WORD From The Woods
2 Timothy 1:1-7
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God according to the promise of the life that is in Christ Jesus,
To Timothy, my beloved child:
Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. As I remember your tears, I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
    We went through Paul’s first letter to Timothy a while back, so I’ve been wanting to go through 2 Timothy as well. 1 Timothy was about Paul addressing young pastor Timothy regarding issues concerning conduct and order in the local church. The letter of 2nd Timothy was more personal as Paul spoke to Timothy about his own life and conduct as a faithful man of God. It’s a really special letter as it’s probably the last writing we have from the Apostle before his death. He wrote this letter while in prison under the tyranny of the evil Emperor Nero. John Calvin wrote in his commentary; “All that we read here, therefore, concerning the kingdom of Christ, the hope of eternal life, the Christian warfare, confidence in confessing Christ, and the certainty of doctrine, ought to be viewed by us as written not with ink but with Paul's own blood.”  You can really feel the passion and emotion from Paul as he wrote this letter to Timothy, his adopted son in the faith, who Paul had poured into and discipled. Paul knew his own death and departure from this life was very near. Later in ch. 4:6 he said, “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come.” There are a couple things I want to draw out of the first few verses here. First, we can really see the importance of building deep, authentic relationships with other Christians, you can see it clearly in the way Paul communicates with Timothy. You can also see the value of generational faith in building Christian families as Paul mentions the faithful legacy of Timothy’s mother and grandmother. We don’t know anything about Timothy’s father, but we might assume that his father was absent or not a Christian. Whatever the case was, Paul stepped in as his father in the faith. This all highlights the reality that God doesn’t intend for us to attempt the Christian life alone. We desperately need a local church community and to build a legacy of faithful Christian life in our family wherever we are in life. Another thing I want to point out is the importance Paul put on prayer as he remembered Timothy constantly in his prayers day and night.  In Ephesians 6, Paul teaches how to put on the whole armor of God. In the last part of that passage, Paul says we should yield the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times. It’s critically important to see that Paul ties scripture to constant prayer as the weapon of choice for the believer in spiritual battles. We can have great Biblical knowledge and deep theological understanding, but if we aren’t in constant prayer we’ll miss the most important part of our relationship with our Lord. When we stop and pray, we’re reminded that we aren’t in control and that it’s only by the mighty and gracious hand of God that we share in His wonderful work in this life.  We’ll dig into this more next week!


God bless and have a great week! -Terry-

WORD From The Woods
Acts 9:1-20
​    “But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. And falling to the ground he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank. Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” And the Lord said to him, “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.” But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.” But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized; and taking food, he was strengthened. For some days he was with the disciples at Damascus. And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.”




    The conversion of Saul is one of the most familiar stories in the bible, but as with many familiar passages, we tend to miss what God still has to teach us through them. Saul was one of the most zealous Pharisees in Israel and he had made it his mission in life to round up the rebels who were following the Nazarene, Jesus, the fraudulent messiah (or so he thought at the time).  Saul was so caught up in his religiosity and trying to work his way into God's favor, that he'd been horribly misled by the devil to the point where he was arresting and executing followers of this Jesus. Saul oversaw the execution of great disciples of Jesus such as Steven. Saul had heard of a large uprising of Jesus' followers in the city of Damascus, 140 miles away from Jerusalem. So, he got letters of authority from the Jewish leaders to go to Damascus and bind all the Christians he found and haul them back to prison. We might look at Saul's life before his encounter with the Lord and think there was no way he could be used by God, but God had other plans. The passion and zeal that Saul had in trying to root out Christianity were actually spiritual gifts that God had created in him for a special purpose, he had just been using them in a very wrong way, being led by the enemy.  When Joseph's brothers sold him into slavery he thought his life was over, but in Genesis 50:20 he says this:
   "As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today."
    Romans 8:28, written by Saul, who became known as Paul after his conversion says:
    "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose."
    Nobody understood this concept more than Paul, that God could take such an evil person and use their life before Christ to shape them into the servant that He wants them to be. I hear people all the time say that they have done things in their past that make them unable to serve God or somehow disqualify them for service. Paul and many other examples in the bible have shown us that's just not true! Our Lord, the sovereign God, creator of the universe, and lover of our soul, can and will use our whole story, past present, and future for His glory if we love and trust in Him. God will completely forgive all the wrongs that we will ever do if we simply put our faith and trust in Jesus as Saul did. God had a clear plan for Saul, it's amazing to see in just a few days, how God took a great enemy of Jesus' followers and brought him to Ananias, a man who he would have arrested or killed three days before. Saul was discipled by Ananias and the other Christians in Damascus, and before long he was in the synagogues proclaiming the gospel of Jesus! I don't know if you were like Saul and had to be knocked down by some life-changing event, or if you were more like Ananias, who was ready and willing to listen to the voice of God. Whatever your story is, God can and will use it to shape you into the person He wants you to be, and He desires to use you as His chosen instrument, wherever you are in life.


God bless, and have a great week! -Terry-

WORD From The Woods
Psalm 2
   “Why do the nations rage
and the peoples plot in vain?
The kings of the earth set themselves,
and the rulers take counsel together,
against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying,
“Let us burst their bonds apart
and cast away their cords from us.”
He who sits in the heavens laughs;
the Lord holds them in derision.
Then he will speak to them in his wrath,
and terrify them in his fury, saying,
“As for me, I have set my King
on Zion, my holy hill.”
I will tell of the decree:
The LORD said to me, “You are my Son;
today I have begotten you.
Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,
and the ends of the earth your possession.
You shall break them with a rod of iron
and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.”
Now therefore, O kings, be wise;
be warned, O rulers of the earth.
Serve the LORD with fear,
and rejoice with trembling.
Kiss the Son,
lest he be angry, and you perish in the way,
for his wrath is quickly kindled.
Blessed are all who take refuge in him.”
      We looked at this passage last year, but I think it’s important to be reminded again about the reality of who is really in control. Lately, I’ve been talking to a lot of folks who are very distraught over the political situation in the US right now. There’s no question that our country is in a real mess. Corruption is deep and rampant, and the most abominable kinds of sins are celebrated as virtues. I think this Psalm is a great reminder for us in times like these.  Verse 1 asks a question that most of us have been asking for a while now, “why do the nations rage and plot in vain?” If you haven’t noticed, there has been a lot of raging in the world over the last few years. And, it seems that there are some pretty evil things being plotted out by world leaders. It’s almost as if they read Psalm 2:2 as a directive on what to do! It really looks like the kings of the earth are setting themselves purposefully against The Lord and His people! It looks like that because that’s exactly what is happening. But, we read on in verse 4, He who sits in the heavens laughs and makes a mockery of those evil leaders! You know why God laughs at the vain and evil plots of these earthly leaders? Because verse 6! God says “as for Me, I have set My King on My holy hill.” Remember this was written 1,000 years before Christ came as a baby in a manger, and 3,000 years before our day now. Verse 7 speaks of  God’s begotten son, which points us to Christ in John 3:16 “for God so loved the world, that he sent His only begotten Son.” This King that the Lord would set upon His holy hill, Mount Zion, would be the promised messiah, the coming King of the world! At Christmas time, we like to say that “Jesus is the reason for the season,”  but we really just tend to think of Him as the baby in a manger that came to be our invisible sidekick that we call on when things get tough. We need to be reminded that Jesus didn’t just come as a baby for our nativity display, and He is no “sidekick!” He is our Savior and the reigning King of the world! The Jews knew that the Messiah was coming as the King, they just thought it was to rule from an earthly throne in Jerusalem. But the holy hill, Mount Zion, was something far greater! Verse 9 tells us that this King would break the kings of the earth with a rod of iron like clay pottery. That should point us to Daniel chapter 2, where Daniel interprets King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. Daniel saw 4 successive world kingdoms, ending with the Romans and the apostate Jewish nation mixed in with the Roman kingdom, represented by the feet of clay. There’s a lot more to say on that, but you can go read Daniel 2 yourself. The important part is the Stone cut by no human hand that comes crashing in, destroys the statue, grows into a great mountain, and establishes a Kingdom that will never end. That Stone would be the same King that David wrote about in Psalm 2 and that great mountain would be the Lord’s holy hill, Mount Zion. What’s really incredible about all of this, is that now under the new covenant in Christ, we know that we as followers of Christ are that holy mountain of God, Mount Zion. We are as Christians, each a part of the mountain of God! We are the Kingdom, and we know that Christ’s Kingdom will never end. It will never fail, and King Jesus will accomplish everything He intends to, on time and in His order, according to His plan!  So, even with everything going on with evil tyrants acting like they rule the world, there is one who sits enthroned in Heaven, who rules with a rod of iron, whose Kingdom cannot be shaken, Christ Jesus, the King of kings! Blessed are those who take refuge in Him!


God bless and have a great week! -Terry-

WORD From The Woods
Romans 1:18-2:11
“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error. And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them. Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed. He will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. For God shows no partiality. “


     The month of June, in our culture, is dedicated to all sorts of sexual perversion and wickedness.  In this passage, Paul addressed the very same kinds of evil that people in the first-century roman culture faced, and their desperate need for salvation. Paul doesn’t sugarcoat the truth at all! God’s wrath against sin is real and those who choose to live according to the sinful desires of the flesh rather than turning their hearts to God will face His wrath. It’s crazy how similar the Roman culture in Paul’s day was to the culture we're living in right now! We have states like New York celebrating the murder of pre-born children at any point in the womb. We have TV shows, government-funded school systems, and celebrities celebrating the mutilation of people's bodies to take on the false identity of the opposite gender. And, all sorts of twisted sexual perversions written into our arts and entertainment. The words that Paul wrote 2000 years ago about the anti-God, debased, evil ways of his culture are exactly in line with the wickedness we see all around us today. We need to decide if we seriously want to follow Christ or not. If we really believe the words Paul wrote about God’s truth of salvation, wrath, and judgment. The “christian church” in America is becoming very soft on these issues. We’re bombarded every day, from every angle with deceptive lies that tell us that evil is normal. These lies tell us that things like transgenderism, abortion, and all kinds of sexual immorality are just normal things that should be celebrated. We say we know it’s wrong, but we laugh about these things when we see them in our favorite tv shows. We’re afraid to stand for truth when we see these things all around us. If Paul’s words are true, then the truth of God is plain to the world. His invisible attributes can be clearly seen in the world around us, namely His eternal power and divine nature! Every man is born with the knowledge that we’re accountable to the creator, and with a knowledge of right and wrong. These evil things that we see all around us are really, at the core, people rebelling against the Creator God. They don’t want to be accountable to God and choose to do things their own way according to the desires of their flesh.  As Christ-followers, we’re called to be change agents in the culture, but many who take the name of Christ, are themselves, being changed by the culture. It’s never been more important than it is right now to stand firm in the faith and boldly proclaim the truth of God about salvation, and we desperately need to be actively involved in making disciples of the world around us!


God Bless, and have a great week! -Terry-   

WORD From The Woods
Jude: 24-25
   “Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.”
    This week, we’re at the end of the short letter of Jude. These last two verses are one of the greatest doxologies in the entire Bible. Last week, we talked about the judgment that awaits false teachers and enemies of Christ, if they continue in their rebellion against Him. This passage, points us to the glory that awaits us if we are indeed in Christ! I love how Jude puts it “to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and present us blameless.” That really sums up the gospel! It’s Christ alone who is able to keep us from stumbling in this life. I think it was R.C. Sproul who said, “if we could loose our salvation, we would.” If it was up to us to keep ourselves from stumbling, we would stumble, and fall from grace every single day. We should read this passage and hit our knees in worship and praise to Him who keeps us from stumbling. It’s Christ who saves us and He who keeps us saved through this life, and then at the end of it all on the day of judgment He will present us to the Father, blameless, redeemed, resurrected, and restored! And as this passage says, He will do it with great Joy! The last verse give us all the assurance we need to look to for all of it. Jesus Christ is our God, the only true and living God, the Lord of all, the King of Kings! In Him is all Glory, He has all authority and dominion over everything in the universe before time even began, and right now, and forever! If you’ve read some of our past devotionals around Christmas time, you know I talked a lot about the dominion of King Jesus. I think that in the crazy and confused world we’re living in right now, one of the most important things that we need to rest in, is the dominion of Christ, the sovereign authority and reign that He has over His creation. Though we don’t know exactly what His plans are, and we may face more and more trials and tribulations in this life, we can rest in the fact that Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father, and that He has all authority in heaven and earth, and that nothing is out of His control (Psalm 2, 110, Isaiah 9, 1 Cor. 15). The world tells us that everything is just a process of random natural process, just molecules in motion bumping into each other. We know that there are no rouge molecules, nothing happens that the Creator doesn’t know about, or that He didn’t design and call into being with purpose and authority. That God, is the same God that still holds all things together at this very moment. So, when you read the words of Jude in this wonderful little passage of praise and worship, keep all of this in view and rest in the goodness, glory and dominion of the King! Walk out into the world, and live like the Savior who saved you and keeps you saved is the same saving King who still lives and reigns supreme as the ultimate authority over everything you face!


God bless, and have a great week! -Terry-     

WORD From The Woods

Jude: 4-23
“For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. Now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day— just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire. Yet in like manner these people also, relying on their dreams, defile the flesh, reject authority, and blaspheme the glorious ones. But when the archangel Michael, contending with the devil, was disputing about the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, “The Lord rebuke you.” But these people blaspheme all that they do not understand, and they are destroyed by all that they, like unreasoning animals, understand instinctively. Woe to them! For they walked in the way of Cain and abandoned themselves for the sake of gain to Balaam's error and perished in Korah's rebellion. These are hidden reefs at your love feasts, as they feast with you without fear, shepherds feeding themselves; waterless clouds, swept along by winds; fruitless trees in late autumn, twice dead, uprooted; wild waves of the sea, casting up the foam of their own shame; wandering stars, for whom the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved forever. It was also about these that Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his holy ones, to execute judgment on all and to convict all the ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness that they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” These are grumblers, malcontents, following their own sinful desires; they are loud-mouthed boasters, showing favoritism to gain advantage. But you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. They said to you, “In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.” It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit. But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. And have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.”


    Last week we looked at the first part of the letter from Jude , where he called believers to be bold and contend for the faith. In this next passage, he warns the church about false teachers and all sorts of ungodly people, who would rebel against God and His people. He also boldly talks about the judgment that awaits those who continue in their rebellion. He points back to the evil and rebellious cities, Sodom and Gomorrah and how they were destroyed by fire. Jude says that Sodom and Gomorrah serve as an example of the eternal judgment that all who die in their sin and rebellion will face. In today’s christian culture, there is very little talk about pointing out false teachers or calling people out in their sin and rebellion. It’s become all about how Jesus loves us and just wants us to be happy. The Lord Jesus Christ does love us, and wants us to have joy in Him and joy in our fellowship with each other. But the point of our life on earth is first and foremost to glorify Him. And the Lord will have nothing to do with evil. Jude didn’t hold anything back! He says that the Lord comes with tens of thousands of His holy ones to execute judgment on all the ungodly sinners who have committed all kind of evil rebellion against Him. After Jude gave this warning, he calls the church to build up each other in the faith, praying to the spirit, keeping yourselves in the love of God and waiting for the mercy of Christ that leads to eternal life! That’s the gospel! Sin and rebellion leads to eternal destruction in judgment, the gospel of Christ leads to eternal life! Jude says it’s an act of mercy to point out the judgment that is coming on the ungodly and present them with the gospel. He actually compares it to snatching them out of the fire, because that’s exactly what happens when someone is saved by Christ, they are saved from the fire of eternal judgment! It’s true that God is love, it’s because of HIs love for us that He made a way for us to be saved at all. But it is not loving for us to avoid harsh talk about judgement of sin. I think Jude makes it clear that it’s actually unloving to not talk about it, to not call sin what it is and point people to the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is all part of contending for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.


God bless, have a great week, and boldly contend for the faith!
-Terry-

WORD From The Woods
Jude: 1-3
“Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James,To those who are called, beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ: May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you. Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.”


    I shared this short series on the book of Jude a couple of years ago, but I want to share it again. It’s an interesting little letter with some matter-of-fact language, that has some good teaching for us today.
     Jude was one of Jesus’ brothers by Mary and Joseph. It’s interesting that he mentions that he is the brother of James but never mentions being the brother of Jesus. Instead, Jude says that he is a servant of the Lord Jesus. He could have claimed that he was related to Jesus by flesh and blood, but he doesn’t, he only claimed to be tied to Jesus in the spirit by means of salvation through the blood of Christ. This is really significant, and points us to the reality that nothing in our flesh can get us to God! It’s only by surrendering our heart to Christ and being covered by the blood of His sacrifice on the cross that we’re saved! The intro to this letter is short and sweet. This letter is written to the church, the true followers of Christ, the “called,” those who have been called and saved out of darkness, loved by God, and kept in Christ. Next week, we’ll look at the harsh words Jude has for false teachers and those who rebel against God. But for the believers in Christ, he says that mercy, peace, and love will be multiplied to you. He goes on to point out our common salvation. In whatever walk of life you’re in, whatever time, place, and culture you live in, we are all united in one common community of faith in Christ Jesus. Jude says he found it necessary to write to this community, the Church, to appeal to us to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to us, through the life, death, and resurrection of Christ! The word contend means to earnestly struggle and fight for something with everything that’s in you. Jude calls us to stand up and fight for our faith because it’s necessary. Why? Because there is an enemy of Christ, the devil, who is always at work trying to destroy the cause of Christ, and as Christians, we are called to represent Him in this world and fight for the faith! Next week, we’ll take a look at what Jude says concerning the judgment that comes on those who rebel against Christ. Until then, keep your eyes fixed on the King and stand for Him!


God bless and have great week! -Terry-

WORD From The Woods
    This week we will finish up our study in the Gospel of Mark. The 12 verses that we're looking at today are in brackets in most modern translations because there is a lot of debate as to whether or not they were part of Mark's original gospel account. Let's take a look at this passage and then I'll share some thoughts on it.
Mark 16:9-20
[Now when he rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons. She went and told those who had been with him, as they mourned and wept. But when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it. After these things he appeared in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country. And they went back and told the rest, but they did not believe them. Afterward he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at table, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen. And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.” So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs.]]


     As I said, there is a lot of debate as to whether or not Mark's original Gospel account ended with verse 8 or if it included verses 9-20, which is known as the "longer ending of Mark."  The reason that there is some question about this passage's authenticity, is that it's not found in some of the oldest and most reliable manuscript evidence that we have found to date. It's thought by most scholars that this passage was added later because of the abrupt ending of Mark with verse 8. Whether or not this was written by Mark himself under the direction of the Holy Spirit doesn't really matter to me, what does matter is whether or not it is in concert with the rest of scripture or whether it contradicts it. I think this is a great opportunity to talk about how we should read the bible in general. We must always read a scripture in light of scripture and we must look at the context of large portions of scripture, rather than looking at it in small bits. This passage is a perfect example, the reason that I'm not worried about it and most scholars aren't, is that it doesn't say anything that isn't in complete harmony with the rest of scripture. There has been some obscure teaching based on verse 18 that says believers will be able to pick up snakes and drink poison without being harmed, but a clear reading of scripture in light of scripture will lead you to Acts 28:3-4, where Paul is bitten by a venomous viper and is protected by The Lord as a sign to confirm his apostolic authority. These non-normative miracles surrounded the apostles in the early stages of the Church after Pentecost as God's way of saying to the world that the apostles were indeed sent by the one true God. You see here how someone could take just these 12 verses in Mark and come up with an obscure doctrine of letting snakes bite people or drink poison to test God, but when we look to the whole of scripture we can understand what was really being taught. The fact that the authenticity of this passage is questioned shouldn't shake our confidence that the modern bible translations we have are God's inerrant word. As I've said, this passage is in harmony with the rest of scripture, and with the thousands of very old manuscripts that have been discovered and the science of textual criticism, we can be sure that what we have in our modern translations is God's word.  It's vitally important to us as followers of Jesus, that we learn to accurately and responsibly study God's word. Always remember to interpret scripture in the light of other scripture and take into account the greater context of a passage by reading it in large portions rather than singling out small bits and pieces.  I've included some commentary from the ESV Study Bible below to give you some more information about this passage in Mark.
God bless and have a great week! -Terry-
-Commentary from the ESV Study Bible-
16:9–20 “Longer Ending of Mark.” Some ancient manuscripts of Mark's Gospel contain these verses and others do not, which presents a puzzle for scholars who specialize in the history of such manuscripts. This longer ending is missing from various old and reliable Greek manuscripts (esp. Sinaiticus and Vaticanus), as well as numerous early Latin, Syriac, Armenian, and Georgian manuscripts. Early church fathers (e.g., Origen and Clement of Alexandria) did not appear to know of these verses. Eusebius and Jerome state that this section is missing in most manuscripts available at their time. And some manuscripts that contain vv. 9–20 indicate that older manuscripts lack the section. On the other hand, some early and many later manuscripts (such as the manuscripts known as A, C, and D) contain vv. 9–20, and many church fathers (such as Irenaeus) evidently knew of these verses. As for the verses themselves, they contain various Greek words and expressions uncommon to Mark, and there are stylistic differences as well. Many think this shows vv. 9–20 to be a later addition. In summary, vv. 9–20 should be read with caution. As in many translations, the editors of the esv have placed the section within brackets, showing their doubts as to whether it was originally part of what Mark wrote, but also recognizing its long history of acceptance by many in the church. The content of vv. 9–20 is best explained by reference to other passages in the Gospels and the rest of the NT. (Most of its content is found elsewhere, and no point of doctrine is affected by the absence or presence of vv. 9–20.) With particular reference to v. 18, there is no command to pick up serpents or to drink deadly poison; there is merely a promise of protection as found in other parts of the NT (see Acts 28:3–4; James 5:13–16). (See The Reliability of the New Testament Manuscripts.)

WORD from the woods
Mark 15:42 - 16:8
     “And when evening had come, since it was the day of Preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Pilate was surprised to hear that he should have already died. And summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he was already dead. And when he learned from the centurion that he was dead, he granted the corpse to Joseph. And Joseph bought a linen shroud, and taking him down, wrapped him in the linen shroud and laid him in a tomb that had been cut out of the rock. And he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Jesus saw where he was laid. When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large. And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.” And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.”
     The resurrection of Jesus is something that a lot of churches talk about on Easter Sunday but then forget about the rest of the year. That’s why I waited until a few weeks after Easter to go through this passage. This is the most vital part of the gospel, and it's something that should be celebrated often! Many churches take communion once a month in remembrance of the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross, this is something that should be remembered and celebrated often, but we tend to forget about the awesome hope of resurrection. Many people around the world went to see Mel Gibson's movie "The Passion of The Christ", and I thought the movie was historically accurate and well done up to the point of Jesus' death. But, that's where Mel Gibson's gospel story ended. There was no emphasis at all on the resurrection, and sometimes we get so caught up in Jesus' suffering and death that we forget to finish the story as well. I remember growing up listening to Paul Harvey's radio show, and at the end of each show he would finish the broadcast with his signature line, "now you know, the rest of the story, Paul Harvey, good day," I think we need to take time to remember the rest of the story. One of the reasons that the early church started meeting on Sunday, the first day of the week instead of the sabbath, was to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ each week because Christ was raised on the first day the week. The resurrection is such a vital part of the gospel, here's what Paul had to say about it in 1 Corinthians 15:12-14.
    "Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain."
    The resurrection of the dead is something that we can't escape, even unbelievers will be raised from the dead to face judgment and will live for eternity in bodies of flesh and blood. John 5:28-29 says,
    "Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment."
      The resurrection and eternal life of a follower of Christ will be completely different than that of one who has rejected salvation. The eternal life of a believer is not merely a physical existence, but it's a new life spiritually in which we will forever be in communion with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! There will be no separation between us and God because of sin. The eternal existence of an unbeliever may involve physical life but it will be an eternal spiritual death where a person will forever be in the torment of being totally separated from the goodness of God, this will be a torment worse than any physical death could ever be. The fact is that we were created by God in his image to be eternal beings, because of our sin there is an unnatural separation between us and the lover of our soul. When we put our faith and trust in Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we can experience a renewed life and restored relationship with Him, but the relationship we have with Him now is just a taste of what it will be like after the resurrection when we will spend the rest of eternity worshipping our Creator, forever separated from sin!

    God bless and have a great week! -Terry-


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WORD From The Woods


Mark 15:1-41
     “And as soon as it was morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council. And they bound Jesus and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate. And Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” And he answered him, “You have said so.” And the chief priests accused him of many things. And Pilate again asked him, “Have you no answer to make? See how many charges they bring against you.” But Jesus made no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed. Now at the feast he used to release for them one prisoner for whom they asked. And among the rebels in prison, who had committed murder in the insurrection, there was a man called Barabbas. And the crowd came up and began to ask Pilate to do as he usually did for them. And he answered them, saying, “Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?” For he perceived that it was out of envy that the chief priests had delivered him up. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release for them Barabbas instead. And Pilate again said to them, “Then what shall I do with the man you call the King of the Jews?” And they cried out again, “Crucify him.” And Pilate said to them, “Why, what evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Crucify him.” So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified. And the soldiers led him away inside the palace (that is, the governor's headquarters), and they called together the whole battalion. And they clothed him in a purple cloak, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on him. And they began to salute him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they were striking his head with a reed and spitting on him and kneeling down in homage to him. And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him. And they led him out to crucify him. And they compelled a passerby, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross. And they brought him to the place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull). And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. And they crucified him and divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take. And it was the third hour when they crucified him. And the inscription of the charge against him read, “The King of the Jews.” And with him they crucified two robbers, one on his right and one on his left. And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, “Aha! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself, and come down from the cross!” So also the chief priests with the scribes mocked him to one another, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe.” Those who were crucified with him also reviled him. And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” And some of the bystanders hearing it said, “Behold, he is calling Elijah.” And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.” And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God! There were also women looking on from a distance, among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. When he was in Galilee, they followed him and ministered to him, and there were also many other women who came up with him to Jerusalem.”


    The entire bible is ultimately focused around one central theme, which is the problem of mankind's sinfulness and God's plan of redemption for mankind. Most people, whether they have trusted in Jesus for salvation or not, have heard about Him and that He was crucified. We've all heard people say that something was a "game changer," well, the crucifixion of Jesus was the "game changer" of all time! This event even split time in two, we have B.C. (before Christ) and A.D. (Anno Domini) which means "the year of The Lord." The crucifixion of our Savior was not just a big deal, it was the biggest deal of all time! I don't really need to make this point to true followers of Christ, we should already understand how important this was. I could spend several weeks on this passage, talking about the many different details surrounding the crucifixion that fulfilled Old Testament prophecy, these are important things to study and are great apologetic tools to have, but I want to get back to the basics today. I don't know about you, but I've been saved for a long time, I tend to forget how incredible the sacrifice Jesus Christ made for us on the cross really was! I think it's important for us to step back once in a while and think about what really happened here! God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, the three persons of the Godhead were all present at the creation of the universe. God simply spoke and the entire universe came into existence from nothing! This same God, carefully, thoughtfully, and purposefully knit us together in our mother's womb. We were created by God to love, serve, and glorify Him, and to enjoy a relationship with Him for all eternity. We have each made the conscious choice countless times, to sin against our Creator. Because of our rebellion against Him in sin, we deserve to be put to death and spend eternity separated from God. God sent His Son, to be the perfect, sinless sacrifice to take our punishment for sin, and offer us a reconciled relationship with Him for all eternity! It's vitality important for us to remind ourselves of the awesome reality of God's plan of redemption. It's also important for us to remember that every time we sin, our sin is what nailed our Savior to the cross. Because of the unfathomable grace that has been showered upon us through Christ's redemptive work, it's easy for us to become jaded and cavalier about our own sin. It's why we see hundreds of married pastors and church leaders who have been caught on "secret" adultery dating websites. If you think that you and I are immune to such a fall, you’re wrong. Like the Casting Crowns song "slow fade" says, it's a series of very small compromises that led men like King David, to fall into sin. As you go about your week, be reminded of the awesomeness of what Christ did for us on the cross, and let the Holy Spirit empower you to live a Christ-like example before the world around you!

God bless and have a great week! -Terry-