Spiritual Growth
The Sequel Nobody Expected
The Sequel Nobody Expected There’s a reason you almost never hear Mark’s Gospel read on Easter Sunday. It’s uncomfortable. Every other Gospel ties the resurrection into a satisfying ending — disciples reunited with Jesus, tears turning to joy, wounds touched with trembling hands. Matthew, Luke, and John give us the moment we’ve been waiting for. The reunion. The proof. The exhale. Mark gives us none of that. Mark 16 ends at verse 8 with three women fleeing an empty tomb…
“Unless I Wash You”
On the night before He died, Jesus did something nobody expected. He didn’t gather His disciples for a final strategy session or a farewell speech. He picked up a towel, knelt down, and washed twelve pairs of dirty feet — one by one. John tells us why: “Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.” Everything Jesus did that night — the foot washing, the bread broken, the cup poured out — flowed…
One Question That Changes Everything.
Mark 14:1-11 | John 13:21-27 | Matthew 27:1-5 There’s a moment at the Last Supper that’s easy to read past. Jesus looks out across the table at his 12 closest friends and says, “One of you is going to betray me.” The response is telling. Every single disciple — not just one or two — looked at each other and asked, “Is it I, Lord?” Not “Who is it?” but “Is it me?” That question should stop us cold. The Problem With Judas Isn’t That…
The Question Behind the Performance
A Holy Week Reflection | Countdown to Calvary We all have a system. Maybe it’s attending church a few times a month. Maybe it’s serving on a team, or giving generously, or knowing your Bible well. These are good things — genuinely good things. But Jesus has a way of looking past the action to the motivation underneath, and that’s where things get uncomfortable. This week in our Countdown to Calvary series, we followed Jesus through a relentless Tuesday of conflict with…
Condemned or Cleansed? Letting Go of What No Longer Works
Scripture: Mark 11:17 “Is it not written, my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations? But you have made it a den of robbers.” Jesus didn’t walk into the temple to fix it. He walked in to condemn it. That’s a hard thing to sit with. The temple had been the center of Jewish worship for generations. People had given their lives to maintain it, protect it, and build it up. Herod had been constructing this massive structure…
Revolutionary Expectations
The crowd went wild when Jesus entered Jerusalem. They waved palm branches – not just any branches, but symbols loaded with political meaning. These same branches had been used during the Maccabean Revolt as flags of independence and revolution. The people were essentially declaring Jesus their revolutionary leader, expecting him to overthrow Roman rule and restore Israel’s political glory. They shouted “Hosanna!” which literally means “save us!” But they were thinking of salvation from taxes, oppression, and foreign rule. Jesus…
Your Unique Way to Go
Here’s the wonderful truth about God’s call to ‘go’: it can look a million different ways. You don’t have to become a missionary in a foreign country or a full-time pastor to fulfill this calling. The mission field is wherever you are, and your unique way of going is probably closer than you think. Maybe your ‘going’ looks like being the neighbor people think of when they need help – the one they call when their car battery dies or…
Meeting Needs with the Gospel
One of the most beautiful aspects of Jesus’ ministry was how He consistently met both physical and spiritual needs. When He sent out the 72, He instructed them to heal the sick and proclaim that the kingdom of God had come near. This wasn’t an either-or proposition – it was both-and. As followers of Christ, we’re called to find this same balance. The gospel message becomes truly hope-filled when it addresses people’s needs today and their needs for all eternity.…
Traveling Light with Purpose
When Jesus sent out the 72, He gave them specific instructions about what not to bring: no purse, no bag, no sandals. This wasn’t about creating hardship – it was about creating focus. He wanted them to travel light, unencumbered by the things that might distract from their primary mission. In our modern context, this principle challenges us to examine what we’re carrying that might be weighing us down. Are we so concerned about our comfort, our reputation, or our…
Embracing the Dangerous Mission
Let’s be honest about something that many Christians prefer to avoid: following Jesus into mission is dangerous. Not necessarily physically dangerous, though it can be, but certainly emotionally and socially risky. When Jesus sent out the 72 disciples, He didn’t sugarcoat the reality they would face. You will be rejected. Some people will be mean and demeaning. Others will misunderstand your motives or dismiss your message entirely. This isn’t a failure on your part – it’s simply the nature of…