Mark 10:1-31 Perhaps we think of a disciple as a follower, but in the first place to be a disciple is to be a learner with Jesus as our Teacher. He is the Teacher sent from heaven. If Jesus is not my Teacher, then I am not his disciple.
Good News (Page 2)
Mark 9:30-50 What does true discipleship look like? What’s the difference between someone who just says they’re a Christian and a true disciple of Jesus? That is what Jesus starts to unpack in this section as he heads to Jerusalem.
Mark 9:1-29 ‘If you’re lucky, you’ll be shot. If you’re unlucky, you’ll be sent to a political prison camp’. To follow Christ in North Korea, you need to be convinced it’s worth it eternally. But even in our much easier context, there is a cost to true discipleship, and so we need to be convinced too. We need proof of future life. And that is what the Transfiguration is all about.
Mark 8:31-38 The cross is a symbol of barbaric oppression, torture, execution. Isn’t it time for the church to have a rebrand and to change its logo to something more…
Mark 8:10-30 Imagine a global pandemic not of a virus but of blindness – and everyone went blind. That, the Bible tells us, is the true state of humanity. We are spiritually blind; groping around in the dark. The good news is that Jesus can give us sight – but he’s the only one who can.
Mark 7:24-8:10 A sense of entitlement can easily creep into we relate to God. We easily start to feel not just that society owes but that God does too – but nothing could be further from the truth. The three true stories in this passage highlight how undeserving we really are, and how thankful we should be.
Mark 7:1-23 Hands, face, space. Such measures are effective in stopping the spread of a virus, but useless when in stopping the spread of sin. Much religion though operates on this basis. It assumes that the problem is out there in the world and we need to protect ourselves from infection and wash ourselves clean. But true worship recognizes the problem is not outside of us but in us. And a much deeper solution is needed.
Mark 6:30-56 Jesus’ feeding of 5000 people and his walking on water are two of his most famous miracles. But what was the point? What message were they meant to…
Mark 6:1-30 The gospel is the best news in the world that through Jesus we can be forgiven and know God and have eternal life. So why is it so hard sharing the gospel with others, and even believing the gospel ourselves? One big reason is that the gospel calls us to repent, and we don’t want to. But without repentance, there is no salvation.
Mark 5:21-43 In the past we may all have had deep-down fears of sickness and death, but there’s nothing like a global pandemic to bring these fears to the surface. Faith in a Jesus who rules over sickness and death is the answer to our fears – but that requires bringing our faith and our fears together, and not keeping them in separate compartments. This passage will help us do just that.