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BIBLE READING: Matthew 24 DISCUSSION                                                                                                       Several years ago, a classmate of mine was scheduled to speak in our high school chapel at Mars Hill Bible School.  It isn’t unusual for people to get nervous before giving a lesson, especially in an audience of your peers, but on this day the speaker looked extremely uncomfortable.  As he stood up to deliver his lesson, there was an awkward silence in the auditorium.  The speaker began ...

BIBLE READING: Mark 13 DISCUSSION                                                                              While on this earth, Jesus made several promises.  In John 10.10 He promises an abundant life to all His followers.  In John 15.14-15, he promises us His hand in friendship if we do whatsoever He has commanded us to do.  In Matthew 28.20, He promised to be with us always.  All these promises (along with many more) are wonderful for us today and offer us motivation to continue to endure till the end.  However, in today’s world, the most important promise that Jesus made to us could be the one we find in Mark 13.31...

Bible Reading: Matthew 23, Luke 20-21 Discussion      The Greeks had a word for those that would perform in the theater as actors pretending to be something they were not; the word was hypocrite. In Matthew 23, Jesus begins to be very critical of the Pharisees because they are simply just pretending to be something they are not. Notice the harshness of Jesus' rebuke. righteous to others "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness. So, you also outwardly appear ,but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness." (Matthew 23. 25-28) Sadly, we don't have to be a Pharisee...

Bible Reading: Matthew 22, Mark 12

BIBLE READING: Mark 11, John 12 DISCUSSION                                                                                                     Jesus knew that there would be some people that would not fully buy into Him being the Son of God.  He knew that it would take time for them to see that He was the complete fulfillment of prophecy and that it would even take the resurrection before some would become disciples.  To help encourage their faith along, Jesus would leave a few subtle hints throughout His ministry about things that w...

BIBLE READING: Luke 18. 15-43, 19. 1-48 DISCUSSION                                                                                                           A Stereotype is “a standardized mental picture that is held in common by members of a group and that represents an oversimplified opinion, prejudiced attitude, or uncritical judgment” (Mirriam Webster).  Being stereotyped is not just something that something that happened in modern times, it was also something that was very prevalent in the first century as well.  ...

Reading: Matthew 20-21                                               “They finally get it!  They finally understand who I am and that I am here to save them.” I am sure those thoughts must have crossed the mind of Jesus as He is seated on that colt watching them lay down their coats and palm trees in front of Him.  He could hear their cries of “Hosanna to the son of David…. Hosanna to the highest.”  The word “Hosanna” just simply means “Save us” or “a prayer to save”.  As the first century had rolled around, it had become a word that was more used as an expression of praise and adoration.  The expressions on the faces of the crowd and the hearing of the words of praise from their lips, must have given Jesus a comforting peace to know that “Yes...