Fifteen Bases for Church Growth

In my previous article, Steps to Church Growth, I presented a series of physical steps a church can take to help its growth.

In this article I will present some philosophical and theological positions that will result in growth, physically and spiritually.

1. The church’s core beliefs must conform to the scriptural teaching of one God, existing in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit; that He is omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient, is sovereign and that He is our judge and Redeemer.

2. The church must recognize that the Father is not the Son and not the Holy Spirit, but is God; that the Son is not the Father and is not the Holy Spirit, but is God and that the Holy Spirit is not the Father and is not the Son, but is God.

3. The church must understand and teach that Jesus Christ is “God with us,” fully God and fully man and is the personification of the gospel, God’s plan for man’s redemption, by actually taking upon Himself the sins of mankind and experiencing their consequences. The church must know that salvation comes through faith in, and only in, the death, burial and resurrection of Christ.

4. The church must experience the power of the Holy Spirit as “God in us,” empowering mankind to live in the church and in the world in such a way as to honor and glorify God through the use of spiritual gifts.

5. The church must realize that the Bible is God’s revelation of His character, His love for His creation and His plan for its redemption; that it is the final authority for all belief and practice; and that it must be interpreted, not by proof-text, but in view of its entire context.

6. The church must engage in worship that involves Christians in a personal and corporate encounter with God for the purpose of glorifying Him. It must realize that worship is not about personal preference and desire but is all about God and His desires for us.

7. The church must develop ministries: that enable members to learn the Word of God (the Bible); that provide opportunities for personal growth through service; that emphasize missions study and activities relating to the local community and around the world; that engage members in Christian fellowship

8. The church must come to realize that a church that is not growing is already dead. It must deliberately understand that the Bible requires us to grow in order to fulfill the Great Commission and to emulate the results of Pentecost and other New Testament examples of the church.

9. The church must follow the leadership of its called ministers and lay leaders who have the gifts of faith and vision for the church. It must respond positively to the enthusiasm of its leaders while recognizing that each individual is called to be a minister.

10. The church must accept that it is to be “credible” in its witness and behavior, realizing that Jesus is the Sacrificial Lamb for all of mankind, regardless of station in life, cultural, national or racial differences, or any other social factors. The church is to be a “healing station” for all people, as well as a source for the truth of the gospel. Church members’ love for one another and for those who might be considered “outsiders” must testify as to the truth of that gospel.

11. The church must involve itself in missions both actively and passively. That is: the church should give regularly to missions; engage in local mission teaching and activities; provide mission trip activities to enable members to experience missions around the world.

12. The church must organize for growth, recognizing that we serve a God who is supremely organized and has given us multiple examples of organization in His Word. This organization should include, among other things: small groups for study and fellowship; Bible study classes; the frequent formation of new groups as growth occurs; the provision of adequate space for growth; a staff that meets the growing needs of the congregation and community and an acute awareness of the expectations of their target group(s).

13. The church must reject the so-called “small church” mentality, recognizing the factors needed to make the facility a place that enhances growth through the effective and creative use of such things as: the audio/visual systems; church bulletins and newsletters; adequate heating and cooling; a great “first impression;” good maintenance of both buildings and grounds and other things that characterize “professionalism” in the sense of providing the best possible experience for members and guests.

14. The church must find ways to introduce “changes” in such a way as to help “traditionalists” understand why they are necessary and to help “progressives” understand why not all changes can take place all at once, but must be approached logically, systematically and under the leadership of the Holy Spirit.

15. The church must understand that programs do not grow churches, people do. It must come to grips with the truth that ministries are there to provide for the spiritual needs of the members and to help them become significantly involved in service to God. In this way they will experience the fullness of the joy in Christ available to church members.

No doubt there are other philosophical and theological factors that may be considered, but implementing these fifteen will go a long way toward making solid, effective growth possible both spiritually and physically.

STEPS TO CHURCH GROWTH

Church growth means more than just increasing numbers, it also means maturing the numbers (which represent people) that you already have.

There are four main ways a church experiences growth:

1. Personal contact

2. Advertising

3. Serendipity

4. Constant Prayer

Personal Contact

Statistics indicate that up to 90% of most churches’ visitors are invited to come by someone they know.

The trouble with this is the low percentage of attendees who are inviting friends and neighbors to come visit their church.

Growth by personal contact requires that the number of personal contacts made by members and regular attendees increase.

How can the number of personal contacts be increased?

a. Discovery – Develop a way to discover potential attendees.
b. Make contacts deliberate – There must be some method of assigning contacts to people that they will accept and follow up on.
c. Accountability – Establish a method of recording those contacts.
d. Follow-up – Several different regular methods of follow-up need to be put in place.
e. Coordination – The effort for growth must be coordinated, perhaps through an existing organization (such as the Sunday School) or through a person, group or committee.

Advertising

Saddleback Community Church, under the leadership of Rick Warren, made heavy use of advertising in its early years.

Advertising pays for itself in that when it results in a new attendee, that person is likely to make a contribution to the church, thus covering the per person cost of that advertisement.
To be effective, advertising must do three things:

1. Attract the attention of the viewer/hearer.
2. Hold the attention of the viewer/hearer long enough for him/her to know what it’s about.
3. Elicit a response from the viewer/hearer.

Advertising that is cluttered with too much information will be ignored.

There’s an old adage in advertising: White space (space where there are no words) sells.

That means that peoples’ eyes need to be immediately focused on the point of the advertising.

Advertising must be clear, stating the who, what, where and when of what the viewer/hearer needs to know and perhaps one or two significant draws (such as a concert and its performer).

An effective web site is one form of advertising that will be frequented by the more contemporary prospect.

Remember these things about web sites:

1. A web site should be easy to find, easy to read, and easy to navigate.
2. Fancy or tricky elements in a web site should be avoided at all costs. They might be artistic, but they will quickly drive people away.
3. Remember the white space sells adage and avoid a cluttered web site.
4. Burying information behind a series of links will discourage the reader from pursuing information online. Necessary links should be on the front page of the web site.
5. Really important information should be on the front page of the church’s web site.
6. Frequent side bar information on a web site should feature special events, which will frequently change.
7. Every document produced by the church should have the web site URL printed on it, as should all other advertising.

A well designed, attractive and highly visible sign at the church site can be an effective form of advertising, again remembering the white space sells rule.

Serendipity

Some people will find your church by driving by or by some other “accidental” means.

There must be some mechanism in place to discover them, greet them, give them information about the church and help to find their way around in it.

Greeters should be in place to recognize visitors, encourage them with sincere smiles, and hand them pertinent information about the church, perhaps in the form of an introductory brochure.
An active reception area (vestibule) that gets their attention would be helpful.

The reception area might include:

1. A “Visitor Welcome Station,” where nametags could be handed to visitors.
2. A missions center showing a continuous DVD of recent mission trips
3. A continuous DVD showing various ministries of the church, such as the Youth Ministry, SAM, AWANA, Children’s Church, Sunday School, Christian growth opportunities, choir, etc.
4. Ushers prepared to actively help visitors find a place to sit comfortably.

Constant Prayer

Prayer is listed last, but should be practiced first.

Prayer should not be focused on numbers, but on discovering God’s vision for the church and how it is to reach people with the gospel for Him, teach people about Him and grow people in Him.

In other words, prayer should be about discovering what God is doing and getting on board with Him to get it done.

MONDAY MUSINGS FROM OUR FOUNDERS-Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson

SIGNER OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE; DIPLOMAT; GOVERNOR OF VIRGINIA; SECRETARY OF STATE; THIRD PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
"The practice of morality being necessary for the well being of society, He [God] has taken care to impress its precepts so indelibly on our hearts that they shall not be effaced by the subtleties of our brain. We all agree in the obligation of the moral principles of Jesus and nowhere will they be found delivered in greater purity than in His discourses."

Mark 14:1-72

The Verses

1. Verse 1 This was before Passover (which includes the Feast of Unleavened Bread). See pages 2 & 3.

2. Verse 2 Religious officials wanted to kill Jesus, but not during Passover, lest the people be stirred up.

3. 3-9 Jesus is anointed at Bethany. Nard (Nard has intense, warm, fragrant, musky notes, similar to the aromas of humus. It exhibits a wide range of fragrances among the root-type perfumes). Who do you supposed objected to the anointing of Jesus with this valuable perfume? (John 12:3-5) Why? (Are we Christians guilty of “counting the costs” of service Jesus?)

4. 10 – 11 Was the anointing of Jesus the impetus for Judas’ betrayal of Him?

5. 12 – 26 Jesus reiterates that He is going to die, this time with more detail and with the reason(s) why.

6. 27 – 31 Peter contradicts Jesus’ prediction that they will all “fall away.”

7. 32 – 42 “Abba” is an endearing Aramaic term for “Father,” that could be translated, “Daddy” or “Papa.” Jesus committed himself to the Father’s will. We must do the same when we pray. What is the significance of Jesus finding the disciples asleep three times?

8. 43 – 51 Who is the betrayer? Why a kiss? Who cut off the ear of the servant of the High Priest? (John 18:10)

9. 52 – 65 The ancient Jewish court system was called the Sanhedrin (Which translates: “Assembly”). The Sanhedrin judged accused lawbreakers, but could not initiate arrests. It required a minimum of two witnesses to convict a suspect. Up until 30 AD, the Sanhedrin could impose capital punishment.

10. 66 – 72 Peter denies that he knows Jesus. What is the lesson for us to learn from this series of events? Is it easy to follow Jesus? Do we ever find ourselves in situations when we’d just as soon nobody bring up “religion?”

What were the disciples in general thinking during this time?

SIGNS OF THE TIMES

Sign over a Gynecologist's Office:
"Dr. Jones, at your cervix."
**************************
In a Podiatrist's office:
"Time wounds all heels."
***************** *********
On a Septic Tank Truck:
Yesterday's Meals on Wheels
At a Proctologist's door:
"To expedite your visit, please back in."
**************************
On a Plumber's truck:
"We repair what your husband fixed."
**************************
On another Plumber's truck:
"Don't sleep with a drip. Call your plumber."
**************************
On a Church's Bill board:
"7 days without God makes one weak."
**************************
At a
Tire Shop in Milwaukee :
"Invite us to your next blowout."
**************************
At a Towing company:
"We don't charge an arm and a leg. We want tows."
**************************
On an Electrician's truck:
"Let us remove your shorts."
**************************
In a Nonsmoking Area:
"If we see smoke, we will assume you are on fire and take appropriate action."
**************************
On a Maternity Room door:
"Push. Push. Push."
**************************
At an Optometrist's Office:
"If you don't see what you're looking for, you've come to the right place."
**************************
On a Taxidermist's window:
"We really know our stuff."
**************************
On a Fence:
"Salesmen welcome! Dog food is expensive!"
**************************
At a Car Dealership:
"The best way to get back on your feet - miss a car payment."
**************************
Outside a Muffler Shop:
"No appointment necessary. We hear you coming."
**************************
In a Veterinarian's waiting room:
"Be back in 5 minutes. Sit! Stay!"
**************************
At the Electric Company
"We would be delighted if you send in your payment..
However, if you don't, you will be."
************** ************
In a Restaurant window:
"Don't stand there and be hungry; come on in and get fed up."
**************************
In the front yard of a Funeral Home:
"Drive carefully. We'll wait."
**************************
At a Propane Filling Station:
"Thank heaven for little grills."
**************************
And don't forget the sign at a
CHICAGO RADIATOR SHOP:
"Best place in town to take a leak."
**********************
Sign on the back of another Septic Tank Truck:
"Caution - This Truck is full of Political Promises"

JUST IN CASE YOU NEED A LAUGH:

Remember it takes a college degree to fly a plane, but only a high school diploma to fix one; a reassurance to those of us who fly routinely in our jobs.

After every flight, UPS pilots fill out a form, called a 'gripe sheet,' which tells mechanics about problems with the aircraft. The mechanics correct the problems, document their repairs on the form, and then pilots review the gripe sheets before the next flight.

Never let it be said that ground crews lack a sense of humor.

Here are some actual maintenance complaints submitted by UPS pilots (marked with a P) and the solutions recorded (marked with an S) by maintenance engineers.

(By the way,UPS is the only major airline that has never, never, ever, had an accident. )

P: Left inside main tire almost needs replacement.
S: Almost replaced left inside main tire.
*
P: Test flight OK, except auto-land very rough.
S: Auto-land not installed on this aircraft.
*
P: Something loose in cockpit.
S: Something tightened in cockpit.
*
P: Dead bugs on windshield.
S: Live bugs on back-order.
*
P: Autopilot in altitude-hold mode produces a 200-feet-per-minute descent.
S: Cannot reproduce problem on ground.
*
P: Evidence of leak on right main landing gear.
S:
landing gear.
S: Evidence removed.
*
P: DME volume unbelievably loud.
S: DME volume set to more believable level.
*
P: Friction locks cause throttle levers to stick.
S: That's what friction locks are for.
*
P: IFF inoperative in OFF mode.
S: IFF is always inoperative in OFF mode.
*
P: Suspected crack in windshield.
S: Suspect you're right.
*
P: Number 3 engine missing.
S: Engine found on right wing after brief search.
*
P: Aircraft handles funny. (I love this one!)
S: Aircraft warned to straighten up, fly right and be serious.
*
P: Target radar hums.
S: Reprogrammed target radar with lyrics.
*
P: Mouse in cockpit.
S: Cat installed.
*
And the best one for last
*
P: Noise coming from under instrument panel. Sounds like a midget pounding on something with a hammer.
S: Took hammer away from the midget.

Mark 13

There are no miracles recorded in this chapter, but there is the typical “action” of Mark. It’s all future action.

The Verses:

1 – 4. The questions by the disciples.

a. Jesus had pronounced a coming desolation upon the temple.
b. John 2:18-19 (Jesus is referring ultimately to Himself).
c. Disciples were caught up in the physical entrapments of the buildings.

5 – 7 A panorama of this age.

a. Two types of impersonators: psychologically ill; satanic/demonic
b. Wars; earthquakes; famines (Africa, India & Asia) Key: increase.

8 – 13 Persecution preceding the Great Tribulation

a. Christianity is held in low regard by politicians, schools, etc.
b. Not “if,” but “when” you are arrested. Can we stand for Christ?
c. The Holy Spirit must lead you in that time. (Romans 8:1-3)
d. Only those truly saved will stand firm (Verse 13)

14 – 23 Prophecy of the Great Tribulation

a. “Abomination of desolation” (Daniel 9:27; 11:31 & 12:11)
b. Matthew 24:15 – The Holy Place is for Jews; Christians don’t have a holy place, no matter what you may have heard.

24 – 27 Proclamation of the Second Coming of Christ

a. Times will be tough beyond imagination.
b. When Christ returns He will come with power & glory (Nobody will miss the event.
c. The “elect” refers to born again believers. This is NOT the rapture of the church – there are no angels then.

28 – 33 The parable of the fig tree.

a. There is disagreement over whether the fig tree refers to Israel. I, personally, believe it does. At the very least, Jesus is talking about spiritual seasons. “The church age (this generation) will still be going on when this happens. Matthew Henry writes: “when ye see the Jewish nation embroiled in wars, distracted by false Christs and prophets, and drawing upon them the displeasure of the Romans, especially when ye see them persecuting you for your Master’s sake, and thereby standing to what they did when they put him to death, and repeating it, and so filling up the measure of their iniquity, then say that their ruin is nigh, even at the door, and provide for yourselves accordingly.’’
b. The Greek word used for “heaven” in verse 31 is ouranos and means “sky.” God’s Heaven is not going anywhere.
c. The Word of God: This means both scripture and Jesus, Himself, the Living Word.

34 – 37 The instructions to God’s people.

a. I do not know what could possibly be unclear about “No man knows…,” but some people make an effort to twist the phrase.
b. The key here is to BE READY: spiritually; emotionally; physically; awake or asleep. Be certain of your relationship to God through Christ RIGHT NOW. DON’T WAIT! DON’T PUT IT OFF!

A PUN MY WORD

The ability to make and understand puns is considered to be
the highest level of language development. Test your pun
comprehension:

1. A vulture boards an airplane, carrying two dead
raccoons. The stewardess looks at him and says, "I'm sorry,
sir, only one carrion allowed per passenger.”

2. Two fish swim into a concrete wall. One turns to the
other and says, "Dam!"

3. Two Eskimos sitting in a kayak were chilly, so they lit
a fire in the craft. Unsurprisingly it sank, proving once
again that you can't have your kayak and heat it too.

4. Two hydrogen atoms meet. One says, "I've lost my
electron." The other says, "Are you sure?" The first replies
"Yes, I'm positive."

5. Did you hear about the Buddhist who refused Novocain
during a root canal? His goal: transcend dental medication.

6. A group of chess enthusiasts checked into a hotel and
were standing in the lobby discussing their recent
tournament victories. After about an hour, the manager came
out of the office and asked them to disperse. "But why?",
they asked, as they moved off. "Because," he said, "I can't
stand chess-nuts boasting in an open foyer."

7. A woman has twins and gives them up for adoption. One of
them goes to a family in Egypt and is named "Ahmal." The
other goes to a family in Spain , they name him "Juan."
Years later, Juan sends a picture of himself to his birth
mother. Upon receiving the picture, she tells her husband
that she wishes she also had a picture of Ahmal. Her husband
responds, "They're twins! If you've seen Juan, you've seen
Ahmal."

8. A group of friars were behind on their belfry payments,
so they opened up a small florist shop to raise funds. Since
everyone liked to buy flowers from the men of God, a rival
florist across town thought the competition was unfair. He
asked the good fathers to close down, but they would not. He
went back and begged the friars to close. They ignored him.
So, the rival florist hired Hugh MacTaggart, the roughest
and most vicious thug in town to "persuade" them to close.
Hugh beat up the friars and trashed their store, saying he'd
be back if they didn't close up shop. Terrified, they did
so, thereby proving that only Hugh can prevent florist
Friars.

9. Mahatma Gandhi, as you know, walked barefoot most of the
time, which produced an impressive set of calluses on his
feet. He also ate very little, which made him rather frail
and, with his odd diet, he suffered from bad breath. This
made him ... a super callused fragile mystic hexed by
halitosis.

10. And finally, Patriot Humor sent ten different puns to
their subscribers, with the hope that at least one of the
puns would make them laugh. No pun in ten did.

VERBage PART 01

Studies have shown that more than half of the errors made in the English language involve the use of verbs.

Verbs come in three forms: the present tense; the past tense and the past participle.

They express an action or a state of being that is either happening now, happened in the past or is combined with an auxiliary verb such as have, has or had and expresses a completed action.

In the sentence: I drive; the action (drive) occurs at the present time.

In the sentence: I drove; the action occurred in the past.

Finally, in the sentence: I have driven every day this week; driven is the past participle and expresses an action that is completed.

How one forms sentences with verbs is determined by whether the verb is a regular verb or an irregular verb.

With regard to verbs, "regular" means "normal" or "usual."

With regular verbs, the tenses are formed in the regular way. For instance one normally expresses the past tense by adding "ed" to the verb. That's the regular way to turn a present tense verb into a past tense verb.

Not only that, but the Past Participle of the verb is formed in the same way as the Past Tense.

So, the regular verb, call is turned into the Past Tense by adding "ed." Therefore, the Past Tense of call is called.

Because call is a regular verb, the Past Participle is also formed by adding "ed."

These can form sentences as follows: I call. That's the Present Tense. I called. That's the Past Tense. I have called. That's the Past Participle.

Irregular verbs are called irregular because they do not form their Past Tense and their Past Participle in the regular way.

There are more regular verbs than there are irregular verbs, so it is easier to learn the irregular verbs and assume all others to be regular.

The following list of verbs deals with some common irregular verbs. They are listed in the order of Present Tense; Past Tense and then the Past Participle.

sing - sang - sung
drive - drove - driven
begin - began - begun
go - went - gone (This one is strange because each one is totally different from the other.)
burst- burst - burst (This one is strange because all three are the same.)

Next time we will examine how to use the principle parts of regular and irregular verbs.

Mark 3:1-6; 5:33-42; 10:14-16

Here we will look at a few key verses from the earlier passages of Mark that we missed.

Mark 3:3-5

1. Is it possible that the Pharisees planted this man there to trap Jesus?

2. Some of the religious leaders wanted to see whether Jesus would heal on the Sabbath. Why do you think they cared? What do you think? How does what you think jibe with Mark2:25-27? How do you think the man with the paralyzed hand felt about the religious leaders?

3. Jesus stood the man where everybody could see him. This probably surprised the Pharisees and made them more than a little angry. If He was accused and arrested, a lot of people would know the truth.

4. Why didn’t the Pharisees answer Jesus’ question? Could it be they saw that they had backed themselves into a theological corner?

5. Jesus was much more interested in the man’s need than in following some imagined rule about the Sabbath Day.

Mark 5:33-34

We know this story of the woman with the issue of blood whose issue was “incurable.” This comes in between the beginning of the healing of Jairus’ daughter.

33. The woman “told Him the whole truth.” What was the whole truth? Why was she fearful and trembling?

34. Her faith healed her. Does this mean that lack of faith prevents healing?

Now we continue on with Jairus’ daughter.

35-36. Word came that Jairus’ daughter had died. How did the friends of Jairus react?

37-42 No big crowds wanted here. There would be enough commotion when they got where they were going.

Mark 10:14-16

What does it mean for YOU to have a child-like spirit in order to have the Kingdom of God belong to you?

VMTPN

Reading the title of this post might prompt you to exclaim: "What the...?"

As it turns out, VMTPN are the first letters of each of the ways in which subjects and predicates must agree in sentences.

They stand for: Voice; Mood; Tense; Person and Number.

When I was in ninth grade, my English teacher, Mr. Bush, gave us an aid by which to remember this.

WARNING! This might be considered by some to be a bit graphic (although by today's standards it is pretty mild).

Mr. Bush taught us that the first letters of Voice, Mood, Tense, Person and Number are every other letter in the words, vomit pan (VoMiT PaN).

Don't say I did not warn you!

You will remember that, though, won't you?

Have you ever heard someone say something like: "I seen him go into the store..."?

Of course that person should have said: "I saw him go into the store..."

Of the five points of agreement between subject and predicates, Tense might be the most complex, at least as it relates to verb usage.

There are five "types" of verbs: verbs of "being;" "regular" verbs; "irregular" verbs; "progressive" verbs and "emphatic" verbs.

That can be daunting.

There are six tenses of each of the verb forms. In addition, there are special forms of verbs called: progressive verbs, as well as the present participle of verbs.

Just to complicate matters a little more, there are special cases of verbs, for example: shall and will (Do you know when to use which of them?) and should and would.

There is the issue of when to use "have" and when to use "of." "They might of warned us" is incorrect, while "They might have warned us" is correct.

I believe that schools should begin the serious study of verbs in about the fifth grade, when children are able to begin understanding language concepts and that each form and type of verb should be studied for at least one week each year.

How many of us understand the use of the future perfect tense, for instance?

"I shall have been calling..." is an example of the future perfect tense.

Verbs can be in: the active or passive voice; the indicative, the imperative or the subjunctive mood; the first, second or third person - singular or plural.

In a sentence, the predicate (composed of verbs and their respective forms and/or modifiers) and the subject (composed of nouns, pronouns and their respective modifiers) must almost always be in agreement.

There are some special literary cases in which this need not be but as a general rule, agreement is the name of the game.

Over the next several weeks I will use my Wednesday posts to examine the part of speech we know as verbs.

Mark 10:1-52

We have seen Jesus perform miracles, teach his disciples about his impending deaths, burial and resurrection, and about the child-like faith his followers must have.

Get your Bible out and follow the verses.

The Verses

1. They were on their way to Jerusalem where Jesus would be crucified (just like he had told his disciples).

2. This was a trick question. If Jesus answered, “No,” he would be contradicting Moses and Herod (who had divorced his wife and married his brother, Phillip’s wife.). Jesus’ death was not to be determined on this issue. If He said, “Yes,” He would stand accused of being lax in His teaching. It was not an honest inquiry about a spiritual truth.

3. His response was once again a question, “What did Moses command?”

4. Reference Deuteronomy 24:1-2. The Law of Moses allowed divorce, and later it was interpreted as super-easy…even for burning the biscuits. If the Pharisees had really wanted to get tot he heart of the issue, their question would have been, “What is the basis for the reason for marriage?”

5. Whose hearts were hardened, that the Mosaic Law was such?

6–8. Jesus takes them back to God’s ideal at the beginning of creation. Divorce was not in His plan. Neither was murder. But murderers can be forgiven. In many “Christian” circles divorced persons cannot be. This is more about marriage than it is about divorce. The thing counselors need to deal with is not, “Why do you want a divorce?” The thing counselors should be dealing with is, “Why do you want to get married?”

9. God makes marriage, not man.

10–12. A parallel passage is in Matthew 5:31, which includes the “fornication” issue. Matthew was writing to Jews, who knew the Law, Mark was writing to Romans, who did not know the Law of Moses.

13-16. This is NOT a change of subject! Who gets hurt the most in divorce? The children. Jesus uses children as an example of how we come to Him. Look back at Mark 9:37.

17-31. Keeping the Law was not good enough to save a person. Does verse 21 remind you of Romans 6:7 or Romans 6:11? Some people never experience the joy of salvation because (1) they were never saved to begin with; and (2) they never put Christ ahead of self and possessions. Why is it hard to “enter the Kingdom of Heaven?” Very few are willing to commit and submit to Christ.

31. Does this remind you of the squabble the disciples were having among themselves back in Mark 9:33-37?

32–34. Jesus once again tells the disciples that He is going to be put to death.

35–40. Can you believe this? The disciples are STILL hung up on some pecking order. We all seem to seek some kind of recognition for what we do, even the things we do for Christ. Remember, the disciples had given up their livelihoods to follow Christ. They wanted something in return. Quid-pro-quo…I give you something, you give me something. What the disciples did not realize was the cost Jesus was going to have to pay for the joy of your salvation.

40-45. We are to have a servant’s heart and attitude.

46-52. I love verse 50, because it illustrates the confidence Bartimaeus had that he would receive his sight and would be able to find his cloak.

MONDAY MUSINGS FROM OUR FOUNDERS-James Iredell

James Iredell

RATIFIER OF THE U. S. CONSTITUTION; ATTORNEY GENERAL OF NORTH CAROLINA; U. S. SUPREME COURT JUSTICE APPOINTED BY PRESIDENT GEORGE WASHINGTON
"For my part, I am free and ready enough to declare that I think the Christian religion is a Divine institution; and I pray to God that I may never forget the precepts of His religion or suffer the appearance of an inconsistency in my principles and practice."