This Sunday, I'll be preaching Mark 14:43-72. Spoiler alert, this text is heartbreaking. In it, Jesus is lied about struck in the face, refuses to defend Himself against lies, then admits to His true identity in a way that essentially seals His death. Meanwhile, Peter, Jesus' top follower and leader of the rest of the … Continue reading Initial Thoughts on Mark 14:53-72
How to Know What the Best Decision Is
Most decisions we make as followers of Jesus are not made crystal clear by God before we make them. God is able to make every decision clear, but He doesn't often work that way. Instead, He wants us to exercise faith. Exercising faith in God while making decisions requires consulting with four different things. They … Continue reading How to Know What the Best Decision Is
Baptism Can Be a Little Scary, and That’s Okay
Baptism is something the Spirit of God does in the hearts of people and something people do to communicate what God has done in their hearts. Being baptized is necessarily a public action because it is, in part, a proclamation for people to know what has happened to the heart of a person. And since … Continue reading Baptism Can Be a Little Scary, and That’s Okay
On Perseverance After Last Sunday’s Sermon
The topic of perseverance has come up several times lately in our church. One Bible elective has been going through Hebrews, which opened discussion. Then I preached a little bit about it from Mark 13:1-13 this past Sunday, which raised a few questions about it. As you all probably know by now, I hold a … Continue reading On Perseverance After Last Sunday’s Sermon
Reflections on The Silver Chair
I just finished The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis, book four in "The Chronicles of Narnia" series. The story is of Eustace Scrubb (a name he once almost deserved) and Jill Pole, acquaintances at school, who are rushed away from a troublesome situation at their school into Narnia by Aslan. They are tasked in finding … Continue reading Reflections on The Silver Chair
Pastor Jacob’s Blog 