TAMING THE TERRORISTS (MARK 5:1-20)

Jesus had just calmed a violent storm at sea, now He meets a man with an equally violent storm inside of him.

THE MAN WITH AN INNER STORM (V.1-5)

The Man Confronted Jesus (v.2). As soon as Jesus stepped out of the boat, he was ‘met’ immediately by a man with an unclean spirit! The word for ‘met’ has a military connotation, of being opposed with hostility. This will make more sense in a moment when we look at the unclean spirit.

WHAT DOES THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER TELL US ABOUT OUR HEARTS? (MARK 4:1-20)

Why do some people some people love the word of God and others ignore it? Is it only a matter of belief or unbelief? Actually, it has more to do with the heart than you might think!

Again he began to teach beside the sea. And a very large crowd gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat in it on the sea, and the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land.  And he was teaching them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them:  “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it.  Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil.  And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away.  Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain.  And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.”  And he said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

THE STRONG MAN IS BOUND! (MARK 3:20-35)

Who is the strongest person you know?

Some of my fondest memories are from when my children were little. But I used to get so jealous when my first child, Jasmyn, would run to my wife every time she was hurt! That is until one day, when a handy man was working on the house. As soon as he fired up his electric saw, and it buzzed loudly throughout the house, my daughter jumped out of her mother’s arms and ran toward me for protection! I was the strongest person she knew!

However, these days have been slowly fading as my son has been growing taller than me. Up until recently, I was okay with it, because I could still take him, but now he’s getting strong!

Today, my message is titled, ‘The Strongman is Bound!”

WHAT DOES THE CLEANSING OF THE LEPER REVEAL ABOUT JESUS? (MARK 1:35-45)

Do you believe that the Lord has the power to heal today?

When Jesus casted the demon out of a man in the synagogue (Mark 1:25-35), we saw that Jesus demonstrated his authoritative power over demonic realm through the casting out of a demon in synagogue. Today, we are going to take a look at a unique healing, that will further demonstrate Jesus’ authority as the Son of God.

HOW DID JOHN THE BAPTIST PREPARE US FOR THE KINGDOM OF GOD? (MARK 1:2-8)

In the summer of 2016, while attending the Foursquare Connection conference in Hawaii, I had the chance to check two items off my bucket list.. We had a short window of time, but I had planned the quickest route to the North Shore of Oahu, and determined that Shark’s Cove was our best destination. This was considered to be one of the top ten shore dive’s in the world. Our dive was breathtaking. And it was possible only because I had spent several hours investigating dive spots well before our trip. 

Are you prepared for the Lord? 

Compare the four gospels and you will find that all four gospels open not with the ministry of Jesus, but rather, the ministry of John the Baptist. Jesus was baptized by him, King Herod feared him, and the multitudes of Judea and Jerusalem came to hear his message and prepare themselves with his baptism.

FOUR THINGS MARK WANTED US TO LEARN ABOUT JESUS

About ten years ago, we decided to start a missional group in Running Springs with the goal of reaching out only to those who did not know or walk with the Lord. One of our initial conversations dealt with the reality of the spiritual warfare we could face as we shed light into the darkness of our community. Some in our group were skeptical about this warfare and others were afraid of it. 

This led us to the opportunity to read the Gospel of Mark together. We found that Jesus literally had conversations with demons as he preached the gospel of the Kingdom of God. Demonic activity is a reality. Next, we found that Jesus had absolute authority over these demons. But the best part is, he gave his disciples that same authority! We have the power and authority to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ in our communities!

7 INSIGHTS FOR READING THE GOSPEL OF MARK

The Gospel of Mark provides an often overlooked portrait of Jesus that is needed in the world today. Though it is the shortest of the four Gospels, it contains a powerful message that could potentially revolutionize our walk with Jesus. Here are 7 insights to help you understand Mark.

SON OF GOD--SERVANT TO MAN: THE GOSPEL OF MARK SERIES

We will be discovering a rarely seen side of Jesus in our new series in the Gospel of Mark titled, "Son of God, Servant to Man". This journey through this Gospel will inspire you to see Jesus in fresh way and will revolutionize how you serve others!

7 INSIGHTS FOR READING JONAH

Have you ever felt weighed down by the introduction to Jonah in your study Bible? By the time you finish reading it you no longer have time to actually read Jonah? Here is a fast forward introduction to reading the book of Jonah that won't bog you down with details. Here are seven facts to help you understand what you are reading. 

IS JONAH FOR REAL? MYTH, PARABLE, ALLEGORY OR HISTORY?

Could the events in the Book of Jonah really happen? Could Jonah have really been swallowed by a great fish and live to tell about it? Would God really send a tempest storm in order to discipline one wayward prophet? Could an entire city known for its evil come to repentance as the result of a prophet that would really prefer it to fall into God’s judgement? Would God really cause a vine to grow large enough to provide Jonah shade in one day?

There have always been those who doubt the story of Jonah, the Bible, or even God, to those these accounts are claimed to myth. That is to be expected. But what is more concerning are those who consider themselves Christian and don't believe the accounts recorded in the book of Jonah. Throughout the ages  Jewish and Christian scholars have always interpreted Jonah as a historical narrative, but critical scholars have suggested that Jonah should be interpreted as a parable or as an allegory. In this session we will look briefly at these three-forms of interpretation.

HOW TO READ THE BIBLE AS THE WORD OF GOD

How do you understand the Bible? The Bible claims to be inspired by God, and yet it is written by human authors. How do we read such a book? Should we read it like any other book? The Bible has the power to transform our lives when we understand how to approach it with the right heart.

In this article we will look briefly at how the Bible is different from all other books and consider how we should approach reading it as God's actual words.