New Life Podcast

Mark chapter 8 has a lot going on, from Jesus feeding thousands to his satisfying the hearts of a people hungry for more out of life. Jesus wants a heart that's hungry, hungry for more than what the world can offer. Is your heart hungry to be in a relationship with him?

The story of the woman begging to have Jesus remove the unclean spirit from her daughter in Mark chapter 7 shows us what a desperate faith looks like. Desperate faith is humble, it is hungry, and it's rewarded. Is your faith desperate enough to come before Jesus and believe that you will be saved?

The story we read in Mark chapter 7 is one of religious rules trumping a real relationship with Jesus. The Pharisees pick an argument with Jesus over how to properly wash hands, and Jesus comes back with this statement: "You bind heavy burdens on people who can't carry them." Through this interaction we learn a truth that's still vital to the Church today: Religion washes hands, Jesus washes hearts. Are you choosing religious rules over a relationship with Jesus? Surrender to him today.

The story we read in Mark chapter 7 is one of religious rules trumping a real relationship with Jesus. The Pharisees pick an argument with Jesus over how to properly wash hands, and Jesus comes back with this statement: "You bind heavy burdens on people who can't carry them." Through this interaction we learn a truth that's still vital to the Church today: Religion washes hands, Jesus washes hearts. Are you choosing religious rules over a relationship with Jesus? Surrender to him today.

The story of the death of John the Baptist in Mark chapter 6 leaves us with some key lessons from John, King Herod, and Jesus: John's commitment to following God no matter what teaches us that we sometimes have to lose to win. Herod's response to John shows us that there is a path of destruction paved with pride. And finally, we learn that we should be careful when Jesus is quiet in our lives—when you feel nothing, when you hear nothing, be very scared, but when you feel the weight of your sin, know God is up to something.

At the end of Mark chapter 5, we hear two stories of incredible healing. Both these stories illustrate Jesus's awesome power over life and death. That power is personal, it's pursuable, and it's all-powerful. Jesus isn't just a way to make our lives better, he's the only way. Do you bow before this power?

The story of the demon-possessed man in Mark 5 is a disturbing one. Sometimes the devil does make people do it, as was the case with Legion. But the good news for us is this: that Jesus came to destroy the devil. The script has already been written, and if our heart is with Jesus we're on the winning side. When we're broken, when we're afraid, Jesus is near. Cry out to him.

At the end of the fourth chapter of the book of Mark, we witness Jesus calming a storm while out at sea with his disciples. The disciples are terrified, but Jesus calmly reminds them that they have nothing to fear, before calming the wind and the waves. We might not experience a literal storm at sea in our lives, but we walk through storms every single day in our lives. Jesus tells us the same thing as he told his disciples: "Do not fear." We have nothing to fear when Jesus is in the boat of life with us. No matter how big the wind and the waves become, we can be confident in this: Jesus will be with us because he got out of the boat, onto the cross, and walked out of the grave.

In chapter 4 of the book of Mark, Jesus tells his followers the parable of the sower. If we miss the point of this story, Jesus says, we won't truly understand everything that's to come—it's that important! We all have the opportunity to hear the word of God, but what we do with that word matters. Will we be the good soil that produces fruit for the Gospel, or will we let the world, distractions, or a lack of depth choke out the Good News from our lives?

In the second chapter of Mark, Jesus reaches out to some desperate people: a leper, a paralytic, and a tax collector. These were desperate people, in a desperate culture, with a desperate future, yet Jesus still chose to minister to them. Sometimes being desperate isn't a bad thing. It's the desperate church that's going to reach today's desperate people—and in this season of social distance and spiritual isolation, it's time for the body of Christ to truly be the body of Christ.