Today's teaching is by Matt Orth, a long time friend and ministry partner of Jason English, Teaching and Vision Pastor at theHeart in Boone, NC.

Matt Orth lives in North Carolina with his wife, his two daughters, and a small army of dwarf goats and pygmy hedgehogs. He spends his time writing, reading, teaching, traveling, gardening, and inciting good people to laugh well. In addition to his creative endeavors, which include everything from creating characters from nothing but a wig to designing new games, Matt Orth has served in church ministry for over 20 years. He has served in a variety of capacities, from church janitor to itinerant speaker, from college pastor to director of a para-church organization.

His first book, "Questions of a Curious Nature," is kinda like "The Screwtape Letters" had a child with "The Shack" that was then raised by a pack of editorial cartoons. 

To learn more, visit Matt Orth's website: http://www.lesswithoutyou.com

This is Part 31 of a year-long series on the Book of Mark. Today's teaching is by Jason English, Teaching and Vision Pastor at theHeart church in Boone, NC.

 

Subtitle: The Rich and The Kingdom

MARK 10:17-45

The Rich and The Kingdom

 MARK 10:17-18

As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. 

"Good teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" 

"Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. 

"No one is good - except God alone.

 

MARK 10:19-20

You know the commandments:

'You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.'"

 

"Teacher," he declared, "all these I have kept since I was a boy."

 

MARK 10:21

Jesus looked at him and loved him.

 

"One thing you lack," he said.

"Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor,

and you will have treasure in heaven.

Then come, follow me."

 

MARK 10:22

At this the man's face fell.

He went away sad, because he had great wealth.

 

MARK 10:23-24

Jesus looked around and said to his disciples,

"How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!"

The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again,

"Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God!

 

1 TIMOTHY 6:6-10

Godliness with contentment is great gain.

For we brought nothing into the world,

and we can take nothing out of it.

But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.

Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap

and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil

Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith 

and pierced themselves with many griefs.

 

MARK 10:25

It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for

someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God."

 

MARK 10:26-27

The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other,

"Who then can be saved?"

Jesus looked at them sand said, "With man this is impossible,

but not with God; all things are possible with God."

 

"I think Heaven is here. It's squished into our world."

~Grey English

MARK 10:28-31

Then Peter spoke up, "We have left everything to follow you!"

Truly I tell you," Jesus replied, "no one who has left home or brothers or

sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail

to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers,

sisters, mothers, children and fields - along with persecutions - and in the

age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first."

 

MARK 10:35-41

Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. "Teacher," they said,

"we want you to do for us whatever we ask."

"What do you want me to do for you?" he asked.

They replied, "Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory."

 

"You don't know what you are asking," Jesus said. "Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?"

"We can," they answered.

Jesus said to them, "You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized wit the baptism 

I am baptized with, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant.

These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared."

When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John.

 

MARK 10:42-45

Jesus called them together and said, "You know that those who are regarded

as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them,

and their high officials exercise authority over them.

Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you

must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.

For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve,

and to give his life as a ransom for many."

 

ROMANS 5:15-19

The gift is not like the trespass.

For if the many died by the trespass of the one m

This is Part 30 in a year-long series on the Book of Mark. Today's teaching is by Jason English, Teaching and Vision Pastor at theHeart church in Boone, NC.

 

Subtitle: The Little Children

MARK 10:13

And they were bringing children to Him so that He might touch them; 

but the disciples rebuked them.

 

 

MARK 10:14-16

But when Jesus saw this, He was indignant and said to them, "Permit the children to come to Me; do not hinder them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.

 

Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all."

 

And He took them in His arms and began blessing them, laying His hands on them.

 

 

ELISABETH SCHUSSLER FIORENZA

"a challenge to relinquish all claims of power and dominion over others"

 

 

MIKE YACONELLI

"This voice of our childhood is the voice of wonder and amazement, the voice of God, which has always been speaking to us, even before we were born.

 

One sad day, we are aware of an absence. We can no longer hear the God-voice, and we are left with only silence - not a quiet silence but a roaring silence. We did not want to stop hearing God's voice. Indeed, God kept on speaking. But our lives became louder.

 

The increasing crescendo of our possessions, the ear-piercing noise of busyness, and the soul smothering volume of our endless activity drowned out the still, small voice of God."

 

 

"When Jesus is present, everyone is uncomfortable,

yet mysteriously glad at the same time.

People do not like surprises - even church people -

and they don't want to be uncomfortable.

They want a nice, tame Jesus.

 

You know what? Tameness is not an option."

 

 

THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE.  C.S. LEWIS

"It was such a romp as no one has ever had except in Narnia; and whether it was more like playing with a thunderstorm or playing with a kitten Lucy could never make up her mind."

 

 

MIKE YACONELLI

"Give me a Jesus who meets me in the rushing, crashing waters of my questions."

 

 

THE HEART OF theHEART

(further descriptions may be found on our website: www.theheart.us)

SIMPLE

LOVING

TRUE

CALLED

MOBILE

MINISTRY LEADERSHIP TEAM

Matt Dull

Ray Edmonds

Time Herdklotz

Amanda Opelt

 

 

STAFF

Josh Anderson, Community Life Pastor

Erin Deuel,  Worship Director

Jason English, Teaching and Vision Pastor

Ethan Hardin, Next Generations Director

Terri Miller, Ministry Support Director

 

RICHARD MILLER

Founding Pastor of theHeart

AMOS 3:11-12

Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says:

"An enemy will overrun the land; he will pull down your strongholds and plunder your fortresses."

This is what the Lord says:

"As a shepherd saves from the lion's mouth only two leg bones or a piece of an ear, 

so will the Israelites be saved."

This is Part 29 of a year-long series on the Book of Mark. Today's teaching is by Jason English, Teaching and Vision Pastor at theHeart in Boone, NC.

 

Subtitle: Divorce

MARK 10:1-2

Jesus then left that place and went into the region of Judea and across the Jordan. Again crowds of people came to him, and as was his custom, he taught them. Some Pharisees came and tested him by asking, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?"

 

(Matthew 19:3 account adds "for any and every reason")

DEUTERONOMY 24:1-4

 

 

When a man takes a wife and marries her, 

and it happens that she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some indecency in her, 

and he writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out from his house, 

and she leaves his house and goes and becomes another man's wife, 

and if the latter husband turns against her and writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out of his house, 

or if the latter husband dies who took her to be his wife, 

then her former husband who sent her away is not allowed to take her again to be his wife, 

since she has been defiled

 

DIVORCE

Sending Away

 

Cutting Off

 

 

MARK 10:3-5

"What did Moses command you?" he replied.

 

They said, "Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce and send her away."

 

"It was because your hearts were hard that Moses wrote you this law," Jesus replied.

 

MALACHI 2:16

NASB

"For I hate divorce," says the Lord, the God of Israel, "and him who covers his garment with wrong," says the Lord of hosts.

 

NIV

"The man who hates and divorces his wife," says the Lord, the God of Israel, "does violence to the one he should protect," says the Lord Almighty.

 

ADULTERY

ABUSE

ABANDONMENT

oasisinc.org

Opposing Abuse with Service, Information and Shelter

24 hour Crisis Line:  828-262-5035

MARK 10:6-9

But at the beginning of creation God made them male and female. 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.'

So they are no longer two, but one flesh.

Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.

JEREMIAH 3: 6-8

During the reign of King Josiah, the Lord said to me, 

"Have you seen what faithless Israel has done? She has gone up on every high hill and under every spreading tree and has committed adultery there.

I thought that after she had done all this she would return to me but she did not, 

and her unfaithful sister Judah saw it. I gave faithless Israel her certificate of divorce 

and sent her away because of all her adulteries.

JEREMIAH 3:12-14

Go, proclaim this message toward the north: "Return, faithless Israel,' declares the Lord, 'I will frown on you no longer, for I am faithful,' declares the Lord, 'I will not be angry forever. Only acknowledge your guilt - you have rebelled against the Lord your God, you have scattered your favors to foreign gods under every spreading tree, and have not obeyed me,'" declares the Lord. "Return, faithless people," declares the Lord, "for I am your husband. I will choose you - one from a town and two from a clan - and bring you to Zion.

MARK 10:10-12

When they were in the house again, the disciples asked Jesus about this.

He answered, "Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman 

commits adultery against her.

And if she divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery."

(Matthew 19 account does not have this last sentence).

This is Part 28 in a year-long series on the Book of Mark taught by Teaching and Vision Pastor, Jason English, at theHeart in Boone, NC.

 

Subtitle: Salt and Fire

MARK 9:42-50

If anyone causes one of these little ones - those who believe in me - to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea.

 

If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out. And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, where 'the worms that eat them do not die, and the fire is not quenched,'

 

 

LIFE

[zoe']

KINGDOM OF GOD

HELL

[gehenna]

 

 

 

 

JOEL 2:12-13

"Even now," declares the Lord, "return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning." Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love.

 

 

 

 

MARK 9:49-50

Everyone will be salted with fire.

 

Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again?

 

Have salt among yourselves, and be at peace with each other.

 

 

 

LEVITICUS 2:13

Season all your grain offerings with salt. Do not leave the salt of the covenant of your God out of your grain offerings; add salt to all your offerings.

Numbers 18:19; 2 Chronicles 13:5

everlasting covenant of salt

SALT

Seasons

Burns

Heals

Preserves

Penetrates

ALLEGORY OF THE LONG SPOONS

ROMANS 12:1

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God - this is your true and proper worship.

COLOSSIANS 4:6

Let your conversation be always full of grace,

seasoned with salt,

so that you may know how to answer everyone.

This is Part 27 of a year-long series on the Book of Mark taught by Jason English, Teaching and Vision Pastor at theHeart in Boone, NC.

 

Subtitle: A Cup of Water

MARK 9:38

"Teacher," said John, "we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us."

"You can safely assume that you've created God in your own image when it turns out that God hates all the same people you do."

-Anne Lamott (novelist)

JOSHUA 5:13-15

Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, "Are you for us or for our enemies?"

"Neither," he replied, "but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come." Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him "What message does my Lord have for his servant?" The commander of the Lord's army replied, "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy." And Joshua did so.

MARK 9:39-40

"Do not stop him," Jesus said. "For no one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, for whoever is not against us is for us."

PHILIPPIANS 1:15-18

It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.

MATTHEW 12:30

Whoever is not with me is against me.

MARK 9:41

Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah will certainly not lose their reward.

MATTHEW 25:40

'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.'

W|W   WINE TO WATER

This is Part 26 in a year-long series on the Book of Mark. Today's teaching is by Jason English, Teaching and Vision Pastor at theHeart in Boone NC.

 

Subtitle: A Little Child

MARK 9:30-37

A Little Child

MARK 9:30-32

 They left that place and passed through Galilee. 

Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were, 

because he was teaching his disciples. 

He said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. 

They will kill him, and after three days he will rise.” 

But they did not understand what he meant 

and were afraid to ask him about it.

 

MARK 9:33-35

 

 

They came to Capernaum. 

When he was in the house, he asked them, 

“What were you arguing about on the road?” 

But they kept quiet because on the way 

they had argued about who was the greatest.

 Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, 

“Anyone who wants to be first 

must be the very last, 

and the servant of all.”

Philippians 2:3-8

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. 

Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 

not looking to your own interests 

but each of you to the interests of the others.

 In your relationships with one another, 

have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: 

Who, being in very nature God,

    did not consider equality with God something 

to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing 

by taking the very nature of a servant,

    being made in human likeness. 

And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself

    by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross! 

 

 

MARK 9:36-37

 

He took a little child whom he placed among them. 

Taking the child in his arms, he said to them, 

“Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name 

welcomes me; 

and whoever welcomes me 

does not welcome me but the one who sent me.”

JOHN 1:5

The light shines in the darkness, 

and the darkness has not overcome it. 

Jesus reminds those who HAVE forgotten that 

the Good News is for those who ARE forgotten.

This is Part 25 in a year-long series on the Book of Mark. Today's teaching is by the Heart Teaching and Vision Pastor, Jason English. theHeart is a local church located in Boone, NC.

 

Subtitle: Believe

MARK 9:14-29

Believe

MARK 9:14-18

When they came to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and the teachers of the law arguing with them.

As soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with wonder and ran to greet him.

"What are you arguing with them about?" he asked.

A man in the crowd answered, "Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid.

I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not."

MARK 9:19-22a

"You unbelieving generation," Jesus replied, "how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me."

So they brought him.

When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth. Jesus asked the boy's father, "How long has he been like this?" "From childhood," he answered. "It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him."

MARK 9:22b-24

But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us."

"If you can?" said Jesus.

"Everything is possible for one who believes."

Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!"

MARK 9:25-27

When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the impure spirit. "You deaf and mute spirit," he said, "I command you come out of him and never enter him again."

The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, "He's dead."

But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up.

MARK 9:28-29

After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, "Why couldn't we drive it out?"

He replied, "This kind can come out only by prayer." [and fasting]

This is Part 24 of a year-long series on the Book of Mark. Today's teaching is by Dan Enarson, Teaching Team member at theHeart in Boone, NC.

 

Subtitle: Transfiguration

MARK 9:1-13

And he said to them, "Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see that the kingdom of God has come with power." After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus. Peter said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters - one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah." (He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.) Then a cloud appeared and covered them, and a voice came from the cloud: "This is my Son, who I love. Listen to him!" Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus. As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. They kept the matter to themselves, discussing what "rising from the dead" meant.

And they asked him. "Why do the teachers of the law say that Elijah music come first?" Jesus replied, "To be sure, Elijah does come first, and restores all things. Why then is it written that the Son of Man must suffer much and be rejected? But I tell you, Elijah has come, and they have done to him everything they wished, just as it is written about him."

TRANSFIGURATION

 

2 PETER 1:16-18

For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.

MIRROR/WINDOW

Reflect Back...

Moses on Sinai (Ex. 33)

Elijah on Sinai (1 Kings 19)

Temple Dedication (2 Chron. 7)

Gaze Forward...

"Son of Man" (Dan 7/Rev. 1)

"Day of the Lord" (Zech. 14)

KINGDOM (9:1)

Here Now

But Not Yet

So Keep This to Yourself for Now

CHANGE (9:2-3)

"And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit." 

2 Cor. 3:18

LISTEN (9:7)

Our Response is not to set up temporary structures

MOVE (9:9)

Our Response is not to sit/stay, but to follow

MOUNTAINTOPS (9:2)

They don't come to you;

They don't climb themselves;

You see an expanded horizon

KINGDOM

We don't BUILD the Kingdom; we ARE the Kingdom - the domain of Jesus' Rule on Earth

"When I am not king, then THE Kingdom has its best chance of breaking through" ~Richard Rohr

This is Part 23 in a year-long series on the book of Mark taught by Jason English, Teaching and Vision Pastor at theHeart in Boone, NC.

 

Subtitle: Suffering

 

MARK 8:31-38

Suffering

MARK 8:31

He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again.

SUFFERING

pressed down

 

HOPE

anticipation. expectation.

MARK 8:32,33

He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. "Get behind me, Satan!" he said. "You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns."

MARK 8:34-38

Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels."