Austin Life Church

We naturally praise whatever it is that we find great. We talk about it, think about it, devote resources and energy towards it - praise it. Do we praise God? That depends on if we see and experience His greatness or not. So what makes Him great that is worthy of praise?

In Mark 7, we see Jesus test the faith of a gentile woman and she responds with great faith and humility. It’s a lesson for all of us to humble ourselves before God because humility is the way into the Kingdom because of what Jesus has done for us. Our lives are no longer about us as followers of Jesus, but are about Him.

God’s purpose for us is a thriving, loving relationship with Him. Our hearts being connected with His. The shocking reality of Mark 7 is that on the outside, it looked like the Pharisees were close to God. But Jesus saw differently. He knew that their heart were far from God. But why? What about ours?

In this next story in Mark, Jesus does something truly astounding - He walks on water. But what if there is something else in this story that is even more astounding than that? The steadfast love and patience of Jesus is on extra astounding display here!

Tired and hungry, Jesus gives His disciples an impossible task. But why? Ultimately Jesus’ aim is to teach His followers trust Him at all times, for nothing is impossible with God.

The call of being a disciple of Jesus is the call to humility; surrender life our way, and instead trust Him and His way. Pride on the the hand is the antithesis of Jesus, and will always result in destruction. Today, we have a choice. What will it be?

The call of being a disciple of Jesus is the call to surrender life our way, and instead trust Him and His way. Which means, if He says go, we go. That’s what the disciples demonstrated in Mark 6:7-13. Jesus said go, so they went. And this was for God’s glory, their good, and the good of others. The question today is - do we trust Him? Enough to go?

Jesus returns to His hometown of Nazareth for a 2nd time. Yet again, He is met with hardened, prideful hearts of rejection, pushing Him away. It’s this lack of faith that ultimately removes themselves from receiving the grace of God.

In these two stories Mark sandwiches together, we see again the powerful Son of God at work in the face of extreme desperation. It is through these two characters (Jairus and the bleeding woman) that we see a picture of what true saving faith looks like and what it means to experience the powerful salvation of Jesus. The essence of saving faith does not depend on who we are, but on who C...

God is not the tribal deity of Israel only. He is God over all creation, over all things and in all places. But He is merciful and loving as well, so we can draw near to Him in trust rather than flee from Him in fear.

Mark 4:35-41 teaches us that Jesus is a man on a mission, a son who trusts his Father, and the author of all creation to whom we can entrust ourselves.

In this section Jesus tells a parable regarding the sowing of seed to show how people are spiritually responding to His ministry and His good news of the kingdom of God.

God commands us not to fear. Commands. Not suggests. Commands. But how? Does it ever feel like there is a disconnect in your life from what God says and what you experience? So how do we actually live that out? Or anything else that God invites us into?

God’s love is not one that wants an explanation for why we have messed up, but instead is one that just wants to meet us with a forgiving hug. We see in the parable of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15, that God meets us where we are once we confess and repent. then, He walks with us back to the party that he has prepared for us.

We are consumers with many things in this world like food, shoes, concerts which is what those things are designed for. But if we treat people as consumers, it will go bad for us, and them. The same is true for the church. We are not designed to be passive consumers in the church, but active contributors to the building up of others into Christ.

Worship is the outward expression of an inward love. It starts in the heart, and then moves outward to our minds, hands, feet, and lives. Jesus tells us to worship God alone. So then what are you worshipping and why worship God?

Mark 3:20-35 gives us the first lesson Jesus teaches His disciples. Jesus emphasizes the importance of surrender through immediately giving up food and even His family. He also shares the good news tied with that surrender. Jesus addresses the scribes' insults to His ministry by proclaiming His victory over the “strong man”. Jesus has bound Satan and our surrender allows us to partake in the plund...

Jesus didn’t come to reach only a few men and women a couple thousand years ago. Jesus came to reach the world with the hope of Jesus. He came to invite anyone and everyone to follow Him. This is what it means to be a disciple. So how can we do that today?

Yet again, the Pharisees and Jesus are at odds with one another. The Pharisees, holding tight to the tradition of their laws, and Jesus, urging for the laws to point people to grace. What we see today is that in an effort to maintain control, the Pharisees have hardened their hearts and are dangerously far from truth and what is right.

Spiritual practices of purpose are a good thing. They can be tools to help us grow in love of God, and then obedience to Him. However, if we look to our spiritual practices as necessary in order to be accepted by God, we will find ourselves missing Him all together. Because the only way we are united to God is through grace!

We know that Jesus has come to invite people to follow Him. But who? What kind of people get that invitation? And what is it about Jesus that ultimately compels people to follow Him? Grace. Life transforming grace.

It’s one thing to believe in something or someone. It’s another thing to have true faith. What’s the difference? Faith is God’s love language, and the only way we can truly please God and be in His presence.

How far is the loving reach of Jesus? Who does He reach? And what is a person’s part in that? In Jesus’ encounter with a leper, we see the extravagant reach of Jesus towards all people, and the one necessary component of the recipient; humility.

We all can be easily distracted from time to time. Thankfully, Jesus kept His focus on the great purpose of proclaiming the Kingdom of God, in word and deed, to all people in all places! Now, if we follow Him, that’s our call too!

We are born into the kingdom of darkness. Lost. Without hope. But God, who is rich in mercy and love, sent Jesus, the Light of the World, to come and restore us into the kingdom of Jesus, the kingdom of light. In the resurrection, darkness is defeated, and the light of Christ lives forever, offering real life to anyone who would repent and believe in Him.