In the opinion of the religious leaders, Jesus was always running with the wrong crowd. He is often criticized for the company he keeps (e.g., Zacchaeus – All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.” Luke 19:7). The religious leaders tried to use this as a way to discredit Jesus; Jesus turns it around and uses it to show the true nature of his role as Messiah. The key phrase in this passage is “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.” While Jesus never condoned immoral behavior, he did have a way of making all people feel comfortable in his presence. As followers of Jesus, we must be comfortable seeking out and spending time with people who are considered outsiders by our religious culture.Watch more videos at the Mountainview YouTube channel. Need a Speaker…
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Over the next 8 weeks at Mountainview we will be looking at snapshots of Jesus from the Gospel of Mark. Along the way, we’ll find what makes Jesus different, unique, and worth following today. As we will see, Jesus didn’t fit religious stereotypes of his day. He still defies the stereotypes of him held by our culture, including many Christians. The Gospel of Mark was written by John Mark. We know a few things about Mark: It’s highly possible that he was present when Judas betrayed Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. He caused a bitter split between Paul and Barnabas. His mom’s house was often used as a gathering place for early Christians in Jerusalem. He eventually become close friends with Peter. Mark’s biography of Jesus portrays Jesus as constantly on the move and working for a larger purpose. In that respect, he seems like the kind of Savior…
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15 While Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. 16 When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 17 On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” Mark 2:15-17 Of all the people that Jesus selected for his initial launch team, Levi might have raised the most eyebrows. You're probably thinking, "But what about Judas? Surely his selection would have caused concern." That concern would come later; at the time, Judas seemed like a perfectly good choice. But Levi was a legal extortionist (a tax collector) whose…
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As a student of leadership, I'm particularly interested in the qualities of good leadership. What are the values, characteristics, and habits that set apart the good leaders from the mediocre and unhealthy ones? Most of us could quickly generate a list like this one: Integrity Honest Disciplined Charismatic Good communicator Visionary Hardworking Humble Service-minded In both the business world and church literature, certain characteristics would overlap. Whether it's called Level Five leadership, servant leadership, or some other name ... you'll find many of the same characteristics of good leadership in each of them. But I've been thinking about one characteristic that I believe needs more attention. In fact, it may be the underlying factor that enables the other characteristics to function at their prime. It's congruence. Congruence happens when the various aspects of your life -- your beliefs and behavior - are in agreement. The root of the word traces…
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"The will to succeed is important, but what's more important is the will to prepare." - Coach Bobby Knight This quote has appeared in various forms over the years. "Everyone wants to win, but not everyone wants to practice" is one variation. Another is "Most people have the will to win, few have the will to prepare to win." Whether you liked Bobby Knight or not (or even remember who he is), the sentiment is true: most of us like the idea of winning much more than we like the amount of work it takes to win. That's one reason why we put so much time and effort into looking successful - because it gives the appearance of winning without the effort. I've counseled with couples who accumulated large amounts of debt in order to maintain an image or lifestyle. It was a shortcut that had terrific long-term consequences. Shortcuts…
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