At the end of chapter 8, Jesus told the crowd, "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me." Beginning in chapter 9 and running through the rest of Mark's Gospel, Jesus will teach what that means through his words and actions.

Jesus invites us to join him in his mission; this begins by dying to self, taking up our cross, and following him.

As the perfect expression of love, Jesus boldly confronts the traditions, ideologies, and biases of those around him.

When Jesus sees people in need, he always takes action that is based in compassion.

As Jesus continues to demonstrate the realities of God's Kingdom, people begin to act in faith.

As we continue our quest to discover who Jesus is from the Gospel of Mark, we see that Jesus chose a specific type of illustration to teach those who wanted to listen, calling them to obedience.

The presence of Jesus creates tension and forces all who come into contact with him to make a choice: to unite against him or to be in unity with him.

As Jesus proclaims the Kingdom of God, questions arise about his identity, his associations, and his commitment to God.

The Good News about Jesus the Messiah didn't begin in a manger; it began with a messenger who shouted, "The LORD is coming, clear the road!" Messiah Jesus isn't merely a good teacher or moral example; Messiah Jesus is the Son of God, the Son of Man, and the Kingdom of God is at hand.

Making disciples is the mission and purpose of God's people. He doesn't leave us alone to figure out how to do that. He is with us and he has placed us into a specific church body so we might fulfill this purpose...together.