Tenth & Broad Church of Christ Podcast

Mark's Gospel opens with a revolutionary declaration that Jesus is the true King, not Caesar. Through John the Baptist's call to repentance, Jesus' baptism where heaven opens, and His wilderness testing, we see how to prepare for and encounter Christ. Jesus calls ordinary fishermen as disciples, demonstrates authority over demons in the synagogue, and shows that following Him means turning God's blessings into service to others. The key is choosing one area to focus on: daily repentance, living into our baptism, trusting God through difficulties, or serving others in response to His goodness.

Many of us can see Jesus but struggle to see Him clearly, like looking at a tree and thinking it's just one big leaf. Through the story of Jesus healing a blind man in two stages in Mark 8, we learn that spiritual sight often requires a second touch from Jesus. The disciples could identify Jesus as the Messiah, but their vision was still blurry when it came to understanding what that truly meant. Our spiritual blindness comes from Satan's deception and our own familiarity with Jesus that breeds complacency. When we see Jesus more clearly, it may challenge our comfort zones, but it transforms how we handle life's difficulties and gives us better perspective on what Jesus has already accomplished.

King Jehoshaphat demonstrates that true courage isn't found in grand gestures, but in the ordinary, intentional decisions we make daily to follow God. Unlike the impulsive King Ahab, Jehoshaphat showed three keys to ordinary courage: setting his heart on the Lord, seeking God while turning away from distractions, and teaching God's Word to others. When we practice these principles, God provides everything we need to grow steadily in our faith. This week, take the next right step by focusing on who God is rather than what you lack, removing one distraction that competes for your devotion, and sharing Scripture with someone in your life.

Fasting is a forgotten spiritual discipline that Jesus expected His followers to practice regularly alongside prayer and giving. The modern church has largely abandoned this biblical practice, missing out on its spiritual benefits including developing self-discipline, bringing spiritual purification, and facilitating generosity. There are four main types of fasting: major fasts (abstaining from food and drink), minor fasts (abstaining from food for set periods), partial fasts (giving up certain foods), and soul fasts (abstaining from non-food items). The key is choosing a fast that requires genuine sacrifice while being achievable, and using the time normally spent eating to draw closer to God through prayer and spiritual reflection.   Due to technical issues, we have raw audio which picks up street noise and sounds from the A/V booth.

John wrote his first letter to give believers blessed assurance about their eternal life. He addressed Christians who were confused by false teachers with complicated ideas, reminding them that faith is simple. Authentic Christian living involves three essentials: believing in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, obeying His commands, and loving others. John emphasizes that God's commandments aren't burdensome because they all sum up to love. Eternal life isn't just about living forever after death—it's about experiencing a quality of life that finds meaning and purpose in knowing God and Jesus Christ right now. NOTE: We had technical issues with the end of the sermon. Our video back up picked up the image but we lose our microphone so we are using the native camera microphone that picked up some of the soundroom workers trying to fix the issue but you can hear the end of the message.

Our hearts often condemn us because we struggle to love perfectly and doubt God's unconditional love for us. John teaches that God knows everything about us - our failures, weaknesses, and struggles - yet loves us anyway. This isn't frightening news but hopeful, as God's omniscience is connected to His mercy throughout Scripture. When we understand that God wants to make His home in our hearts rather than distance Himself from us, our hearts find rest. This rest transforms how we live: we obey out of joy rather than fear, and we pray with the confidence of children approaching a loving father. The key is remembering the cross and our baptism, knowing that our worth comes from God's unchanging love, not our performance.

The Apostle John reveals three key marks of true Christianity: believing in Jesus, walking in obedience, and loving fellow believers. In 1 John 3:11-18, he exposes two dangerous lies about love that our culture promotes. First, that love comes later after we get our doctrine right, when actually love has been foundational from the beginning. Second, that love comes naturally, when true Christian love is actually supernatural and only possible through God's Spirit. Real love follows Christ's example of laying down His life for us, moving beyond words to concrete actions that serve others in practical ways.

Jesus didn't come to earth just to show love and mercy—He came on a search and destroy mission against sin and the devil's works. According to 1 John 3, real Christians don't take sin lightly because they understand it separates us from God. We can't settle for sin management, constantly asking for forgiveness while never addressing the root problem. God's plan required two moves: His incarnation as a sinless man to take our place, and our rebirth through being born again. When we receive a new nature in Christ, we react differently to sin—like a sheep that flees from mud rather than wallowing in it like a pig. This doesn't mean perfection, but it means progress in our walk with God.

From the beginning, God created us to bear His image and share in the family resemblance. When sin entered through Adam and Eve's disobedience, we lost that image and experienced shame and separation from God. But God chose to pursue us rather than abandon us, sending Jesus to restore our capacity to bear His image. Through faith in Christ, God adopts us as His children and begins transforming us from the inside out. This isn't just about forgiveness - it's about being remade into God's likeness with ever-increasing glory. One day we will see Jesus face to face and be completely like Him, with no shame or reason to hide.

During seasons of waiting, Christians are called to demonstrate love that goes beyond feelings to active service. Jesus modeled this radical love throughout His ministry by putting others' welfare first, even loving His enemies. When we show love to others - whether family, strangers, or those who oppose us - God counts it as love shown to Him. True Christian love seeks the good of others above our own comfort, serves those who cannot repay us, and extends grace to those who have wronged us. This love transforms our waiting periods into opportunities to live out kingdom values now.

Life is filled with waiting seasons that can easily lead to anxiety and impatience. However, we can find joy during these times by focusing on two powerful truths. First, we can rejoice in God's incredible mercy, which becomes most evident during our trials and is ultimately demonstrated through Christ's incarnation. Second, we can choose to be joy for others who are also waiting by offering simple acts of kindness like genuine smiles, using people's names, and showing sincere interest in their lives. These small gestures create ripple effects that extend far beyond what we can see, transforming both our own experience and the lives of those around us.

True peace isn't just the absence of conflict but complete wholeness, described by the Hebrew word shalom. Jesus didn't come to end all earthly troubles but to bring peace between humanity and God through his sacrifice. Paul provides practical steps for experiencing supernatural peace even during difficult circumstances: choose joy, be gentle with others, live with eternity in mind, turn worry into worship, pray about everything, and be grateful. Your thought life directly impacts your peace, so be mindful of what you consume through news and social media. While circumstances may not change, God can transform you from within, allowing you to experience peace that surpasses understanding.

Life is filled with seasons of waiting, from medical results to relationship healing. Throughout Scripture, God's people have always been waiting people - Noah, Abraham, Joseph, and even Jesus all experienced extended periods of waiting. The Hebrew word for wait is the same as hope, revealing that biblical waiting is active and expectant. During waiting seasons, we can maintain hope through three key practices: establishing consistent prayer to commune with God, trusting His character and timing rather than forcing our own solutions, and actively doing good works right where we are. Our hope as Christians is different because it's a living hope found in Jesus, who experienced waiting just as we do and serves as both our example and foundation.

In these uncertain times, believers have been given a powerful gift - the anointing of the Holy Spirit. John warns that we're living in the last days, where many antichrists seek to diminish Jesus rather than deny Him outright. These false teachers don't reject Jesus entirely but reduce Him to merely a good teacher rather than the unique Son of God. However, every believer has received the Holy Spirit's anointing, which always points us to Jesus and reminds us of His truth. To remain faithful, we must hold onto three essentials: the apostolic teachings about Jesus, the indwelling Holy Spirit, and active participation in the body of Christ.

Living as a Christian requires choosing between loving God and loving the world system that opposes Him. The world, under Satan's influence since the Fall, operates with values and philosophies contrary to God's truth. We cannot serve both masters - loving the world squeezes out love for the Father. Christians have been rescued from darkness into light through Christ's victory on the cross. Understanding that this world is temporary while God's kingdom is eternal helps us maintain proper perspective. Spiritual maturity involves growing beyond spiritual childhood and working together as a church family across all generations. We're called to be in the world as light and salt while rejecting its values.

Authentic faith in Jesus is marked by three key characteristics: obedience to His commands, living like Jesus, and loving others. True obedience flows from love rather than obligation, showing evidence of genuine faith rather than earning salvation. Living like Jesus isn't about perfect imitation but about abiding in Him and allowing Christ to transform us from within. The command to love others is both ancient and revolutionary, as Jesus redefined love by His own example of sacrificial care for all people. These marks aren't about achieving perfection but about staying connected to Jesus and allowing Him to produce authentic spiritual fruit in our lives.

In this Celebration Sunday message, Jeremy shares how Jesus' first miracle of turning water into wine reveals God's invitation for us to participate in His extraordinary work through ordinary obedience. Just as the servants at the wedding had to trust Jesus by filling the jars with water, we are called to pour out what we have—our time, resources, and prayers—trusting that Jesus will transform our efforts into something miraculous. Short-term mission trips and everyday acts of service become opportunities for others to "taste and see that the Lord is good" when we step out in faith and obedience.

Campus ministry is genuine missionary work that requires understanding today's college culture and building relationships one student at a time. Rather than waiting for students to walk through doors, effective campus ministers go where students are, creating entry points like coffee service and deeper connections through worship and discipleship groups. The goal isn't just social activities but making disciples whose identity rests in Christ rather than academic performance or social status. Churches can support this mission by learning students' names, living lives worthy of following, and engaging at campus ministry locations to model healthy relationships for students from broken families.

The landscape of campus ministry has transformed dramatically since 1962, with today's college students facing unprecedented mental health challenges amid our digital age. Despite these difficulties, this may be the most exciting time for campus ministry as Gen Z shows increasing spiritual curiosity, openness to intergenerational relationships, and a hunger for authentic mentorship. Churches have a unique opportunity to be trustworthy guides for young people who are often 'harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.' By positioning ourselves as authentic witnesses and engaging intentionally with students, we can respond to Jesus's call to shine our light and enter the plentiful harvest field.

Sin creates division between us and God, but the gospel restores fellowship through Jesus Christ. God is light without darkness, and we cannot claim fellowship with Him while living in spiritual darkness. Walking in the light means agreeing with God's definition of sin and confessing when His light exposes darkness in our lives. Confession brings healing and restoration, allowing us to experience true fellowship with God and others. The mark of a Christian isn't sinlessness but a willingness to bring sin into the light through regular confession.