In the Spirit of Elijah!

Mark 1:6 - John wore clothing made of camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.

Everyone was waiting for the prophet to come in the spirit of Elijah (Malachi 4:5). In 2 Kings 1:8, it talks about how Elijah was dressed. It turns out that John's unusual clothes were a fulfillment of prophecy!

John also had an exotic diet of wild honey and locusts. This was actually typical desert food. Locusts, as unappealing as they may seem to us, were actually a clean food in Leviticus 11:22!

It's What We All Really Want!

Mark 1:5 - The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.

The whole Judean countryside went out to Jesus! Really? All the people of Jerusalem? Wow! So many people wanted to get right with God! I think we have low expectations when it comes to believing others want to be right with their maker.

Many people came out to hear John. They confessed, "agreed with" or "acknowledged" that they had sinned or "missed the mark." Most Jews familiar with their history and the Old Testament scriptures knew they had fallen short of God's demands.

Last, But Not Least

Mark 1:4 - And so John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

Have you ever gone to a concert? You know how they always wait until the last encore to play your favorite song? They save the best for last! We have come to the end of the Old Testament. Can you believe it? The prophet sent to bring an end to Act 1 is John!

John preached in the desert region.  He belonged to no nation, to no particular people--he was out in the desert!  To a people who trusted in genealogy, this was radical.

I Told You So

Mark 1:2-3 - It is written in Isaiah the prophet: "I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way"--"a voice of one calling in the desert, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.'"

Good morning family! Moving on to verse 2-3, we find Mark quoting three verses from the Old Testament--Exodus 23:20, Malachi 3:1, and Isaiah 40:3.

"It is written in Isaiah the prophet . . ."

It is pretty amazing when you think of all the prophecies that came true with the coming of Christ! What if I told you that tomorrow at 4 pm, someone in a red hat would walk up to you and give you 5 bananas? You smile as you read that, but what if it actually happened?

Happy Easter!

Jesus is the only one we know that can turn a funeral into a party! He is our Lord, our Savior, our Hope and our Salvation. He is our Bread, our Light, our Shield and our best Friend!

Jesus is the one person you want to make sure comes to your funeral! Let us celebrate today as the world acknowledges the impossible--Jesus raised from the dead. Let's say that again--Jesus raised from the dead!

What a Father We Have!

Mark 1:1 - The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

". . . about Jesus Christ . . ."

"Jesus" is the Greek translation. The same name in Hebrew would be Joshua, which means "Yahweh is salvation." Similarly, the Hebrew word for "Christ" would be Messiah, which means "the Anointed One."  This word described the long-awaited deliverer anticipated in the Jewish world, who would fulfill all of the Old Testament Prophesies.

". . . the Son of God."

Jesus was called the Son of God! This points to God's special relationship with Jesus. He is not just a man, he is God's one and only Son! He is fully divine. He is God Himself, God in the flesh!

Did You Hear the News?

Mark 1:1 - The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Good Friday, everyone! I hope you had a great night's sleep!

Lets talk about Mark 1:1. What do we notice about this first sentence? There is no verb in this sentence. It is not taking us anywhere; it is not going anywhere; it's not doing anything! It is just stating a fact.

There will be no debate about it, no discussion--and we won't take a vote. This is Truth!  This is the Gospel. It's all about Jesus, who is the Christ. He is the Son of God, period! Mark doesn't attempt to prove this. There is no insecurity. It is assumed that this is an uncontested fact!

Did You Get His Letter?

Hello, brothers and sisters! When was the last time you wrote a letter? When you write a letter, you don't only think about what you want to say--you think about who is reading it. You think about how they may understand what you are trying to say. This brings us to our first Blog--the Gospel of Mark!

Who was Mark writing to? Of course, to us . . . but at that time who was he writing to?

Matthew wrote to the Jews, always proving that Jesus was the Son of David. Luke wrote to the Greeks, those surrounded with legends and man-made gods. John wrote to those doubting that Jesus was God in the flesh. 

Mark was writing to the Romans, to help the great church in Rome to hold to the truth! He was writing to a people who lived under the control of an Emperor. Mark was wanting to introduce them to another Emperor--one that did not lord over people, but a servant of all!

Month for World Missions

Welcome to our IMS Mission Month Blog! Each day this month we will be focusing on a different city in the mission field that God has given us. We pray this will draw each one of us closer to God and to each other, and will help to broaden our vision for the incredible task that God has given us.

Matthew 28:18-20 - 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."

Wow! Our task is to take the Gospel to every nation in the world. Jesus puts forward a conditional statement--he calls us as his people to do his will, to take the gospel to all nations, and to teach others to obey everything he has commanded us.