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The Introduction To The Introduction To The Introduction

A couple of years ago, my ministry group developed a theme called Make Your Mark, which is subsequently led us to deriving the whoel module from the book of Mark. Since then I have been fascinated by shortest gospel.

I always need to remind myself that the bible writers were real people, living in real times, and enduring real life problems.  Yes they wrote with the Spirit’s inspiration, but they still wrote what they wrote in their character. This allowed them to share their thoughts and agendas. That might sound a bit assuming, but everyone has an agenda, I saw a lot of that happening a few weeks ago during the World Cup. But in all seriousness, Paul reminds us to that in everything we do may we do it for the Glory of God. Mark was a real person who lived with a mission that had an agenda of making God known.  While rereading Mark 1 here are some things that popped out at me: 

1.  Reading through chapter 1 a few times, the movie “A Knights Tale” came to mind. If you have watched this film, Chaucer introduces William, who impersonating a Knight, to the audience by bring context to Williams existence.  Check it out:

Mark has laid down the foundation for his audience to have a context of who Jesus is. Jesus has been the trending topics for previous generations, Jesus is the Son of God, Jesus has authority, Jesus has the power to physically and spiritually restore people. Jesus, Jesus, Jesus is the man! 

2. There is a dual dimension presented within the first chapter. It starts of by stating an existence of a Kingdom of God, followed by John the baptizer who was baptizing people into God’s Kingdom, who then said that Jesus would come and baptizes with the spirit that will change people inside out. Then there are the moments that Jesus chitchats with his old minions, the demons, who actually acknowledges who Jesus is.

3. Jesus was on a mission. Jesus had an agenda. Check out v35 for those of you who are mission-leaders (Hint Hint).

4. And probably the section that I most resonate with is when Jesus is putting his gang together. Reading that Simon, Andrew, James and John just drop everything to follow Jesus seems like a scene that it comes out of the iRobot movie.  But I would go out on a limb to say that Jesus by character was very relational, Jesus must have had a previous relationship with those boys before calling them to leave their jobs, families, and everything they owned to go hitch hiking for rest of their lives. 

You see, it would be defiantly hard to drop everything to follow someone you didn’t personal know at some deep level. As I lead out in my mission groups I have worked with people who believe that through their relationship with Jesus there has been a redaction in their life’s course and desires.

One Year In Mission (oyimssd) is a testimony to that fact.  I have met people who have decided to put their studies on hold for a year (and more), who left behind friends and loved ones, who took time off work or even resigned from work just to be the hands and feet of Jesus. That takes special kind of friendship for that kind of commitment.  So, Mark 1 its an introduction to the introduction to the introduction to a story that is about Jesus. My prayer is that you, whoever stumbled on this link, will find that Jesus is real, Jesus heals, Jesus transforms, and Jesus lead’s a mission that if you chose to accept and partake can leave marks of restoration everywhere you go.

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Youth Connects+ Make Your Mark | Keynote: Jobbie Yabut

Join us this Tuesday evening as Pastor Jobbie opens Youth Connects+ here at Universitas Advent Indonesia. Keep posted, we will give a shoutout if we are able to do a live streaming from the UNAI Chapel.   Tuesday PM Keynote | Jobbie Yabut

Title: Dare To Share

Bible Verse: Mark 5:19

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Happy Sabbath!

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Last year today, I got on a 23 hour flight from Manila to Dubai to New York. Meet some pretty awesome people who I help me to realize how much more I had to grow. The  past 12 months I have little if any control of my future. God has been been leading me through the valleys and darkness but is still good to me. With 5 more months  (1.5 Years In Mission) to go, I can only put my trust in God that He'll lead me through my doubts of what is next. I'm sure my fellow OYIMers know what I mean. Thanks to all how sacrificed and supported me this far. #oyim4life #oyimssd

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Time of Rest

The meaning of the Sabbath is to celebrate time rather than space. Six days a week we live under the tyranny of things of space; on the Sabbath we try to become untuned to holiness in time. It is a day on which we are called upon to share in what is eternal in time, to turn from the results of creation to the mystery of creation; from the world of creation to the creation of the world. - Rabbi Heschel

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What does it take to begin a relationship with God? Devote yourself to unselfish religious deeds? Become a better person so that God will accept you?

You may be surprised that none of those things will work. But God has made it very clear in the Bible how we can know Him.

The following...

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They say a picture is worth a thousand words! Here are a few posters on the some simple inputs about the core method of the Christian act of evangelizing God’s Kingdom and everything the Gospel of Jesus is.  The One Year In Mission task force is all about the method of Jesus in loving, restoring, and point others towards Kingdom of Heaven.    Click the first image to browse more.

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To separate the sacred from the secular, the spiritual from the material, is to break asunder what God has joined together.

Leonard Sweet

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Biblical Christianity is dynamic. It is focused on Christ. It is commited 100%. it is passionate. It is transformational. It is fruitful. It is peaceful and it is loving and accepting.

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God knows we need healing, even though we sometimes act like everything is alright, deep inside we know something is amiss.

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Roanne takes a step and joins the Christian movement by being baptized by water as any follower of Jesus is asked to do. I pray that her choice will lead others to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. Ron Genebago, Seventh-day Adventist Pastor, lays Roanne to rest in the watery grave and raises her up as symbolism of what we as Christians are in Jesus Christ-- Alive.

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Exodus 20:8-11 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

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Holiness is not based on what you do. Its based on Who is with you.

Matthew 28:20 Ephesians 3:14-27 Colossians 2:9,10 John 14:20

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Obedience is coming to the point in your life where you declare through your actions: God, you know best.

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Three keys to success: Make your own lane. Stay in your lane. Keep up with the people in your lane. Stopping is dangerous. Keep going!

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“This trouble you’re in isn’t punishment; it’s training . . . God is...training us to live God’s holy best”

Heb. 12: 8, 10 MSG