Brad D. Schaaf

We studied Galatians 2:17-18 tonight. One of things we discussed is the "Once Saved, Always Saved" doctrine.

Galatians 2:17-18 'Once saved, always saved'?

We continued to study the book of Galatians last night at Pinedale Christian Church in Winston-Salem, NC.

Galatians 1:13-17

This is from our second Bible study that we had last night at Pinedale Christian Church in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. We discussed what grace really means and how that Paul was changed by it.

This is from our second Bible study that we had last night at Pinedale Christian Church in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Galatians 1 :11-12

This is from our second Bible study that we had last night at Pinedale Christian Church in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. We discussed why the true Gospel is not popular and that Paul was willing to stand for the truth as the servant of the Lord.

Galatians 1:10

Last night we continued to study the scripture about water baptism, speaking in tongues, and the gift of the Holy Spirit in order to understand what the Gospel really is NOT. The gospel is about Jesus who alone saves those who have repented or believed.

Acts 2:14-41 and Romans 1:2-4

Last night we continued to study Galatians 1:6-7 and then we studied Acts 2:38 that is about repentance, water baptism, and the gift of the Holy Spirit. Praise God for Jesus who alone saves!

Galatians 1:6-7 and Acts 2:38

Hello! This is our 63rd devotion in our study of Mark. We will continue in the 4th chapter where Jesus and His disciples are among mountainous terrain with steep cliffs. Near there is the tombs. In that culture the dead were buried outside of the town. Here is where Jesus meets the demon-possessed man (Mark 5:6-9). 
 
We learn that the unclean spirit is “many”. It’s name is “Legion”. During biblical times when Jesus lived on Earth; a legion was made up of six-thousand men, twelve-thousand men, and five-hundred men. So there was not one unclean spirit living in this man. Unfortunately, there were at least five hundred of them! 
 
This legion of demonic warriors fought against this man, denying him the ability to live righteously. They warred against God and all that is holy! (Eph. 6:12) 
We should not take this lightly. Today during our lifetime, Satan still has demons who roar fearfully, trying to keep up apart from our God. 
 
The devil, Satan, IS a dragon. He is totally monstrous and fully evil. Yes, Satan and his demons are indeed formidable, meaning they are man, and they are dangerous, and they are fearful! 
 
Satan and his demons are real! As we go through our Christian life; we need to resist temptations to sin. Satan uses things to tempt us, to lull us into sin, like a mother peacefully lulls her baby to sleep. Sometimes we are waist-deep into sin before we realize there’s anything unrighteous in our lives. As Christians we need to be aware (Matthew 26:41), ready to run away from sin (1 Corinthians 6:18a) , and stay steeped in the Word of God (Ephesians 6:14a) 
 
CORAM DEO!

Hello!  This is our 63rd devotion in our study of Mark.  We will continue in the 4th chapter where Jesus and His disciples are among mountainous terrain with steep cliffs.  Near there is the tombs.  In that culture the dead were buried outside of the town.  Here is where Jesus meets the demon-possessed man (Mark 5:6-9).

We learn that the unclean spirit is “many”.  It’s name is “Legion”.  During biblical times when Jesus lived on Earth; a legion was made up of six-thousand men, twelve-thousand men, and five-hundred men.  So there was not one unclean spirit living in this man.  Unfortunately, there were at least five hundred of them!

This legion of demonic warriors fought against this man, denying him the ability to live righteously.  They warred against God and all that is holy!  (Eph. 6:12)
We should not take this lightly.  Today during our lifetime, Satan still has demons who roar fearfully, trying to keep up apart from our God.

The devil, Satan, IS a dragon.  He is totally monstro

Fearful, Evil, And Monstrous (Mark 5:9)

How powerful are demons and Satan? Are they able to resist Jesus' will? We will see in this story. 
 
Transcript: 
This is devotion #62 in our study of Mark. Jesus has just been confronted by a demon-possessed man (Mark 5:1-5). 
 
This man lived among the tombs, and roaming up in the mountains. The unclean spirit (evil spirit of Satan) had the man under it’s control. He was so violent that he could not live with his family anymore. He was alone… (Mark 5:6). 
 
Scripture here tells us that the man “ran and fell down before him”. Wow! This man who was constantly enraged by the evil spirit that indwelt him is now postured in WORSHIP! How can that be? Would Satan run to the Son of God and fall down in worship to Him? Definitely not! Even though this unclean (evil) spirit has control over this man; it does not have control over our God! By the power of Jesus, the man fell in worship! 
 
Let’s read on… (Mark 5:7-9) 
 
The demons are speaking through the man now, using the man’s voice! And by what name are they calling our Lord? (Mark 5:7b-7c) 
*Brad, I suggest you highlight ‘Jesus’ and ‘Son of the most high God’ when you show the verse. 
 
This unclean spirit recognizes that Jesus is the Son of God! This spirit is powerful! But not powerful enough to resist God. (Hebrews 1:3a) Jesus is ALL POWERFUL… This is part of Jesus’ character. The common theological word for this is “omnipotent”. ‘Omni’ means all, and ‘potent’ means powerful. 
Yes! 
That’s our God!! 
And by the power of His word- He reigns! No one can resist our God. As Christians, we do not want to resist Him. He is our Defender. 
 
(Psalm 119:114, 62:6, 18:1-2) 
 
Praise the Lord today! Love Him and thank Him! 
Coram Deo

How powerful are demons and Satan? Are they able to resist Jesus' will? We will see in this story.

Transcript:
This is devotion #62 in our study of Mark.  Jesus has just been confronted by a demon-possessed man (Mark 5:1-5).

This man lived among the tombs, and roaming up in the mountains.  The unclean spirit (evil spirit of Satan) had the man under it’s control.  He was so violent that he could not live with his family anymore.  He was alone… (Mark 5:6).

Scripture here tells us that the man “ran and fell down before him”.  Wow! This man who was constantly enraged by the evil spirit that indwelt him is now postured in WORSHIP! How can that be? Would Satan run to the Son of God and fall down in worship to Him?  Definitely not!  Even though this unclean (evil) spirit has control over this man; it does not have control over our God!  By the power of Jesus, the man fell in worship!

Let’s read on…  (Mark 5:7-9)

The demons are speaking through the man now, using the man’s voice! And by w

Jesus, Son Of The Most High God (Mark 5:6-9)

If you are born-again, your faith is just like Jesus' disciples' faith from the time they first believed the gospel. Sure, your faith is weak at times. However, it grows! 
 
Mark 4:39-40 
Devo #60 
 
Hello! This is our 60th devotion in our study of Mark. Today we will finish up with chapter 4. 
 
Jesus is on the Sea of Galilee with His disciples. They are heading to the other side of the lake when a storm hits them. The entire boat is filling with water! (Mark 4:37) 
 
Jesus, having been teaching all day, is exhausted. He is sleeping during the storm while His disciples are wide awake and terrified. 
 
They wake Jesus! (Mark 4:38-39) 
 
Wow! So, Jesus spoke to the sea, and the sea OBEYED Him! This is only by the power of our God! 
 
Jesus said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” 
*Brad I suggest you pause briefly and thougtfully look at the camera, then continue… 
 
Have you ever got caught out in a bad storm? I think we’ve all probably had that happen… But- did you ever say to a to a bad weather, “Stop being windy! Stop raining hard!”? No. We do not say anything like that to nature. Why not? Why do we not order nature to obey us? Because we are not sovreign. We are not all-powerful. We are not God! But Jesus on Earth was fully man, and He still IS fully God. 
 
Jesus knew the disciples were not in danger from the storm. And of course He cared about His disciples. With the command of Jesus’ words; the storm ceased immediately. 
 
In this verse the translation of Jesus command is “muzzle it”. Sometimes a dog known for it’s vicious bite will be muzzled. This storm had a vicious bite, and Jesus muzzled it. 
 
Many times during Jesus 3-year ministry; He ordered this same command… (Mark 1:25-28). Jesus has authority over demons also. Jesus IS all-powerful. He IS God! THAT is the point here! 
 
Jesus is sovreign over all things. Whatever Jesus commands will obey Him. Let’s continue to verse 40 (Mark 4:40). Jesus disciples woke Him because they were scared they were going to die in that storm. The boat was filling with water, and they were being tossed about. Who do they turn to for help? Jesus! 
As Christians, who should we go to for help? Same- Jesus! 
 
Jesus asked them, “Have you still no faith?” The disciples had faith in Jesus, but their faith was not yet concrete that was set. They needed to examine themselves, and grow in their trust in Jesus. (Mark 4:41). 
 
Today, we as Christians should be constantly growing in our faith, our trust that Jesus is fully dependable. While on Earth we have friends and family members who will fail us. And we will fail them. We fail the Lord when we fail others. We fail Him often… That is sin! 
 
Yet Jesus has already saved us eternally from our sins. During our time on Earth; we should grow through our experiences, depending on the Lord. This kind of growth is our sanctification, ‘growing to be more like Jesus’. We can depend on Jesus because He is fully dependable. 
 
Let’s read Mark chapter 5 before we study it next week! 
 
CORAM DEO!

If you are born-again, your faith is just like Jesus' disciples' faith from the time they first believed the gospel. Sure, your faith is weak at times. However, it grows!

Mark 4:39-40
Devo #60

Hello!  This is our 60th devotion in our study of Mark.  Today we will finish up with chapter 4.

Jesus is on the Sea of Galilee with His disciples.  They are heading to the other side of the lake when a storm hits them. The entire boat is filling with water! (Mark 4:37)

Jesus, having been teaching all day, is exhausted.  He is sleeping during the storm while His disciples are wide awake and terrified.

They wake Jesus! (Mark 4:38-39)

Wow!  So, Jesus spoke to the sea, and the sea OBEYED Him!  This is only by the power of our God!

Jesus said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!”
*Brad I suggest you pause briefly and thougtfully look at the camera, then continue…

Have you ever got caught out in a bad storm?  I think we’ve all probably had that happen… But- did you ever say to a to a bad weather, “St

Faith Grows In Jesus (Mark 4:39-41)

The disciples were perplexed sometimes while they were with Jesus. Is He merely a man? They saw that He had the same needs as they had, but He is also God who cares. 
 
Transcript: 
Hello! We continue in Mark, chapter 4, where we left off with Jesus teaching the parable of the mustard seed. After He finished teaching to people, He went alone with His disciples and explained to them everything about the parable. 
 
He did not speak to them without a parable, but privately to his own disciples he explained everything. Mark 4:34 
 
Again, the parable was not for everyone to understand. Only those who had God-given spiritual ears understood and had faith in God for the rest of their life. 
 
And he said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” Mark 4:9 
 
But to this day the Lord has not given you a heart to understand or eyes to see or ears to hear. Deuteronomy 29:4 
 
Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear. Matthew 13:43 
 
Jesus had been teaching all day in Galilee and now it was evening. 
 
On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” Mark 4:35 
 
We need to remember that many of Jesus’ disciples were fishermen. There at the Sea of Galilee, they boarded one of the men’s fishing boat. 
 
And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. Mark 4:36 
 
Scripture tells us that the disciples took Jesus “just as he was.” What does that mean? Jesus would not have an extra cloak to keep Himself warm out on the water. The sun had set and it would have been chilly. Jesus, being fully God, was also fully man. He needed the same things for his body that all men do. He was tired after He taught all day! 
 
And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. Mark 4:37 
 
The kind of storm that popped up happens commonly on the Sea of Galilee due to the geography of that lake. High winds can pop up fiercely with rain. The small fishing ship was filled with water quickly. Now what did Jesus do? 
 
But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” Mark 4:38 
 
Jesus was asleep. He was tired! He used a pillow to sleep on. It would been a small pillow commonly kept on boats for rest. What did the disciples do? They woke him up and thought He did not care that the boat could sink! 
 
And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. Mark 4:39 
 
Was Jesus really unaware of what His disciples were going through? Of course not. Jesus is God! He knew what’s happening. But He was also fully man. He was tired. The disciples had not yet understood this. It is a difficult concept for us to understand, but, through our faith in Christ, we can trust that both are true. It is the same with the original disciples as with us who beieve in Christ today. Sanctification is a process. Jesus is reliable. He knows what we are going through, and of course He cares! How much does He care? He cares so much that He sacrificed Himself for us. He died on the cross even though we were still sinners. 
 
For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:6-8 
 
Yes, He loves us! Coram Deo

The disciples were perplexed sometimes while they were with Jesus. Is He merely a man? They saw that He had the same needs as they had, but He is also God who cares.

Transcript:
Hello! We continue in Mark, chapter 4, where we left off with Jesus teaching the parable of the mustard seed. After He finished teaching to people, He went alone with His disciples and explained to them everything about the parable. 

He did not speak to them without a parable, but privately to his own disciples he explained everything. Mark 4:34

Again, the parable was not for everyone to understand. Only those who had God-given spiritual ears understood and had faith in God for the rest of their life. 

And he said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” Mark 4:9

But to this day the Lord has not given you a heart to understand or eyes to see or ears to hear. Deuteronomy 29:4

Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear. Matthew 13:43

Jesus had 

The God-man Cares! (Mark 4:34-39)

Transcript: 
 
Hello! Today we are in Mark, chapter 4. This is our 58th devotion in this Study. We last discussed Jesus parable of the mustard seed. The practical application is about something common the the people of Jesus day- Farming! (Mark 4:30-32) 
 
Jesus uses this story to teach the people of long ago, and us today, what the Kingdom of God is like. Our understanding of this is cherishable. 
Let’s look… (Mark 4:31). 
 
The start of the gospel, the beginning of the Kingdom of God, is as this tiniest of seeds. Jesus uses this particular seed in His parable, the mustard seed, because it is the smallest seed. This particular seed represents the start of the Kingdom of God. The start of the Kingdom of God begins with the gospel. 
 
The Apostles, taught the gospel, the good news of our Saviour and King. In the book of Acts, chapter 2, Luke tells us about the beginnings of the church. The Apostles were together in Jerusalem during Pentecost, a Jewish annual celebration, when suddenly the HS entered all of them, and enpowering them for ministry. 
 
The men of Jerusalem gathered around the 12 men, and Peter started teaching the gospel. That day God gave about 3000 people the gift of faith to believe in Him. (Acts 2:39, 41, 42, and 46) 
 
So the first chuch was small like the least of seeds. God worked through Peter’s teaching to pierce the hearts of many more than only the first 12 apostles that day long ago in Jerusalem. The gospel that is taught takes root in the Believer’s heart, and they grow in their faith. (Mark 4:32) The Christian spreads the gospel to others. 
 
The process in the life of a Christian is like the growing and developing of the mustard seed, eventually into a mature mustard tree. The gospel continues to spread all across the world. How is that possible? God gives spiritual ears for people to understand the Gospel. (Mark 4:33) 
 
 We are the kingdom of God. We who trust in God for everything and every decision in our life. As the mustard seed, we begin in our Christian life. Then later as we become more like Christ; we are likened to the mustard tree growing to full maturity. 
 
Let’s make a decision today- right now, to tell others about the saving faith we have in Christ. Be involved in your faith! Be active and show Christ in your life! 
 
Coram Deo!

Transcript:

Hello!  Today we are in Mark, chapter 4. This is our 58th devotion in this Study.  We last discussed Jesus parable of the mustard seed. The practical application is about something common the the people of Jesus day- Farming! (Mark 4:30-32)

Jesus uses this story to teach the people of long ago, and us today, what the Kingdom of God is like.  Our understanding of this is cherishable.
Let’s look… (Mark 4:31).  

The start of the gospel, the beginning of the Kingdom of God, is as this tiniest of seeds.  Jesus uses this particular seed in His parable, the mustard seed, because it is the smallest seed. This particular seed represents the start of the Kingdom of God. The start of the Kingdom of God begins with the gospel. 

The Apostles, taught the gospel, the good news of our Saviour and King.  In the book of Acts, chapter 2, Luke tells us about the beginnings of the church.  The Apostles were together in Jerusalem during Pentecost, a Jewish annual celebration, when suddenly t

The Grain Of A Mustard Seed Part 2 (Mark 4:30-33)

Here is the devotional in English: 
 
Hello, this is the 57th devotion in our study of Mark. We are in Chapter 4, and will look at verses 30 through 33 today. 
In the last 2 devotions, ”More Mysteries" and "More Mysteries 2”, we discussed a parable, which is a cultural analagy, that Jesus told His 1st century listeners for them to understand what the Kingdom of God was like. 
 
(Mark 4:26a) 
 
Okay! I hope you familiarized yourself with those previous devotions and are ready to proceed! 
 
(Mark 4:30) 
 
Jesus might be thinking out loud here by stating these questions for the benefit of those listening to Him. No doubt His listeners would be meditating on the parable He has just finished giving them, and also on these questions. The recent teaching will prepare them for another analogy Jesus will tell them through the following parable… 
 
(Mark 4:31) 
 
The Kingdom of God can be compared to a grain of mustard seed. It is the smallest of all the seeds! 
Previously Jesus taught about "seeds that were planted" to teach the people about faith and the process of sanctification, (which is the life-long journey of becoming more Christ-like). 
Today we are reading of Jesus's teaching about "this particular seed". We must remember the culture of those listening to Jesus. This was greatly a farming community. The people would have understood Jesus analogy well. This is the first meaning to Jesus's parable. The first meaning is "Generally Understood”. 
 
(Mark 4:32) 
 
This tiniest of seed would grow into a large plant, larger than any other herb! It's leaves would branch out strong and wide- wide enough that birds could shelter under them! 
Jesus was always busy teaching and preaching on important spiritual matters. So the crowd knew this parable included the 2nd meaning to all Jesus parables. That is knowing that it "Has a Spiritual Application". 
 
(Mark 4:33) 
 
Hmmm. At the end of verse 33, Mark tells us "as they were able to hear it". What does this mean? Is Jesus talking about people who could hear what He's saying? No... Is He meaning those who understand the everyday common meaning of how this seed grows? No... Jesus is referring to those who can hear with spiritual ears. This means that those who believe on Jesus as the Saviour from their sins have the ability to diciper a meaning that unbelievers are not able to understand. Jesus is talking specifically about the 3rd and last meaning of His parables. This is the "Deeper Spiritual Meaning”. 
 
(Mark 4:30-33) 
 
Until then, keep the Lord in your thoughts and always in your heart. He will keep you going North. Coram Deo!

Here is the devotional in English:

Hello, this is the 57th devotion in our study of Mark.  We are in Chapter 4, and will look at verses 30 through 33 today.
In the last 2 devotions, ”More Mysteries" and "More Mysteries 2”, we discussed a parable, which is a cultural analagy, that Jesus told His 1st century listeners for them to understand what the Kingdom of God was like. 

(Mark 4:26a)

Okay! I hope you familiarized yourself with those previous devotions and are ready to proceed! 

(Mark 4:30)

Jesus might be thinking out loud here by stating these questions for the benefit of those listening to Him.  No doubt His listeners would be meditating on the parable He has just finished giving them, and also on these questions.  The recent teaching will prepare them for another analogy Jesus will tell them through the following parable…

(Mark 4:31) 

The Kingdom of God can be compared to a grain of mustard seed. It is the smallest of all the seeds!
Previously Jesus taught about "seeds that 

The Grain Of A Mustard Seed (Mark 4:30-33)

We continue to study the parable in Mark 4:26-29. 
 
There will not be voice-over for our devotionals while my wife, Tammy, is not able to speak normally due to her voice chord disorder. I will be posting the written manuscript for each devotion so the hearing can understand also. 
 
Transcript: 
Last devotion “More Mysteries”, we had an overview of the parable that Jesus is teaching to His disciples in chapter 4, verses 26 through 29. Jesus starts this parable by likening the parable to the kingdom of God. Let’s read the passage… 
 
And he said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.” Mark 4:26-29 
 
Okay! There is a deep spiritual meaning that Jesus is teaching us here. It’s important that we understand everything we can glean from Jesus’ words. 
 
The seed is sown. Then man goes about his day. There is nothing more he can do. The seed is in the fertile soil. The rains will come and they will go. This is the way of nature. But who is the God of nature? The God of the Bible! 
 
By the power of God who is sovereign over all things, from the seed comes the bounty of the earth. The seed grows and blooms and bears its fruit! 
 
And he said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. 27 He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. (Mark 4:26-27) 
 
As Jesus said…”So is the kingdom of God”… 
 
Matthew Henry, a preacher of long ago, explains the analogy Jesus made to the kingdom of God this way…”Thus the word of grace, when it is received in faith, is in the heart a work of grace, and the preachers contribute nothing to it.” 
 
By God’s grace, we have fiath. It is likened to a seed that is planted in the earth, yet our faith is “planted” in our heart. God grows a seed from where it is sown in the earth. The Holy Spirit, through applied grace, slowly sanctifies the heart of the believer. 
 
The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. (Mark 4:28) 
 
When the fruit is fully ripened; it is ready for the harvest. As when the believer has matured in their life journey of sanctification, then Jesus will take them from this life to eternal life in His kingdom. 
 
But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.” (Mark 4:29) 
 
We do not know the day or the hour, but we live our lives giving our utmost in our everyday Christian walk. Coram Deo

We continue to study the parable in Mark 4:26-29.

There will not be voice-over for our devotionals while my wife, Tammy, is not able to speak normally due to her voice chord disorder. I will be posting the written manuscript for each devotion so the hearing can understand also.

Transcript:
Last devotion “More Mysteries”, we had an overview of the parable that Jesus is teaching to His disciples in chapter 4, verses 26 through 29. Jesus starts this parable by likening the parable to the kingdom of God. Let’s read the passage…

And he said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.” Mark 4:26-29

Okay! There is a deep spiritual meaning that Jesus is teaching us here. It’s important that we underst

More Mysteries Part 2 (Mark 4:26-29)

We are back to our study of the book of Mark! 
 
There will not be voice-over for our devotionals while my wife, Tammy, is not able to speak normally due to her voice chord disorder. I will be posting the written manuscript for each devotion so the hearing can understand also. 
 
Transcript: 
 This is the 55th devotion in our study of Mark. We 
are in the 4th chapter. Jesus is still talking to His disciples. 
Let’s look at verse 25… 
 
“For to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.” 
 
This verse is straightforward when we put it together with the verses we’ve studied before it, with particular focus on verse 24… “And he said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you.” 
 
Jesus is telling us that our knowledge of Him is useless unless it reaches the depths of our hearts. When the gospel touches our hearts; our lives change! 
When we hear or read the gospel and we understand it spiritually; then all the rubbish of our life becomes our ‘former self’ and we are a new creation. Why? Because everything in our life is touched when we trust in Christ as our Saviour! 
This is when our knowledge of Good meets our love and trust in God. 
This is the work of the Holy Spirit. 
 
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17 
 
 
 Jesus continues to share a parable in husbandry, or farming, as we commonly say. 
Let’s go to the next passage in Mark 4:26-29… 
 
“And he said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.” 
 
So a man plants seeds… 
The seeds start to grow. 
 
Then they sprout! 
The man doesn’t fully understand what causes the seeds to grow… 
The sprouts begin to ‘sprout’ tiny leaves and fuzzy tendrils. 
The plant grows taller, sturdier, fuller, and stronger. 
Finally the crop is ripe and it is time to harvest! 
 
We have a general understanding of how husbandry works- we sow, and then we reap. That’s the 1st meaning. 
Secondly, we know there’s a spiritual application to our lives. 
But what about the 3rd meaning- the deeper spiritual meaning? We must remember that the 3rd meaning can only be understood by Believers. This is not for Unbelievers to know. 
 
When we trust in Jesus for salvation from our sins; everything in our life is changed! Our head-knowledge of God has been reconciled to heart-love for God. 
We are born again. 
What does that mean anyway? 
It is a work of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit changes us at the instant we believe. 
Let’s go to scripture for this… 
 
“The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” John 3:8 
 
THAT is the work of the Holy Spirit. 
It is as the wind, blowing where it wills. 
 
Jesus told this parable for the benefit of the Believers who were listening to him during the 1st century, His disciples. It is also for the benefit of all Believers today and those to come. 
***** 
 
 “He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how.” Mark 4:27 
 
We don’t know how the Holy Spirit changes our hearts through hearing God’s Word preached or reading the Bible, or perhaps someone telling us what the Gospel means. We don’t know how He does this! We cannot explain it. 
It is a mystery! 
 
God sent Jesus to Earth to be born from a virgin. How did that happen. We don’t know! We simply don’t know. 
Again, it is a mystery! 
 
“Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: 
He was manifested in the flesh, 
    vindicated by the Spirit, 
        seen by angels, 
proclaimed among the nations, 
    believed on in the world, 
        taken up in glory.” 1 Timothy 3:16 
 
How did Jesus become a man, and still be God? 
Fully man and fully God. 
We don’t know. 
It is a mystery. 
 
Not only is it a mystery in the way we usually use the word, but it is also another mystery that belongs to God. 
It’s not for us to figure out. 
It is for us to accept, and not to accept begrudgingly. 
 
Next time we will roll up our sleeves and dig down further, detailing the deeper spiritual meaning. 
 
Coram Deo

We are back to our study of the book of Mark!

There will not be voice-over for our devotionals while my wife, Tammy, is not able to speak normally due to her voice chord disorder. I will be posting the written manuscript for each devotion so the hearing can understand also.

Transcript: 
 This is the 55th devotion in our study of Mark. We
are in the 4th chapter. Jesus is still talking to His disciples.
Let’s look at verse 25…

“For to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”

This verse is straightforward when we put it together with the verses we’ve studied before it, with particular focus on verse 24… “And he said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you.”

Jesus is telling us that our knowledge of Him is useless unless it reaches the depths of our hearts.  When the gospel touches our hearts; our lives change! 
When we hear or rea

More Mysteries (Mark 4:26-29)

What are the rewards that the faithful believers will receive from living their lives fully for God? Let's find out from today's study of Mark 4:25.

Reward And Even More (Mark 4:25)

There is something Jesus says twice- after the parable of the sower, and again immediately after the parable of the lamp. This is important that we need to pay attention to!

There is something Jesus says twice- after the parable of the sower, and again immediately after the parable of the lamp. This is ...

The Measure Of A Man (Mark 4:24)

Jesus tells another parable that is of the lamps. Genuine Christians are like the lamps. In what way? Let's watch this devotional!

Believers Are Not Covered (Mark 4:21-23)

Jesus gives "the secret of the kingdom of God" to those who have spiritual ears. Do you have spiritual ears? Find out from today's devotional!

Ones Who Have Ears (Mark 4:3-20)

Today we will start studying Mark, chapter 4. Jesus taught many things in parables. What is a parable? This week and next week we will learn a few of Jesus' parables and the meaning of them.

Again Jesus Began... (Mark 4:1-2)

Often our relationships with other Christians do not turn out well and we forget that we are relatives. We are God's family! Jesus is our brother! May we forbear with one another and show love to one another through our actions.

Often our relationships with other Christians do not turn out well and we forget that we are relatives. We are God's family! Jesus is ...

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