This message walks through the final hours of Jesus’ life in the Gospel of Mark, and reveals a Messiah no one expected.

While people were looking for a conquering king, Jesus came as a suffering Savior. Betrayed, abandoned, falsely accused, and crucified, He endured the cross, not because He was guilty, but because we were.

What looked like defeat was actually victory.

What seemed unfair was actually grace.

The cross, once a symbol of shame and death, has become the ultimate picture of God’s love and redemption. And in one of the most powerful moments, a Roman centurion...an outsider, an enemy...looks at Jesus and declares: “Surely this man was the Son of God.”

Because that’s how grace works. It reaches the undeserving. It transforms enemies into family.

The cross is not the end of the story, it’s the place where our story begins. No matter your past, your sin, or your distance from God, you are not too far gone.

Because of the cross, grace is available to you.

This Easter, we explored the resurrection through the Gospel of Mark, and discovered one of the most unexpected endings in all of Scripture.

While other accounts highlight bold faith and celebration, Mark leaves us with fear, confusion, and silence. The disciples don’t look like heroes—they look like people who missed it. But that’s exactly the point.

The resurrection isn’t just proof that Jesus is alive—it’s proof that God rewrites stories.

The same disciples who failed, doubted, and ran away were transformed into bold witnesses of the gospel. And the same is true for us today.

The tomb is empty.

Death is defeated.

And your story is not finished.

No matter your past, your failures, or your doubts...Jesus offers new life, new hope, and a new beginning.

This is the power of Resurrection Sunday. This is the invitation of the gospel.

Because He is risen, you can rewrite the narrative.

This weekend, Tyler continued our series, “The Gospel According to Mark,” by looking at a powerful moment in Jesus’ final days—when one unexpected person truly understood who He was.

While religious leaders plotted against Jesus and even His own disciples missed the point, an unnamed woman recognized that Jesus was not just a king, but a Savior who had come to die. In an act of bold and costly worship, she anointed Him, honoring the sacrifice He was about to make.

Her response reveals the heart of the gospel: Jesus willingly gave His life to pay the penalty for our sin and break the power of it, offering freedom and new life to all who trust Him.

The challenge for us is the same:

Because when we grasp what He’s done, the only right response is to give Him everything.

This weekend, Terrence continued our series, “The Gospel According to Mark,” by focusing on Jesus as the Suffering Servant.

While many expected a powerful Messiah who would conquer kingdoms, Jesus revealed a different kind of mission—one marked by rejection, betrayal, and condemnation.

As He predicted His death, we see that He didn’t walk toward the cross blindly, but willingly, knowing that His suffering would bring grace, healing, and salvation.

Through His experience, Jesus not only became our Savior but also our example, showing us how to trust God in the midst of rejection, betrayal, and guilt. Because He suffered, He understands our pain and meets us in it.

The good news is that His suffering was not the end of the story. Through His death and resurrection, Jesus took on our condemnation so that we could walk in freedom and new life.

One storm. One command. One question that still echoes today: Who is this man?

This week, Terrence explored that question through the Gospel of Mark. Again and again, people encounter Jesus in moments of fear, need, and confusion—and each moment reveals something greater about Him. He shows authority over chaos, provision for every need, and deliverance far beyond what anyone expected.

Yet the real challenge isn’t just understanding who Jesus is—it’s deciding whether we will trust Him more than our fears, our pain, and our expectations.

In the end, the same question remains: Who do you say Jesus is? Will you trust Him with your life even when it’s painful or confusing?

This weekend, Tyler kicked off our new series, “The Gospel According to Mark.” In the Gospel of Mark, the word gospel means “Good News,” and the heart of that good news is that Jesus is King. While many people think of the gospel only as forgiveness of sins and the promise of heaven, Mark shows a bigger picture: through Jesus, God’s kingdom has arrived.

Jesus demonstrated this kingdom by healing the sick, casting out demons, forgiving sins, and teaching with authority–showing His power over every part of life. Humanity was created to represent God but turned toward its own kingdoms instead. Jesus came to defeat evil, restore humanity, and invite people back into God’s kingdom.

Because His kingdom is now and near, the invitation is clear: “Repent of your sins and believe the Good News.”

In this Bible study sermon, Tyler explores the Gospel of Mark and its central question: Who is Jesus?

Mark opens boldly: Jesus is “the Messiah, the Son of God.” But as the story unfolds, we see that He is not the kind of Messiah people expected. He teaches with authority, performs miracles, forgives sins, and draws crowds. But instead of presenting a conquering king, Mark shows us a Savior who embraces suffering, rejection, and the cross.

Mark structures his Gospel in three movements:

What makes Mark unique is how honest he is about the disciples’ failures and struggles. They misunderstand Jesus. They argue. They fall asleep. They deny Him. They run away. And the Gospel ends abruptly without neat resolution…because it leaves the decision to us.

Why? Because Mark leaves the question open for us: Will we follow a Messiah who calls us to cross-shaped, self-sacrificial love?

It’s not too late to follow!

This weekend, we wrapped up our Abide series with a powerful Lent Prayer & Worship gathering focused on the spiritual practice of Sunday worship and gathering together as the Church.

Drawing from Hebrews 10, Terrence reminded us that perseverance in faith is not an individual pursuit. We are called to encourage one another, hold fast to hope, and resist the temptation to drift. Gathering on Sundays isn’t just a habit…it’s how God sustains us. It reminds us that darkness hasn’t won, our hope is alive, and we belong to something eternal.

Sunday worship anchors us in hope, strengthens our endurance, and calls us back into God’s bigger story. May we continue to abide in Christ, not alone, but together.

Today marks the launch of our 42-Day Lent Rule of Life, a church-wide journey designed to help us intentionally abide in Christ together.

Throughout Lent, we’re inviting you to step into a simple daily rhythm–putting each spiritual discipline into practice together:

Monday – Fasting

Tuesday – Confession

Wednesday – Gratitude

Thursday – Generosity

Friday – Celebration

Saturday – Rest

Sunday – Church Gathering

To guide us, we’ve created a Rule of Life Journal to help you reflect and stay engaged each day. We’re also continuing our Bible Before Phone daily devotion that aligns with each day’s practice.

To download the Rule of Life Journal, visit necchurch.org/resources.

To join our Bible Before Phone, text "Bible" to 833-275-2412.

Our heart is for the entire church to participate. These practices are not about adding pressure to your schedule; they’re about creating space for God to shape us. We believe that leaning into these 42 days will deepen your connection with God, increase your joy, strengthen your mental and spiritual health, and draw us closer together as a church family.

Even when the practices feel simple or repetitive, we trust that the Holy Spirit will meet you in fresh and meaningful ways each day. Let’s lean in together and allow this Lent season to shape us into a more mature, unified body of Christ.

Do you need rest today?

Terrence acknowledges what we all feel…exhaustion. Whether from work, parenting, driving, lack of sleep, constant news, or simply trying to keep up with life, there is a collective weariness in our culture. While some fatigue is unavoidable, much of it stems from our own striving.

We often live like “little gods,” trying to control outcomes and earn our value. In that mindset, rest becomes optional instead of essential.

Hebrews 4 reminds us that God’s rest is still available today. True rest begins with faith–trusting God’s promises and His faithfulness. Like Israel, we miss rest when we choose unbelief. But God’s invitation still stands: “Today.”

In a culture that glorifies hustle, Scripture teaches that rest is entered, not earned. It is a gift made possible through Christ’s finished work. We don’t achieve it, we enter it by surrendering self-reliance, approval-seeking, and control.

The gospel is not only our hope for eternity; it is our invitation to experience Christ’s rest today.

Will you enter it?

The series introduces spiritual practices that help believers live more intentionally connected to God, and this week’s focus is celebration.

Celebration is not a distraction from faith but a vital expression of it. Scripture shows that God is not opposed to joyful celebration, He initiates it, commands it, and participates in it.

Tyler’s message traces celebration through the biblical story:

Christian celebration is not about indulgence for its own sake, but about honoring God as the giver of every good gift. Ultimately, the message encourages the church to embrace celebration as a spiritual rhythm, reminding us that joy is meant to be a defining mark of life with Christ, not an occasional exception.

By the end of the week, believers are encouraged to a practical challenge to celebrate God over a meal by (1) enjoying good food and drink, (2) sharing it with fellow believers, and (3) inviting someone they normally wouldn’t—reflecting Jesus’ inclusive table.