BridgePointe Christian Church

A rich young man ran up to Jesus to gain assurance of his salvation. Instead, Jesus confronts him with the hard truth of what following Jesus might cost us. In order to enter His Kingdom, Jesus must receive our full allegiance and our greatest affection.

After revealing the reason He came, Jesus enters into the glory of heaven on earth to be replenished and strengthened by God the Father. He needs this breath in order to keep marching toward the cross. The presence of God is intended to also supply us with what we need to walk the way of Jesus.

Previously, Mark has revealed Jesus as King on the basis of His authority. There has been much confusion about Jesus, even among the disciples. Starting with this passage, Jesus begins to reveal why He came--to go to the cross. This is most unexpected, but it's the reason Jesus came. And those who want to be His disciple must walk that road, too.

The Bible calls the church the bride of Christ, the body of Christ, and the family of Christ, all showing how much Jesus loves and cares about His church. Jesus wants His church to be strong, healthy, and mature. Every disciple of Jesus has responsibility in helping his or her church to be strong. There are many ways disciples do this including serving according to the gifts of the Spirit, giving...

Through Jesus life, we see the inbreaking of a new reality into our lost and broken world. He cared for those who are hurting, restored what is broken, and brought goodness and beauty into the world. Because disciples do what Jesus did, Jesus entrusts this work to His disciples so that His Kingdom continues to come to earth. In this message, we will understand the many ways we can intentional brin...

Living with Jesus as King is the essence of being a disciples of Jesus. We relate to Him first and foremost as the good and loving King who has authority over our lives. We need to spend time with Jesus in order to know, love, and trust Him more. And as we learn what He desires for us and commands of us, we obey Him in every part of our lives.

Being a disciple of Jesus is not something we casually drift into. It demands a decisive moment when we declare our allegiance to Jesus. Baptism has served this purpose since Jesus instituted it and the first disciples practiced it. This message challenges us to declare our allegiance to Jesus.

Ebenezer Scrooge was a bad man--greedy, selfish, harsh, unloving. He hurt people close to him and cared little about how he could help… until one night he was given a vision that revealed the consequences of a life lived like this. He awoke a changed man, ready to be kind and do good. How would our lives change if God gave us a glimpse of the impact of our own sin, selfishness, or greed? We would...

Jeronicus is an inventor whose life collapsed due to betrayal and tragedy. He slips into a life of grief, isolation, and depression and doesn't have much reason to hope. Through the persistent love of a granddaughter, Jeronicus discovers hope and restoration. We all, in some way have been hurt by this world. Sometimes, so much so that we struggle to believe there's a reason to hope. Jesus came to...

George Bailey is a good man, doing good things. But being a good person and doing the right thing wears him out. When he gets to a breaking point, he's given a vision of the real impact of his life. That changes his perspective on everything. Likewise, we are created to have a purpose worth living for. We so often go through life exhausted from trying to be good enough. Jesus came to establish a K...

The Grinch is an unhappy creature, at least in part because he does not have a place in the community or celebration in Whoville. It's not until an unexpected act of kindness that the Grinch finds his place of acceptance, which changes His heart. We all have a deep need to belong... to be loved and welcomed as we are. Jesus came to establish a Kingdom for all people. When we receive His love, our...

In the final scenes in Mark's first part, there is still so much uncertainty about Jesus among the crowds and disciples. He has shattered every expectation and people are still wrestling with what to believe about Him. The miracle of the blind man represents how Jesus is soon going to heal spiritual blindness by revealing His true identity.

As Mark's account gets closer to the full revelation of Jesus' identity, miracles continue to provide insight into His power, authority, and Kingdom vision. This is the first time a non-Jew is the recipient of a miracle, showing that Jesus came to bring His Kingdom for all. Reflection Questions: Who do you need to see like Jesus does? What would it mean if you seized God’s Kingdom?

The religious leaders had established a system to deal with the external problems of sin. But that's not really where sin lives. Jesus came to turn the religious system inside out and deal with sin where it starts--in the heart. We must acknowledge the root of sin within us so that we will see Jesus as the only real solution. Reflection Questions: Where do you see an impure heart or sinful decisio...

Jesus feeds a crowd and walks on water. He continues to baffle people, even the ones closest to Him. And yet, in these passages Jesus turns His attention to the disciples to help them understand that He is empowering them to do His work. As Jesus brings His disciples into His work, we can see how we are a part of the continuing work of bringing His Kingdom to those around us. Reflection Questions:...

This one story provides two portrayals of faith--a desperate father pleading for his sick girl and a desperate woman trying to find healing from an incurable condition. Both believe that Jesus offers hope and healing. This story shows that He brings even more than expected to those who believe.

In the two scenes in this passage of Scripture, Jesus demonstrates authority over the forces of nature (wind and waves) and the forces of evil. These miracles expand the scope of Jesus' authority, leaving the witnesses of them in reverent fear. No one else has authority like this. And authority like this would be terrible, unless it's possessed by someone perfectly good and loving.

Jesus taught in parables to explain the nature of His Kingdom. In this set of parables, He focuses on the surprising way that His Kingdom starts humble and small (in the dirt) and grows to be great.

The Jews had countless rules to ensure that no work was done on the Sabbath. The problem was that it was work to keep all the rules and they never experienced rest. Jesus came with authority over every moment and all of life. And He is the one who gives true rest to all who come to Him.

As enthusiasm about Jesus begins to build, He makes a startling claim--to have the authority to forgive sin. This is nothing less than a claim to be God. Jesus proves this authority by giving a lame man the ability to walk. The following story shows just how far the forgiveness of Jesus goes--he invites a tax collector to become His disciple.

Mark emphasizes the miracles of Jesus throughout his account. Here, he provides a series of miracles that show the authority of Jesus and give a glimpse of His Kingdom coming to earth. The challenge for us is to also be people who bring His Kingdom to earth in all it's diverse beauty and power.

Jesus calls his disciples to follow Him. This is an invitation that would have been familiar to any person in that day. It meant to attach themselves to Jesus, to become like Him, to go where He goes and do what He does. It's the same invitation He gives today... and it requires us to let go and leave behind all else.

In Mark's opening words, he makes a bold claim about Jesus--he is the Son of God, the Messiah we've been expecting. This claim (1:1) is followed by three witnesses who affirm it--the testimony of John the Baptist, God's announcement at the baptism of Jesus, and Jesus' own claim to be the one who ushers in the Kingdom of God.

Smaller gatherings of believers have always complimented the larger weekly worship gathering. Together, they serve unique purposes that help believers grow as disciples. This sermon looks at the "relational rhythms" of Jesus and explains how we can move toward these same rhythms.

There are obstacles that keep our relationships from growing and they've been around ever since sin entered the world. The good news is that Jesus came to remove sin and restore our relationships. When we respond to sin in the right way , our relationships will grow.