In the final chapter of the Gospel of Mark, we encounter some unlikely heroes who accomplished bold and courageous acts of obedience.

Joseph of Arimathea was a prominent council member and secret disciple of Jesus. He asked Pilate for Jesus’ body to bury in a tomb and fulfilled prophecy.

Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome purchased spices and waited until daybreak to rush to the tomb of Jesus to anoint Him. They didn’t give thought about the stone blocking the entrance to the tomb until they were on the way, but simply faithfully desired to minister to Jesus in His death.

These people took courage and did what they could do. That’s what gloriously ordinary people of God do when they serve a God who is anything but ordinary. They take courage, and they do the next right thing. They take courage, and they do what they can.

Maybe you feel gloriously ordinary. Take heart—you are in good company! Keep taking those steps of courageous faithfulness. You may never know on this side of eternity just how much of a difference those simple acts of faithful obedience have made.

Jesus was accused and abused, afflicted and oppressed. And yet, He was innocent of all the charges brought before Him. He could have defended Himself, but chose not to. At any moment, He could have ended it all with just a word…and yet He didn’t.

Why?

It wasn’t just to fulfill prophecies recorded centuries before in Isaiah 53, Psalm 22:16-18, and Zechariah 12:10 (among many others).

​He didn’t put a stop to the suffering He experienced because of you. You are the joy that was set before Him. You are the reason that He endured. You are the joy—His joy—for which He endured the cross. It was for you that He endured so that He might have fellowship with you forever.

An unreasonable, irrational, and unhealthy assessment of our own ability to be independently awesome is such a difficult thing to let die, isn’t it?

We all secretly want to be the hero of our own story—able to muster up through sheer force of will, all the right answers, and all the right choices. 

And yet…more often than not, we are anything but awesome independently. All of our bluster ends in failure, which we tend to gloss over so that we can give it another go next time. But in our own strength, it really doesn’t go any better next time.

Hopefully, the failure Peter experienced in Mark 14 can be our teacher so we can learn to be dependent rather than independent, wise rather than foolish. We can choose to learn these two complementary truths: apart from Jesus, we can do nothing (John 15:5), and we can do all things through Christ who gives us strength (Philippians 4:13).

In the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus was pressed—not like the olives grown there. He was crushed by the weight of what was to come. In fact, the scripture tells us that He was troubled and deeply distressed. His soul was exceedingly sorrowful, even to death (Mark 14:33-34).

This reminds us that Jesus is fully human—just as He is fully God. It was part of His human experience to feel sorrow and sadness—so much so that He felt He might die. And yet, Jesus was sinless. He was perfect.

This also shows us that it isn’t a sin to be sad, troubled, or sorrowful—it’s part of the human experience. Jesus was facing something so awful—to be a sin offering to receive the full wrath of God—that He was deeply distressed by it.

He understood what was about to happen and asked His Father if there was another way His will could be accomplished. “Nevertheless,” Jesus prays, “not what I will, but what You will.” (Mark 14:36)

​This is part of the human experience too—for a human whose heart has been gripped by the goodness and holiness of God. For God has promised that the trouble, distress, and sorrow of this life is not the end of the story.

In Mark 13, there are things Jesus says that speak to what the apostles would go through. There are things Jesus says that speak to what tribulation saints will go through. And there are things Jesus says that speak to what we are going through right now.

To each, Jesus gives the same instruction—take heed. Pay attention! Read the Bible. Talk to God—ask Him how He wants you to function in your daily responsibilities, in your workplace, and in your relationships. Talk to Him about everything. 

If you have made Him the Lord of your life, you are a part of His kingdom. He loves you and wants to use you. He has radical things for you in the smallest bits of faithfulness that will ripple on into eternity that you might never know about until you are with Him for all eternity. 

Trust Him. Love Him. Serve Him. And actively wait for Jesus in the meantime, for He is returning soon!

​God wants your heart.

He doesn’t desire automaton obedience, or a willingness to go to the penalty box when you mess up. You can do that without having a relationship with God. 

He wants YOU. 

He wants to walk in fellowship with You. He wants to walk in love with you where obedience and sacrifice aren’t even on the forefront of your mind. He desires a fellowship of love, because love fulfills the law. Loving God and loving your neighbor—on these two hang all the law and the prophets (Matthew 22:40).

Jesus wants genuine worshippers with no agenda other than simply loving the Lord and loving neighbors out of the overflow of fellowship with Him.

Are you trying to earn His favor? Are you making vain attempts to garner His affection? Stop—there is nothing you can to do that could make Jesus love you any more than He does right now.  Come to Him. Walk with Him. Abide in Him.  Love Him with your whole heart, soul, mind, and strength. Then enjoy fellowship with Him now and for all eternity.

God wants to enjoy the fruit of our fellowship with Him. It angers Him when people pretend to be His people, but have no fruit or heart for Him, His representatives, or His Son Jesus.

We see this truth in the context of Jesus’ words and actions in Mark 11:12-12:12. We witness a series of actions and hear words of Jesus that show and tell us that God is angered when fruitless sinners pretend to be His people and yet have no heart for Him. In their pretension, they even end up treating those who truly are His people and His own Son Jesus poorly.

If you find yourself pretending to follow Jesus, but without the fruit of His fellowship, don’t make the same mistake the religious leaders of Jesus’ day made. They heard His warning, but did not heed His call to come to Him. Their mistake was walking away from Jesus when they didn’t like what He had to say. But Jesus won’t turn anyone away who comes to Him. He wants fruitful fellowship with you. Come to Him today!

This is the day that the Lord had made—we will rejoice and be glad in it!

God is just as concerned about today as He was the day His Son rode into Jerusalem on a lowly donkey as the Suffering Servant. We have no idea how many holy crossroads we pass through over the course of a day.

He has prepared good works for us to walk in from before the very foundations of the world. And these good works could be just as consequential as Jesus riding in on that young donkey. For God saw this day and He knew this day was coming.

He longs to show himself strong on your behalf—this day and every day that He graciously gives you! So let us walk through our day with eyes open and a soul excited for what God has prepared, planned, and prophesied for us, and our families, and our fellowship.

This is the day that the Lord had made—we will rejoice and be glad in it!

If we want to be servants of Jesus—in the church and especially in the home—we must be a servant, not a ruler. We need to serve knowing that there is nothing beneath us.

We must also limit our liberties in love so that others do not stumble and to forgive others as Christ has forgiven us. Following His example, we are to forgive the people we are serving again, and again, and again, and again—even as they sin against us again, and again, and again, and again.

In all of this, remember that little ones are listening and learning. The secret to being a servant leader is found in preserving the tender heart of a little child, leading them with such care and tenderness that nothing would be a stumbling block for them. In doing so, we preserve, protect, enhance, and bless them.
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This is the model Jesus gives to us to follow. It wasn’t something He just said to do, it was something He did. On the very night He was betrayed, He did was no one else was willing to do—Jesus humbled Himself and washed His disciples feet.  It’s His example that we should all want to follow as His disciples—not just in the church, but especially in the home.

esus is so patient with us, isn’t He? He was patient with the disciples too—even as they were arguing and disputing instead of actually ministering and serving.

To make matters worse, they were arguing and disputing about who would be the greatest—or which one of them was the most important person, as the Children’s Bible renders it.

They were arguing about all of this right after Jesus—the Suffering Servant—told them plainly that He would be betrayed and killed and then rise again on the third day.

But instead of firing them all on the spot, Jesus sits down and calls them to Himself. He doesn’t rebuke them for their desire to be great, but He ministers to them and helps them. He simply teaches them (and us) where true greatness can be found—in service. True greatness is found in being a servant—in serving those who can’t serve back, the “least of these”.

But Jesus didn’t just define greatness—He made it accessible to everyone. Everyone has the capacity and invitation to become great in the Kingdom of God as the servant of all.

We are passionate people, aren’t we? We can find something to fight about or argue over with each other in seconds. But what do we want to be found doing when Jesus comes—serving and ministering, or arguing and fighting?

The disciples had this experience as Jesus came down from the mountain after His transfiguration. In Mark 9:14, we read how Jesus noticed the scribes disputing with the disciples while there were people who needed help.

Wasting time arguing instead of serving is one of the most often made mistakes as servants of Jesus. It’s a trap—it saps our energy, grieves the Holy Spirit, and robs those around us who need our help. It’s something we are to avoid (see 2 Timothy 2:23, Titus 3:9, and Ephesians 4:29-32).\

So instead of wasting time arguing and fighting, invest time in prayer and fasting so you can serve those around you by bringing them to Jesus.

While mountaintop experiences with God are amazing, we eventually need to get down. It’s true that we are to regularly and habitually seek the Lord in solitude, we are not to remain there. We are not intended to spend our lives in solitude.

We are to be in the world, but not of the world—because that is where God has sent us. He needs us to be the salt and light in the world that is suffering in and because of darkness.

So like Peter, we realize it is good for us to be here—with Jesus, in retreat from the world, getting clarity about who He really is. But Jesus will eventually lead us back down the mountain, into the places and next to the people who need to hear the hope that only Jesus can give them.

Take the time to seek the Lord in solitude and enjoy those times of refreshment and clarity on the mountaintop with Him—so that you can come back down and serve those who are lost, broken, and hurting with what He has given you.

Receiving Jesus as your Savior is one thing. 

Receiving Him as your Lord is another.

Becoming a child of God saves us from the tragedy of spending eternity apart from Him. Being a disciple of Jesus saves us from the tragedy of a waste life while we are waiting for His return.

We are not to just be born again, and then wait around until He returns. We have work to do that He has called us to do. We are to occupy until He comes and be busy about our Father’s business.

His business is saving souls and making disciples. In order to co-operate in this work, we need to learn what it means to deny ourselves, pick up our cross, and follow Him.

We must understand this. Jesus did not to come to save us from our circumstances. He came to save us from our sin. In order to do that, Jesus needed to suffer and sacrifice Himself. In order for us to be His disciples, we must understand that He is calling us to a similar life—a life of suffering, self-denial, and self-sacrificial service so that others can be saved too.

Are you reaching others for Him by living like Him? It’s a life of love, self-denial, self-sacrifice—a life that’s full, a life that’s truly life!

When it seems like Jesus isn’t listening, He is. When it seems like Jesus is being mean, He isn’t. He may be endeavoring to draw something deeper out from you. He loves you and would do anything for you if it would bless you and bring glory to God. Remember—Jesus is God. There is nothing too hard for God, so there’s nothing too hard for Jesus.
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Often, we convince ourselves that we need to approach Jesus in a certain way or though a specific method. But Jesus isn’t impressed with religion or ritual or a formula. When you simply and honestly say, “Lord, help me! Lord, save me!” He will turn towards you and answer you.

So pursue Jesus passionately—even if it seems like He isn’t listening, or if it seems like He is being mean, or even if He turns around and calls you “a little dog,” “a dirty dog,” or “a filthy sinner,” because that is what you are apart from Him. That’s hard to accept, isn’t it? Yet this must be acknowledged in order for you to have a real, raw, genuine saving faith to receive God’s gift of salvation.

You must admit that apart from Jesus, you are a hopeless and helpless sinner, and ONLY Jesus can save you—because He loves you. Jesus is God. And there is nothing too hard for God…even saving sinners.

Our hearts are desperately sick, wicked, and deceitful (Jeremiah 17:9). In an attempt to tame our sick, wicked, and deceitful hearts, we are tempted to turn to legalism, hoping to earn God’s favor through outward rules, regulations, religion, and traditions.

The problem is, legalism doesn’t work. Ever. It can’t heal a desperately sick heart, let alone control it. If outward rules and regulations, and religion and traditions can’t tame a sick, wicked, and deceitful heart, what can be done?

We must be given a new heart. And if you are in Christ, He has given you a new heart…in addition to your old heart, your old nature that is “continually corrupted by its sinful desires” (Ephesians 4:22). Your old nature is still lurking, still deceiving, still desperately sick as it continually corrupts.

Figuring out how to walk in your new nature as a new creation is extremely important. But there is hope—“Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16). What a promise!

“Immediately He made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side…”
–Mark 6:45

After a long day of ministry, Jesus got His disciples to get in a boat and leave. Not too long after, the disciples found themselves in the middle of a storm. 

Just think that through. Jesus made His closest friends go across the Sea of Galilee…at night…into a storm…without Him. And yet, that was safer than to remain with the multitude that wanted to take Jesus and make Him king by force (see John 6:15). Jesus made His disciples go into the storm for their own safety. 

Did Jesus have any less concern or care for His disciples when they were rowing against the wind for 6-9 hours when it should have only taken 2-3? No. He was teaching them and making them into disciples. He was stretching their capacity to trust Him. Jesus was teaching them that nothing was too hard for Him. Sometimes it’s the storm that brings Jesus directly to us. 

Are you caught in a storm today? Take your eyes off of your circumstances and fix your eyes on Jesus—the Author, Perfecter, and Finisher of your faith. He is the One who will equip you to do what He commands you to do even if what He commands you to do seems impossible.

Jesus calls us to Himself and receives us just the way we are. But He loves us enough to not leave us the way that we are. In order to grow us and increase our capacity to serve Him, there are times where He needs to challenge us and rebuke us. There are times where He needs to be stern and serious with us—even when it seems impossible, or when we’re complaining, or when we are tired. 

When you experience these moments, realize that Jesus is graciously, mercifully, sternly, and seriously making you into His disciple. In a just a couple of chapters in Mark, Jesus will tell His disciples and the multitude, “For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.” (Mark 8:35)

So when Jesus sternly and seriously challenges you, let go of your life for Him. Then you will find and experience and receive the life that is truly life! To be someone sent by Jesus at the command of Jesus, you must learn to deny yourself and serve others…even when it seems impossible.

John the Baptist was thrown in prison because he spoke the truth. He told those who were in positions of power what God’s word had to say about the way they were living their lives. Because he stood up for the truth and God’s word, there were real and severe consequences for him.

Knowing all of this, Jesus gathered His followers and sent them to do the very same thing—to preach the word. To publicly proclaim the Good News in such a way that people realize their sin and want to turn away from it and towards Jesus.

However, Jesus told them He was sending them out “as sheep in the midst of wolves” (Matthew 10:16). Jesus didn’t say this to scare them, but to equip them for the reality of what was coming for them. Eventually, all of the Apostles were killed because of their testimony and loyalty to obediently preach God’s word to a society that had drifted far from it. 

The only way these courageous and faithful followers of Jesus could do what they did—knowing the risk it involved—was because they knew Jesus. They understood who He was and they held fast to His word. 

Trouble will come for those who take a stand for God’s word in a society that rejects His truth. But having a thorough understanding of God through His word will help you know what’s coming and how God will see you through. 

Do you have that assurance, today? Are you prepared for difficult times that may come? If you trust Jesus with your soul, get to know Him more through His word and keep preaching the word! If you have yet to yield your life to Jesus, hear and heed His word—repent! Turn away from your sin and turn towards Jesus. He is willing and wanting to save you!

God always finishes what He starts. How does this truth comfort you today in the midst of your circumstances? 

In his letter to the church in Philippi, the Apostle Paul wrote, “…He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ…” (Philippians 1:6). God starts His work in our hearts and continues to work in us by His Spirit until Christ is formed in our lives. This continual refining work won’t be complete until Jesus returns to bring us home. 

On this side of eternity, that work is accomplished many times through the problems and tragedies we face. These difficulties expose our weaknesses, but also reveal to us God’s grace. For it’s in those times that we need to know and remember that His grace is sufficient and His strength is made perfect in our weakness.

As we encounter His grace in those difficult experiences, we are changed. Our exposure to His grace in our weaknesses shapes our character and personality without us even realizing it. Our Heavenly Father is continually using moments in our lives to prepare us for a decisive moment yet unknown to us that He can see coming. 

While we may see only the unanswered questions at the time, as we look back we can see how God was working to complete the good work He began in us. So take heart, dear friend! God isn’t finished with you yet—you are “His masterpiece, created anew in Christ Jesus,” (Ephesians 2:10) and He will continue His finishing touches until you are all that He intended you to be.

In Mark 6:7-13, we see so many practical and applicable principles for discipleship as Jesus instructs His disciples and as the disciples fulfill His command. We can benefit from these practical and applicable principles as we follow Jesus today. Here a some of those principles that we looked at in depth in our study this past Sunday:

Partnership 
(“…send them out two by two…” Mark 6:7)
Serving Jesus is so much better when you’re serving Him with someone. Two is really better than one (see Ecclesiastes 4:9). In fact, two serving Jesus together is not just two—but three. The Lord is with you and a cord of three strands is not easily broken (see Ecclesiastes 4:12).

Power 
(“…power over unclean spirits…” Mark 6:7)
Did you know that you have power over unclean spirits in Jesus’ name? You do not need to fear the devil and fallen angels if you alway keep Jesus between you and him. James 4 tells us how—Submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you (James 4:7-8a).

Provision 
(“…take nothing for the journey except…” Mark 6:8)
Where God guides, God will provide. When we follow Jesus and His call on our life, He will provide all that we need to fulfill that calling. He will give us what’s necessary to go deeper in our relationship with Him. That doesn’t mean that life will always be pleasant, but it will be an adventure full of faith and learning and following Jesus.

Forsake Favoritism
(“…stay there till you depart from that place…” Mark 6:10)
In first-century Judea, hospitality was a sacred duty. As the disciples would enter a city, they would be approached by someone to stay with them. Jesus told His disciples to stay with whoever approaches them first—not to look for something bigger or better. The lesson here is to not show favoritism to other. Every person has value in the eyes of God because every person has been made in His image.

Walk in Wisdom 
(“…whoever will not receive you nor hear you…” Mark 6:11)
Just because all people have been made in the image of God does not mean that all people properly reflect the image of God. When we love, we can also walk in wisdom. We can see value in all of humanity, but also understand human’s capacity for evil and harm.

Go!
(“…they went out…” Mark 6:12)
You can’t just listen to God’s directions—you need to do them! The disciples didn’t stay put, they were obedient to go and do the Lord’s work the Lord’s way. They were faithful to fulfill the mission Jesus had tasked them with. Like the disciples, we can live out the mission that God has sent us to do for Him and His glory!

“Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?” So they were offended at Him.
–Mark 6:3
Many people in Nazareth had an odd and unhealthy familiarity with Jesus. This made it difficult for them to receive from Him. They assumed that since they knew a little about Him, they knew all about Him. 

But they didn’t know all about Jesus. He is so much more than all of our knowledge of Him put together. We will forever be learning about Jesus and His grace and love towards us.

Sadly, a majority of those in Nazareth became offended at Jesus—their odd and unhealthy familiarity caused a stumbling block in them that led to a contempt for Him and unbelief of who He is. 

This should make you pause and consider. Do you have an odd and unhealthy familiarity with Jesus? Do you assume that since you know something about Jesus that you know everything about Him? Be careful! This kind of familiarity can lead to contempt and unbelief as it did for many in Nazareth.

If an odd and unhealthy familiarity with Jesus has influenced you, it’s time to approach Jesus afresh. Not with the familiarity of history, heritage, and culture. Simply come to Jesus—approach Him like a little child and believe.

In Mark 5:21-43, we meet two daughters and a father who go to Jesus as a last resort. For the father (Jairus) and his daughter, time was of the essence. Jairus’ little daughter was dying…but he knew that Jesus could heal her.

For the other daughter, time was tormentor. For 12 long years, she suffered from a condition that caused her great distress and societal shunning…but she knew that Jesus could heal her.

For Jesus, time was no issue. Though these hurting people may have delayed in coming to Him, Jesus did not withhold His compassionate care to them. At just the right time, He willingly served them. Jesus is right on time—all of the time…even when His timeline doesn’t match ours. 

Jesus’ character should prompt us to come to Him as our first choice instead of our last resort. Because of our pride or stubbornness, we often hold out on coming to Jesus in our time of need. We mistakenly think He will respond they same way—reluctantly or begrudgingly (or maybe even both). 

But scripture erases these misconceptions. In the Bible, we see that we have a Savior who is willing to be our last resort and wanting to save—in His time. When we might expect His anger, frustration, or disappointment, we are met with compassion, mercy and grace. Jesus is able and willing, and ready and wanting to help us in our time of need.

You can come to Jesus—anytime and all the time. Whether He has been your first choice or your last resort, you can call out to Him in your time of need. He loves you no matter what and you will be surprised with how gracious He will be towards you!

Our Small Group & Bible Study Training event on Sunday was a great time of learning how to study the Bible and how to prepare for small group discussion. If you missed it, we’ve put together a page on our website with links to some wonderful Bible teachers, free online resources to help study, and a short & simple break-down of the inductive Bible study method. Check it out at Refuge.mn/study.

As evening descended after a long day of teaching the multitude, Jesus tells His disciples their plans for the night—“Let us cross over to the other side.” The command is straightforward, but there’s an additional meaning with an application when we dig into what happened next.

During the night voyage, a violent windstorm came up and waves beat the boat (Mark 4:37). This storm was unlike any other. There was something dark about it…something demonic.

The disciples panicked, but Jesus was…sleeping. Sleeping? Like the disciples, we question why Jesus would be sleeping during such a storm (Mark 4:38). He was probably tired after a full day of preaching and teaching. But He was able to sleep because He said, “Let us cross over to the other side.”

And that’s where we find the application. If Jesus says, “Let us cross over to the other side,” then He’s going to the other side. It doesn’t matter how strong the wind or how high the waves—even if they are demonic—He will get to where He needs to be. Jesus had an appointment with a man who had his own personal demonic storm. And nothing would deter Him from getting there.

Maybe you’re on the boat with Jesus. The wind is beating you, the waves are battering you, the storm is relentless, and there is no peace in the midst of the storm. Take heart! Jesus has promised to get you to the other side. At His word, peace will come.

Perhaps you’re on that other side, battling a long, personal storm that seems to have no end. Take heart! Jesus has come for you. A word from Him will settle your troubled heart and bring you peace.

In either scenario, we see that both the disciples and the man on the other side simply came to Jesus. You can too—right now. Just come to Jesus. He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think (Ephesians 3:20).

In Mark 4, Jesus tells a parable about a sower, the seed that the sower scatters, and the types of soil the seed falls on. Fruitfulness does not depend upon the sower and His ability to sow; nor does it depend on the seed and its ability to grow. But fruitfulness is determined by the condition of the soil.

In this parable, the soil represents our hearts. And it causes us to pause and consider the condition of our own hearts…

Is your heart hardened by life (or maybe by others)? Does it seem like no matter how many times you hear the Gospel, it just doesn’t quite pierce your heart? God wants you to know that there is hope for you. Your heart needs to be softened—He can do that for you, but He needs your permission.

Maybe your heart is harder than hard—stony and cold. There is hope for you, too! God wants to remove your heart of stone and give you a new heart—one sensitive to Him (see Ezekiel 36:26).

Is your heart crowded by the cares and concerns of the world? Is the deceitfulness of riches choking out fruitful living for Jesus? There is hope as you pour out your heart to the Lord and tell Him your cares and concerns. He can guard your heart and mind and give you true peace that lasts when you ask Him.

Perhaps your heart is broken and busted up—yet you are eager to hear what God has to say and apply.  Take heart—soil that is broken offers the perfect conditions for growth. You have hope—and the promise of fruitfulness that only God can supply. 

Whatever the condition of your heart today, there is hope! Whether packed down, full of stones, choked with weeds, or broken, your heart—like soil—can be cultivated to hear and apply God’s Word. This continual transforming work of listening to the Lord and living out His Word will yield a fruitful harvest of blessing in your life, the lives of those around you, and ultimately for Jesus.