Mon, Oct 29th - 10:10PM

Mark 10:35-45

Mark 10:35 Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came over and spoke to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do us a favor.”36“What is your request?” he asked.37They replied, “When you sit on your glorious throne, we want to sit in places of honor next to you, one on your right and the other on your left.”38But Jesus said to them, “You don’t know what you are asking! Are you able to drink from the bitter cup of suffering I am about to drink? Are you able to be baptized with the baptism of suffering I must be baptized with?”39“Oh yes,” they replied, “we are able!”Then Jesus told them, “You will indeed drink from my bitter cup and be baptized with my baptism of suffering. 40But I have no right to say who will sit on my right or my left. God has prepared those places for the ones he has chosen.”41When the ten other disciples heard what James and John had asked, they were indignant. 42So Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. 43But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, 44and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else. 45For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (NLT)

Isn’t this mentality different from society?  When is it ever taught that if you want to be first then be last, put others before you, serve others but this is one of the many differences between real Christianity and the world.  As Christian we are Disciples of Christ which mean we follow the teachings and examples of Christ.  Jesus the Son of God came down from heaven lived the life of a simple carpenter’s son and died on the cross as a sin sacrifice for the sins of the world that whosoever would accept Him in faith as their Lord and Savior may have their sins forgiven and be given eternal life through Him. 

Fri, Oct 26th - 11:55PM

Mark 10:23-27

Mark 10:23 And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! 24And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God! 25It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. 26And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved? 27And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.

Why is it hard for a rich man to enter heaven?  Look at verse 24, HOW HARD IS IT FOR THEM THAT TURST IN RICHES, if you are trusting in your riches you aint trusting in God.  The Bible says we are not to put anything before God in our lives.  Anything we do put before God is an idol.  When the pursuit of wealth and possessions become your focus then there is no room for God in your life.  The Bible says seek first the Kingdom of Heaven.  If you are pursuing wealth then you aint pursuing God.  And part of the problem is society.  Mankind to often judges a person by their career, how much money we make, what kind of car we own, what kind of house we live in.  These things might impress other men but it doesn’t impress God and if your concern is the praise of others than you aint pursuing the praise of God. 

Thu, Oct 25th - 11:21PM

Mark 10:17-22

Mark 10:17 And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? 18And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God. 19Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother. 20And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth. 21Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me. 22And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions.

Jesus was the Son of God He came to earth from heaven to live the life of a carpenter’s son and when He began His ministry He traveled from town to town with probably very little possessions.  When the Disciples choose to follow Christ they left everything behind, their homes, their careers, their families and eventually 10 out of 12 of them would give their lives for the Gospel.  This man was trying to show how good he was because he had follow all of the commandments but when Christ told him to sell everything and follow Him He couldn’t bring himself to do it. 

Most people look at this as Jesus telling a rich man to sell his possessions but He could of just as well told Him to leave His career behind, may be his house behind, his family, or whatever it is that keeps us from fully committing to Christ and the Gospel.  For this man it was his possessions that was holding him back from fully committing to follow Christ for others it could be their careers or other attachments such as worldly desires.  Not every Christian is called to leave everything behind to travel to a distance place for the Gospel such as missionaries but God does expect us to free ourselves from anything that might hold us back from serving Him.  As the Bible says seek the Kingdom of God first. 

Tue, Oct 23rd - 10:29PM

Mark 10:1-12

Mark 10:1 Jesus then left that place and went into the region of Judea and across the Jordan. Again crowds of people came to him, and as was his custom, he taught them. 2Some Pharisees came and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” 3“What did Moses command you?” he replied. 4They said, “Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce and send her away.” 5“It was because your hearts were hard that Moses wrote you this law,” Jesus replied. 6“But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female.’ 7‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, 8and the two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one. 9Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.” 10When they were in the house again, the disciples asked Jesus about this. 11He answered, “Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her. 12And if she divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery.”  (NIV)

God’s definition of marriage has never changed.  It is a man and woman united as one flesh forever.  The only reason given for divorce is adultery.  That is the way it always has been and still is today.  It is man trying to change the definition of marriage today to include homosexual unions.  The secular world is going to do what the secular world does because they don’t live according to the Bible but as Christians we live according to the Word of God and God’s Word doesn’t change.  We got men trying to twist scripture or reinterpret scripture to justify a more secular view of marriage but they will be judged for their actions not by me or you but by God Himself.  He will also judge those leaders in the church who have ignored His commandment about marriage, divorce, and adultery and hold positions in the church even though they are guilty of violating these commandments and the churches who allow them to hold positions in the church even though they have violated these commandments. 

Mon, Oct 22nd - 10:03PM

Mark 9:49,50

Mark 9:49 For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt. 50Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his saltness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another.

In Biblical times salt was used as a preservative to keep food from decaying.  When Christ calls us salt He is saying we are a preservative.  We are preventing the decay of mankind but we can only prevent this decay as long as we do our job as the salt.  Western society is in moral decay and part of the problem is that the salt has stopped doing its job as the preservative.  You can track the rate of moral decline in the U.S. alongside Americans turning their back on God and Christianity.  Liberals want the church out of the public arena they want to push us into our church houses and for us to sit there silently but I tell you if that ever happens this country will go into complete moral meltdown. 

Sun, Oct 21st - 9:52PM

Mark 9:43-48

Mark 9:43 And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: 44Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. 45And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: 46Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. 47And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire: 48Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.

Jesus isn’t telling us to literally start cutting off body parts or to pluck out our eyes but what He is saying is that whatever is causing us to sin we need to put it out of our lives instead of letting it drag us to hell.  If lust is causing us to sin we need to put it out of our lives.  If greed is causing us to sin we need to put it out of our lives.  If pride is causing us to sin then we need to put it out of our lives.  Whatever it is that is causing you to sin then you need to put it out of your life.  That could be bad friends, bad relationships, bad influences, a bad environment whatever it is that is causing you to sin cut loose from it and don’t let it drag you to hell.  No relationship, no friend or anything is worth facing the judgment of God over.  You know the things in your life that are having a negative influence over you. 

Sat, Oct 20th - 11:03PM

Mark 9:42

Mark 9:42“And if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied around his neck. (NIV)

People are going to sin.  We are born into sin and we remain slaves of sin until we give our lives to Christ and He frees us from our chains of sin.  Even after we become Christians temptations are going to come at us to sin.  Sometimes we will resist and sometimes we will fail.  But God has a very dire warning to those who cause others to sin.  He says it will be better to drown yourself in the sea then face His judgment. 

There is good money to made in the business of sin but is it worth facing the judgment of God?  You can make money selling drugs, alcohol, sex, pornography or other vices but you have to ask yourself is it worth facing the judgment of God?    As the Bible says what profit is it if a man gains the world but loses his soul.    

Tue, Oct 16th - 10:22PM

Mark 9:33-35

Mark 9:33 They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the road?” 34But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest. 35Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.” (NIV)

Isn’t this so different from our modern society way of thinking which teaches if you want to get ahead you have to set yourselves above the others, that if you want to get ahead you have to promote your abilities to get noticed, that it is ok to you use others to get ahead, the last think our society teaches is this kind of humility.  How many times have we seen an athlete brag about his talents or a celebrity show off their wealth?  This is one of the things that separates Christianity from the world, the emphasis on humility and on serving others.  Christ said the second commandment after loving God was to love our neighbor.  We are to love God first and then love our neighbor or our fellow man.  Jesus said if we want to be first we should be last and serve others.  That is what He did right?  He died on the cross for others. 

Fri, Oct 12th - 11:30PM

Mark 9:2-10

Mark 9:2 And after six days Jesus taketh with him Peter, and James, and John, and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves: and he was transfigured before them. 3And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them. 4And there appeared unto them Elias with Moses: and they were talking with Jesus. 5And Peter answered and said to Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. 6For he wist not what to say; for they were sore afraid. 7And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him. 8And suddenly, when they had looked round about, they saw no man any more, save Jesus only with themselves. 9And as they came down from the mountain, he charged them that they should tell no man what things they had seen, till the Son of man were risen from the dead. 10And they kept that saying with themselves, questioning one with another what the rising from the dead should mean.

There are many that argue that Jesus never claimed to be the Son of God which isn’t true at all.  Jesus made it pretty clear who He was and the Bible very clearly declares Jesus as the Son of God but most importantly God declared Jesus as the Son of God. 

The reason people try to press the argument that Jesus never declared to be the Son of God is because if Jesus was truly the Son of God that makes Him unique and destroys their idea of religious pluralism.  If Jesus was truly the Son of God that means He is more than just another religious figure like Buddha or Mohammed.  That means He is more than some great ethical teacher.  That means when He declares He is the only way to heaven than this is a true statement and if Jesus is the only way to heaven then all others ways are false.

Tue, Oct 9th - 9:53PM

Mark 8:38

Mark 8:38Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.

There are a lot of Christians today that could fall into this category.  Society in the West has turned on Christianity and sadly many Christians instead of remaining true to their beliefs have compromised to seem more politically correct or more tolerant.  They have toned down or ignored subjects like hell, the judgment of God, salvation through Christ only, the Biblical definition of marriage, and sin in general.  They have become more interested in pleasing man then they are God.  God expects us to be a light shining in this dark world of sin but your light can’t shine if you are hiding your light so you don’t draw attention to yourself.  The Word of God isn’t going to be pleasant to those living in sin and rebellion to God but they need to hear it and they won’t hear if you are too ashamed of its message to proclaim it.  They will never meet Jesus if you are too ashamed of Him and His message to proclaim it.  Remember on the Day of Judgment you will stand before God to give an account of your life not other people. 

Mon, Oct 8th - 11:53PM

Mark 8:36.37

Mark 8:36For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? 37Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

What is worth your soul?  Christ died on the cross so that all who believe in Him can go to heaven instead of hell but sadly many refuse to surrender their soul to Christ. 

So what is holding you back?  Is it the temporary high you get from drugs or alcohol?  Is it the few minutes of pleasure you get from sex or pornography.  These things last for a few minutes but hell is for eternity.  What is keeping you from having a relationship with God?  Is it greed, anger, lust, sexual sin, addiction, pride, possessions, the list could go on.  The tough question you have to ask yourself is any these things worth your soul?  Is any of these things worth spending an eternity in hell over?  You are going to spend an eternity somewhere, either heaven or hell.  It isn’t God who will decide but you.  You are the one who needs to choose rather you are going to follow God or the pleasures of sin.  Is anything worth spending an eternity in hell over? 

Sun, Oct 7th - 11:52PM

Mark 8:34,35

Mark 8:34 And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 35For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it

When the Disciples committed to follow Jesus they left everything behind.  They left their businesses, their careers, their families, they gave up everything to follow Jesus and with their commitment God used these 11 men (minus Judas) to change the world.  It was a mission they were totally committed to.  Now God doesn’t always expect us to pick up and leave everything behind even though some are called to do this such as missionaries but He does expect total commitment.  Becoming a Disciple of Christ and if you are a Christian you are a Disciple of Christ means total commitment not only to God but the mission He has for us.  Every Christian is expected to do His part to further the Kingdom of God rather it be teaching, preaching, evangelizing or just witnessing to your family and friends.  Being a Christian is a life lived in fulfilling the will of God and the will of God is for all to hear the Gospel. 

Sat, Oct 6th - 10:00PM

Mark 8:31-33

Mark 8:31 Then Jesus began to tell them that the Son of Man must suffer many terrible things and be rejected by the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but three days later he would rise from the dead. 32As he talked about this openly with his disciples, Peter took him aside and began to reprimand him for saying such things.33Jesus turned around and looked at his disciples, then reprimanded Peter. “Get away from me, Satan!” he said. “You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.” (NLT)

That last sentence can apply to so many in the church today.  To Peter and most Jews the idea of a suffering Messiah was just something they could comprehend even though the scripture had prophesy exactly this would be the case.  The Jews were hoping for a Messiah that would overthrow the Romans and restore the Kingdom of Israel.  They were seeing scripture how they wanted to see not how God had wrote.

And that is why I said that last sentence can apply to so many Christians and churches today.  When preaching against homosexuality gets un-popular what do we do?  Re-interpret the scriptures to support it.  It is un-popular to talk about hell and judgment so what do we do?  Re-interpret the scriptures to take away hell and judgment.  It is considered intolerant to say Jesus is the only way to heaven so what do we do?  Re-interpret scripture to promote religious pluralism.  This is human thinking not God’s.  God doesn’t change and neither does His word.  What was sin 2000 years ago is still sin no matter how un-popular it may be to say so. 

Fri, Oct 5th - 12:31PM

Mark 8:27-30

Mark 8:27 And Jesus went out, and his disciples, into the towns of Caesarea Philippi: and by the way he asked his disciples, saying unto them, Whom do men say that I am? 28And they answered, John the Baptist: but some say, Elias; and others, One of the prophets. 29And he saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Peter answereth and saith unto him, Thou art the Christ. 30And he charged them that they should tell no man of him.

Peter recognized that Jesus was the Christ the promised Messiah from the Old Testament but who do you say He is?  Who you think Jesus is makes all the difference in the world.  It will make a difference rather you spend eternity in heaven or hell.  Some believe Jesus is just a myth or just an ancient legend.  Some believe Jesus was a real person but not the Son of God.  They believe He was a great teacher like a guru that came up with great ethical teachings.  But if you are a Christian you know He is the Savior that died on the cross for your sins.  He is the Son of God, born of a virgin, He lived a sinless life and He died as a sin sacrifice on the cross that whosoever believes in Him and accepts Him as Lord and Savior can have their sins forgiven and have eternal life through Him.  He is the risen Savior that sits at the right hand of God in heaven.  He is the one and only Way to heaven.  There is no other ways.  All other ways are false and only lead to eternity in hell.

Wed, Oct 3rd - 11:33AM

Mark 8:16-21

Mark 8:16 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have no bread. 17And when Jesus knew it, he saith unto them, Why reason ye, because ye have no bread? perceive ye not yet, neither understand? have ye your heart yet hardened? 18Having eyes, see ye not? and having ears, hear ye not? and do ye not remember? 19When I brake the five loaves among five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? They say unto him, Twelve. 20And when the seven among four thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? And they said, Seven. 21And he said unto them, How is it that ye do not understand?

The Disciples had been traveling with Jesus for some time at this point had already seen Him work many miracles but yet they still didn’t completely understand who Jesus was just yet.  Jesus spent 3 years personally teaching His disciples but yet they wouldn’t completely understand all things until after His death and resurrection.

So many Christians today don’t fully understand who Jesus is because they chose not to grow spiritually.  They become Christians but never attempt to grow spiritually.  They remain babes in Christ as Paul describes them.  They never move from the place they were after first accepting Christ as their Savior.  They never study their Bible, they never spend time in prayer unless they need something for themselves or their immediate family, they never get involved in the work of the church.  They are perfectly content on giving God a couple of hours on Sunday morning and that is as far as their commitment goes.  They are the seed that never grows and bears fruit of its own.  God has so much to offer us if we would open our hearts and mind to His will for us and allow His Spirit to guide us into a life of spiritual maturity in the Holy Spirit.  Growing as a true disciple of Christ takes a daily commitment of Bible study, prayer, and life time of committing to following the will of God for our lives.  It is a life of leaving our desires behind and completely following the will of God for our lives.

Tue, Oct 2nd - 11:50AM

Mark 8:14,15

Mark 8:14 Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, neither had they in the ship with them more than one loaf. 15And he charged them, saying, Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod.

Jesus is telling His disciples to be aware of the doctrine of the Pharisees.  Just as just a little bit of leaven (yeast) is needed to make the bread rise all it takes is a little bit of wrong teaching to corrupt the Gospel.  You can’t really corrupt the Gospel but people can allow their views of the Gospel to be corrupted and we see a lot of that going on today.  So many Christians and churches have allowed secularism, liberalism, and humanism to creep into their doctrine and their way of thinking.  I recently got into a debate with some liberal Christians over homosexuality.  They based their whole argument on secular thinking and pretty much ignored what the Bible says.  Many outright reject the Bible because it goes against their beliefs.  As Christians our beliefs should be based on the Word of God not decide rather we believe the Word of God based on our beliefs.  As Christians we need to really get back to the Word of God and leave the ways of the world out of our belief system. 

Mon, Oct 1st - 11:39AM

Mark 8:11-13

Mark 8:11 And the Pharisees came forth, and began to question with him, seeking of him a sign from heaven, tempting him. 12And he sighed deeply in his spirit, and saith, Why doth this generation seek after a sign? verily I say unto you, There shall no sign be given unto this generation. 13And he left them, and entering into the ship again departed to the other side

Jesus had already done many miracles before them.  He had healed the sick, the lame, the blind, the mute, the deaf, He had cast out demons, He had raised the dead, and feed the hungry but still they had not believed.  He knew one more sign wouldn’t cause them to believe because they had harden their hearts to the truth.  God could of force them to believe but that isn’t true faith. 

So many people today have harden their hearts to the truth of God.  God is all around then in His creation, in the lives of believers, and in His Word but a vast majority of mankind refuses to recognize Him.  A large majority of mankind has convinced themselves they through the wisdom of man and science has all the answers and don’t need God and convinced themselves that God doesn’t exist.  The sad truth is many will go on believing this until they are standing in front of the judgment seat of God and once you are already standing in front of the judge it is too late to change your ways.  In my experience atheist are some of the hardest people to convince of the need for Christ because they have closed their minds to any kind of an idea of a God but we know the Holy Spirit can crack the hardest of hearts and minds.  As believers we need to continue to pray for these hard cases that the Holy Spirit will convict their hearts of their error of their ways and their need for salvation in Christ.