The Bemenderfers

Mark

First and Last

"The first will be last and the last will be first." There are so many ways this can apply to us. Who is the first? Who is the last? Will they just be made equal? Will their positions be reversed? What does that mean for…

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Mark

Assurance of Salvation

What do you look to for assurance that you will enter Christ's kingdom? Is there a one-off event or deed that you did to confirm your salvation? Do you depend on your continued good deeds to assure your place in Heaven? In this passage, a…

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Mark

Marriage

Marriage. It can be the hardest of relationships. Surely there's a way out when things go bad. Even God wouldn't make me endure with this impossible person. God's Word is restrictive; in some cases, to obey would be tragic. So we seek to follow the…

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Mark

Forgiveness

God hates sin. But He also hates unforgiveness with an equal passion—and consequence! There are brothers and sisters who are caught in sin that we need to correct, and we may have to escalate it to the point of cutting off fellowship with them. But…

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Mark

Not One Lost

Earlier in Matthew 18, Jesus shares the parable of the lost sheep. In it He says, "If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away...." What would make a sheep wander away? What would make a believer leave the church? Jesus…

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