Calvary Chapel St. Cloud

Are we taking our walk with God seriously, or are we slacking off and incrementally fading away from the closer walk with Him? Letting your love for the Lord and your love for your neighbor grow cold can have life-altering consequences in every category of your life. Why does that happen? And what's the solution? The Apostle Paul tells us in 2 Timothy 3 & 4.

On the first Sunday of every year, we review the history, vision, purpose, and practice of Refuge so that we can confidently answer these questions: What are we doing? Why are we doing it? What does it look like? We turn to the Bible to find the answers to those important questions so we can understand God's vision for His church.

Scripture is full of unlikely heroes—people who simply offer up what they have to the Lord's service rather than using what they don't have as an excuse for inaction. At the end of the Gospel of Mark, we meet some unlikely ones. These were people whose hearts were reached by Jesus, whose lives were changed by His ministry, and whose examples show us what courageous faithfulness looks like.

A Child was born. A Son was given. Though He would be born of a virgin, He would still be born into a family. In Matthew 1, we find what seems to be the earthly genealogy of Jesus. In this family tree, we see several sinners and dysfunctional people—the kind of people Jesus came to save.

In Hebrews 12:3, we are invited to “consider Him”. Jesus—the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross (Hebrews 12:2). As we encounter the cross in Mark 15, we consider Him—we wonder together what (or who) that joy is that empowered Jesus to endure the cross.

In our previous study in the Gospel of Mark, Peter and the other apostles made a bold declaration to Jesus that they didn't live up to. No one felt this failure more than Peter. His failure taught him some important lessons—lessons we can learn so that we don't repeat his mistakes.

Imagine what it would be like to have been in Bethlehem at the time of Jesus' birth. Then to see and hear Him teach and preach as a man on the Judea hillsides. Picture what it would have been like to witness His crucifixion and death just outside of Jerusalem—and wonder what it all meant.

In the final hours leading up to His death, Jesus celebrated Passover with His disciples. For them, what was coming would give rise to fear, anxiety, and uncertainty. For Jesus, the crushing emotional weight of what was about to happen caused His soul to be exceedingly sorrowful. Nevertheless…Jesus was obedient to the will of God. He looked beyond the shame and suffering of the cross to a greater joy that allowed Him to endure it all.

Join us Sunday at 10am as we worship the Lord and continue our study in the Gospel of Mark. We gather in-person at 912 W. St. Germain Street, St. Cloud, MN; online at https://live.refuge.mn; and on the radio at http://refuge.fm or 96.1 FM (in the St. Cloud area).

Herod's Temple was massive and brilliant—it's white marble and gold exterior could have been seen for miles. But Jesus cares more about the temple of the Holy Spirit (our hearts) than He does about any temple made with human hands. He is coming soon—and He wants us to be ready!

The religious rulers of Jesus' day didn't always get along, but they all had the same enemy—Jesus. They found a common purpose in discrediting Jesus in the eyes of the public. In Mark 12 we see their bold and brazen attempts to disgrace Jesus and vilify Him. But Jesus was well aware of all of their tactics. In His wisdom, He turned these traps into opportunities to teach and to address both the heart of the matter and the heart of the person asking the question.

Scripture quoted out of context can become a pretext for whatever you'd like it to say. That's why it's so important to consider what comes before and after a passage. Context was especially helpful in this study as we encountered several scenes that may have left us scratching our heads if considered one-by-one. But when read and study together, we have a clearer understanding of what is going on and what God is saying.

“This is the day that the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.” This is something we say and even sing to ourselves and to each other to remind us that God is still on His throne. He made this day, He saw this day approaching, and He prepared for this day from before the foundations of the world. It's more than a verse from a song—it's scripture! This declaration of providence is from Psalm 118 and describes the coming of the Messiah on a very specific and special day.

Every one of us will stand before the Lord and give an account for every single deed every single word and every single thought. For unbelievers, that Day should be something to fear—and should be motivation to turn to Jesus for salvation. For believers, that Day should factor in every choice we make. It will be an accounting—not for punishment or sin, but for authentically motivated service for Jesus.

It's important to invite people to repent of their sin and receive Jesus as Lord. And it's just as important to fully explain the gravity and seriousness of that decision. That's why great grace and tough truths are so important in evangelism and discipleship. We see both in the life and ministry of Jesus during his exchange with a rich young ruler in Mark 10:17-23.

There is a vast difference between religious rulership and servant-leadership. If anyone had the right to be a religious ruler, it was Jesus. But He came to serve, not to be served; not to save His life, but to lay it down as a ransom for many. Jesus' example shows us what servant-leadership looks like—not just in the church, but especially in the home.

What does it mean to be greatly used of God? How does Jesus view and define greatness? How does someone become great in His kingdom? These are questions we all want answered. And when we don't know the answers, we tend to argue about it—just like the disciples. But we don't need to quarrel and squabble—Jesus answers these questions for us.

There is a cosmic battle taking place in the heavenly realm. It is the battle for the hearts and minds of men, women, and children. It's a battle for cities and nations. And ultimately, it's a battle for the right to rule this planet. Even though this battle is not physical, we can fight by faith for the kingdom of God. Watch or listen to our study as guest speaker Peter Warren explains the weapons of our warfare, the tactics of the enemy, and the victory we have in Jesus.

Our only hope for lasting change in our lives, in our families, in our community, and in our country is a fresh move of the Holy Spirit. The answer does not lie in our own intellect, ability, strategy, or will—but only in Jesus. Our only aim is bringing people to Him and watching Him pour out His power in love by His Spirit.

Christianity is the only major religion to have as its central event the humiliation of its God. It was at the cross where Christ was exalted. Philippians 2:5-9 helps us understand what Christ was thinking as He came to serve, suffer, and save.

James, John, and Peter have a mountaintop experience. In their time with Jesus, they receive amazing clarity concerning who He truly is. We can also have mountaintop experiences in our regular times of solitude with Jesus. But these times are intended to be temporary. We receive clarity about Jesus so that we can come down the mountain and minister to people who are suffering in the dark.

Jesus didn't come to save us from our circumstances. He came to save us from our sins. Once we are saved, He wants us to and calls us to participate and co-operate with Him in what He is doing. Like Jesus, we must be willing to live a life similar to His—a life of serving, suffering, and sacrifice—not to add to anyone's salvation, but to lead others to salvation. This is where the life that is truly life is found—in being a disciple of Jesus, The Messiah.

Jesus walked on water not long after He fed over 5,000 with only five loaves and two fish. But the apostle's hearts were hardened and they were not fully accepting of the fact that Jesus is God and there is nothing too difficult for Him. What about us? Have we learned the lesson of the loaves yet? It's important that we understand and believe that Jesus is God, that He loves us, and that there is nothing too difficult for Him.

God anointed Jesus with the Holy Spirit & power, and Jesus went around doing good & healing all who were oppressed by the devil (Acts 10:38). Who could find fault with Jesus for going around doing good? The Pharisees could—and did. These religious leaders were devoted to preserving the culture of Judaism instead of Scripture. So when they called Jesus out on not honoring the customs of the culture, Jesus brought them back to scripture to show them (and us) the error of legalism.

Nothing is too difficult for God. Jesus makes this clear through His life and ministry. But like the disciples, we can forget this eternal truth and are surprised when He does something that He promised He would do. Jesus doesn't condemn us for this doubt, but continually calls us to Himself in order to make us into His disciples.

Jesus is gracious when others are gruff. But He's also serious at making disciples who would make disciples. The closer Jesus gets to the cross, the more serious He is about making disciples. So Jesus stretches the apostles and challenges their capacity to be His servants.

We're living in a society that not only questions the existence of objective truth, but punishes those who proclaim it. There will be significant consequences for retaining loyalty to God and what His word says—especially concerning sin. To endure the coming difficulty, you'll need a thorough, working understanding of God through a thorough, working understanding of His word. With this understanding, you'll be able to know what's coming, but more importantly the God who is able to see you through.

John the Baptist was faithful to his calling & faithful to the One who called him. But at the end of his ministry, he was in Roman prison wondering if he got things right. Could it be that Jesus wasn't who John was hoping He would be? Like John, we can ask God honest and difficult questions when things just don't make sense.

There's a certain satisfaction that comes with completion. “The end of a thing is better than its beginning…” (Ecclesiastes 7:8). God enjoys finishing what He starts, too. But unlike us, He is always faithful to finish what He begins. Since God always finishes what He starts, we know that there is intentionality in everything He does. We aren't some project drawn up with haphazard plans and then quickly abandoned when some more pressing task or exciting endeavor presents itself. That's not how God works. As we look for God's intention in everything that we go through, we can find agreement with His purpose.

Jesus has a unique way of training, developing, and maturing those who freely choose to follow Him. Consider the disciples. Initially, they simply watched Jesus serve. Then Jesus invited them to serve with Him. They were able to see up close how Jesus served. Before they knew it, Jesus was helping them serve—and soon He was watching them serve. Now it was time for them to serve without Him present. But before sending them out, Jesus gave them practical and applicable principles—principles we can apply as we follow and serve Jesus today.

In John 1:46, Nathaniel asked, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” He wasn't alone. Nazareth was looked down on as an insignificant backwoods community. But it's where Jesus grew up and worked and lived for a majority of His life on Earth. So when He returns home after performing miracles and teaching about the Kingdom of God, you might think that this carpenter-turned-rabbi would be welcomed with enthusiasm. But sadly, many in Nazareth were offended at Jesus because of their odd and unhealthy familiarity with Him.

Have you ever been in a situation where you've tried every option until there is nothing left but to cry out to Jesus? We all encounter experiences that exhaust our strength and resources until there is nothing left to do but cry out to Jesus. Thankfully, He is willing to be our last resort. In Mark 5:21-43, we encounter two daughters and a father who were desperate for Jesus to help them. Through their experiences, we learn how Jesus' character should cause us to call out to Him as our first choice instead of our last resort.

In Mark 4 and 5, Jesus encounters two different storms. They were different from one another (one was an external storm, and the other was internal), and different from the typical storm clouds and thunderclaps. These two storms were satanic. The first was a storm that directly threatened Jesus and His disciples. The second was a tempest that had tormented a man to the point of unimaginable suffering. Jesus confronts the dark force behind each storm to bring peace.

Not everyone who follows after Jesus follows Him for the right reasons. Some look for His miracles—their interest isn't in Him, His teaching, or the Word of God, but in what He could do for them. When they hear the Word of God clearly, they are accountable to it. That's why Jesus said to “Take heed what you hear.” It's great when people are attracted to Jesus—but if their focus is on what He can do for them instead of Who He is, they will not follow Him for long.

Join us Sundays at 10am as we worship the Lord and continue our study in the Gospel of Mark. We gather in person at 912 W. St. Germain Street, St. Cloud, MN; online at https://live.refuge.mn; or on the radio at 96.1 FM (St. Cloud) and https://refuge.fm.

Jesus wants to be with us. So much so that He has appointed us to be with Him forever. Everything else is out of the overflow of that fellowship with Jesus—everything else becomes secondary. God didn't save us so we could just do amazing things for Him. He saved us so that we could enjoy fellowship with Him—forever! Our identity, purpose, and worth in every season of life comes from this fact—Jesus wants to be with us and He has appointed us first and foremost to simply be with Him.

During His ministry on earth, Jesus regularly withdrew from the busyness of life and ministry to ask His Father what He should do. Fellowship with His Father was so essential to Jesus that He prioritized His time so He could just be with His Heavenly Father. If Jesus needed to do this, how much more so us?

The Herodians, the Scribes, the Pharisees, the Saducees…there were many groups who saw Jesus as their enemy. In Mark 2:18-3:6, we observe three interactions Jesus had with some of these people, who weren't really enemies from Jesus' point of view. Although they came at Him in the craziest and pettiest of ways, Jesus didn't consider them His enemies. To Him, they were hurting people who hadn't yet found the courage to confront what was really going on in their hearts. Jesus didn't take it personally. Instead, He gently led them again and again to God's word and to God's work.

Jesus once said, “I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” This statement confounded and upset the religious leaders of His day. They thought they were already righteous and that the Messiah would come for them, not sinners. They failed to see that Jesus really had come for them too—but something needed to happen in their hearts first. They weren't really righteous—they only thought they were.

We often look at the week between Palm Sunday and Good Friday from the perspective of the Son and rarely from the perspective of the Father—and almost never from the perspective of both. But don't forget that the Son and the Father—the two of them—went together. To truly appreciate this perspective, we turned to Genesis 22 to understand what God the Son and God the Father did together.

Palm Sunday is the day we remember Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem. A day foretold by prophets, a day for celebration, and day for weeping. It was a day that Jesus was concerned—not for Himself, but about us. In this study, we considered what Jesus was doing and what was happening one week before His resurrection and a few days before His crucifixion.

In 2 Corinthians 5, Paul writes about the right motives for ministry. He wrote so well about this topic because his motives were often scrutinized. There was a number of ways Paul could have handled this criticism, but he chose the most direct way—by addressing it head on in such a way that helped this church—and us—see the right motives for life and ministry.

Grace, authority, power. These are the qualities of Jesus we've observed so far in the Gospel of Mark. In Nazareth, people marveled at His gracious words. In Capernaum, people were astonished at how Jesus taught with authority. And He demonstrated His power when He healed Peter's mother-in-law. He is able to do everything with all power and authority. And He is also willing to do it with all grace. Not just for those in Nazareth and Capernaum. He is willing to heal YOU and cleanse YOU of the debilitating, disfiguring, and disgusting effects of sin. All He has to do is say the word and you will be clean. And yet, as we see in our study, He is willing to do so much more.

The life that Jesus invites us into is a life of asking—for anything and everything! Nothing is too small or too big to ask God for. Once we understand that we can (and should) ask Him anything (and to keep asking until something changes), we find joy in a life of asking, obedience and love.

There is a stark contrast between someone who is hired to say something and someone who really has something to say. They can use the same words and language, but those who really have something to say speak with authenticity, authority, and simplicity as they serve others with what they have learned. In Mark 1:21-39, the people of Capernaum hear Jesus speak with authority and authenticity as He begins His earthly ministry of teaching and preaching in their synagogue.

In Mark 1:16-20, we read of one of times Jesus called Simon, Andrew, James, and John to follow Him. It wasn't the first time, and it wouldn't be the last time Jesus called these fishermen. In fact, we considered at least four different times Jesus called these men to be His disciples. But why would Jesus have to say, "Follow Me," to them so many times? Why would they hesitate? It's a question we asked and considered our own hesitations in following Jesus. And yet, despite their hesitations and our own, Jesus continues to call.

There is often an initial romance after God calls you and sends you. But after the romance of that initial calling, there is the reality of a time of testing. This testing is so severe, it tempts you to question your calling and His love for you. And yet, God is just as much in control in that time of testing as He was when He first called you. You don't have to thrive during this time of testing—you just have to survive. God does this often throughout the scripture. We even see God do this in the live and ministry of His Son—Jesus.

Centuries of significant prophecies are fulfilled in the first eleven verses of the Gospel of Mark. Two of the most influential men cross paths. Two influential ministries come to a crossroads. One man's ministry was ending. The other man's earthly ministry was just beginning. And to truly appreciate all that was happening in these few verses, we went back to the beginning—the time when these two men were just babies in the womb.

The Gospel of Mark begins with one of the most subversive, controversial, influential, and important sentences written: "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God." (Mark 1:1) It is difficult for us as 21st century Gentiles to fully grasp just how dangerous and revolutionary it would be to write these words. It's only when we consider the context of the culture that this was written that we can fully appreciate how subversive this sentence truly is. Life for the 1st century Christian was full of government overreach, persecution, and financial uncertainty. It was a time when the world needed hope—hope from a leader other than Caesar. Hope from a servant-leader who was not of this world. Hope from someone who had every right to be Ruler, but who chose to be a servant. He came. He led. He served. And He saved. His name is Jesus.

The whole Gospel of Mark revolves around a singular verse: "For even the Son of Man did not come to serve, but to serve and to give His life a ransom for many." (Mark 10:45). This Gospel shows us how Jesus did not come to be served, but to serve and to lay down His life to set people free. As we study this book and look closely and carefully at Jesus, we will hopefully become more like Him. Not that we would die on a cross for anyone's sin, but that we would be willing to lay down our preferences and our pride so that others can be set free.