Eternally Minded

In the last few months at my church ( Cornerstone Church ) my pastor, Chris Sippley, has been going though the Gospel of Mark. There are things I'm seeing for the very first time about the reason for the book of Mark, his teachings about Christ, and Christ's teachings about Himself. Not only what Jesus said matters, but also what He did: what He valued and what He prioritized.  I'd like to share with you - as a sort of informal post - my notes taken from the sermon on Mark 5:1-20, spoken on July 29, 2018. (You can listen to this sermon - and plenty more! - for yourself  HERE ) Demons wrecked this man who lived among the tombs. He was rejected, feared, and insane. They made a living hell in him and immediately falls down when he sees Jesus - when the demons see Jesus . They know their fate to hell - they know and try to do as much as possible before they're put away for eternity. They had to have permission from God to go into the pigs. They left the man...

Hey! Thanks for taking the time to read this week's post! I've been studying the book of Ecclesiastes, and have finally made it to the application phase of hermeneutics. I thought I would share with you what God revealed to me. I hope it also draws you to worship our sovereign Lord! "A poor yet wise lad is better than an old and foolish king who no longer knows how to receive instruction. For he has come out of prison to become king , even though he was born poor in his kingdom. I have seen all the living under the sun throng to the side of the second lad who replaces him. There is no end to all the people, to all who were before them, and even the ones who will come later will not be happy with him, for this too is  vanity  and striving after wind." Ecclessiastes 4:13-16 Here we read a story of a poor, criminal, youth who supersedes an old foolish king, with nothing but wisdom on his side. But we know it wasn't just wisdom, but God, because all wis...

People die every day. Every day a vibrant life becomes a legacy... Something that people will remember. It's been running around in my mind for a while: How will people remember me when I'm gone? Will they recollect a kind, selfless person who loved her Saviour? Or will her sour moods and grumpy features be remembered more? In the Bible, I've recognized many legacies. I'd like to share a few with you: Enoch: "Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him." (Genesis 5:24)  Scholars believe that Enoch didn't die. God miraculously took him from the earth into His glorious heaven. When Christians are asked about Enoch, in many cases this is the first thing that comes to mind. Noah: "Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God." (Genesis 6:9)  Righteous... Blameless... Like Enoch, Noah had close communion with his Maker. But what is also said about him is that he was righteous and blameless. I...

Proverbs 4:25 - Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. I recently read The Hiding Place  by Corrie Ten Boom. I must confess, going into it I didn't want to read it. I was only doing it because I told my friend I would. (It was a huge encouragement and is now at the top of my recommendations list.) Something from it that stood out to me was Betsie Ten Boom and her resolute faith. In one instance, when she had been beaten in the prison camp, Corrie was trying to help her. But she joyfully pushed her away and said, "Don't look at [my wounds], Corrie. Look only at Jesus."  Let me tell you, that rocked my world. I got to thinking, "How many of my troubles are a reality because I've taken my focus off Jesus and have been distracted with myself?" The answer hurt. Too many.  Throughout scripture, the idea is given that we must look to Christ to be delivered. In the Old Testament, because the People of Israel spoke again...

Ask that question to everyone in North America and you will find that most of the population are Christians. According to Statistics Canada over two-thirds claim to be affiliated with a Christian religion. Great news, right? After studying the book of 1 John , I've come to a different conclusion. "Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith." (2 Corinthians 13:5) "So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire .   Thus you will recognize them by their fruits." (Mathew 7:17-19) Based on the evidence of the fruit of the Spirit, does the Holy Spirit live within you? "Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father Who is in heaven." (Matthew 7:21) Jesus did the will of His Father, are ...

" God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. God saw the people of Israel-- and God knew ."  (Exodus 2:24+25) The Bible is filled with the works of God. In the New Testament, Jesus performed countless miracles: healing thousands of the sick, restoring sight and sound to the blind and deaf, casting out demons, even raising the dead. During His time on earth, His presence changed the lives of everyone He came in contact with, and it continues to do so. Not as commonly known, God Almighty was very active in the Old Testament. When I recently read Exodus, I tried to take note of all the references to something God had done or promised to do. And there were a lot . So many that I was astonished. Fact is, God's providence surrounds us every step of our journey. He is orchestrating everything that happens, even if we don't know it or acknowledge it. (See one of our previous posts: Providence) Take the ocean...

Moses said to the L ORD , "Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither in the past or since you have spoken to Your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue." Then the L ORD said to him, "Who made man's mouth? Who made him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the L ORD ? Now therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak." But he said, "Oh, my Lord, please send someone else..." (Exodus 4:10-13) Moses, a courageous hero of the faith, doubted the L ORD . He doubted His supreme control - that He actually knew what He was doing. When the L ORD planned to bring the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt, He chose Moses. For His own glory, He chose to use a man who had a speech hindrance to speak to Pharaoh and be the means of God's deliverance to His people. The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph... And the virgin...

“For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.” (Mark 8:38)                                                                                                                                      ...

Three days after Jesus died, God’s plan was fulfilled. His Son rose from the dead. Supernaturally and inexplicably, He once was dead, but became alive again. Death was defeated, its power completely abolished. Death was Satan’s biggest power, the tool that could once stop anything, except the Son of God. “Oh, Death, where is your sting? Oh Hades, where is your victory?” 1 Corinthians 15:55 Just as one man's sin brought death, one Man's righteousness brought life. Because Christ arose from the grave, we now have the hope of eternal life! "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive." 1 Corinthians 15:22 The consequence of sin is death. So because death was defeated, sin can be overcome. "The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Corinthians 15:56 "For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life...

His name is Jesus Christ. About 2000 years ago, God the Son (the second person of the trinity) clothed Himself in human flesh-- 100% God and 100% Man. He humbled Himself to our human state and was born of a virgin in a borrowed stable. Jesus grew and lived the perfect life we couldn’t. He suffered the temptations we have, but never gave in. His thoughts, motives, emotions, and actions were all kept perfectly holy. He mission on earth was to heal the sick, seek the lost, and rescue the perishing. His mission was to serve, not to be served - to set up a heavenly kingdom, not an earthly kingdom. His whole life led to one event, the event that would provide a way to be made right with God. Jesus Christ willingly was crucified on a cross for accusations that were false. He was beaten and stripped. He wore a crown of thorns and was hung on a wooden cross by nails in His hands and feet. But greater than this was the wrath of God poured out on Him for our sins. The judgement we ...