Mark 3

 

Happy Christmas Eve! Just a reminder that we will be having 2 services this evening at 3:30p and 4:30p. They are only 45 minutes long. Come out and invite your friends and family to join you!

 

Scripture

 

Mark 3:30-35

 

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.”

 

Observation- What does it say?

 

Jesus had just appointed his 12 disciples and entered a house where a crowd had gathered. During this time, he was accused by His natural family for being out of His mind (vs. 21) and accused by the teachers in the law for being possessed by the devil and drawing His power from an evil spirit. Jesus put them in their place and then pointed out who His true brothers and sisters were..they were the ones who did the will of God.

 

Understanding-What does it mean?

 

Jesus works in community.

 

Jesus’ community weren’t His natural family or the religious leaders of the time. His community were His 12 disciples and those who followed Him and listened to His teachings. His family and the church leaders of the time were actually the ones opposing Him!

 

Life Application

 

Love your brothers and sisters in the Lord and stay connected to the Body of Christ, especially to those who live Spirit filled lives.

 

Pastor Gary always says that a Christian without a Church family is a Contradiction. I also posted last week about the importance of putting God first on the throne of our lives because He is the One who makes us and the Body function in a healthy way. Here is what God’s Word says about loving the church (aka our brothers and sisters in Christ).

 

His Word says in 1 John 4:19-21, "We love because He first loved us. Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister."

 

The church (we, the bride) are not perfect, but Jesus is! We must stay connected together and forgive, reconcile differences and not give up meeting together. We need each other as much as we need Him. Jesus functioned in community when He was on earth because He chose 12 disciples. He continues to function in community through the Trinity. Let’s follow His example! 

 

“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Hebrews‬ ‭10:24-25‬ ‭

 

See you tonight for Christmas Eve service!

 

-Michelle Gaddi

Mark 2

 

Scripture

 

Mark 2:4-5:

 

Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. 5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

 

Observation-What does it say?

 

Their faith made them do everything possible to see Jesus. When they couldn’t get to Jesus, they didn’t give up. They made a way to see him by making an opening in the roof.

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. (Hebrews 11:6)

 

Understanding-What does it mean?

 

Jesus wants to be found by us.

Because of the men’s persistence in bringing the paralyzed man to Jesus, Jesus healed his paralysis and forgave him of his sins.

We are commanded to seek FIRST the Kingdom; to ask, seek and knock and we will find Him if we seek Him with all of our heart.

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” (Matthew‬ ‭7:7-8‬)

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well" (Matthew 6:33).

“But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul" (Deuteronomy 4:29).

The story of the persistent widow and the unjust judge is another example of how God honors our persistence in our pursuit of Him and because He’s a good Father, He will act and respond. (see Luke 18:1-8) The Lord wants to be found by us because He loves us.

 

Life Application

 

Seek God because He sought you first.

When we feel like Jesus’ presence is far away or feel like He is not listening to us, we need to be willing to knock down walls and dig holes in roofs in pursuit of Him. When we feel far away from Jesus, it is not because of Him, but because of us.

Don’t give up praying, seeking, or knocking. We will find Him if we don’t give up.

You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water" (Psalm 63:1).

Also, just like in Luke 15 with the story of the lost sheep, lost coin and lost son, His love for us is relentless. He sought us first, so we must continue seeking Him in response to that love.

Dear Lord, thank You for seeking us out first and pursuing us with a relentless love. Because of that love, You desire to be found by us. May we continually seek You in faith when we feel You are far away. Your Word says You never leave or forsake us, so we know that it is us who need to draw closer to You when dry times like that happen. We need You and can’t live without your love and grace towards us. Thank You for every breath we take which is evidence of Your grace and existence. Amen.

 

Reckless Love SongReckless Love (Official Lyric Video) - Cory Asbury | Reckless Love

 

 

-Michelle Gaddi

Mark 1

Scripture:Mark 1:35 In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there.Observation-What does it say?  Mark, unlike the other synoptic gospels, jumps right into Jesus’ ministry, without any prelude of his birth or early life.  Throughout the first chapter, We see some profound beginnings of this ministry, including Jesus spending forty days in the wilderness, the first disciples being called, miracles of healing and demons being cast out.   News spread of the healings, and people came from all over the region to meet Jesus and be healed. Amidst all the hysteria, Jesus stole away to have time alone praying with His Father.  Understanding-What does it mean?  I have a tendency to try to do it all myself.  Whether that be plumbing, gardening, or schoolwork.  I have issues with trusting people, so instead of allowing people to help, I pile up my plate with more and more projects and responsibilities.  I’m even like this with my feelings. When I am stressed or feeling alone, I hold it inside and try to conjure up the strength or energy to finish my jobs.  Then, after lengths of time of trying to hold my life together, I find myself tired and disconnected from God.    Inevitably, the end of the year and the Christmas season get increasingly busy.  With all the shopping, the office parties, the block parties, the family parties, and...Christmas.  I used to find myself resenting this season because I would feel run down. I would feel weighed down by all the expectations of what Christmas is all about.  I’ve learned how to look passed the craziness to find moments to enjoy. Whether that be while preparing a traditional family casserole, or sitting by the fire with family, I embrace the moment and remember the good times.  But without these things to keep me centered, Christmas would be just another day.Jesus, though, was demonstrating a different way of dealing with the stress of life.  Right when he was the busiest, he reached out to what would center Him. He demonstrates the fact that God is supposed to be the thing that centers us in this life.  Jesus was modeling what was written in the old testament. Psalm 46:10 says, “He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”  Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.  In doing this, our perspective changes to the lense of God, and our problems don’t seem as big.

Life Application:  Jesus, help me to find my center in You.  When the noise of the world creeps in on me, teach me to say “It is well with my soul.”  

 

-Tyler Galloway