Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast? Mark 2:18 The Old Testament specified one day in the year when God called His people to fast—the Day of Atonement. But the Pharisees had made fasting part of their regular routine. According to tradition, they fasted Mondays and Thursdays, and encourage…

Join us today as we delve into the Gospel of Mark and explore a surprising yet enlightening topic: how even devoted followers of Jesus might find a hardness growing in their hearts over time. As we journey through Mark chapter 6, Pastor Colin unpacks how Jesus overcomes resistance in his disciples—a lesson that speaks to each of us in our faith jou…

He [Jesus] saw Levi... sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” Mark 2:14 Remember, Israel was an occupied country at this time. The Roman army had marched in and made Israel part of the empire, and that meant paying taxes to Rome. The problem was that the Romans needed people to gather taxes, but who in their right mind would tak…

In this episode of Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith, we delve into the intriguing paradox of fear and peace in our spiritual journey. Discover how Jesus both brings and relieves fear, illustrated through powerful stories from Mark chapters 4 and 5. Pastor Colin explains the dual nature of fear – the reverential fear that draws us toward Jesus…

When Jesus saw their faith... Mark 2:5 Here are five encouragements to help you come to Jesusand receive from Him: Don’t let anything stop you. The paralysed man and his friends might have said, “We’ll never get near Him.” Don’t be put off by the apparent difficulty of getting to Jesus. Learn from the example of these men. They were determined to g…

In today's message, we delve into Mark chapter 4, where Jesus and His disciples face a storm. As we explore this passage, Colin highlights the profound fear that comes with recognising the glory of Jesus. Join us as we consider the disciples' astonishment at the calming of the storm and the awe-inspired fear it evoked. Learn how this fear is a pivo…

“Son, your sins are forgiven... I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.” Mark 2:5, 11 Jesus gave two wonderful gifts to this man - the gift of forgiveness and the gift of healing. Now, which of these two gifts do you think was more important? A preacher from London by the name of Dick Lucas explains it this way: Suppose we could visit wi…

Join us as we delve into the parable of the sower. As we explore Mark chapter four, we learn about the different types of soils representing diverse hearts and how they respond to the word of God. Discover the profound imagery of Jesus’s teachings and the hope of transformation through the divine gardener, who can cultivate even the hardest hearts …

Some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts… “Who can forgive sins but God alone?” Mark 2:6-7 These men were right. The only person who can forgive is the one who has been offended. If you set fire to your neighbour’s house, your neighbour can forgive you. But if someone else sets fire to your neighbour's house, you cannot f…

Today, we're exploring the profound impact of God's word—the living seed that revives souls and transforms lives. Whether you're teaching your children, ministering to a group, or sharing biblical truths with a neighbour, you might sometimes wonder what difference you're making. Remember, life under the blessings of God's rule comes through the min…

“Your sins are forgiven.” Mark 2:5 Mark tells us about a paralysed man who was determined to get to Jesus. Eventually, he was able to do so with a little help from his four friends who carried him to Jesus. When they arrived at the place Jesus was staying, it was swarming with people. There were so many people crammed into the house that a crowd ha…

And immediately he [Jesus] left the synagogue and entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. Mark 1:29 Simon and Andrew were the first to follow Jesus, and now Jesus came to their home, where Simon's mother-in-law was in bed with a fever. Nothing unusual or life-threatening about this. Which of us hasn't been in bed with a fever? B…

When he [the Holy Spirit] comes he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgement. John 16:8 Two teenage boys were downstairs after school one day. When their mum finished cooking dinner, she called out, “Dinner’s ready!” You know what happened next: The boys immediately turned off the television and the computer and came ups…

bfbe2eb9-f5dc-4f82-ba20-8b1a9dba9737بقلم Colin Smith

And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit. And he cried out... Mark 1:23 Think about it. Here is a man going to worship in the synagogue. But his life is bound by a dark power that lurks within him, and coming to the synagogue hasn’t changed that. This still happens today: A man goes to church, and his life is in the…

bfbe2eb9-f5dc-4f82-ba20-8b1a9dba9737بقلم Colin Smith

Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he [Jesus] saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. Mark 1:16 Here are two brothers running a small fishing business - ordinary people with ordinary lives, and Jesus spoke to them: "Follow me and I will make you become fishers of men” (1:17). That’s an amazi…

bfbe2eb9-f5dc-4f82-ba20-8b1a9dba9737بقلم Colin Smith

And they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath he entered the synagogue and was teaching. Mark 1:21 News about Jesus spread, and the crowds gathered: “That evening at sundown they brought to him all who were sick or oppressed by demons. And the whole city was gathered together at the door. And he healed many who were sick with various…

bfbe2eb9-f5dc-4f82-ba20-8b1a9dba9737بقلم Colin Smith

“I have baptised you with water, but he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit.” Mark 1:8 This is an amazing promise—that God’s presence, God’s power, and God’s own Spirit should come into your life. Maybe you find yourself thinking, “How could the Holy Spirit of God come into the life of a person like me?” Answer: Because you are forgiven. You’re i…

bfbe2eb9-f5dc-4f82-ba20-8b1a9dba9737بقلم Colin Smith

John appeared, baptising in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. Mark 1:4 When you come near to Jesus, He will show you your need, but He won’t leave you in despair. He will show you your need, so that in Him you will find forgiveness. This is the reason He came into the world. Baptism is a wonderful p…

“I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way, the voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord...’” Mark 1:2-3 What if you knew you were going to meet with God? It’s true, you know. You are going to meet with God. You will see Him. You will stand before Him, and you will have to give an account of your lif…

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Mark 1:1 What is the gospel? Here is the simple answer that Mark gives us: The gospel is about Jesus Christ, in whom we find repentance, forgiveness, and the gift of the Holy Spirit. The first thing to notice is that Jesus is the teacher, but He is also the message. Jesus Christ is the an…

bfbe2eb9-f5dc-4f82-ba20-8b1a9dba9737بقلم Colin Smith

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Mark 1:1 Someone might read Mark’s words and say, “Well, the confession that Jesus is the Son of God is just one man’s opinion…” Is it? It’s the unanimous confession of the New Testament “These are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God” (John 20:31). Mat…

bfbe2eb9-f5dc-4f82-ba20-8b1a9dba9737بقلم Colin Smith

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Mark 1:1 It is important to remember that God the Father did not gain a Son when Jesus was born. God sent the Son, who was already at the Father’s side, into the world. The Son shared the Father’s glory, the Father’s life, and the Father’s love before He came into the world. “[The Son] is…

bfbe2eb9-f5dc-4f82-ba20-8b1a9dba9737بقلم Colin Smith

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ… Mark 1:1 Jesus was a common name among the Jews until the beginning of the second century, but Christ is a title, telling us what this person named Jesus came into the world to do. Today, we might speak about Dave “the plumber,” or Diane “the teacher.” Plumbing is what Dave does. Teaching is what Diane d…

bfbe2eb9-f5dc-4f82-ba20-8b1a9dba9737بقلم Colin Smith

Now to him who is able to... present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy… Jude 24 Try and imagine what this will be like. First, you will be presented before God’s glorious presence… blameless. The word translated “blameless” is the same word that was used to describe a sacrificial animal in the Old Testament that was acce…

bfbe2eb9-f5dc-4f82-ba20-8b1a9dba9737بقلم Colin Smith

Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling… Jude 24 God is able to give you victory over the power of temptation. Do you believe this? No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may…

Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling… Jude 24 This doesn’t mean that when you become a Christian you will never fail. We all fail in many ways. But God is able to keep you from falling. When Jesus was going to the cross, He said to Peter, “Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that you…

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. Jude 25 Jude says that there is only one God, and this God is the Saviour God. Now if God is the Saviour, what does this saving look like? There are three dimensions. 1. God is our Saviour from sin's pen…

bfbe2eb9-f5dc-4f82-ba20-8b1a9dba9737بقلم Colin Smith

Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling… Jude 24 Jude has been telling us that we need to watch ourselves, because we live this Christian life in the body, but we are also to find our rest in God. Verses 24 and 25 are all about God. That's significant because the first six workouts have been all about you: “But you, beloved, [build] yours…

bfbe2eb9-f5dc-4f82-ba20-8b1a9dba9737بقلم Colin Smith

Let a person examine himself. 1 Corinthians 11:28 Make it your regular practice to give your soul a thorough examination to see if there is anything displeasing to God hidden inside you. There are several ways of doing this. As you read the Bible, note anything that displeases God and ask yourself, “Do I see any evidence of this in me?” Don’t ask v…

bfbe2eb9-f5dc-4f82-ba20-8b1a9dba9737بقلم Colin Smith

To others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh. Jude 23 When you reach out to others in ministry, you need to be very careful that you do not end up falling into sin yourself. Jude uses the word “fear.” You need to have a healthy fear lest you fall into the same sins as somebody else you are reaching out to. The Bible …

bfbe2eb9-f5dc-4f82-ba20-8b1a9dba9737بقلم Colin Smith

Save others by snatching them out of the fire. Jude 23 Those who can see that they’ve been burned know what the fire can do, and they reach out to others in the flames. That takes courage. You can’t do ministry without being burned. There is no pain-free ministry. There is an old story about an African village. One night there was a fire in a woode…

Save others by snatching them out of the fire. Jude 23 If you’re going to be useful in ministry, you need to have a proper understanding of yourself and what God has done for you. Sin has damaged us all, but the Bible makes it clear that sin has done deeper damage to you and to me than staining our lives. It’s changed our nature. Like wood that's b…

Have mercy on those who doubt. Jude 22 Those who doubt would include those whose faith has been undermined and those whose faith has not yet been fully formed. There are many people like this today. How are we to minister to folks who are confused about their faith? Jude says, “Do this with great compassion.” There’s a big difference between the ch…

Have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire. Jude 22-23 If you want to live a healthy Christian life, you need to learn to wait. The obvious question is, What does God want us to do while we are waiting? The answer is that we are to give ourselves to ministry. God calls us to ministry. There are people in need all a…

Wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ... Jude 21 The people who bring menus to your table at a restaurant are called waiters or waitresses. They have no other agenda but to wait on you. They take your order, bring your food, and then make sure everything is okay. Some people think God exists to wait on us, but the Bible tells us that our call…

[Wait] for the mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. Jude 21 When Jude talks about waiting, the obvious question is, Don’t we already have God’s mercy? Yes. Don’t we already have Jesus Christ? Yes. Don’t we already have eternal life? Yes! If we’ve already received these things, why does Jude tell us to wait? This is teaching us…