Thursday, April 14, 2022 The Cup of Suffering for the Servant King

Read: Mark 14:12-15:15 Interestingly, Mark doesn’t give us any of Jesus’ activities during the daylight hours on Wednesday or Thursday. We only see what is happening at night. Perhaps Jesus continued the same line of teaching in the temple, drawing crowds and infuriating the religious leaders in the process. Or, perhaps He’s resting in preparation […]

Wednesday, April 13, 2022 The Proper Worship of the Servant King

Read: Mark 14:1-11 There is an interesting lesson here in Mark’s account of the night before Jesus was betrayed. We get to see a contrast of true worship against utter betrayal. He is using a literary technique, highlighting the central story by bookending it with the unfolding narrative of the Pharisees seeking to arrest Jesus. […]

Tuesday, April 12, 2022 The Just Judgment of the Servant King

Read: Mark 12:1-12 Have you ever been listening to a sermon and thought, “I wish so-and-so could hear this?” I’ll be honest, I’ve even preached a sermon or two with particular individuals in mind. It’s easy to examine the faults of others, especially if they are irritating to us. Our own faults, however, are just […]

Monday, April 11, 2022 The Righteous Anger of the Servant King

Read: Mark 11:12-25 I played little league as a kid. As a result, I had to sell candy bars to raise money for the team. Because of this text, I wasn’t allowed to sell them inside the Church. I was, however, allowed to wait outside in the parking lot. Even as a kid, I wondered, […]

Sunday, April 10, 2022 The Triumphal Entry of the Servant King

Read: Mark 11:1-11 In ancient Rome, when a general had won a considerable victory for the Republic, they would hold a parade known as a Triumph. The victorious army would march through the city followed by their general, riding on a chariot pulled by four horses. He would be wearing a purple toga, a color […]

Daily Readings for Holy Week From the Gospel of Mark

Introduction:  Read: Mark 4:1-20 For the past several years, I have committed myself to writing out daily devotionals for Holy Week from one of the four Gospels. Each time I cycle through these familiar texts I am reminded of the unique perspectives each of them provide. While dealing with the same source material, they all […]

Why Living for God Depends on Good Theology by Mark Jones

Good theology doesn’t necessarily guarantee good living. Far too many pastors, theologians, scholars, and laypersons have possessed good theology and lived like their father, the devil (John 8:44-45). However, for those who wish to live a godly life, good theology is not an option since we are sanctified by the truth (John 17:17). The Scriptures […]

What Children Can Teach Us About Following Jesus by Adam Miller

Read: Mark 10:13-34 Do you remember what it was like to be a kid? Sometimes I have this longing to go back to my childhood and relive simpler times. Other days I feel like I’ve never actually grown up and still have a lot of maturing to do.  I was teaching this passage about little […]

Why We Need the Armor of God by Iain Duguid

In the book of Ephesians, Paul spares no effort in describing the seriousness of our opposition. We don’t wrestle with flesh and blood but against the rulers, the authorities, the cosmic powers of this present darkness (Ephesians 6:12). If that sounds scary, it is because it is meant to. The devil is a very real, […]

Walking Out the Gospel by Adam Miller

The last several years have been life changing for me. I bought a house, I got married, and I became a pastor of a local church. It all happened in rapid succession. In the same regard, I’ve been afforded a lot of opportunities to grow.  To start, owning a house has taught me a great […]

ASK ME WHY I’M HOPEFUL by Adam Miller

As someone who has spent the past decade working for a Christian nonprofit, I’m going to let you in on a little secret, a behind the scenes take on what the months of December and January typically look like. There is a dash of fear, a heaping cup of anxiety, a measure of anticipation, and […]

ADOPTED BY GOD by James Burstow

“Even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will.” (Ephesians 1:4-5) What is the doctrine of adoption? The truth that not […]