Mark 14-16

Mark 16:14-18
The Great Commission

- v17-18 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

And everyone one of these signs are separated by a ";", which means that they all mean the same thing! These signs are all "equal". They are not different things. If you can pray in tongues, you are able to cast out demons! If you can pray in tongues, you can lay hands on the sick and they will recover!! In essence, if you can do one, you are able to do all the rest!!!

Mark 13

Mark 13:3-13
The Signs of the Times and the End of the Age

- v11. Now when they take you [to court] and put you under arrest, do not be anxious beforehand about what you are to say nor [even ] meditate about it; but say whatever is given you in that hour and at the moment, for it is not you who will be speaking, but the Holy Spirit.

This is one time Jesus tells you NOT to meditate!!! LoL

I believe this verse can also be applied to sharing the gospel with others, and also when you are offering advice or counsel to others. No point trying to memorise sermon notes and preach to ppl. I believe the Holy Spirit will bring to your remembrance all things and teach you (John 14:26) what to say at the right time!

Mark 11-12

Mark 12:28-44 (The Message)
The Most Important Commandment

29-31Jesus said, "The first in importance is, 'Listen, Israel: The Lord your God is one; so love the Lord God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence and energy.' And here is the second: 'Love others as well as you love yourself.' There is no other commandment that ranks with these."

32-33The religion scholar said, "A wonderful answer, Teacher! So lucid and accurate—that God is one and there is no other. And loving him with all passion and intelligence and energy, and loving others as well as you love yourself. Why, that's better than all offerings and sacrifices put together!"

34When Jesus realized how insightful he was, he said, "You're almost there, right on the border of God's kingdom."

You're almost there! Right when you realise you have reached the end of yourself, that you can never love God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength! For the kingdom of God is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17), and God will love YOU with all His heart, with all His Soul, and with all His mind, and with all His strength!!!

41-44Sitting across from the offering box, he was observing how the crowd tossed money in for the collection. Many of the rich were making large contributions. One poor widow came up and put in two small coins—a measly two cents. Jesus called his disciples over and said, "The truth is that this poor widow gave more to the collection than all the others put together. All the others gave what they'll never miss; she gave extravagantly what she couldn't afford—she gave her all."


I'm pondering about this verse. I asked Daddy why it's here, especially when the preceding verses talk about loving Daddy with your everything. When I saw the words, "she gave her all", it just hit me!

Could it be, that one sure way to express your love to Daddy is through your offering? I'm not saying that putting money in the offering equates to loving God with your everything, but I'm saying that if you really really love God, you gotta put your money where your mouth is.

Money is so close to everyone's heart, and Pastor teaches us that faithful people are recognised through their tithes. So if you are willing to part with your money and give it to Jesus, that makes a bold statement in the eyes of God. Someone confirm this with me!

Mark 10

Mark 10:23-31 (Amplified & Message - Raphael Mix)
With God All Things Are Possible

You know what? I'm so blessed by today's quiet time that I'm gonna try something new. I'm going to remix both the Amplified and Message version of verse 29-31 to send home a more impactful message!!

- Note: Blue is Amplified & Red is Message

- v29 Jesus said, Mark my words, there is no one who has sacrificed house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands —whatever— for My sake and for the Gospel's (will lose out)

30 Who will not receive a hundred times as much now in this time--houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions--and in the age to come, (the bonus of) eternal life!

31 This is once again the Great Reversal: many [who are now] first will be last [then], and many [who are now] last will be first [then].

I was sharing with Cuijing over dinner just yesterday night that among my secular clique of friends, I'm the one with the lowest pay.

Even though, yes, my position would provide me with time to serve the Lord and a generally better quality of life (my other friends either have long working hours or have to standby for emergencies 24 hours a day in their jobs), but when it boils down to dollars and cents, I really lose out big time. And when they entice me to join them in their industries, I tell them that I choose not to go there.

But during this morning's quiet time, Daddy spoke to me with such an impact! He reassures me that whatever I do for Him now, He'll repay me back 100 times! My pay is $2,700/mth right now. Daddy says He's goin to give me back $270,000/mth!!! That makes me a Multi-Millionaire!!!! Can I believe that???? What did I just read yesterday in Mark 9:24? “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”

And although I am last now, I will be the first then!!!

Mark 9

Mark 9:14-29
A Boy is Healed

- v24. Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”

Mark 8

Mark 8:22-26
A Blind Man Healed at Bethsaida

- v23 So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town. And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything.

Mark 7

Mark 7:31-37
Jesus Heals a Deaf-Mute

- v36 Then He commanded them that they should tell no one; but the more He commanded them, the more widely they proclaimed it.

Mark 6

Mark 6:30-44
Feeding the Five Thousand

- v30-32 Then the apostles gathered to Jesus and told Him all things, both what they had done and what they had taught. And He said to them, “Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat. So they departed to a deserted place in the boat by themselves.

Mark 6:45-52 (Amplified)
Jesus Walks on the Sea

- v45-47. And at once He insisted that the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side to Bethsaida, while He was sending the throng away.

And after He had taken leave of them, He went off into the hills to pray.

Now when evening had come, the boat was out in the middle of the lake, and He was by Himself on the land.

Mark was written to portray Jesus as a servant. And this chapter is very significant because we see Jesus not as a servant that is continually serving and non-exhaustive. He was still man, and He needed to rest. Are you serving til the point where you are totally sucked dry and exhausted?

But the revelation I have is this: He told the apostles who were sent out two by two earlier to "come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while." Immediately after that, they were faced with the multitudes and served in the feeding of the five thousand.

After that, Jesus insisted that He be left alone to pray. And immediately after that, He walked on water.

2 of the greatest miracles ever known to mankind occurred immediately after resting. Go figure!

Mark 4-5

Mark 4:21-25
Light Under a Basket

- v24 And He said to them, Be careful what you are hearing. The measure [of thought and study] you give [to the truth you hear] will be the measure [of virtue and knowledge] that comes back to you--and more [besides] will be given to you who hear.

Mark 3

Mark 3:20-27
A House Divided Cannot Stand

- v24-25. If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.

Jesus used this parable to rebuke the scribes who accused Him of using Satan to cast out unclean spirits. "If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand." He could've just stopped there with this one line, and it would have been very direct, clear, and easy to understand.

But He repeats the line again using a "house" as another example. I checked the Greek, and it is really just a house, so I presume that Jesus is now emphasising His point in a general perspective.

Therefore, if a church is divided against itself, that church cannot stand. If a CG is divided against itself, that CG cannot stand. If your project group is divided among yourselves, your project group cannot stand. If your spouse and you are divided among yourselves, your marriage cannot stand.

To Jesus, what is the most important thing you must realise when you are in a context of a group/team/company (i.e. you are not the sole person involved in something)? Your group/team/company must unite and stand together for a common goal/vision/mission. And should anyone not be able to run with this goal/vision/mission, that individual is at risk of bringing everyone down with him.

In the context of a church/CG, if you are unhappy with anything or anyone, bring it up to your leaders, shed light on it, and remove all the darkness. In the counsel of multitudes, there is wisdom to see the truth. Don't sow poison into others. And be prepared for correction as well if you are deemed to be in error.

Think about this: If you really, really love your church/CG, what is there to fear about correction out of love compared to the risk of bringing down the whole house?

Mark 1-2

Mark 2:1-12
Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralytic

AMP - v6-8. Now some of the scribes were sitting there, holding a dialogue with themselves as they questioned in their hearts,

Why does this Man talk like this? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins [remove guilt, remit the penalty, and bestow righteousness instead] except God alone?

And at once Jesus, becoming fully aware in His spirit that they thus debated within themselves, said to them, Why do you argue (debate, reason) about all this in your hearts?

MSG - v8. Jesus knew right away what they were thinking, and said, "Why are you so skeptical?"