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I haven't been able to blog this week, but I'll be getting back soon with more devotionals and such soon!

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SERMON: What is True Discipleship? | Mark 8:34–38

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What is True Discipleship? | Mark 8:34–38
Shaun Marksbury | Grace Bible Church
Sunday Morning Service | December 31, 2017

Now, Jesus calls everyone over to Himself; the words He’s about to speak are not for Peter’s benefit alone, nor just for the Twelve, but for all who have a personal desire to call themselves disciples of Christ.  He’s going to warn everyone the cost of being a follower of Jesus, as well as the high cost of continuing in one’s own way.

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I.Introduction We’ve been in Mark 8 for several weeks, but that much time has not transpired in the events that we’ve been studying.  So, let’s take a moment to review.  That way, we can have a better understanding of what is happening here.
The chapter begins with Jesus still in Gentile territory.  Remember, He had spent months there with His disciples, and they’ve witnessed Him deal with the Gentiles unlike anything found in the traditions of their elders.  This chapter opens with a compassionate Jesus miraculous…
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SERMON: Essential Discipleship Lessons, Part 2 | Mark 9:42–48

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Essential Discipleship Lessons, Part 2 | Mark 9:42–48
Shaun Marksbury | Grace Bible Church
Sunday Morning Service | February 18, 2018

The disciples are in a spiritually dangerous spot.  They were arguing with one another which was the greatest (vv. 33–34), and when they encountered an outsider working in the name of Christ, they tried to shut him down (v. 38)!  They’ve become arrogant, so Jesus teaches essential discipleship principles that He continues here.

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Manuscript: I.Introduction Sometimes, those who think they are the most spiritually mature need to take notice.  Consider what the Ephesians learned in a stunning letter from our Lord (Rv 2:1–7).  In just the first verse, we read that they worked, toiled, and persevered, that they could not “tolerate evil men,” and that they tested and exposed false apostles (v. 2).  In verse 6, we read that they had a hatred of what the Lord hated—the deeds of the Nicolaitans, a group of self-indulgent professed Christians following a fa…
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Is Reformed Worship Eurocentric? Interacting with the Idea of 'White Worship'

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Last week, we spoke about the irony of the mockery Jesus faced (you can listen to that sermon here).  Toward the end of that message, we noted the irony of the unsuspecting disciple, Simon of Cyrene.   He just happened to be in Jerusalem for the feast when Romans forced him to pick up a cross and follow Jesus.

So, we have Jesus, a near-eastern or Palestinian Jew in Israel.  Simon's hometown in modern day Tripoli, Libya; he's Jewish, but from North Africa.  Later, in the Book of Acts, we meet the Ethiopian Eunuch, another African who was likely of non-Jewish descent.  As the early church carried out its missionary journeys, converts and churches appeared in diverse cultures throughout the ancient world.
Such an important heritage reminds us that the gospel and worship of the early church transcended any particular people group.  However, some have wondered if the doctrines of worship found in Reformation Europe too restricted the church to "white" preferences.  Do we …
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