Mid-Week Messenger

Jan 9, 2025

Greetings Everyone

As you may know, at Sunday morning worship we have begun to study through the gospel of Mark and will continue to do so through Easter morning. I wanted to take this time to address a few background items I might not have communicated this last Sunday.

First, Mark was the first gospel recorded of the four gospels in the New Testament. Remember, Jesus’ followers sent out to teach and preach all that Jesus had taught them, and to baptize in His name. (Matt. 28) Meaning, that the early church was first and foremost a group of people who were disciples of Jesus. Discipleship meant then as it does now, that one makes a decision to learn, obey, and practice the way of their master. In the Christian sense, that means following Jesus. It means that His followers didn’t just study what we call the Old Testament, or remember the sermons of Jesus, so they could be informed, but also that they would obey those teachings and by doing so, glorify Jesus. The goal of all gathered information regarding the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit is worshipping God. Mark does not include a lot of teachings of Jesus probably because Mark assumes that the audience knows about the teaching of Jesus. But Mark does include a lot of the works of Jesus because Mark wants us to be in awe of who Jesus is!

Second, the teachings of Jesus were recorded in much greater detail in Matthew, Luke, and John. Why? Because by that time the audiences had changed, and they needed a refresher of what the actual teachings were, think of the prominent place of “Sermon on the Mount” in Matthew 5. Every gospel writer had their purpose and audience in mind when they wrote their account of Jesus’ life. Scholars somewhat disagree about this, but mostly likely the audience vaguely or explicitly had an idea of what Jesus taught. They had heard it from Peter or other disciples, but they needed a picture of what Jesus was all about, how did Jesus life coincide with his teaching. Mark is all about giving the action of Jesus

Third, Mark challenges us to review how we think about Jesus, especially those who think we know Him well. One author put it like this, “What Jesus has to teach can only be taught in an apprentice relationship, which necessitates the disciples’ being with him…” (Edwards, p. 16) Mark records a lot of time and intimate conversations with the disciples and Jesus. You see that’s true for us as well, we will only grow in our love and appreciation for Jesus the more we get to know Him and spend time with Him. How do we do that? I believe the greatest form of this in the study of His life through the Bible and in prayer. In medical terms, this is the spiritual healthy eating of fruits, vegetables, and protein, along with physical exercise routine. In theological terms, this is called the regular means of grace. This is how the Spirit grows you into maturity.

Maybe you don’t have time or experience to study God’s Word on your own, or don’t fell like you are confident in knowing how to pray. I would like to offer a simple solution, attend church. I craft prayers every week in our liturgy, and preach in a way that will hopefully give you greater understanding. We sing songs that should be, as one person I heard recently put it, “sung sermons”. We offer Bible studies throughout the week that allow you to work out your questions and struggles with God and His Word in community. (Women’s and Men’s Bible studies, see bulletin) We want to be a church that makes and matures disciples of Jesus Christ by the expositional preaching of the Word, prayers of the saints, faithful offering of the sacraments, and gospel centered community. Join us!

Ben Melli

Week At A Glance

Sunday, January 12th

9:00 Adult Bible Study – Chapel (see Syllabus below)

10:00 a.m. Worship Service

Monday, January 13th

5:30 p.m. Bell Choir Practice

Tuesday, January 14th

7:00 a.m. Men’s Bible Study and Breakfast

Wednesday, January 15th

10:00 a.m. Ladies AM Bible Study (LAMBS)

7:00 p.m. Choir Practice

Thursday, January 16th

10:00 a.m. Bible Babes

EVENTS CALENDAR

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DIRECTORY UPDATE 2025

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