Cornerstone Message Podcast

Religiosity can be a cover for some pretty unpleasant attitudes and behaviors. But in Jesus we see a consistent concern for people first and foremost, displayed by his compassion for the needs he met in the people around him. In this episode of Things Set Right as we work our way through the Gospel of Mark, we see the patterns that clue us in to the structure and purpose of the story Mark tells, and focus in on a conflict Jesus has with the religious leaders when they pit made-up rules against Jesus' authority which he employs to set things right!

Want clarity on how God works so you can recognize his ways? How do you know if God is in a particular circumstance? Thankfully we have a track record with which to compare our circumstances. In this episode of Things Set Right we'll see that God gave all kinds of clues as to who Jesus is and what he is doing in the opening paragraphs of the Gospel of Mark so we could recognize what was going on.

When Jesus announced that the Kingdom of God was coming, he was proclaiming that God was about to set things right. What many didn't realize at the time was that he was going to begin with his people and then invite them into the endeavor. In episode two of Things Set Right, we'll see how we can participate in God's setting things right!

Jesus is still writing his story! The story doesn't end with the death, burial, or even resurrection of Jesus. After Easter things would never be the same, but a new storyline has begun. Jesus is still actively building his kingdom, and still inviting others to be a part of it.

Jesus' week traversed adoring throngs on Palm Sunday through betrayal, beatings, and eventually crucifixion on Good Friday. His followers agonized through guilt, sorrow, and silence in the second half of the week. But the end of the story wasn't written until Resurrection Sunday morning. The Easter experience reminds us that whatever we face there's always hope because the end of the story hasn't been written yet!

It's hard to trust God's plans when we don't understand his plans. But God is always at work, even when it's not in the way we expect. In the Gospel of Mark, we see Jesus confirming his kingship but accomplishing his mission in ways that friends and foes alike found hard to understand. In the end, God is going to do his work in his way. Are we willing to cooperate with his plans in a way that will allow us to participate in his purposes?

We all need wisdom and insight from time to time, and sometimes urgently. How can you be sure you have the insight you need when you need it? Jesus provided the insights his disciples needed to navigate the unexpected way he was inaugurating the Kingdom of God. He still gives his followers the wisdom they need for the moment they're facing. Explore it with us in this episode of King & Cross focusing on Jesus' preaching in the Gospel according to Mark.

Difficulty is to be expected...and can be overcome, but Jesus' method may be counterintuitive. In the second message in the series King & Cross we see that suffering and service are Jesus' example and our expectation as believers. The Gospel of Mark was written in part to encourage believers suffering persecution we can only imagine, by pointing them to the king who secured his victory by going to the cross.

Avoid the distractions by focusing on the focus of our faith, Jesus—who he is, what he did, and what it means for us. We're exploring the Gospel of Mark in the series King & Cross. Discover how the story of Jesus spoke to Mark's first audience, the early Christians facing withering persecution in Nero's Rome. Like them, you'll find encouragement, strength, and hope for now and the future!

Jesus offered rest to those who are "weary and heavy-laden" but all too often we are still carrying burdens that we shouldn't or can't. What's worse is that sometimes these loads are come as part of our religious baggage. However, in the Apostle Paul's letter to the churches of Galatia, we find the formula to lighten the load: tossing off unnecessary expectations we and others put on us, and being a part of faith family that shares the burdens that remain.