“Who Needs Church Government, Anyway?”

Why do there seem to be so many ways to run a church (and some think that means “run it into the ground”)? The Bible does not provide a “how-to” list of instructions for how the local church should be run. So, does this mean there is no biblical evidence for a particular form of [...]

Mark 2:18-22 “Here Comes the Bride; Where’s the Groom?”

This is the third of five scenes that the evangelist Mark had chosen to show the escalating tensions between the Good News that Jesus came to proclaim and the “old wineskins” that the Pharisees were trying desperately to maintain. When Jesus calls someone, he is not asking their permission to try and stuff himself into [...]

Luke 2:1-20 “Does God Need a New PR Company?”

God has very different ideas about just how to get the word out about the birth of the King of kings. Having your Son born in a feed trough and announcing it to a lone group of shepherds is not exactly the cutting edge of public relations. But doing it the way he did shows [...]

Mark 2:1-12 “Who Is This ‘Son of Man’?”

We conclude this passage in Mark 2:1-12 with a closer look at just what Jesus meant when he said, “That you may know the Son of Man has authority on the earth to forgive sins…” Who is this Son of Man and how will we relate to what he claims in our lives? To Listen Click [...]

Mark 2:1-12 The Calm In the Storm

Just as every hurricane has an eye, so in this scene in Mark chapter two Jesus stands as the Calm in the Storm that is approaching; a storm that will lead to the Cross. To Listen Click Here

Mark 2:1-12 “The Longest Thirty Seconds”

We assume that the number one reason the paralytic in Mark 2 came to Jesus was to be healed physically. While that was certainly on his mind, could it be that he came to Jesus for a much more important healing, which did not necessarily end up in being able to walk? To Listen Click [...]

Mark 2:1-12 “Where Am I In This Scene?”

We are looking at the various characters of the scene in the first twelve verses of Mark chapter 2: the paralytic and his faithful friends, the fence-sitting folks, the faithless pharisees. Today we ask, “Where am I in this scene?” To Listen Click Here

Mark 2:1-12 “Faithless Pharisees”

Pharisees in the Evangelical tradition have received kind of a bum rap. We are quick to point out their narrow-minded legalism, but often unable to see ourselves in the pictures we paint of them. To Listen Click Here

Mark 2:1-12 “Am I Just a Part of the Crowd?”

This passage can be viewed as an important scene in establishing the plot of a movie. It involves complicated characters who all play a part in the drama, however small their parts may seem. Don’t be fooled. The crowd scenes are crucial in the gospel of Mark. So, ask yourself, “Am I just a part [...]

Mark 2:1-5 Faithful Friends

Proverbs 17:17 says this: “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity”(ESV). This proverb is made relevant in the story of the faithful friends of a paralytic who overcome obstacles by their faith to hear Jesus say, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”  To Listen Click Here

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