The apostles bring back a report to Jesus on the state of Israel. Now they need some quiet to rest and talk. But when Jesus takes them away from the populated centres, a huge crowds runs to join them. In
Puny king
With the first mission of the 12, Jesus’ kingdom has become much more visible. Indeed, it draws the attention of a godless local ruler: ‘King’ Herod Antipas. Already, this immoral and weak man has tangled with God’s kingdom when he
Empty pockets, dusty feet
Now homeless, Jesus sees that it’s time to increase the reach of his mission. He sends out his 12 disciples two-by-two to battle with unclean spirits. It’s a sign that as king he will win the greatest victory of all:
Fame (HCTW 7)
He Changed The World – for an introduction to this series of talks, please click the title. Mark 3:7-19Using the player above you can listen to/download the talk, which also includes the Bible being read out. Once you’ve listened, take
And so it begins
Mark’s gospel is the announcement of the coming of God’s king: Jesus, a king whom none can ignore. He begins with a dramatic opening as God sends a prophesied herald to start the ball rolling. John comes to warn the
Mark’s gospel
Mark wrote his gospel in the 1st century AD, probably based on his work assisting the apostle Peter. It reliably announces Jesus as God’s king to whom all must respond. It can be trusted to tell us the core of
True justice
If the material universe is the ultimate reality, then our concerns about right, wrong and justice are simply human inventions to make life more bearable; they have no bigger meaning since the universe ‘doesn’t care.’ We, however, cannot treat them
Misunderstood at home
Returning to our childhood home can be hard, especially if we have changed in ways which are not clear to those still there. Paul has this on a grand scale as he returns to Israel’s capital, Jerusalem, where he spent
Upside down world
Every person has their own traits and personality. But when people come together – such as in a town or a team – the combined group can have traits and personality too. Luke uses that in Acts as he describes
Invasion
Landing on a heavily defended beach is the stuff of nightmares, as soldiers wonder if they’ll ever get off the sand alive. In a similar way, Paul & his team must have wondered how far they’d get when the Lord