Mark 16:2-5 (KJV) An Unfounded Concern

Mark 16:2-5 (KJV)
And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun.And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre?And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great.And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted.

The women had a major concern. They were coming to anoint the body of Jesus but they didn’t know how they would get in. The stone was too big for them to move. I notice three things:

They went anywayThey had no idea how they would get to the body of Jesus but that did not prevent them from going. Some people would never have started because they assume they can’t finish.

They went earlyNo procrastination here. They had a purpose and got to that purpose.

Their concern was unfounded.The Lord had rolled the stone away already.

It is not wrong to identify those hurdles that must be overcome on the path of living for Christ. Identifying them gives us the opportunity to pray about them. It only becomes a problem when we allow potential hurdles to stop us on the track. Find God’s will, rise up quickly and move toward God’s will. He will remove those hurdles that prevent you from accomplishing His will.

To my reader:
I would love to hear from you. Leave comments below.

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Mark 16:2-5 (KJV) An Unfounded Concern

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Mark 15:3-5 (KJV) The Best Defense

Mark 15:3-5 (KJV)
And the chief priests accused him of many things: but he answered nothing.And Pilate asked him again, saying, Answerest thou nothing? behold how many things they witness against thee.But Jesus yet answered nothing; so that Pilate marvelled.

When Jesus was brought before Pilate the Jews came with Him to make many accusations. Pilate may have heard the name of Christ before but it is obvious that this whole incident was sprung in him. Imagine all of the voices bringing one accusation after the other against Christ and to Pilate. He would not have been overwhelmed but he would have been struck by it.

And then it was Jesus’ turn to speak. He is presented with the opportunity to defend himself. He has no crowd of witnesses to corroborate His words. He is alone and He remains silent. Jesus did not practice the modern concept, “he best defense is a good offense.” Pilate urged Him to answer for Himself but when Jesus was silent still, Pilate marveled.

Many years ago I travelled to Springfield MO to present a missionary for national approval. This missionary and I had worked through many things including an issue with a pastor who had taken up an offense against him. We thought we had resolved the offense but when we arrived in Springfield we learned that this pastor was there he planned to attempt to prevent his approval as a missionary and he had brought other pastors to support his attempt.

• I was stunned
• The missionary was stunned 

The missions committee was also blindsided, later telling me that they had never had a pastor attempt to block a missionary before

The missionary and I sat in the meeting silent as this pastor laid out his arguments, his support sitting resolutely behind him. When the accusations were finished I chose to remain quiet (and led the missionary to do the same). We answered the questions we were asked but we did not defend ourselves. Later one of the pastors serving on the missions committee thanked me for handling a very delicate situation with discretion. The missionary was (eventually) approved.

When faced with many varied and false accusations the best defense is silence. Let God defend you in His own way.

To my reader:
When was the last time Jesus came to your defense? I would love to hear from you. Leave comments below.

Mark 15:3-5 (KJV) The Best Defense

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Mark 14:1-2 (KJV) Proper Concerns in Leadership

Mark 14:1-2 (KJV)
After two days was the feast of the passover, and of unleavened bread: and the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take him by craft, and put him to death.But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar of the people.

As much as we might want to rail on the chief priests and scribes here, experience has taught me that there is a warning and lesson for everyone interested in doing the Lord’s work here.

Notice that these leaders of religion had come to the place where their concern was not for the rightness of their plan or the truthfulness of their actions. Their concern was only for the reaction of the people.

It is easy to slip into a place as a leader of the work of God where your interest is in how it affects the people more than in how right it is how moral it is or how true it is.

• The ordinances of the church are frequently contorted away from what they are seen to be in the Bible because, if the preacher insists on practicing the Bible with the ordinances, he may lose potential members. 
• Stands on subjects that are particularly sensitive may be softened because some who attend or might attend would be turned off by these stands.
• Individuals may or may not be placed into positions in the church because church leaders are concerned about the reaction of the general membership over those persons.

In order for the Christian faith to move untouched to future generations those who serve the Lord must see that their only concern is the Lord and the propagation of truth. The response of the people to that truth, while important, is always secondary to that.

To my reader:
I would love to hear from you. Leave comments below.

For this and more than 3000 earlier Daily Visits with God visit Marvin McKenzie’s blogger page. 

Mark 14:1-2 (KJV) Proper Concerns in Leadership

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Mark 13:21-23 (KJV) Why True Believers Can’t Be Fooled

Mark 13:21-23 (KJV)
And then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ; or, lo, he is there; believe him not:For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect.But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things. 

It is not possible to deceive the elect on three counts:
First, they have been warnedThe element of surprise has been robbed the devil. Jesus has warned us that Satan will try to deceive.

Secondly; they have a choice in the matterTrue believers can never fall victim to the devil’s devices. They have the power of the Holy Spirit and the will to follow the Lord.

Thirdly, they are the electThat means they belong to God. Satan may desire to sift them but he cannot overcome the prayers of Christ fort them.

To my reader:
I would love to hear from you. Leave comments below.

Mark 13:21-23 (KJV) Why True Believers Can’t Be Fooled

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1 Kings 13:9-10 (KJV) God Has Not Now Approved Compromise

1 Kings 13:9-10 (KJV)
For so was it charged me by the word of the LORD, saying, Eat no bread, nor drink water, nor turn again by the same way that thou camest.So he went another way, and returned not by the way that he came to Bethel.

The tragic and perhaps not so subtle lesson of this passage is that company with compromised faith is as dangerous as company with overt rebellion.

The prophet was charged with a task and some very specific instructions. He was to go to Bethel, deliver his message to Jeroboam, and return without eating bread or even drinking water in the northern kingdom.

• He obeyed that command when tempted by Jeroboam 
• He did not when tempted by the old prophet

Why he would  have thought that God would change his word through this prophet it is impossible to tell but we do know that many give in to this same temptation today:

• A preacher with a skilled presentation 
• A preacher with a successful organization 
• A preacher with a scholarly credential

And many a young believer has been led to believe that God has somehow now approved compromise.

God changes not.

Find God’s truth and stand firm.

To my reader:
I would love to hear from you. Leave comments below.

1 Kings 13:9-10 (KJV) God Has Not Now Approved Compromise

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1 Kings 10:6-7 (KJV) See Him Yourself

1 Kings 10:6-7 (KJV)
And she said to the king, It was a true report that I heard in mine own land of thy acts and of thy wisdom.Howbeit I believed not the words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it: and, behold, the half was not told me: thy wisdom and prosperity exceedeth the fame which I heard.

I see in these verses two applications; one for the unbeliever and one for the believer:
For the unbelieverWe who are Christians can speak to the lost all that we have experienced and learned and all of the blessings with which we have been blessed since becoming Christians:

• We can tell them of the freedom from the guilt of sin
• We can tell them of the assurance of a home in heaven
• We can tell them of the grace of God in our lives
• We can tell them of the living truths of the Word of God
• We can tell them about the family we now have in the local church

But the fact is, until they have witnessed it for themselves; until Christ has forgiven their sins, prepared for them a place in heaven, opened the Word of God for them and fitted them into a local New Testament Baptist Church, it is, for the most part, just words.

For the believerWhat we know and sense about the promises in eternity are, I am sure, barely half the whole. Heaven is, I am certain, greater than we can possibly imagine. The blessings, the fellowship with God, the joy of sinlessness, the sights, the sounds of eternity are, I am persuaded, too wonderful to express and to high to dream.

We’ll just have to wait until we see it with our eyes to really get it.

To my reader:
I would love to hear from you. Leave comments below.

1 Kings 10:6-7 (KJV) See Him Yourself

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Mark 10:17 (KJV) Circumstance Manipulation

Mark 10:17 (KJV)
And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?

We know three things about this one who came running

• He was young
• He was rich
• He was a ruler

Plug these three elements into the equation and I see a person trying to manipulate the circumstances. He kneels before the Lord but it is not in submission but an attempt to get the favor of the Lord for personal benefit.

Consider:
He approached Jesus after the Lord had already departed.He stopped Jesus’ personal progress to derive from Jesus His own progress. He was not interested in the plan of God because He was willing to stop God for his own purposes.

He came runningThat’s because he was busy with his own agenda. He used every moment for himself he possibly could, coming to seek from Christ only when it was the last moment he could. He couldn’t afford to wait on Christ. He wanted Christ to wait on him.

He left sadBecause he expected to receive without cost. His plan was to get what Jesus offered without sacrificing anything in return

We learn a lot about what not to be when we learn from this rich young ruler.

To my reader:
How often do you become so self centered that you manipulate circumstances to get what you want? I would love to hear from you. Leave comments below.

Mark 10:17 (KJV) Circumstance Manipulation

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Mark 9:8 (KJV) Jesus Only

Mark 9:8 (KJV)
And suddenly, when they had looked round about, they saw no man any more, save Jesus only with themselves.

Peter, James and John were privileged to witness the transfiguration of Christ but, like so many privileges, they were in danger of getting their focus on the wrong things. This wasn’t about elevating Moses and Elias. The point was to see Christ for who He is, the glorified Son of God.

They were in danger of putting men, great as they were, on the same plane as Christ. God brought them to the crux of the faith; God brought them to just Christ and themselves.

In the world of:

• politics and politicians 
• motive and motivators
• empires and emperors 

it is vital that we who are Christians narrow our focus down to just Christ and ourselves.

To my reader:
I would love to hear from you. Leave comments below.

Mark 9:8 (KJV) Jesus Only

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Mark 8:4 (KJV) How Can We Satisfy Men?

Mark 8:4 (KJV)
And his disciples answered him, From whence can a man satisfy these men with bread here in the wilderness?

The disciples had what was for them a legitimate concern.

• The wilderness was barren 
• The crowd was huge
• The supplies were exhausted and
• The number of the disciples were few

How could they possibly satisfy the need that was before them? Yet that is exactly what Jesus expected them to do. But they would not do it on their own.

I notice first that the inventory was taken from among the crowd. Jesus used the labor of the disciples and the resources of the multitude. When God calls a person into ministry he does not call them necessarily to figure out how to finance it but to figure out what others have to give.

I notice then that Jesus took the little bit that was offered (though it was all that the boy had) and blessed it. The multitude was satisfied, not by the labor of the disciples, nor by the offering of the boy; they were satisfied by the blessing of Jesus.

We live in a spiritual wilderness where there is little that can satisfy the souls of men.  Supplies seem to be getting smaller all the time as professing Christians more and more compromise the Word of God. The population of the planet is exploding but the numbers of laborers in Christ’s work aren’t keeping up with the demand.

Never fear! Our Lord has compassion. He sees the multitude without meat. If He has called you He has also prepared a boy somewhere who is willing to give you what He has. God will bless it and use it to feed His Word to the hungry of soul.

To my reader:
I would love to hear from you. Leave comments below.

Mark 8:4 (KJV) How Can We Satisfy Men?

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Mark 7:2 (KJV) Fault Finders

Mark 7:2 (KJV)
And when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with unwashen, hands, they found fault.

I have not verified it but would suspect that this is where the term finding fault originates.

The Pharisees and scribes, who came from Jerusalem, came to find fault. If it had not been for this it would have been for something else.

Anyone trying to do good and accomplish something with their life will run in to fault finders. They came looking for something to complain about. It is irrelevant what it is they found because if they had not found fault with what they found they would have found fault with something else. We should not be burdened by their accusations.

Jesus rebuffed their accusations with the truth of the Bible. He merely turned the situation around, pointed out that they had made the Word of God of none effect and moved forward with His work.

I do not believe that, for the most part, it does is any good to try to answer the faultfinders (Jesus had power that no one else possesses). Usually it’s just best to search the Scriptures, be sure we are in line with that, and press on.  The faultfinders will find fault with that too, but move forward anyway.

To my reader:
I would love to hear from you. Leave comments below.

Mark 7:2 (KJV) Fault Finders

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1 Kings 2:9 (KJV) It’s Wise to Ask for Wisdom

1 Kings 2:9 (KJV)
Now therefore hold him not guiltless: for thou art a wise man, and knowest what thou oughtest to do unto him; but his hoar head bring thou down to the grave with blood.

David saw wisdom in Solomon before Solomon asked and received wisdom from the Lord. This leads me to two thoughts:

It is wise to ask for wisdom. 

No matter how wise you or others believe you to be, we all lack wisdom. We are far from omniscient and could use more wisdom. Especially is this true of wisdom that comes from above.

God had given him wisdom before he asked

God’s plan for Solomon had been known (by David at least) since Solomon was but a baby. God had anointed him to be king, I believe, at conception and, like Jeremiah and others, had already endued him with the gifts of his kingship. I believe the same is true of us all. God has endued us with the gifts of His calling at birth. Those gifts are often misused by those who are lost, but they are there. When we get saved it isn’t so much that God lays new gifts upon us but that we now fine tune and exercise those gifts for the true purpose for which we received them.

To my reader:
I would love to hear from you. Leave comments below.

1 Kings 2:9 (KJV) It’s Wise to Ask for Wisdom

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Mark 5:24 (KJV) Jesus Stress Free

Mark 5:24 (KJV)

And Jesus went with him; and much people followed him, and thronged him.

There were as many hindrances to Jairus’ daughter being healed as one could imagine

• A sea
• A multitude 
• Another person in need
• A messenger with bad news 
• A death
• A mocking family 

Notice that none these in any way stressed our Lord or presented any obstacle to His purpose.

The trouble we too often have is that we can’t see passed the obstacles to watch the Lord’s calm assurance. He has it handled. Ask Him, follow Him and trust Him.

To my reader:
I would love to hear from you. Leave comments below.

For this and more than 3000 earlier Daily Visits with God visit Marvin McKenzie’s blogger page. There you will find daily visits going back to 2006.

Mark 5:24 (KJV) Jesus Stress Free

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Mark 4:34 (KJV) Two Levels of Teaching

Mark 4:34 (KJV)

But without a parable spake he not unto them: and when they were alone, he expounded all things to his disciples.

There are two levels of teaching implied in this passage; there is the broader message to the multitudes and the more explicit and meaningful message given to the disciples.

It is not wrong to preach to the crowds, knowing that when you do so the message is of necessity going to be broad and general. The problem I think comes when that is all the message anyone ever gets. When the preacher pushes for large attendance at every service, for instance, he will almost surely, even if subconsciously, generalize his message. There is nothing wrong with ever growing smaller circles of contact because the smaller the circle the more specific can be the message. When we finally get down to just one or two, then the teaching is most likely at its highest level of effectiveness.

No preacher should disregard the multitudes just as no Christian should skip the general assemblies of our services. But neither should the preacher isolate himself from smaller venues nor should the Christian satisfy himself with only the one, larger service.

All of us should seek value in every venue of teaching: the general assembly on Sunday Morning, the tighter, more specific message of Sunday evenings, the closeknit teaching that happens in the mid week and opportunities for questions and discussion one on one or with just a handful with the pastor.

To my reader:
I would love to hear from you. Leave comments below.

Mark 4:34 (KJV) Two Levels of Teaching

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Mark 3:21 (KJV) Jesus Had Friends?

Mark 3:21 (KJV)

And when his friends heard of it, they went out to lay hold on him: for they said, He is beside himself.

Does it amaze us that Christ would have friends who were not (at least at this time) believers? He had grow up from a small child in Nazareth. There He had relatives through His mother and nearly kin through His stepfather, Joseph.  No doubt during those years Jesus had become well acquainted with people who cared for Him as the good person He surely was even though they probably thought His ideas fanciful and maybe immature. “He will grow out of them.” They may have said among themselves.

It is unlikely we have lived long without making some friendships on this level. At school or work or in some other public setting we have likely made friendships that exist despite and not because of our faith. These friends are well meaning but, like those of Christ, may try to hinder our spiritual life.

There came this point in time when the relationship with those friends came to a make or break point. They tried to rescue Jesus from the consequences of His faith; He remained steadfast in that faith. I believe many of those friends came to accept Him as Saviour after this. I am sure many others gave up on Him and walked away.

As we live for the Lord our friends who are not of the faith will almost certainly find themselves at a crossroads at some point; they will come to urge us not to get too wrapped up in our Christianity. They will think they are protecting us to keep us from going overboard in our belief. We must stand firm and true to Christ and when we do, many of them will give up on us. But others will come to trust the Saviour upon which we rest.

To my reader:
I would love to hear from you. Leave comments below.

Mark 3:21 (KJV) Jesus Had Friends?

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Matthew 4:12 (KJV) Satan’s Attacks Persistent

Matthew 4:12 (KJV)

Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee;

It is worthwhile to note that Jesus heard about John Just after being testing by the Devil. I would suggest that the imprisonment of John was a further test and that, while the devil left Him, the devil did not stop attacking Him. If he could not get Jesus through a direct method, Satan tried the next best thing; to get to Him through a relative and close associate in His calling.

Satan’s attacks upon the believer are:

• Frequent
• Multifaceted and
• Persistent

If overt tactics won’t work, he will attempt covert ones. If he can’t get to a particular believer directly, he will attempt to get through them indirectly. If he can’t tempt a Christian to give in to a sin, he will tempt him to compromise the truth.

To my reader:
Jesus resisted Satan with the Word of God. Read the Bible daily or more to have the ammunition to resist. I would love to hear from you. Leave comments below.

Matthew 4:12 (KJV) Satan’s Attacks Persistent

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Matthew 3:13 (KJV) Motivation for Baptism

Matthew 3:13 (KJV)
Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.

It is impossible to get over the grace, the condescension and the humility of this act. God became man and dwelt among us. Then God with us submitted Himself to be baptized.

This act, if for no other reason, ought to give every believer motivation to follow Christ in baptism

• By faith in Christ
• By immersion as was Christ
• By the proper authority as was Christ

To my reader:
Have you been baptized Scripturally? Be sure to follow the Lord in this important ordinance. I would love to hear from you. Leave comments below.

Matthew 3:13 (KJV) Motivation for Baptism

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1 Kings 1:49-50 (KJV) Followers Do No a King Make

1 Kings 1:49-50 (KJV)
And all the guests that were with Adonijah were afraid, and rose up, and went every man his way.And Adonijah feared because of Solomon, and arose, and went, and caught hold on the horns of the altar.

In this case Solomon is a type of Christ and Adonijah is a type of any antiChrist. Adonijah was not the chosen one to be the king After David but he wanted the role. Without authority of his father and in total arrogance he set himself up as the next man to be followed. His methods were misleading enough that he deceived many into following him.

But followers do not the next king make. David obeyed the will of God and set Solomon as the rightful king. When those who had followed Adonijah heard that, they feared and fled.

Multitudes today are blindly following those who have no authority from God:

• A religion that is of antiChrist
• A church that is not Scriptural
• A leader who has presumed upon the authority of God and stepped outside of the parameters of God’s Word

Those followers and their leader might exhibit the same confidence of Adonijah and his crowd but it won’t last. There is only one rightful king; it is Jesus Christ. In God’s own time Christ will set up His own throne and those like Adonijah and his followers will be forced to flee.

Don’t make their mistake.

• Trust Christ alone as your Saviour
• Find and unite with a sound Baptist church 
• Study the Bible and stay within its teachings 
• Don’t be led astray by a smooth talking antiChrist and
• Stay true to Jesus Christ until He calls for you

To my reader:
I would love to hear from you. Leave comments below.

1 Kings 1:49-50 (KJV) Followers Do No a King Make

Please consider helping our church’s teen department by signing up for cash back shopping at Bible Baptist Church Fundraiser. This program has three levels of participation, the first being completely free. Email me for a free one month VIP membership.