The story of John’s childhood is passed over in one sentence, Luke 1:80; “And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his manifestation to Israel.”

Life in general is so fast and with each passing year it speeds up. May we at times take a visit to Mayberry where stress is almost non-existent, where people sit on their front porches after supper and talk for hours; where people watch the sunsets more than they do TV-where no one hurries anywhere and the pace of life is so relaxed and easy that everyone has the time to actually know everyone else. Let’s look at how Jesus handled the rat race of life?

The Gospel is the revelation of God through Jesus Christ. The gospel is “good news” from God to man, from heaven to earth, from the infinitely holy to the lowest depths of human wretchedness and sin. The gospel is a voice from heaven breaking through the silence or discord of our natural condition; it is good news in relation to our sins, salvation, and eternity.

It remedies the greatest evils and supplies the deepest wants of man. J. A. Alexander, D. D.

The Gospel is the beginning.

Mark’s purpose in writing this Gospel: to make the good news accessible to Gentiles,

to be an apologist of the cross, to encourage those who were facing persecution. Mark is the Gospel of action, moving rapidly from one scene to another. He substantiates the messianic claims of Jesus by emphasizing His authority as a Teacher (1:22) and His author over Satan and unclean spirits and sin (1:27; 3:19-30; 2:1-12). Before I start with chapter one of Mark, I’d like to continue with the purpose in writing this Gospel, in light of today’s America. Even with the radical changes in our society, the church is largely silent, why; three misconceptions concerning the radical changes in our society.

Mark is the shortest of the four gospels. In comparison with Matthew and Luke, it contains relatively little teachings of Jesus and nothing at all about His birth and childhood. Starting with the ministry of John the Baptist, it comes immediately to the public ministry of Christ, ending with his death and resurrection. It is believed by most scholars to be the earliest of the four NT Gospels. Mark wrote down this Gospel, probably at Rome, with non- Jewish readers in mind. Mark portrays Jesus as the model for all people, his purpose in writing this Gospel:

John Mark (John is his Jewish name, and Mark is his Gentile or Roman name) may not be as well-known as Peter, Paul, John or many of the other New Testament personalities. Yet a quick survey of his life reveals time tested truths that are good for us to keep in mind even today. The Bible tells us John Mark was the close cousin of Barnabas, from the island of Cyprus (Acts 4:36). Mark wrote from Rome, using Peter as his primary source. Many believe that Matthew and Luke based their Gospels on Mark’s. Mark's gospel is an ideal introduction to the Christian faith.

Ordination Service for Michael Britt

Michael Britt- Intro Sermonette

Pastor Don Westbrook- Sermon

Mitchell Britt- Remarks and Ordination Scripture

The vision of the valley of dry bones has been variously interpreted. Some see it as teaching the postexilic return of the exiles; as an analogy for spiritual regeneration and the birth of the church. Dispensational interpreters see here the resurrection and restoration of end times national Israel. Contextually, it is designed to be a message of hope to the exiled Jews. “SFL Bible”

Insofar as eternity is concerned, it makes no difference what we think of the world political and religious leaders, the world social and economic problems. Nor does it make much difference what we think of the Protestants, Catholics, Jews or the Muslims. However, our soul's eternal destiny will definitely be determined by how we honestly respond to this question---"What think ye of Christ?"