What does the resurrection mean to Mark?

 The resurrection means everything. This is the glue that holds our faith and belief in Christ as the Messiah together.

1^st Corinthians 15:12-15 tells us that our faith, our preaching, our beliefs, our hopes are useless if Jesus was not raised from the dead. If so, then we are still in sin. We are utterly lost and hopeless.

But Jesus has risen!

Friday came, but now it is Sunday.  

Through Jesus death on a cross and his resurrection from the dead, I can be justified (just-as-if-I-never-sinned) to God through Jesus. I could have never done this on my own. My sin had separated me from God, but with Jesus rising from the dead I now have new life in Jesus and able to be in right relationship with the Father.  “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).  Also, my old self was crucified and now I am no longer a slave to sin (Romans 6:6), but set free to live a life according to his calling.

Jesus was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that us peace was upon Jesus, and by his wounds we are healed (Isaiah 53:5).  

In dying Satan struck Jesus' heal, but Jesus came back to life and has crushed Satan’s head (Genesis 3:15).  Jesus defeated the Devil. We no longer have to live in fear or worry about the Satan and his schemes, but are freed and have abundant life in Jesus Christ. 

Thank you Jesus for dying and resurrecting for you and me.

What does the resurrection mean to you?

Mark

There was another cross?!?

On Thursday, Jesus had his last meal, was betrayed by one of his disciples, sought refuge in prayer with God in a garden, and then Jesus was bound and arrested.

On Friday morning, Jesus has accused by religious leaders for be a blasphemer and a public nuisance and taken before the governor for a trial. Then his countrymen let a known murder go free and choose death and crucifixion for Jesus. Jesus was then mocked, beaten, spat on, and bruised. Roman guards smashed a crown of thorns into his head and put purple clothing on him to mock him as being a king. They then forced to pick up his cross and walk to Golgotha on the outskirts of the city. From there he was pierced three times. He struggled to breath and grew thirsty. Jesus took up his cross and bore the world's sin on it. There two other crosses that day that the criminals on them. They were to Jesus' left and to this right.

Yet there was another cross.

Wait, there wasn't four cross? But I thought there were only three?!?

Today, that fourth cross is yours and mine. It's the cross where our old self was crucified. "For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin!"(Romans 6:6)

Jesus tells us in Luke 9:23-26:

 “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me. 24 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.25 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but are yourself lost or destroyed? 26 If anyone is ashamed of me and my message, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in his glory and in the glory of the Father and the holy angels."

Each of us have a cross to bear. Are we willing to pick up it, lose your selfish desires, let go of our life, and give it over to Jesus?

If we do believe in Jesus our lives will change dramatically. The old life will be gone and the new one is here. We will find forgiveness! We will find life! We will find purpose!

Hang up the old life you lived on the cross. Go start your new life now and live for Christ!

What you find in His presence!

Have you ever had one of those days, months, or seasons where it seems like everything is falling apart? Nothing is going as planned? You kinda just want to give up?

I remember the late winter of my first year of college at Miami University. I was doing well in my classes and working full-time. My parents called my older brother and me in for a family meeting. These rarely happened, but if they did, we knew it was something big. My parents began to tell us the news that my Dad lost his job, just three months after his 30th year at the company!

Now, he was jobless.

Wow, what a shocker!

Questions were going through my mind: how are we going to survive? Will I need to quit college?

My Dad went on an interview tour across the country. He was being thoroughly looked at multiple companies in different states. He accepted a position in Safford, Arizona. Where? That was my exact question too.

My parents told me to think about coming with them once the house sold. They gave me the option of going to college somewhere out there, continue going to Miami University, or find another college. My focus in the meantime would be to watch over the house, clean the house, and take care of my older brother. My question to my parents, is that not the job of my older brother?

This was a troublesome time in my life. I had lots of questions with few answers. My attention was honestly completely on myself, what my next steps in life would be, and where I was going to live. For the first time in many years, God enabled me to do a three things in my life:

1. STOP.  My life had been going a hundred miles an hour to fix what went wrong. This process of stopping started about one week after I found out about my Dad had lost his job. The act of stopping was much needed. God showed me through his love and care that we would completely take care of me, my family, and all the different situations in my life. My goal in this situation was to not fix, solve, or do anything in my own power, but to come to him. 
2. COME. Jesus called me to "come" to him (Matthew 11:28-30). I was able to quit looking for answers elsewhere. I was able to go to him directly and talk. He was there to listen and hear me out. All of my frustrations and pains could be heard, understood, and released. I came close to God, and God came close to me (James 4:8).
3. REST. I knew that God had it all taken care of in advanced. I could actually rest, breathe, and have peace in the situation. Just as with Moses, the Lord tells us that he will personally go with us and give you rest - everything will be fine (Exodus 33:14). 

By God doing these three things in me, he showed me where he wanted me to go to school for the remainder of college, that my family would be taken care of, show me what I was to do with my life, and that in his presence is the only place I would find the fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11). These troubles and questions became an opportunity for joy to occur (James 1:2-4). This weird act which would not have been my choice, was one of the most impactful things that positively changed my life. I had true joy in life knowing that I was following his will for my life and living life to the fullest (John 10:10).

-Mark

Soaking in God's Presence

I long for summer.

My body aches for the time where I can go outside, without a coat or hoodie on, to swim in a pool or jump into a lake off a dock swimming around until my body prunes up with water filling my pores.

Or to go down an amusement park ride screaming and laughing until my gut hurts.

Or being on a bench swing, in a tree, or on a papason chair with the sun overhead reading a book or just to simply relaxing with an icy Coke-a-Cola Classic to drink.

There is just something about summer and resting. After a long school year, it is time to relax a little.

I can remember when I was in middle and high school, that I had my favorite spot to go in the summer. I had a pond in my backyard that about a dozen other houses backed up to. There was a wooden bench there under a large weeping willow tree that was perfect for fishing. This was my space. After a busy day of chores or getting back from my job, this is where you could find me. I would retreat to that exact spot, which looked kind of like this:


Yet, when I got there... something seemed to always happen.

I would get about three minutes of peace and quiet. Then, the things of this world would flood my mind: relationships, sports, friends, text messages, something I forgot to do, and always a sibling or neighbor would come by to pestering me.

My relaxing, my rest, well, it got interrupted.

Do you ever feel that way? Psalms 46:10 tells us, "be still and know that I am God." God desires for us to be still... how can we even do that today?
We are to try to stay focused, forget everything else that is going on around us, and be in the presence of God to soak him in. Allow this time to be like your skin after swimming too long, soaked. To "know" God means that you are in relationship with him. Not simply seeing him on the weekends or casually in dialogue, but in constant contact with Him. Just the same way you would be in relationship with a close friend.

In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus calls those who have heavy burdens, those who are weighed down by life, to come to him and find rest. Jesus can take the weight of life all of your mistakes, regrets, sins, doubts, fears, inadequacies, and worries.

We cannot carry around the load any longer.

Give it over to the only one who can handle it all.

Begin to rest in him.

Let us get back to resting and soaking in Christ, allowing each of us to be satisfied and complete in Him.

-Mark

Temptation is not the same as sin!

How often do we forget that this in our lives:
Temptation is not the same thing as sin!

Each one of us are tempted daily. Know that this common to all mankind (1 Cor 1:13). Not a day goes by that I am not tempted to do wrong. In the prayer Jesus' teaches us to pray in Matthew 6, he tells us to pray "forgive us our debts" and to "lead us not into temptation." The debt he mentions is our sin that we have committed. The temptation is not sin, but what can lead to sin if we submit to the temptation. Jesus wants us pray for power and wisdom to not fall to the temptation. Since sin in is any voluntary act of transgression of the known law of God. If we do sin, God is gracious and will forgive us. That is the good news we have through Jesus Christ. The perfect Savior, who was sinless became sin for us! (2 Cor 5:21)

Jesus was tempted in every way that we are, yet he was without sin (Heb 4:15). Jesus himself was tempted just after fasting in wilderness by the Devil (Matthew 4:1-11) and yet never succumb to sinning, because he remained faithful to God. He quoted Scripture to each attack by Satan. Jesus overcame temptation and lived a sinless life.

One of the greatest lies Satan tells today is that if we have temptation then we are sinning. He tries to defeat us by using his power to tempt us. Do NOT believe the lie that is not the case! Although, Satan is the one who tempts us (James 1:13-14).

Let us live free of the fear of temptation by knowing these three things: 
1. That we do not have to fall to temptation through watching yourself and prayer (Matthew 26:41).
2. That God will provide a way out (1 Cor 1:13)
3. That we can be blameless until he comes back! (1 Thess 5:23)


See you at Quake tonight at 6pm! Doors open at 5:30pm for Open Gym!
*Sign up for Text Reminders: see right column for more details
*Quake Lenten Photo Challenge: #temptation #quakelent2014

-Mark

Why would Jesus be tempted?

 

Is it because Satan thought Jesus was weak?

To test Jesus?

To trick Jesus into sinning?

Let’s look at Matthew 4:1-11 and Luke 23:35-43.

 

When reading Matthew 4:1-11, we find that Jesus was empowered and led by the Holy Spirit. God’s will was for Jesus to go into the wilderness. In the wilderness Jesus fasted for 40 days to prepare for his ministry.  In Luke’s version of this story, Luke states that Jesus was hungry, oh man I would have been too... 40 days!

 

Then something strange happens. The devil comes to tempt Jesus 3 times.  At Quake tonight, Josh and Courtney will be sharing from Matthew 4:1-11 on Jesus being tempted by Satan in the wilderness. It’s a familiar, yet interesting story. Come tonight and find out what it is all about!!!

 

Also, Jesus is tempted in Luke 23:35-43, while he is on the cross by those crucifying him mocked him and told him to save himself (v 35-38). Jesus had the power and ability to save himself, yet gave himself up as an sacrifice for mankind. Even one of the criminals on a cross next to Jesus hurled insults at him (v29). Jesus died a shocking and horrific death, so we might be saved from our sin and restored into right relationship with God. At any time, Jesus could have changed this, but he insisted on doing the Father’s will.

 

Was Jesus weak? No. Jesus had the power and authority no one else on earth ever had. See Matthew 28:18. He healed, drove out demons, calmed raging seas, resurrected people, lived a perfect life, and was raised from the dead.

 

Did he pass the test? What do you think? Reread Matthew 4:1-11.  

 

Was he tricked into sinning? No, he defeated temptation. God gives the power and way of any temptation. See 1stCorinthians 10:13 and James 1:12-18.

Grace and peace to you today,

Mark 

Ash Wednesday

My timeline and newsfeed have been filled with that age-old question that happens every year 46 days before Easter

"what am i going to give up for lent?"

every single year, it happens. I do it too.  Last night, I thought I knew what I was doing, but still had to decide before I fell into a beautiful night of sleep.  But because I was undecided yesterday, I tried to stock up on everything - I slept in, watched lots of TV, obsessively checked Facebook/twitter, decided on coffee for breakfast, reveled in pizza for lunch, and may have baked a few too many goodies for Bible study so I could gorge myself.  Just maybe.  Okay, that may sound like every other day, but I really went overboard - the ultimate Fat Tuesday.

So now you're probably asking you what I'm doing for Lent.  I went to a Lutheran elementary school, and every year, it seemed like we were trying to trump each other.  I mean, we knew Lent.  It was taught to us in a wonderful way and giving up something was a great way to teach us to seek God.  But these words stick out in my mind:

“Even now,” declares the LORD, 
   “return to me with all your heart, 
   with fasting and weeping and mourning.”

Rend your heart
   and not your garments.
Return to the LORD your God,
   for he is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and abounding in love,
   and he relents from sending calamity.  

(Joel 2:12-13)

"Rend" means tear.  In the Old Testament, people would tear their garments out of anguish as they mourned over their sins.  But sometimes, rending garments became a public show that meant nothing on the inside.  So here's what God I think God is saying to the people. 

 Fast, weep, and mourn - you need to do those things to return to me wholeheartedly.  But don't tear your clothes as some empty way to show how holy you are.  Tear your heart.  May you be heartbroken over your sins. 

So this year, here's what I'm encouraging you to do - take this time to be truly repentant over your sins. Wholeheartedly return to God.  Give something up that will help you remember how grateful we are to be for the forgiveness of God.  Or even, take something on that draws you closer to God. Direct it towards God and your love for Him.  But don't make a huge deal of it to others.  Don't tear your clothes without tearing your heart.  Hide your commitment to God in your heart and stick to it - for Him, not others.