larger light.
So I know that most of us are not afraid of the dark. I would bet that most of us do not sleep with a nightlight or with the bathroom light on and the door cracked. Are we really not afraid or do we just understand the dark, and understand that there is nothing to be afraid of? We have been given a power that the darkness runs from, the Holy Spirit! Don't be afraid and let your light Shine!!
Saturday, March 20, 2010
LIFESTYLE OF SERVING
Hmm... I guess what I want to say in this blog is that I dont want our passion for the Lord and our passion for serving to be a sunday to sunday thing (fill in the weekday of your choice). We were made to love God and serve people! It is woven into our souls to serve, whether we serve healthy things or not is a completely different blog and discussion. I feel like many churches and many groups of people make serving into something that its not, they over-complicate it and add to it clouding the central message they are trying to get across. Love, thats it. Love is something that we never asked for, it was simply given to us for a price that we could have never afforded. Love is something that you dont have to have been schooled in, you dont have to be rich to have, you dont have to be smart to have, and you thankfully dont have to be perfect to have. It is something that answers some of the worlds most dificult questions but is so many times over-looked. Jesus was sent for our ransom because God loves this world and the people on it. John 3:16, everyone knows it but think about it "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son so that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life". So how do we make serving a lifestyle and how to we reach people? Do I even need to answer this? Ok I will because I know someone is scratching their head staring at the screen right now waiting for this sentence to end... LOVE!
We do not need to leave the country on a mission trip to reach people. Our neighbors need our help! Unfortunately we only have to look out of our front door to see people hurting. God's love is something that can be seen from the outside and is so contageous! So I challenge myself and everyone reading this to make serving the people that God loves, a lifestyle. You never know how simple it could be to plant that seed in someones heart, and the love shown through you just may be the light that saves that persons life.
"Many waters cannot quench love, many rivers cannot wash it away. If one were to give all the wealth of his house for love, it would be utterly scorned." song of songs 8:7 NIV
"Flood waters can't drown love, torrents of rain can't put it out. Love can't be bought, Love can't be sold- it's not to be found in the marketplace." song of songs 8:7 the message
We do not need to leave the country on a mission trip to reach people. Our neighbors need our help! Unfortunately we only have to look out of our front door to see people hurting. God's love is something that can be seen from the outside and is so contageous! So I challenge myself and everyone reading this to make serving the people that God loves, a lifestyle. You never know how simple it could be to plant that seed in someones heart, and the love shown through you just may be the light that saves that persons life.
"Many waters cannot quench love, many rivers cannot wash it away. If one were to give all the wealth of his house for love, it would be utterly scorned." song of songs 8:7 NIV
"Flood waters can't drown love, torrents of rain can't put it out. Love can't be bought, Love can't be sold- it's not to be found in the marketplace." song of songs 8:7 the message
Sunday, March 7, 2010
God in a bottle
For the longest time I wondered why miracles were a seemingly common thing when Jesus walked the earth but were almost extict in modern days. I really struggled with the fact that we never see seas part, or water turn into wine, or men healed of his blindness simply by speaking a few words. A few weeks ago at the college ministry I attend, this point was the subject of discussion. Dave Summrall spoke an entire message on this same topic that I struggled (keep in mind that struggled is past tense) with. So many times we ask God for healing over our bodies, relationships, ect. but when we ask for these healings and miracles do we truly believe that He is powerful enough to come through? I dont know about you but im not satisfied with living a dry spiritual life, I want to see some folks get healed! I want a blind man to look and tell me what he sees! Is our God not the same God that parted the sea and fed the 5,000? Has God changed?
"Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new touges; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well." Mark 16:15-18
After Dave read this scripture he said something that changed my life. He said, "Its time we start believing that!"
God in a bottle? I had a conversation with a good friend today. We were talking about diferent missions work at we each had done. I can remember worshiping in Costa Rica in a church that was literally a square building made from concrete blocks with a paved floor and a few hanging light bulbs that hung from the ceiling. The folks in that church were going absolutely crazy praising Jesus! It was an experience I will never forget! Think about that for a minute... people with nothing, in a room with nothing, singing and dancing and screaming all in praise of our God! when was the last time you were in the states and were a part of a service like this? Im not saying the churches here are not filled with the Holy Spirit and are fake in any way and as a matter of act I absolutely love my church a feel extremely blessed to be a part of such an awesome church, but it just seems like we have made God's love and power into some kind of normal thing. My friend said it perfectly (when talking about his mission work in Africa) he said, "Its like we have put God in a bottle and limited his power" I have been thinking about this statement ever since our conversation and he's right! It seems like we have made God into another face in the crowd or put Him into a container and have put restraints on His power. I recently heard a story of a college aged girl that is a friend of a friend of mine and due to a rare illness she has not been able to walk for quite some time. One night her church was praying over her and her pastor took her aside and asked her if she had ever prayed for her own healing, she told him she had not so he told her to pray for healing of her body. She spent the next 45 minutes in her university chapel and in the middle of her prayer she felt a tingling in her legs, she then pulled the braces off of her legs and WALKED out of the building! God wants to heal the sick and raise the dead to bring glory to His name, we just need to actually and whole-heartedly BELIEVE that He can do these things!
"Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new touges; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well." Mark 16:15-18
After Dave read this scripture he said something that changed my life. He said, "Its time we start believing that!"
God in a bottle? I had a conversation with a good friend today. We were talking about diferent missions work at we each had done. I can remember worshiping in Costa Rica in a church that was literally a square building made from concrete blocks with a paved floor and a few hanging light bulbs that hung from the ceiling. The folks in that church were going absolutely crazy praising Jesus! It was an experience I will never forget! Think about that for a minute... people with nothing, in a room with nothing, singing and dancing and screaming all in praise of our God! when was the last time you were in the states and were a part of a service like this? Im not saying the churches here are not filled with the Holy Spirit and are fake in any way and as a matter of act I absolutely love my church a feel extremely blessed to be a part of such an awesome church, but it just seems like we have made God's love and power into some kind of normal thing. My friend said it perfectly (when talking about his mission work in Africa) he said, "Its like we have put God in a bottle and limited his power" I have been thinking about this statement ever since our conversation and he's right! It seems like we have made God into another face in the crowd or put Him into a container and have put restraints on His power. I recently heard a story of a college aged girl that is a friend of a friend of mine and due to a rare illness she has not been able to walk for quite some time. One night her church was praying over her and her pastor took her aside and asked her if she had ever prayed for her own healing, she told him she had not so he told her to pray for healing of her body. She spent the next 45 minutes in her university chapel and in the middle of her prayer she felt a tingling in her legs, she then pulled the braces off of her legs and WALKED out of the building! God wants to heal the sick and raise the dead to bring glory to His name, we just need to actually and whole-heartedly BELIEVE that He can do these things!
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