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...

                                                   Recently our family drove from Nova Scotia to Ontario to visit family and friends whom we had not seen in a while. Before I went, I sent a message to a relative. It said, "Can I ask a favour of you?" The reply was "Of course!" I replied, "I was wondering if you could please read the following pamphlet at least twice before [we arrive in ON], and then we can we get together and talk about it."  I included 6 pictures: one for every page of John Piper's Gospel tract entitled Quest for Joy . Thankfully the reply I received was, "Ok. Looking forward to that." I was prepared for a different answer. I wish I could convey in words how encouraged I was to hear that the light was green. This would turn out to be the second (and hopefully not the last) conversation with this person about the Gospel. ...

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...

Obedience is the very best way to show that you believe, Doing exactly what the L ORD commands, doing it happily. Action is the key, do it immediately.  Joy you will receive!  Obedience is the very best way to show that you believe! I'm sure nearly everyone has heard that Sunday School song at one point or another. But if you take a close look at the words, some of them are very profound and challenging. That line, "Obedience is the very best way to show that you believe" is like a hammer to the ego when it sinks in. How often do we obey? Like, really obey? What is obedience? Is it just doing as we're told, or it there more to it than that?  Obedience is defined as a " compliance with an order, request, or law or submission to another's authority."  Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive... Hebrews 13:17 You can outwardly obey without being submissive on the inside. We do it all the time.  Obedience which is n...