This week we will be studying Revelation 7:9-14 under the theme “Christianity Is Necessarily Diverse.” As we close out our series on Urban Apologetics, we will look back at the doctrines we’ve covered, their implications, and applications for individuals and our church. We will also look ahead to the gathering of saints for worship in heaven, noticing how, by God’s design, they’ve come from every nation, tribe, people, and language. This series is loosely structured on a book by Dr. Eric Mason. ...
Jul 01, 2024•30 min
This week we will be studying James 2:1-5 under the theme “Does God Favor Some People Groups?” Why is it that the poor of the world have historically been more receptive to the gospel of Jesus than the wealthy? What exactly is favoritism and what does it look like to rid our lives of a “ME FIRST” approach to human relationships? This passage from James teaches us another upside-down principle of the Kingdom. This series is loosely structured on a book by Dr. Eric Mason. "Apologetics" is the stud...
Jun 24, 2024•28 min
This week we will be studying Deuteronomy 10:12-22 under the theme “Christians Fight For Human Dignity.” In our annual Juneteenth celebration, we will acknowledge our country’s struggles with human dignity, study God’s approach to viewing one another based on how he views us, and seek steps toward preserving the dignity of all. This series is loosely structured on a book by Dr. Eric Mason. "Apologetics" is the study of the reasonable defense of the Christian faith; being prepared to give the wor...
Jun 17, 2024•29 min
This week we will be studying Galatians 3:26-29 under the theme “Christianity…a Whitewashed Religion?” Regardless of earthly categories, all who believe in Jesus maintain the status as fully justified children of God. Unfortunately, Christians don’t always communicate that equality in the way we conduct our lives. We begin our new series by seeing how this is problematic and where we can start doing something about it. This series is loosely structured on a book by Dr. Eric Mason. "Apologetics" ...
Jun 10, 2024•33 min
This week we will be studying 2 Corinthians 9:6-15 under the theme “Give.” Regular, generous giving is a tangible way for us to express gratitude for all that God has already accomplished for us and confidence in all that God promises for our present and future. As we are renewed by the grace of Jesus, he calls us to a new life of following him called discipleship. At St Marcus, we focus on 4 spiritual habits we call "Vital Signs" that help us grow in healthy ways along our Journey of Disciplesh...
Jun 03, 2024•26 min
This week we will be studying 1 Peter 4:7-11 under the theme “Serve.” Regular, sacrificial serving reminds us that our life has already been taken care of by Jesus and that our time on earth is best spent imitating His walk by laying down our lives for others. As we are renewed by the grace of Jesus, he calls us to a new life of following him called discipleship. At St Marcus, we focus on 4 spiritual habits we call "Vital Signs" that help us grow in healthy ways along our Journey of Discipleship...
May 27, 2024•29 min
This week we will be studying Deuteronomy 6:1-12 under the theme “Study.” As encouraged by God, we know that regular, relational Bible study deepens the intimacy we have with God through a better understanding of his Word and a better understanding of the people he dwells in. As we are renewed by the grace of Jesus, he calls us to a new life of following him called discipleship. At St Marcus, we focus on 4 spiritual habits we call "Vital Signs" that help us grow in healthy ways along our Journey...
May 20, 2024•32 min
This week we’ll be studying Psalm 95:1-11 to better understand the first of our four Vital Signs – “Worship.” All humans are designed for the purpose of worship, but the variance between us simply lies in whom/what we choose to worship. We need to see how God is above all other gods, worthy alone of our worship, and we’ll learn insights into the hows and whys of our corporate worship. SERIES SUMMARY: As we are renewed by the grace of Jesus, he calls us to a new life of following him called disci...
May 13, 2024•35 min
This week we’ll be studying Colossians 4:2-6 under the theme “The Mystery of Jesus.” The concept of God’s grace to ALL is truly an upside-down, otherworldly mystery to this fallen world. This week, we’ll learn how we should direct our prayers and lifestyle accordingly, for the purpose of evangelism. The Church in Colossae was a product of Paul’s 3-year ministry in Ephesus. The Apostle Paul wrote the letter to combat a specific type of heresy—a combination of Eastern and Greek philosophy and Jewi...
May 06, 2024•34 min
This week we will be studying Colossians 3:1-14 under the theme “The Clothing of Jesus.” A major part of Christianity is a new identity in Christ. When someone becomes a Christian, they don’t stop being their gender, race, age, political affiliation, or personality. All of those things are demoted below a more important identification factor – REDEEMED by the blood of Jesus. This child of God, recognizing they’ve now been redeemed by the love of God, commits themselves to a life of love toward o...
Apr 29, 2024•21 min
This week we’ll be studying Colossians 2:16-23 under the theme “The Freedom of Jesus.” A major component to the Colossian heresy, and much false religion today (including in Christian churches) is the unnecessary burdening of manmade laws. The Apostle Paul refused to allow the Colossians’ sincere faith to be squeezed out by the self-righteousness of false teachers who presumed to be close to God. The Church in Colossae was a product of Paul’s 3-year ministry in Ephesus. The Apostle Paul wrote th...
Apr 22, 2024•34 min
This week we’ll be studying Colossians 2:6-15 under the theme “The Fullness of Jesus.” Here we receive one of Scripture’s clearest statements that Jesus is fully God and that his work on earth was to remove our sins by nailing them to his cross. We are working together to remove any deceptive philosophy, human tradition, or spirituality that would deter us from these truths. The Church in Colossae was a product of Paul’s 3-year ministry in Ephesus. The Apostle Paul wrote the letter to combat a s...
Apr 15, 2024•30 min
SERIES SUMMARY: The Church in Colossae was a product of Paul’s 3-year ministry in Ephesus. The Apostle Paul wrote the letter to combat a specific type of heresy—a combination of Eastern and Greek philosophy and Jewish legalism with elements of Gnosticism. The danger was not in denying Christianity altogether but in altering genuine Christianity with mysticism, legalism, Eastern religions, asceticism, and man-made philosophy—making it quite relevant to our contemporary pluralistic culture....
Apr 08, 2024•16 min
This Easter we're looking at Isaiah 25:6-9 where Isaiah prophesies about the eternal Feast on Mount Zion, when we will meet the Lord face to face. On that day, there will be no more hunger and no more tears; the only crying that will be heard are the cries of praise to Our God. The Resurrection means every sin and every problem of this world will be undone, and for that, we rejoice!
Apr 02, 2024•24 min
God has seen our most shameful moments, and instead of rejecting us, He loves us. He covers us and makes us beautiful; the only way for Him to do that was to make Himself ugly. He became sin to make us righteous. He was stripped naked to clothe us. He became an object of scorn to make us glorious. Based on John 19:17-30. "For the joy set before Him, He endured the cross, scorning its shame." - Hebrews 12:2
Apr 01, 2024•25 min
We celebrate the Lord's Supper not just to honor Jesus, but to receive from Him. He wanted to have this meal with His disciples, and He wants to have it with us. This Holy Thursday, we feel His sorrow, feel His love, and feel His hope. Based on Luke 22:15-16.
Mar 29, 2024•14 min
This week we’ll be studying John 12:12-29 under the theme “The King.” Jesus entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday providing a unique picture of a humble, otherworldly King. This teaches us a great deal about the humble, otherworldly living of God’s people in the Kingdom. The Gospel of John, written a couple decades after the other Gospel records, focuses less on the facts of Jesus’ ministry and more on the meaning of those facts. John frequently refers to Jesus’ miracles as “signs” – i.e. signals tha...
Mar 25, 2024•28 min
Based on Isaiah 53:8. God promised Adam and Eve that he would one day send one who would crush the serpent and free his people from sin and its penalty. Isaiah announced that this person is the Lord's Suffering Servant. The fourth and final "Servant Song" in the book of Isaiah expresses the unheard of declaration that the suffering of a single man would release all of us from the consequences of sin. In this season of Lent we will focus on our suffering Savior and the Fourth Servant Song of Isai...
Mar 22, 2024•22 min
This week we’ll be studying John 14:1-4 under the theme “Your Room in His House.” Jesus didn’t tell his disciples that they wouldn’t have troubles, but he did tell them to not let their hearts be troubled. He provided them with a resource that would let them face any opposition in life with courage. The Gospel of John, written a couple decades after the other Gospel records, focuses less on the facts of Jesus’ ministry and more on the meaning of those facts. John frequently refers to Jesus’ mira...
Mar 18, 2024•25 min
Based on Isaiah 53:7. God promised Adam and Eve that he would one day send one who would crush the serpent and free his people from sin and its penalty. Isaiah announced that this person is the Lord's Suffering Servant. The fourth and final "Servant Song" in the book of Isaiah expresses the unheard of declaration that the suffering of a single man would release all of us from the consequences of sin. In this season of Lent we will focus on our suffering Savior and the Fourth Servant Song of Isai...
Mar 15, 2024•15 min
This week we will be studying John 13:31-36 under the theme “Loving One Another.” Prior to dying for their sins on the cross, Jesus gets down and washes his disciples’ feet. While both, in a sense, are what God’s people do for one another, the latter provides the more accessible daily option and the apologetic of humbly showing love. The Gospel of John, written a couple decades after the other Gospel records, focuses less on the facts of Jesus’ ministry and more on the meaning of those facts. Jo...
Mar 11, 2024•29 min
Based on Isaiah 53:6. God promised Adam and Eve that he would one day send one who would crush the serpent and free his people from sin and its penalty. Isaiah announced that this person is the Lord's Suffering Servant. The fourth and final "Servant Song" in the book of Isaiah expresses the unheard of declaration that the suffering of a single man would release all of us from the consequences of sin. In this season of Lent we will focus on our suffering Savior and the Fourth Servant Song of Isai...
Mar 09, 2024•11 min
Mary's gift and example of sacrifice and unconditional commitment to Jesus calls us to do the same. When will you "break the jar" and freely live in the comfort of His promises? Based on John 12:1-11. The Gospel of John, written a couple decades after the other Gospel records, focuses less on the facts of Jesus’ ministry and more on the meaning of those facts. John frequently refers to Jesus’ miracles as “signs” – i.e. signals that point us to something even more significant than the miracle its...
Mar 04, 2024•32 min
Based on Isaiah 53:4-5. God promised Adam and Eve that he would one day send one who would crush the serpent and free his people from sin and its penalty. Isaiah announced that this person is the Lord's Suffering Servant. The fourth and final "Servant Song" in the book of Isaiah expresses the unheard of declaration that the suffering of a single man would release all of us from the consequences of sin. In this season of Lent we will focus on our suffering Savior and the Fourth Servant Song of Is...
Mar 02, 2024•14 min
This week we will be studying John 11:36-44 under the theme “Lazarus.” While Jesus performed many miracles, resurrection was his most important and most impactful sign. We’ll see his humanity, his power, and his intention to undo the results of sin in this world. The Gospel of John, written a couple decades after the other Gospel records, focuses less on the facts of Jesus’ ministry and more on the meaning of those facts. John frequently refers to Jesus’ miracles as “signs” – i.e. signals that p...
Feb 27, 2024•33 min
Based on Isaiah 52:14 and Isaiah 53:2-3. God promised Adam and Eve that he would one day send one who would crush the serpent and free his people from sin and its penalty. Isaiah announced that this person is the Lord's Suffering Servant. The fourth and final "Servant Song" in the book of Isaiah expresses the unheard of declaration that the suffering of a single man would release all of us from the consequences of sin. In this season of Lent we will focus on our suffering Savior and the Fourth S...
Feb 24, 2024•14 min
This week we’ll be studying John 10:1-29 under the theme “The Good Shepherd.” The image of Jesus as a Good Shepherd and we as his sheep is humbling, helpful, and hopeful. It provides perspective on what we’re capable of, what Christ is capable of, and how valued we are. The Gospel of John, written a couple decades after the other Gospel records, focuses less on the facts of Jesus’ ministry and more on the meaning of those facts. John frequently refers to Jesus’ miracles as “signs” – i.e. signals...
Feb 20, 2024•27 min
God promised Adam and Eve that he would one day send one who would crush the serpent and free his people from sin and its penalty. Isaiah announced that this person is the Lord's Suffering Servant. The fourth and final "Servant Song" in the book of Isaiah expresses the unheard of declaration that the suffering of a single man would release all of us from the consequences of sin. In this season of Lent we will focus on our suffering Savior and the Fourth Servant Song of Isaiah. Written about 700 ...
Feb 17, 2024•15 min
This week we’ll be studying John 9:1-12 under the theme “Born Blind.” Jesus’ interaction with a man born blind teaches us something about inherent human spiritual blindness, the cause of suffering, the self-righteousness of religious people, and what it truly means to see life clearly. The Gospel of John, written a couple decades after the other Gospel records, focuses less on the facts of Jesus’ ministry and more on the meaning of those facts. John frequently refers to Jesus’ miracles as “signs...
Feb 13, 2024•31 min
This week, we will be studying John 6:22-40 under the theme “The Bread of Life.” This famous teaching provides insight on the energy Christ gives us, how we consume the bread of life, and how to humbly receive this bread from heaven. The Gospel of John, written a couple decades after the other Gospel records, focuses less on the facts of Jesus’ ministry and more on the meaning of those facts. John frequently refers to Jesus’ miracles as “signs” – i.e. signals that point us to something even more...
Feb 06, 2024•39 min
