Life is hard. It is filled with pain. When we face hard times, knowing someone genuinely cares and will go out of their way to help is extremely important. As we continue our study in the Gospel of Mark, we see that Jesus is full of compassion toward people who suffer, like you and me.

One of the most frustrating problems with employees is when they don't complete a job. It is also frustrating when an employee completes a job but does not accomplish good work. In this message, we examine the work ethic of Jesus' miracles. We will learn he was famous for doing all things well, even his miracles.

When we see people in the news that are far from God, it is easy to think they are too far for God to reach. Maybe it is their background they come from or the past life they lived that causes us to write them off and see that as too far from God's amazing grace. As we continue our way in Mark, we meet a woman who looks like she is too far from God because of her background. She ends up being the first one in the gospel to recognize Jesus for who he is and because of her great faith, Jesus casts a demon out of her daughter. What matters is not the background we come from but that they humbly seek God's mercy through Jesus, like this woman.

How often do you allow your mind to think about something that is sinful but feel there is nothing wrong by entertaining yourself with that sin because you haven't actually committed the act? As long as there is a separation between what we think and do, we feel we are ok. After all, we let ourselves be entertained on television and in the movies by watching murder and adultery. If we can watch it on the screen, what is wrong with thinking about it in our minds? Jesus feels very differently on this subject. The separation between our physical and mental world is not that distant. How can we stop thinking about sin? How can we have a heart that loves God and longs to do what is right? Join us as we learn why the mind matters and how God changes our heart.

Fiddler on the Roof is one of the best-loved musicals of all time. It also features some of the best-loved songs. The opening song of the musical is called "Tradition", and the family members one by one sing out the role they play in the traditional Jewish family, but on every side tradition is being threatened. While Fiddler on the Roof is fiction, the power of tradition is not. Jesus lived at a time when tradition was valued and it took on authority on par with the Bible. Today, we also have traditions that we treat with great importance. Join us as we learn about our traditions and how they can lead us away from following Jesus.

Many who live on the coast enjoy surfing the waves. Many of us forget Jesus was also a surfer, but he didn't need a board! As we continue our study in the Gospel of Mark, Jesus reveals more of his glory and love for the apostles as he comes to their rescue walking on top of the waves in a storm.

Beside the resurrection, there is only one miracle recorded in all four gospels. That is the feeding of the five thousand. It was so momentous, that afterwards the people wanted to make him king. Join us as we learn how God desires to do some of his finest works through us, not apart from us.

In the Gospel of Mark, there is only one narrative that is not about Jesus. It is the story of the death of John the Baptist. As Jesus told us there was no prophet greater than John. The story of his death is a vivid illustration of the kind of suffering all faithful disciples will face. It is also an amazing case study on the consequences of sexual sin.

Half-way through Jesus' three years of ministry, he send out his apostles on a short-term mission trip as part of their training. The sending out of Jesus' apostles is filled with instructions describing what faithful ministry would look like for them, and what it still looks like today.

In earlier passaged of the Gospel of Mark, when Jesus was in Capernaum, he was wildly popular. Only twenty miles away, when Jesus comes to his home town, he is rejected and ridiculed. In this study we learn what to expect from people hardened in unbelief against Christ and what are the consequences of living in unbelief in our life.