Fifty Weeks in the Gospel of Mark

A year and a half ago we began a journey together that took us through villages and cities, rivers and great stretches of wilderness. We have climbed mountains and sailed great lakes. We have seen children saved from the grips of death, entire cities worth of people healed of sickness, lepers cleansed, blind eyes restored, chaotic storms calmed, and sermons taught. We have heard the good news of salvation preached on tops of mountains, in the homes of tax collectors, and on city streets. We have seen this and much more as we have followed Jesus over the past fifty weeks.

Fifty weeks we have traveled with Jesus from the banks of the Jordan River to the end of the journey—Jerusalem and the cross. It has actually been much longer than that, but over the year and a half we have taken time to stop and hear from God in other areas of his Word. 

I look back at where we started—all the places we have traveled with Jesus and I can’t help but think of those actual events happening in real time. Jesus being baptized by John in the Jordan. The calling of the Twelve and their excitement when seeing Jesus’ face and hearing his words spoken to them—“Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” Imagine being a face in the crowd when Jesus heals the woman with the bleeding condition or the leper with the diseased body or the blind man who sees men but they look like walking trees. I think back to the first sermon preached that had been prepared in eternity past. The sermon’s purpose was to tell of the good news of the coming Kingdom and for all people to repent and believe in the Gospel. All the teachings, parables, and rebuking the powers of man and hell— how amazing were the things that happened and now they are preserved in Scripture for all time.

And now we stand near the end of our journey. The cross is in sight. The cup is being prepared. God’s wrath will soon be poured out on the one who loves us more than any other love could express. 

Looking forward, we have but a little bit to go. We are a disciple of the Lord Jesus and like the Twelve we will soon be in the upper room hearing the final words of our Savior before his betrayal and death. We look back at all that we have seen and experienced and we worship our Savior knowing all was done for us. All journeys have and end and in Mark’s Gospel we see God taking the worse possible event, done to the least deserving person, and turning into good for those who love him. 

The hardest days of Jesus’ journey lay in front of him and us as we move forward together. Fifty weeks we have traveled to get to this point and we have but a few more as we look at Jesus’ last. 

My prayer for us as a church is that we see the great gift God has given us in his Son and what he accomplished for us in the journey and death on the cross. In seeing this we can with repentant hearts give God the glory for the great things he has done through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

—Bro. Jesse

Good Friday

Why call it good? Reflecting on the events told by the Bible, reading the story would offer to many of us a different reaction than “good.” The Friday of Passover week, this particular Friday does not seem all that good to us when reading through the story the first time. We read of a man who came from heaven—he loved and taught people the way to get to the Kingdom of God, and the people killed him for it. A quick reading of the story does not seem all that goodto us.

 But the story is not meant to be read quick or even once. It is meant to be read slow, allowing the gravity of the death of Christ to sink in. It really was a good Friday. It was good for God, and it was especially good for us. It was good for God because his plan of redemption was followed through by the faithful Son. And it was especially good for us because God’s people were redeemed.

 Looking back at the first time I read the gospels, it was shocking to me that God used such a horrible event to bring about the greatest possible good. That is what makes Good Friday so “good.” The Bible tells a story, the greatest story ever told—Creation, God making man in his own image, the fall of man, God’s great plan to redeem mankind, and his Son at the center of that redemption plan. The good news of Good Friday is that we now have a way back to our Creator, through the cross of the Lord Jesus.

In Luke 23 we have the crucifixion being told, just as the other gospel writes record. But Luke’s telling of the story was always the one that stood out to me. It was in inclusion of the two criminals that were being crucified along with Jesus. One berates and the other worships. Luke telling of the story is an encouragement to us in many ways, but this part has always stood out to me, especially the words of Christ to the criminal who expresses faith.

 39 One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” 40 But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 43 And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.” —Luke 23:39–43 (ESV)

Luke’s telling of the story is a beautiful testimony of the compassion of the Savior. Even in face of imminent death, Christ is thinking of others. The good news of Good Friday for the criminal is that even deathbed confessions lead to paradise. The good news of Good Friday is the hope for sinners who believe. The good news of Good Friday is the hope of life in face of death for people like you and me.

God takes the worst possible situation and calls it good. It was through the suffering of our Christ, we have the forgiveness of sins. It is through the Lord Jesus the relationship is restored and we can return to the  presence of the God who loves us and made us with purpose. This Good Friday let us reflect on the great sacrifice of our Savior and worship him for what he has done.  

Bro. Jesse

The Cloudy Days Ahead

But the sunshine lay beyond the clouds.

We live in Oklahoma. Oklahoma is a state of consistency, but also of change. The people who call Oklahoma home do not like change, of this I can attest. We like to do thing as we have always done. If there is but a Walmart within driving distance and church within a rock’s throw, we are content. We do not like change. But one thing that is so remarkable about Oklahomans, is that we are a people who dislike change and very much the idea of new things, yet we are constantly being dealt the hand of change. Changing weather is one thing that defines Oklahoma. It can be a beautiful 70 degrees one day and the next, freezing temperatures. We can go from tornados to floods to ice storms within the span of a week. Change is a part of who we are as much as consistency. We have grown accustomed to the clouds and the rains that come sweeping down the plains, but equally important we must remember the sunshine that follows.

Stemming from a biblical worldview, Christians know that the clouds will always precede the sunshine. The world is increasingly getting worse and none of this is a shock to us. We see change, and it is at times surprising, but really it isn’t. Jesus speaks in detail in Matthew 24 about the changing of the times. If anything in the Bible, we Oklahomans can relate to this. Jesus says the times are going to get bad. Jesus says the times are going to be worse than any other time in history. 

Jesus says that the clouds are coming and the days that will come with them will be worse than the days of the flood, worse than the sacking of Jerusalem by Babylon, worse than the destruction of Israel, worse than any time in the history of man. We have seen some pretty terrible days in recent history. Jesus says the days these will be defined not by justice and love, but rather by lawlessness and betrayal. Jesus says all this will happen, and then the end will come.

But the great news of the gospel is that those days will not be long and the sunshine lay beyond the clouds. 

29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.30 Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.31 And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. — Matthew 24:29–31 (ESV)

Today, we can see the clouds coming over the horizon. The events we have seen unfolding around us are just signs of the coming storm. The evil celebrated in New York city, the redefining of marriage, the starving and slaughter of innocents in Venezuela, the persecution of Christians around the globe are all signs of the coming storm.

We see all the evil and wickedness in the world today, and often times we forget what is on the other side. Christ is coming soon. God has not forgotten his promises and when our Savior returns, he will pierce the clouds of darkness that has engulfed the world with the light of the Kingdom of God. 

We must not forget the sunshine that lay beyond the clouds and the God from which it comes. May God grant his people peace, courage, and endurance in the days ahead!

—Bro. Jesse

A Church of Vision: Part 3

Good news is always better than bad news. It is a general truth that we all love to hear and experience. Is it better to be the recipient or the giver of such news? It’s like the old phrase, “It is better to give than receive.” I know that this is debatable depending on who you talk to but most people prefer to receive than to give.

Now, I love to give gifts. I also love to receive gifts. I think we can all agree we enjoy both, but who doesn’t love receiving gifts? It is just in our nature, especially when we know the person and the meaning behind the gift. I reflect on the idea of good news and live with the fact that I am in the giving business. I am in the giving of the good news business. I think about the supreme calling all Christians have been given and the urgency in that calling. We are flawed sinners, prone to wander like sheep, but it is by God’s wisdom he uses us to bear witness to the good news of the Lord Jesus Christ and to tell others about the gift given to the world.

Part 3: The Gospel-Focused Church

The gospel-focused church is one that is serious about its mission. It is one that addresses the overwhelming reality of sin in our lives. A gospel-focused church faces the hurts and pains of this life and provides relief by focusing itself on and around the good news of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Throughout my life, I have had the privilege to serve in several churches. I have learned and grown through the helpful guidance of many godly people and pastors. I have watched pastors from a distance, those that lead the large churches with the skills and resources all young pastors wish for but are usually out of reach. To acquire those it often takes a lifetime of faithfulness, work, and ultimately God’s grace.  But often pastors and churches lose sight of their mission and the vision that they set themselves on at the beginning of their ministry. We do not want to be a church that loses sight of the vision God has set before us. 

We have a goal and a vision. It is not complicated nor hard to achieve. We wish to be a church worthy of our Savior. To be Christ-centered and gospel-focused means to take seriously the message that truly is good news. We have to be givers of the good news. We have to tell people about the good news. We have to be clear about sin, not beating around the bush like so many churches do today.  Sin is bad, and no matter what shape or form it comes in, it leads to death and hell. It leads to an eternity separated from the God of the universe. We have to tell people about Jesus and his death and his atoning work for all who would believe in him. And we have to call people to live in obedience with that good news. The Gospel is not a “get out of jail free” card message. It requires actual life-changing actions. A gospel-focused church focuses on those things. 

My vision for us, and I believe it to be God’s as well, is to grow into a church that is saturated with gospel-truth. We teach and preach the gospel that was “ once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3).  I know if we run with endurance towards the prize of Jesus, striving to look like Jesus always, we will surely finish the race. Pray that God will aid us in our vision and the days ahead. Pray that God would send leaders to lead his people. Pray that God would send out gospel messengers from among us, for his glory and honor. Pray that we will grow to be a gospel-focused church. 

Bro. Jesse