Category: Mark

So what does it take from us to be a Christian?

Mark 4:26-29

²⁶ He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. ²⁷ Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. ²⁸ All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. ²⁹ As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”

Nowhere in the verse did Jesus say that it required anything. In the greatest book ever written, God Himself is telling us that we do not have to know how what we plant for the glory of God grows. We just plant. We sow seed. He will take care of the rest.

In other words, once you have received Jesus as your Lord and Savior, He will take it the rest of the way. It is His responsibility, not ours. He has us right where He wants us, and He will not fail. Then it’s harvest time, with workers needed. #JesusSaves

Amen.

DK

Jesus is the perfect teacher. IS…

Mark 4:21-25

²¹ He said to them, “Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don’t you put it on its stand? ²² For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open. ²³ If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear.”

²⁴ “Consider carefully what you hear,” he continued. “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more. ²⁵ Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.”

This verse spoken by Jesus is incredible. He is able to help us to understand just what it means to believe and have faith. It means that we are to allow our light to shine everywhere we walk. As we grow closer to Jesus, His light becomes our light. His love becomes our love. His will becomes ours. And as this happens, we should let our light shine. It is through this shining of the light that darkness will be defeated time and time again.

Stay strong if you feel you are in the darkness and say these words: “Jesus, I love you and I want to thank you for what you have given me. I want to thank you for your love and salvation. You are my Lord and I want to surrender all to you right now.” Jesus will then take position in your life to help you battle those things that hinder you. Prepare yourself as you begin this momentous and lifelong battle with the Holy Spirit. As you do, you will be a light for all to see. #JesusSaves

Amen.

DK

Jesus taught us the way that all teachers should teach. He is still the Messiah to this day. Worship and praise HIM.  HALLEJUAH!

9 Then Jesus said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”

10 When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. 11 He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables 12 so that,“‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding, otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’[a]”
13 Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? 14 The farmer sows the word. 15 Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. 16 Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. 17 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 18 Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 19 but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. 20 Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.”

How the word is heard is the clearest word given to me in reading this verse. It is also what stage you are in growth, with no certain station being “better” than the other. Rather, it is recognizing what season you are in and recognizing that we are under attack daily. Attacked by the devil to do us harm.

Jesus tells us that it is about what the word is used for in our lives. This is a product of faith and belief, with time being irrelevant. So, regardless of what you have been duped into doing through temptation, it is time to start fresh. Slate wiped clean by the blood of the lamb. Then the roots will take hold, and through us God will produce fruit. Abundantly! #JesusSaves

Amen. Maranatha.
DK

Our calling…To throw it. Throw the seed…

Mark 4:1-8
4 Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water’s edge. 2 He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: 3 “Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.”

Does this parable call us to concern ourselves with where the seed falls? Or does it merely tell us where it falls is not our responsibility? Good questions…

Jesus is teaching us about how each seed has potential. The potential to grow and produce fruit. However, wherever your roots decide to dig in, there you will grow. If your roots are grounded in the Holy Spirit, you can rest assured that the plant that bears fruit will bear much fruit for the kingdom.

As believers, we must be grounded in the solid ground and foundation of the Holy Spirit. It is through this pure and righteous growth that we will find our success and, moreover, our significance. We were made to flourish and prosper, not wither and die. Be strong and steadfast in the fact that your seed has fallen on good soil and prepare to glorify the Lord. #JesusSaves

Amen. Maranatha.
DK

It is incredible to think that some thought Jesus was out of His mind…

Mark 3:20-35
20 Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat. 21 When his family[b] heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.”

22 And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem said, “He is possessed by Beelzebul! By the prince of demons he is driving out demons.”

23 So Jesus called them over to him and began to speak to them in parables: “How can Satan drive out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. 26 And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come. 27 In fact, no one can enter a strong man’s house without first tying him up. Then he can plunder the strong man’s house. 28 Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter, 29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin.”

30 He said this because they were saying, “He has an impure spirit.”

31 Then Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. 32 A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, “Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you.”

33 “Who are my mother and my brothers?” he asked.

34 Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”

A house divided against itself makes no sense. That is what Jesus was teaching. Why would He cast out demons if the demons were actually with Him? He says that would make no sense. Yet, they didn’t believe Him, and they would continually persecute Him.

Jesus goes on to teach them that to blaspheme the Holy Spirit is unforgivable. It is a very obvious warning for all. The warning was against the Pharisees who said that Jesus has an “impure spirit” and that He was possessed by a demon. Wow!

Jesus is speaking directly to His Pharisee accusers when He shows them truth and salvation. Truth be told, it’s hard for the Pharisees to see Jesus, mostly for fear. Yet all they needed to do was submit to Him, and the questions would be answered. As they are for us today when we read God’s word.

The last few verses speak on the idea that if we are to accept God’s true gift, then we are all members of the same family of God and should be loved as we would love our family members.

Amen. Maranatha.
DK

Jesus has been preparing men to spread the Gospel and help in teaching the New Covenant…

Mark 3:13-19
13 Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. 14 He appointed twelve[a] that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach 15 and to have authority to drive out demons. 16 These are the twelve he appointed: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter), 17 James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means “sons of thunder”), 18 Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot 19 and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.

The way that Jesus chose these twelve to follow Him is indicative of how He has called all of us and chosen a few. All of us have been given the authority to heal and to cast out demons.

When I first learned of this, it really did freak me out. The supernatural just wasn’t an area that I liked to think about, much less be involved in. However, Jesus left us all with a helper called the Holy Spirit, and the more I began to get to know that spirit, the more I began to realize that the supernatural world exists. The battle between good and evil rages on around us every day. As a Christian, it is my duty to enter this battle every day. My weapon…God’s Word. The Bible.

Thank you, Jesus, for choosing me. I love you and will go wherever it is that you call me to go. #JesusSaves

Amen. Maranatha.
DK

Word travels fast. God knew our hearts and how we would respond. Many were wanting to just catch a glimpse of Jesus…

Mark 3:6-12
7 Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the lake, and a large crowd from Galilee followed. 8 When they heard about all he was doing, many people came to him from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, and the regions across the Jordan and around Tyre and Sidon. 9 Because of the crowd he told his disciples to have a small boat ready for him, to keep the people from crowding him. 10 For he had healed many, so that those with diseases were pushing forward to touch him. 11 Whenever the impure spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of  God.” 12 But he gave them strict orders not to tell others about him.

No matter where He went, Jesus was now known. News of His miracles was traveling fast, and it was becoming necessary to plan for the many that would come to be healed. It’s a good problem to deal with, but a problem nonetheless.

Jesus was spreading the New Covenant, and the mercy and grace that He poured out were perfect, and people knew it and felt it. Jesus, while teaching and preparing the way for our salvation, was teaching His disciples to spread the word after He was no longer on this earth. For that reason, we can assume it was necessary that He not let them get overwhelmed. Pressed, but not broken down. He was fulfilling prophecy and teaching those that would continue His work after He was gone. Wow!

He asked that those He healed not spread the word of His miracles for the reason that it was not time. The steps Jesus took were metered by God the Father, and He knew that direction was needed in this crucial time. The time would come that the Gospel of Christ would be spread by word of mouth. As it is so today.

It is our calling to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all of those that are in the dark and do not know Him. The liberation of souls and the words of salvation will not be televised. It is spread from believer to believer. Start speaking today! #JesusSaves

Amen. Maranatha.
DK

Mark 3:1-6
3 Another time Jesus went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. 2 Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath. 3 Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Stand up in front of everyone.”

4 Then Jesus asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they remained silent.

5 He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. 6 Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.

Law holds the Pharisees back from doing God’s will. The strange thing is that they thought following law was the only way to “appease” God. How wrong they were. So wrong that Jesus was sent to bury that sin.

When Jesus heals that man, the Pharisees are now angry to the core and cannot get over it. Because Jesus chose the right way over the way of law, He was chased after for this. How wrong is that?

Now let’s examine our own lives. Do we accept some things that do not make sense as law? Chances are, the answer is yes. We go along with the status quo so perfectly and seamlessly that we don’t even notice when it’s wrong and against His will. We have been fooled.

As I read God’s word, I have become keenly aware that the devil’s best place to hang out is right at the dividing line between what is right and what is wrong. As he waits there, you can almost see how man will dip their toe into sin for a taste, then quickly run back to God with pity and sorrow. In this passage, Jesus broke through the blinders of man and corrected our lives through parables. Now that we know, it is our job to stand on principles that are founded on Jesus Christ. And He was the only man to live PERFECTLY! #JesusSaves

Amen. Maranatha.
DK

Sabbath was made for man…

Mark 2:23-28
²³ One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and as his disciples walked along, they began to pick some heads of grain. ²⁴ The Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?”

²⁵ He answered, “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need? ²⁶ In the days of Abiathar the high priest, he entered the house of God and ate the consecrated bread, which is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions.”

²⁷ Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. ²⁸ So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”

All of these rules, laws, and hoops to jump through. By this time, the Pharisees and old covenant believers had distorted and perverted the laws so much that they needed cleansing, clarification, and understanding.

As Jesus sought to clean up any judgment by man or misgivings by those in positions of influence, He was able to intentionally put Himself in the perfect teaching positions because He was led by the Father. He was led by God.

Through this lesson, we can see that there are times when we need to go against the grain if what we are doing and believing in is God-led and not led by any other entity. Jesus did not fall in line so that He would not upset anyone. On the contrary. He used situations to teach, as it was God the Father who was able to place Him at just the right place at just the right time.

He can do that for you. If you ask Him and believe in Him, He will do that for you. No longer will you need to turn away out of fear, for you will be led by the Holy Spirit. As you hone your discernment skills through daily reading of His word, you will find strength and power to literally do what Jesus did. To become more like Him and less like you. To be one with the Creator.

I pray this for all of us tonight. I pray that God comes into your life brighter than ever before and shatters darkness. I pray that the brightest light fills your heart and soul, and that you are renewed now. You are a spiritual being with power beyond your wildest dreams. I pray that power finds you and that you seek to understand it. That you Ask, Seek, and Knock louder than you have ever knocked before. #JesusSaves

Amen. Maranatha.
DK

The reason for all things was with them. In the flesh…

Mark 2:18-22
18 Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. Some people came and asked Jesus, “How is it that John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees are fasting, but yours are not?”

19 Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? They cannot, so long as they have him with them. 20 But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and on that day they will fast.

21 “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. Otherwise, the new piece will pull away from the old, making the tear worse. 22 And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins.”

The questions from the Pharisees begin. Those that were supposedly following the law were wondering why Jesus and His disciples were not adhering to it. Jesus responds, telling them that He was the reason to fast, and He is with them. Why fast in remembrance or in grand expectation of Him when He is with them? This is the Great Feast with the Creator of the Universe. And you want to do what?

It was time for change. We were headed down a path of self-destruction, and we needed to be bailed out. There was no other way. When Jesus refers to “new wine being put into old wineskins,” He is talking about the New Covenant, not the old way. Jesus was here to make things new. The Pharisees sought to put our Lord in a box and limit His potential. Maybe not intentionally at first, but perhaps they were blind.

If new wine is poured into old wineskins, the skins will burst. To try and pour the New Covenant into the old way of thinking, only one thing would happen. Jesus was teaching the law-abiding Pharisees to open their hearts and let Him in. As we all know, they would refuse. #JesusSaves

Amen. Maranatha.
DK