Mark Chapter 4 - The Parable of the Sower - Quarterlife Study

Mark 4 – Quarterlife study

This week we are in the fourth chapter of Mark. We are introduced here to some of Jesus’s parables. Jesus said nothing to the crowds without speaking in parables (Mark 4:34). In the last chapter, we got a glimpse into Jesus ministry style. He had compassion for the crowds, and he would preach to them, but he never gave himself fully to them. He explains this to his disciples by quoting Isaiah (Isaiah 6:9-10). “…they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven” (Mark 4:12). This is a surprising pronouncement, because it appears as if Jesus doesn’t want these people to be saved. Why wouldn’t he want to restore these people to a relationship with him? Isn’t that the reason he came?

I think the rest of this chapter helps to make it understandable. Remember that Jesus had an inner circle. He explains everything to them (Mark 4:34). Then he says to this to them: “Whatever is hidden is meant to be made known, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open” (Mark 4:22). “What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ears, proclaim from the rooftops” (Matt. 10:27). Jesus is committing the gospel to them. He intends to send them out to build the church (Matt. 28:18). They will make known to the world everything he taught and explained in secret.

Now let’s examine the first parable in this chapter in this light. This is often called the parable of the sower. The sower throws out seed on several types of ground, and we see what grows. Jesus explains the that seed is the word of God and the soil is our hearts. The point of the sowing is to produce fruit. This parable gives us insight into several conditions of the human heart. The main obstacle to producing fruit is the condition of the soil.

The only thing that can be done is to work the soil. I believe that this is what Jesus was doing with the crowds here. He was preparing their hearts to be ready to receive the gospel when the apostles went out to preach after his resurrection. He is tilling the soil of their hearts. He performs miracles. He preaches repentance. Just like John the Baptist preached: “repent for the kingdom of heaven has come near” (Matt. 3:2). His was the voice of one crying, “Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight” (Mark 1:3). Get your heart right so that you will be able to receive what God is doing. This word still speaks to us today. I would encourage you to prepare your own heart, so that you don’t miss what God wants to do in your life.

Let’s take a closer look at this parable of the sower and consider how we can apply it to our lives. Jesus explains things to the disciples in verses 13-20. He describes four types of soil: the hard soil, the rocky soil, the thorny soil, and the good soil.

1.       The Hard Soil

The first place the seed falls is on the hard soil. This is the dirt on the path. It has been trampled, beaten down, packed tight. Life has made the heart hard. In these hearts, the word does not even take root. I am reminded of the Pharisees in the last chapter whose hearts were so hard they could not be moved to faith by Jesus miracles or his compassion. There are people out there who have been trampled by life, beaten down so far that they don’t have an opening in their hearts. These people hear the word and immediately reject it. Jesus tells us that Satan comes and steals the word. We should be careful of our hearts that we don’t become callus to his word.

2.       The Rocky Soil

The second type of soil is the rocky soil. These people receive the word immediately with joy. Life starts to grow in their hearts, but then trouble or persecution comes, and they fall away. This indicates why spiritual maturity is so important. Without roots, a Christian cannot last. We need to be constantly growing deeper in our faith. 

Trouble will come. Jesus told us that. “In this world you will have trouble…” (John 16:3). It is a fact of life, for the believer and unbeliever alike. But the rest of Jesus’s statement makes the difference: “but take heart, I have overcome the world.” He is with us to help us through the trouble. He came to this earth and endured suffering to endure it with us. The only way to endure, to stand firm, is to have a deep intimate connection with Jesus. If that doesn’t happen, you will be overcome.

3.       The Thorny Soil

The third type of soil produces plants that live but fail to produce. Sadly, I think this describes too many Christians today. Professing to follow God, but with fruit to show in their lives. Jesus explains just what causes this fruitlessness to occur. There are three things that will bring fruitlessness in our lives, the cares of life, the deceitfulness of wealth, or the desires for other things.  

The first is the cares of this life. There are the daily concerns in life that threaten to eat up all our time and concentration. These are things that need to be done. Providing for our families, taking care of kids, doing school or work, all the things that make life work. But it is easy to let these things take over our lives. We can miss our lives trying to juggle all the pieces. Consider for a moment how you measure success. Is it measured by your career? Family? The places you’ve been or the fun you’ve had? We need to be careful when we measure success by earthly things because it leads us to get our priorities mixed up. True success is a right relationship with God.  The problem comes when we get things out of order. When don’t give the proper place to the things of God our spiritual life suffers. These cares choke us when we put them before God.

The second thorn Jesus calls the deceitfulness of riches. Again, this is about our definition of success. The deceit here is the false promise that money will make you happy. If you just can get financially secure, your problems will be over. That is a false dream. Certainly, you need to work, and we need money to survive, but that is not what life is all about. Jesus told us, “a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15). Defining success by your wealth is a good way to choke your life. Your possessions will end up possessing you. The only true security is found in trusting God. As Jesus said, “you cannot serve God and money" (Matt. 6:24).

The third thorn that chokes our life is the desire for other things. The question we need to ask is, what do I really want? What is competing with God for your attention?  Jesus wants our hearts. I’ve heard it said that if you want to know what is most important to you, then show me what you spend you time on. God wants to be our greatest desire. David said, “As the deer pants for water, so my soul longs for you.” Like a creature dying of thirst, let us be desperate for a drink of his living water.

God wants to fulfil all your desires in him. “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” (Psalm 37:4). He will satisfy all our desires, but the first requirement is that we delight ourselves in him. The word delight is related to the Hebrew word for delicacy. It is like a finely crafted work of art. It indicates not just enjoyment of him, but a surrender to him. “…and he will give you the desires of your heart.” When we have made him our delight, when we have yielded to him, and aligned our desires with his, then we will be fulfilled. That is true success. That is when we will see fruit in our lives. All the desires of our heart will be met, because they line up with His.

4.       The Good Soil

The final soil Jesus speaks of is the good soil. This is a Christian life that produces fruit. It is the life in which we see the evidence of the work of the Spirit: Love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Eph. 5:22). It is the life that reproduces itself, sharing the gospel with others. We know from agriculture that the fruit also contains seeds. Changed lives should result in the spread of the gospel. Each generation produces another.

And, Jesus tells us, the fruit is produced in varying degrees. Some soils produce thirty, some sixty, some one hundred times as much as was sown. Fruitfulness is based on the condition of the heart. Some lives are more effective than others. We would be wise to ask ourselves why.

I would like to encourage you, take some time to cultivate the garden of your heart this week. Spend some time with God. Let the Holy Spirit work the soil of your heart and produce fruit in your life.

Holy Week Mix

 Holy Week Mix 

This is a mix I put together for Holy Week 2020. These are songs that really speak to me about Jesus's death, resurrection, and the whole passion week. Thought that I would share them. Comment with your favorite Holy Week song. Enjoy!

Mark chapter 3 - Quaterlife Study

Mark 3 – Quarterlife Study

In this chapter, the events described by Mark illustrate the relationships Jesus had with those around him. These range from interaction between Jesus and his enemies, the crowds, his disciples, and his family. I would like to look at this chapter through the lens of relationships.

His Enemies

This relationship is developed through two accounts. In the first, the Pharisees are watching Jesus for a way to accuse him. It is clear by this point they have made their decision about him. His is a threat to their power. He is their enemy. This is incredible because the Pharisees expected Jesus to perform the healing. They did not doubt his power to heal. They expected him to be moved with compassion  the man with the withered hand. Jesus calls up a man with a withered hand and asks them a penetrating question: “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?”

This puts the Pharisees in a dilemma. If they say it is lawful to do good, then they are approving on him healing the man’s hand. They cannot say it is lawful to do harm on the Sabbath. They might argue “yes, you can do good, but healing the man’s hand is not good.” Of course, that would be obviously foolish, and would expose the evil in their hearts.

So, they pick the only option of defiance available to them. They are silent. This makes Jesus mad. We do not often see Jesus angry. Why is he angry? Their hearts were hardening. They did not care about the need of the man with the withered hand. They had no compassion for him. All they cared about was their interpretation of the law.

But Jesus is also grieved. As he looks around at their faces, both emotions rise in him. Anger at the sin that hardens their hearts, and grief that they won’t repent. We know that God “…desires all people to be saved, and come to the knowledge of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:4) Jesus loves these people. He has compassion on the man with the withered hand and the Pharisees. Jesus truly loved his enemies. This is a good thing for us, because we were once enemies of God ourselves. But “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

The second run in with his enemies is found in verses 22-30. The Pharisees try a new tactic. They cannot deny his power, so they resort to calling it the work of Satan. Jesus quickly shows the foolishness of their argument. They would have Satan working against himself. It is a ridiculous charge. Then he goes on to say that “whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”. This is a powerful statement. But what is this sin? Verse 30 explains, “For they were saying, ‘He has an unclean spirit.’”  What they were doing was attributing the work of the Holy Spirit to the Devil. It was an absolute rejection of the Holy Spirit.

Why is this sin eternal? Think about what is happening here. The Pharisees have rejected the Holy Spirit. Remember the Holy Spirit descending like a dove on Jesus in chapter 1 when he began his ministry? He ministered through the power of the Holy Spirit. He healed people by the Spirit.  We get born again through the Spirit. If we completely reject the Holy Spirit, how then can we be brought to repentance? There is no other route. John 6:44 says, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them…”

Jesus warns that the relationship can be completely cut off. In blaspheming the Holy Spirit, they are separating themselves from access to a relationship with God for eternity. It is possible for a person to come to a place where they are no longer able to repent or even experience conviction of their sin.

Keep in mind in mind the words of Jesus, “This is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” (John 6:40) The only thing that matters in this life is your relationship with the Son of God. Was he your friend? Or did you make yourself his enemy?

The Crowds

The next relationship that Mark explores in this chapter is that of Jesus with the masses. Huge crowds heard about his works and came to see him. In verses 7-12, we see Jesus swarmed by crowds. He literally needs an escape plan, because the crowds are trying to crush him. We get the impression that these people are desperate. We see this kind of desperation in modern times when humanitarian aid is brought to places experiencing famine. It is heart wrenching to see people mob the trucks, desperately trying to reach the supplies. You get the same kind of feeling here. People who are suffering see a glimmer of hope, and they jostle and push and crush just to get close. The people believe that if they can just touch him, they will be healed.

Jesus responds to the crowds with compassion. In another place, he calls them sheep without a shepherd. He loves them, but he does not give himself to them. He teaches them, he feeds them, but he leaves them. He repeated tries to ditch them, going into the wilderness, or traveling to a new place, once even walking on water in the night to escape them.

Why does he do this? We might say what his brothers said to him, “You can’t become famous if you hide like this! If you can do such wonderful things, show yourself to the world!!” (John 7:4 NLT). Doesn’t he want the people to follow him?

After he feeds the 5000, they try to make him king by force. But Jesus slips away. He doesn’t want followers who are just there for the bread. He could have set up a kingdom, using his miracles, and having the people follow him, but that would not have accomplished his purpose. He didn’t just come for our obedience; he came for our hearts.

And the crowds are fickle. In his passion week, they cheer and praise him as he enters the city. “Hosanna!” they shouted, “Save us!” They worshipped him with palm branches, laying their cloaks on the ground for him to ride over. But those same crowds would be shouting “Crucify!” a few days later.

His Disciples

Which leads us to the disciples. Mark tells how Jesus called up to himself a select few. Twelve followers he calls apostles. These became his closest followers. Contrast them with the crowds. While he teaches the crowds in parables, he explains everything to the disciples. The crowds follow him because of what he can do for them. Because he can feed them or heal them. The disciples follow because of who he is. This is the essential distinction. The disciples travel with him and live with him and get to be a part of his life. Jesus gives them everything.

His Family

The last relationship that is address in this chapter is that with his family. When they first appear, they are coming to collect Jesus. They thought he was crazy. This is a completely different response we see than after his resurrection. At that point, his family becomes true believers. But for now, they think he needs someone to reign him in.

They finally show up when he is teaching in a house. It is another one of those meetings that are so packed that no one can even get in the doors. They send word to Jesus to come out to them. The response that Jesus gives almost sounds like a snub. “Who are my mother and brothers?”

Jesus follows this with “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.” This is the awesome promise of God. We can be adopted into his family. He offers us the most precious of relationships. “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12).

Jesus uses the moment to teach an eternal truth, but he doesn’t dishonor his mother. His family came to him in the flesh, opposing the work of God. He could not give into them. But he still honored his mother. We see a beautiful instance of him following the commandment to honor your father and mother at the cross. Jesus has been beaten, whipped, mocked, and hung upon the cross, and still he has concern for his mother. He makes sure that he is taken care of, even as he is dying, entrusting her care to his closest disciple (John 19:27).

Jesus cared about relationships. He spent years pouring into his relationships with his disciples. That alone should show us that relationships are important. Nothing else will pass with us into the next life. This leads us to the question we need to ask ourselves. What is my relationship with Christ?

Am I his enemy? God offers reconciliation (Romans 5:10). Am I a part of the crowd? God offers to draw us near (James 4:8). Am I a disciple? God is calling you deeper (Luke 12:48).

Let me encourage you today, take time for your relationship with God.

Mark Chapter 2 – Quarterlife Bible Study

In this 2nd chapter of Mark, the gospel writer gives us four stories. Each one shows how Jesus overturns our expectations. And each one points to Jesus as the Messiah.

The first story begins with a packed house. We can see some of the difficulties produced from the last chapter. Jesus warned the man healed of leprosy to tell no one about it, but he does the opposite. Jesus’s fame spreads, and now the house he is preaching in is so full that people can’t even get in. A group of guys try to get their paralyzed friend into see Jesus, but they can’t even make it in the doors. Not to be stopped, they climb on the roof, tear a hole in it, and lower the paralyzed man down into the room. Jesus commends their faith.

This is where things get interesting. Jesus sees their faith and then forgives the man’s sins. Do you think that was why the man had come? We aren’t really told, but I have to imagine he came to be healed. This causes the religious leaders in the room to get upset. They are offended that Jesus would say this. Who does this guy think he is? Only God can forgive sins.

And they are right. At least partially. God alone truly can forgive sins. Remember David, after he sinned with Bathsheba told God, “against you, and you alone, have I sinned.” (Psalm 52:4) How is that? He stole Uriah’s wife and had the man basically murdered. He broke the seventh and ninth commandments. But who had given those commandments? They were given by God. It was God’s law that he had broken, and it was God he was ultimately responsible to. We can forgive other people for sins they commit against us, but we cannot forgive them beyond that. God is the judge, and only he can forgive sins.

Jesus goes on to prove his power to forgive sins by healing the man.

So, what are we to make of this story? Jesus does what only God can do. Mark leaves the conclusion up to us.

 In the second story, Jesus calls a tax collector named Levi to be his disciple. Now, tax collectors in those days had a pretty bad reputation. They would cheat people and we considered collaborators with the occupying Romans. A dinner is held that evening, and it is filled with tax collectors and other sinners, presumably Levi’s friends. Again, the religious leaders are offended. Why does Jesus eat with tax collectors and sinners?

The implication is that he is a sinner himself, or that he is making himself unclean by associating with them. Jesus responds by saying “those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I come not to call the righteous but sinners.”

Again, the expectation is overturned. Why is this prophet ignoring the “righteous” and focusing on sinners? The reader is forced to ask which group do I fall into? Am I the righteous Pharisee or the sinful tax collector?

I think we would all like to be the righteous person. We tend to downplay our own faults and magnify the faults of others. We are good people, right?

But the fact of the matter is we don’t live up to God’s standard of perfection. The scripture says that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23), and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6).

And, if we do uphold our self-righteousness, we run the risk of missing Jesus. “For this judgement I have come into the world, so that he blind will see and those who see will become blind.” (John 9:39). Self-righteousness blinds us to our need for him. If instead we acknowledge our sickness, we get the good news. Jesus came for us. Our past doesn’t scare him. He is not put off by our sin. He came to heal it. And he meets us where we are. Jesus here claims to be the answer to our problem of sin. He is the great physician and the only one who can truly deal with the sin in us.

The third story centers are around fasting, and Mark gets right to the point. Why don’t your disciples fast?

Fasting (the practice of abstaining from food for spiritual purposes) in ancient times had several purposes: mourning, repentance, aiding prayer, worship, and experiencing the presence of God. Fasting was a common practice in ancient Israel, and Mark tells us that the disciples of John the Baptist and the Pharisees both practiced the discipline. The idea was to draw near to God, whether for comfort, forgiveness, or communion.

So, why don’t your disciples fast? The answer Jesus gives is astounding. He basically says, fasting is all about me. “How can the wedding guests fast when the bridegroom is with them?” The reason fasting is done is to get close to God. The disciples couldn’t get any closer because he was already there with them. Again, the implication is that he is God. He has claimed so far to be able to forgive sins, he is the cure for sin, and now he is the very thing we seek.

As a side note, notice he says his disciples will fast when he is taken away. Fasting is a normal part of the Christian life. If you have never tried it, I would encourage to do so. But do your research first, you need to make sure you are doing it in a safe way.

The forth story centers around the Sabbath. The fourth of the ten commandments said that no work was to be done on Saturdays. It was to be a day that was holy to the Lord. The Jews were very strict about this. Jesus and his disciples were walking through a field one Sabbath and they started picking some heads of grains as they walked and eating them. The Pharisees are again offended.

Why do your disciples do what is unlawful on the Sabbath?

Jesus replies with a story from life of David. David and his men were running from King Saul who wanted to kill them unjustly. On the way they went to a priest and asked him for bread. The only bread he had was holy bread. It had just been taken from the temple, and it was meant for the priests only. David and his men ate it. Jesus’s implication seems to be that the Pharisee’s hyper-legalism follows the letter but not the spirit of the Law. The Pharisee’s did not understand the purpose of the law in the first place.

Jesus goes on to say, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” God’s law was not meant to hurt us, but to bless us. A day of rest and worship is a very good, necessary thing. The Pharisee’s had turned it into a burden.

Then he says something that must have been shocking. “The son of man is lord even of the Sabbath.”

Let me insert a note here about this phrase, the Son of Man. This was Jesus’s favorite designation for himself. He called himself that 80 times in the gospels. This is sometimes confuses people into thinking he was claiming to be divine. That is not he case at all. He is fully man and fully God, so he certainly can refer to himself that way, but there is something deeper going on here. Jesus is referring to prophecy.

In Daniel Chapter 7, Daniel has a vision, and it goes like this:

 ¹³ “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. ¹⁴ He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.

This “Son of Man” is given authority over the whole world and his kingdom never ends. When Jesus calls himself the Son of Man, he is identifying himself as this Messiah.

He says that the son of man has authority even over the sabbath. He is greater than the law, because he is the creator of the law.

The claims that Jesus has made in this chapter are expansive. He claims to have authority to forgive sins. He claims to be the answer to our sin nature. He claims to be the end goal of our devotion. He claims to have authority over the law. He claims to be the Messiah. These require a response. Who do I think he is? What claim does he have on my life?

We are left with the question that Pilot faced the day of Jesus’s crucifixion. Matt. 27:22 – “What shall I do with this Jesus?”

The Great Commission

The Great Commission

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” - Matt. 28:16



We have been studying the period of time between the resurrection of Jesus and Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was poured out. During this time Jesus appeared to his disciples, and he gave them this command, this commission. In the last post, we talked about being disciples, and this week we are talking about making disciples. This is the job of every Christian; disciples make disciples. 

The word Christian means “little Christ. We are supposed to be like him, and we are here to continue His mission. “Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." John 20:21. We are supposed to be doing the things that Jesus did when he was here. That is the great commission. We are supposed to go out like harvesters, and bring people to Jesus. God made it clear that this message is supposed to go out to every nation, every people group, everybody. The scripture says, all creation. This good news is for everybody. 

The gospel message is just relevant today as it was 2000 years ago. The word Gospel means “good news.” What is the good news? Jesus came to save us. The promised messiah has come. Our world has no other answer to its problems. Jesus is the only way. You want to make an impact on the world? Share the gospel. We will not solve social justice problems apart from Jesus. The world has a sin problem, and Jesus is the only answer. He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father, except through me.” [John 14:6] Jesus is the only way to salvation. That is not the message our culture propagates, but it is the truth. 

This generation has the same needs as every other. We all need Jesus. Nothing else will satisfy. We all have a hole inside that only God will fill. We try to fill it with other things, drugs, alcohol, power, money, attention, relationships, entertainment, anything. It will not satisfy us. It may fill it for a moment. It may distract us. But it will leave us empty in the end. Only God can fill that hole, because he created it. He created us for communion with Him. 

So let's look at this passage in Matt. 28. 
"All authority has been given to me." Jesus won the war. Adam and Eve lost the authority that God gave them over the Earth. Jesus won it back at the cross. He defeated the spiritual forces of darkness.
“When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.” [colossians 2:13-15]

He said because he had been given all authority, we were to go make disciples. We make disciples because he has authority. There are two kingdoms out there, the kingdom of light and the kingdom of darkness. Jesus has the authority so we can bring his kingdom to earth. The enemy forces that have had power over the earth are defeated. Because Jesus has authority, we can preach the gospel, we can invade the kingdom of darkness. It is all about His power. We are his instruments. He delivers people, but he might use you to be the instrument of that deliverance. Because he has all authority, people can be saved, redeemed, forgiven. 

I have to remind you that this life is temporary. We will not live here forever. Life is short. The other day, my daughter was riding with me to school and she said, “Dad, you are going to die soon.” She is five. I was surprised, to say the least. I asked her why she said that, and she said, “Well, you are.” It opened the door to a good conversation about how life is short and we need to live for God. We need to be reminded that we are going to die. Can I tell you? You are going to die. And when you do, your eternity will be determined by what you did in this life. I don’t want to scare you. I am not trying to manipulate you here. But this is reality. Hell is a real place. The bible describes it as a place of eternal torment, a lake of burning fire. And there will be a lot of people who go there. The point I and trying to make is that, if our time on this earth is so short, we had best make good use of it. And we have the potential to impact someone’s eternity. I don’t like the idea of hell. It would be really nice if bad people simply ceased to exist or something like that. But that is not what the bible teaches. That is not reality. This should place a burden in our souls for the lost. People's eternal destiny is at stake. 

So I hope that I have impressed upon you the importance of this mission. But the question remains: How do we make disciples? Here a couple of thoughts.

One biblical model of evangelism is to witness to the people God has already put in your life. We all have a group of people who we are in contact with regularly. This could be family, friends, coworkers. In the New testament there was a word for this, it is called your oikos. It is usually translated as house or household. 

These are those people you have frequent contact with, usually around 8-15 people. These are people God has placed in our lives so that we can be a witness to them. Paul taught that if someone became a believer and they were married to an unbeliever, they should stay married, because they could be a witness to their spouse. “How do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or, how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?” 1 Cor. 7:16. He also taught slaves to live in such a way as to win over their masters. Parents are supposed to teach their children about the Lord. The point is, we can make disciples without meeting anyone new, there are already relationships that you have in your life that can be a way to make disciples. Your lifestyle is a huge witness to unbelievers. We are the light of the world. People should see us and see Jesus. I am not talking about putting on a show or a mask like we have no problems. I am talking about being real, loving people, just letting people see your faith, see what God is doing in you.

In every case where Jesus is talking about send out the disciples, the great commission, he talks about the Holy Spirit. They are tied hand in hand. The Holy Spirit empowers us to fulfill the great commission. He told the disciples “I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high." [Luke 24:49] They could not start the mission until they had the Holy Spirit empowering them. Then it was easy. They were transformed. 

In my own wisdom, I don’t know what to say. I don’t have the power to save anybody. But the Holy Spirit can. We have to be empowered by the Holy Spirit to accomplish anything. The freeing thing is that it takes the pressure off of us. All we have to do is seek God and be willing vessels. He will teach us what to say, he will lead us to the right place and time. We must have the Holy Spirit leading us, or our work will be a failure. The only way to build the kingdom is through the power of the Holy Spirit. 
Be ready, for the Holy Spirit to use you. How can you be ready? Read the bible. Have to have the word in you. Pray, get used to listening to his voice. Look for opportunities. 
“The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” Matt. 9:37b-38

Being Disciples

Over the last few weeks at Quarterlife, we have been looking at the time between Jesus’s resurrection and ascension. During this forty day period Jesus appeared many times to over 500 people. His appearances served as proof that he was indeed risen from the dead. There were not many things recorded in the scriptures that he taught us during this time. The majority he taught to the disciples during his three years of ministry prior to his crucifixion. However, there is one notable exception. In Matt. 28 we read one final command that Jesus gives to his followers. This is what we call the great commission. Let’s read it:

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” - Matt. 28:16

“Go and make disciples” This is the mission of every disciple of Jesus. Everyone who is a follower of Jesus is a part of this mission. This is Jesus’s command to us. 

But, what is a disciple? To be a disciple of Jesus means to follow him. It means to do what he said to do. I am afraid that there are many people today who consider themselves Christians, but have no intention of being disciples. At some point, what we are doing and what Jesus is doing part ways. We have to make a decision, are going to follow God or are we going to do it our way. God is asking for all of us. He wants our hearts, he wants our lives, he wants everything... because he is giving himself completely to us. Imagine going to a wedding, and the couple wrote their own vows, and they went something like this:

I take thee to be my lawfully wedded wife, in sickness and in health, unless you ask too much of me, then I’m out. I promise to love and cherish you, unless I have something better to do. I vow to give you 50% of my heart, which is pretty good, so you better be grateful. I promise to give you my life, until death do us part, unless you get in the way of my plans.

Do you think that the bride would like to hear that? Is that love? Of course not. Time and time again, the scripture uses the image of the church as the bride of Christ. The idea that God wants us to get a hold of is that this is a relationship of love. It is not all about religion. This is about a relationship with Jesus. He said, if you love me, you will keep my commands. [John 14:15] It is love that motivates us to follow him. 
I want to show you a story of some people who wanted to be disciples of Jesus: Matthew 8:14-22

 "When Jesus came into Peter’s house, he saw Peter’s mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever. He touched her hand and the fever left her, and she got up and began to wait on him. When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:
“He took up our infirmities
    and bore our diseases."
When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other side of the lake. Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”  Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”  Another disciple said to him, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” But Jesus told him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”

Jesus avoided the crowd. This was his standard mode of operation. He sees them gather and decides it’s time to leave.  It seems backwards.  Isn’t Jesus trying to get a following? Look at what Jesus own family said: “So Jesus’ brothers said to Him, “Leave here and go to Judea, so that Your disciples there may see the works You are doing. For no one who wants to be known publicly acts in secret. Since You are doing these things, show Yourself to the world.”5 For even His own brothers did not believe in Him.” John 7:4

I feel like a lot of what we do in church is try to generate a crowd.  Send out invitations. We have parties. It’s the great commission, right? Get people in church. And all that stuff is good, it’s fine. But crowds are not the goal.  Jesus has a higher goal. He wants disciples.  His leaving prompts his followers to choose to follow him or not. 
Two “disciples”say they will come with him, but Jesus lays their heart bare. He exposes their true motives.

I will follow you wherever you go.  This guy was a scribe.  The amplified version calls him highly respected. Jesus reply cuts right to the heart of the matter.  We are given no indication that the scribe does follow him.  Jesus reply indicates that the scribes desire was for earthly status or comfort.  He no doubt saw the miracles or heard about them,  and now he wants to get on board.  Association with Jesus would increase his stature,  he supposed, we are led to believe.  Jesus answers always cut to the root of the matter.  Jesus doesn't even have a home. He has no earthly possessions. The scribe must decide what is truly important to him. Is it really about following Jesus, or is there another motive? It almost sounds like Jesus is turning his away. But he never says don’t follow me. He just makes it clear what the cost is. 

The next man heard this exchange.  He is not turned away by Jesus low estate. Or by his not having a home. I will follow you,  he says. But first…  there can be no but after the words “I will follow”.  If we come to Jesus with conditions, we simply cannot follow him. That goes for everything.  We must obey his whole word.  We cannot say,  I will follow you but I am going to still do this.  Anything we hold back from him,  hold us back. The man wants bury his father. At first glance,  it seems honorable. Honor thy Father and mother. He has a responsibility to his family, it seems. Who could blame him? So Jesus’s answer comes as a surprise. “Follow me, let the dead bury their own dead.” He says no. Some insight to this passage comes when we understand that burying that father likely meant that there was an inheritance involved. The amplified version states this. The man is concerned about earthly things and he needs to be concerned about eternal things. He is afraid that is he just gets in the boat and follows Jesus, then he will lose out on his inheritance, but that inheritance will pass away, he gave up an eternal inheritance. There is a cost to discipleship. It is going to cost you something. Maybe not the same thing as someone else. But God does not allow rivals for his affection. It is costly following Jesus, but it is worth it. 

A similar story goes like this: Mark 10: “As He was setting out on a journey, a man ran up to Him and knelt before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”  And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments, ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’” And he said to Him, “Teacher, I have kept all these things from my youth up.” Looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him and said to him, “One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”  But at these words [a]he was saddened, and he went away grieving, for he was one who 
owned much property.

The thing that was holding the man back was his attachment to earthly things. It is not that Jesus is teaching everyone to sell everything, and a Christian cannot own anything. But for this man, his possessions owned him.

Now, back to the two disciples that came to Jesus. We really don’t know if these men followed Jesus and gave up these things, or if they turned away disappointed. The scripture doesn’t say. And it does matter. The next verse clears it up. 

Matt. 8:23: Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. 

Who followed him? The disciples. Who were the disciples? The ones who got in the boat. This is discipleship in a nutshell. Jesus is getting into the boat, are you in or out? That is what determines whether you are a disciple or not. Did you get into the boat? Are you going where Jesus is going? Are you doing what Jesus is doing? Or are you doing your own thing? Because if you come to God and say, I will follow you, but… I’ve got something else going on. You are going to be left behind. I'm sorry if that is harsh, but we have got to get real with God. 

Let give you another verse: "So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven." Matt. 10:32-33

"Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." Matt. 10:37-39

Whoever finds his life will lose it. What do you think that means? Have you ever heard someone say that they are trying to find themselves? That is a typical college student statement. We try to find our place in the world. What are we good at? What career should we have? What defines us? What is important to us? Who am I going to hang out with? 

It is really easy to lose yourself in this search. Your life is not about you. You were made for a purpose. You were made to know and love and serve and enjoy God. You were made for his pleasure. Finding your life apart from God is to lose the life you were created for. It is to trade your true life for a fake. A hollow empty life that will end in futility. 

It is important for us to take an eternal perspective. Everything in this life will fade. All accomplishments, all riches. When we die we don’t take anything with us. Jesus said, Life does not consist in the abundance of possessions” So what does life consist of? 

One thing that is eternal are relationships. So if life does not consist of the abundance of possessions, then it consist of relationships. The relationships we have with God and other believers will still be there in eternity. The measure of a life is its relationships. First of all, its relationship with God, and then relationships with others. Does anyone know what the most important law in the bible is?
Jesus said that it was love the Lord your God with all your heart, all you mind, all your soul and all your strength. And the second is like it, love your neighbor as yourself. These two laws deal with relationships. Possessions will pass away, but relationships will last into eternity. So we need to take an eternal perspective. Consider this, will anything I am doing in my life right now matter in a thousand years? What are you living for? 

So many times, we get our priorities all out of order. We spend all our time and energy trying to get things that will pass away and not matter. This attitude is especially prevalent in college. The point of college is to get into a good career, and your professors, advisers, and classmates, can make you think that there is nothing more important than your education and career.  You have to make sacrifices to succeed. It is really easy to buy into this attitude. Your future is all about your career and church falls to the wayside. This can happen in high school too. If you are an athlete, maybe you have heard your coach tell you that there is nothing more important than basketball, or football, or whatever. There is nothing wrong with pursuing a career, or being an athlete, but we need to keep things in order. When earthly things become more important that spiritual things, our lives become unbalanced. You will come to the end of your life and realize that everything you have built is stubble, ready to be burned up in the fire. You could be the greatest in your field, the best there ever was, and you will still be empty. 

Humans are like sheep. We tend to follow the herd. What people around you consider important, you will likely too. That is why you have to choose who you spend time with so carefully. The bible says, do not forsake the gathering of the saints, as some are in the habit of doing. (heb 10:25). It is so easy to make that a habit, forsaking the gathering of the saints. I am not saying that if you ever miss a Sunday you are going to hell. That’s not what this is about. But if you are consistently giving other things a higher place than God in your life, who are you living for? 

Before we can make disciples, we have to be disciples, and disciples are those people who follow Jesus. 
If you want to truly be a disciple, you’ve got to get into the boat. You got to follow him, you’ve got to keep him commands, you got to make him a priority. 

Post-resurrection appearences of Jesus

Post-resurrection appearances of Jesus

4-10-18

Skylar Farrill

This week at Quarterlife we are looking at the post-resurrection appearances of Jesus. The book of Acts tells us that Jesus appeared to the disciples over a 40 day period after his resurrection, then he ascended to heaven. What do these appearances teach us?

The scriptures say that Jesus appeared with many infallible proofs in Acts 1:3. What does Luke mean by there were infallible proofs? Can you prove that Jesus is God? Isn’t belief in God all about faith?

As Christians, we do have faith, but it is not a blind faith. It is important to understand that the historical evidence for the resurrection is powerful, and extensive. Our faith in God is built on the strong foundation of history. I want to give you three historical proofs of the resurrection. 

# 1 - number of witness
1 Corinthians 15:3-7 says,”For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles.”

This testimony is important because it establishes that there were a sufficient number of witness to the resurrection. If there were just one or two people who say the resurrection, then we might think that they were making it up. In fact, even the disciples doubted the first reports of the resurrection. But 515 witnesses? That is a different story. Imagine that they were giving testimony in a court of law. If each person was given 15 minutes to describe what they saw then there would 128 hours of non stop testimony confirming the resurrection. It would take weeks to get through it. The point is that when the gospel was being spread, and the new testament was being written, you could go and ask people what they saw.

Not only that, many of those believers were martyred. They died confessing that Jesus rose from the dead. Why could they die for something they knew was a lie? There is no motive for them to do such a thing. Clearly they believed what they said.

#2 - The women found the tomb
All four gospel account include the detail that it was the women who found the tomb. They were the first witness to the resurrection. This is important for a couple of reasons. For one, it elevates the position of women. At the this time in history, women were considered unreliable witness. In fact, they could not even testify in courts. They had a lesser status than a man. But Jesus, in choosing to appear first to women, is raising their status. They they were honored to be the very first people to proclaim the resurrection. Jesus honored women to be the first witness of his resurrection. Everywhere the gospel of Jesus is brought the position of women in a culture is raised. The second reason this detail is important is that In the Jewish culture of the time, women were considered unreliable witness. They were not allowed to testify in court. Extrabiblical documents testify to this fact. So the fact that the first witnesses of the resurrection are women, is not something that someone would make up. If you were making up a story like this that you wanted people to believe, then you would make the first witness someone would be considered more reliable. It makes sense, however, if the disciples are simply reporting the facts. The gospels are full things like this, details that ring of truth. They are full of stories that are embarrassing or make the leaders of the early church look bad. These only make sense if the story is true.

#3 - Prophecy
FInally, prophecy supports the narrative of the resurrection. Scholars believe there are over 300 old testament prophecies that relate to Jesus. Some of these go into great detail like Isaiah chapter 53. We are told that he was “despised and rejected by mankind” (verse 3), he was “pierced for our transgression” (verse 5), “he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth” (verse 7). Remember, Jesus did not answer his accusers? In verse 9 we are told, he was assigned a grave with the wicked” and verse 11 says, “After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied.” How can this savior both “pour his life out unto death” (verse 11) and also have his “days prolonged”? Only if he dies and is raised again. (On a side note, in case you are thinking that this lines up so perfectly, that someone must have written it about Jesus after the fact, the prophecy of Isaiah was found complete in the dead sea scrolls. These documents have been scientifically dated several hundred years before the time of Christ.)

There are literally hundreds of other prophecies about Jesus. Peter Stoner gives this illustration to help us understand what the odds of someone fulfilling those prophecies by chance is.

“Suppose that we take 1017 silver dollars and lay them on the face of Texas. They will cover all of the state two feet deep. Now mark one of these silver dollars and stir the whole mass thoroughly, all over the state. Blindfold a man and tell him that he can travel as far s he wishes, but he must pick up one silver dollar and say that this is the right one. What chance would he have of getting the right one? Just the same chance that the prophets would have had of writing these eight prophecies and having them all come true in any one man, from their day to the present time, providing they wrote using their own wisdom.” (1)

These are just a few of the piece of evidence that support the reality of the resurrection. All of Christianity hinges on the fact of the resurrection. The Apostle Paul said, “And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.” 1 Cor. 15:17. But if Christ has been resurrected, then that means that we have to take seriously his claims. He said, “I am the way, the truth and the life, no one can come to the father except through me.” John 14:6. 


Stoner, Don. “Who Designed God? the Paradox of Existence.” Science Speaks by Peter W. Stoner, Chapter 3, The Christ of Prophecy, sciencespeaks.dstoner.net/Christ_of_Prophecy.html.