Speaker: Nathan Guy

Reasons for being part of a gathered church family.

We all have a hole in our soul. And we look around at the universe for something to fill it. Youthfulness doesn’t last, money doesn’t heal all wounds, and every technological advancement only makes the problem worse. For some, even religion hasn’t given them the satisfaction they seek. As every day goes by, and we march closer and closer to death, our soul cries out, “is that all there is?”

What if I told you that the God I serve—the God I found in Jesus Christ—provides the answer to the deepest longings of your heart? He can fill that hole in your soul that money, relationships, and even religion can’t fill. And what he offers is no pie in the sky; it will resonate with you.

In Mark 11, Jesus enters into Jerusalem and overturns the tables of the money-changers in the Temple. The people spread out palm branches upon his arrival, and Jesus curses a fig tree in the process. What does this all mean? How does Zechariah 14 and the revolution of the Maccabees factor in?

Paul mentions the empty tomb in passing. It’s there. It’s part of the “first importance” teaching. But it wasn’t the empty tomb that produced hope in the heart of believers; it was their encounter with the risen Christ. The sight of the empty tomb brought fear and panic; but visions or appearances of Jesus brought hope and joy.

Questions and doubts are not opposite faith…they are part of a life of faith. But questions and doubts can either drive us to or drive us away from exploring the Christian story. In this first lesson, I share why I believe in “a faith worthy of our questions.” First in a 4-part series titled “A Worthy Faith.”

Mark 8-10 appears to be a hodgepodge of stories and sayings. But is there a method to Mark’s madness? There is! All of these stories revolve around two basic callings of discipleship: (1) total humility, and (2) total surrender. Mark is asking his readers to start first with these two principles

Faith is necessary for Christian doctrine; love is essential for Christian practice. But hope–genuine hope in the reality to which all doctrine points and all practice imitates–is why we chose the Christian way in the first place…and why we hold to our faith and practice our love in the long wait between the times. The story is not over yet. The new day will dawn, in which the mere echoes of goodness, beauty, and truth which we have witnessed this side of His coming will give way to the fullness for which our hearts are longing.

The dictionary defines “metamorphosis” as “a change of the form or nature of a thing or person into a completely different one, by natural or supernatural means.” Did you hear what that phrase could mean: “a change of the nature of a person into a completely different person, by supernatural means.”

Jesus speaks harshly about traditions over people, then he offers healing to outsiders. Finally, he offers a “double touch healing” to make a point for the disciples…and for us. Mark 7 & 8.