Awake Us Now

"Prayer Power" - by Pastor Chris Dodge In a nation that is increasingly polarized and divided, the prayers of God’s people are more essential than ever. The Scriptures resound with calls to prayer because God both desires and answers His children when they cry out to Him. Various forms of the word “pray/prayer” are found over 370 times in the Bible. Here are just a few examples: - Devote yourselves to prayer... (Colossians 4:2) - Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. (Luke 18:1) - Pray continually (1 Thessalonians 5:17) - Pray in the Spirit on all occasions (Ephesians 6:18) - The prayer of a righteous person is powerful (Jas.5:16) An “appeal to Heaven” is more desperately needed than ever before. I encourage you to take a listen to “Prayer Power.” Abundant blessings, Pastor Dodge

Who is really in charge here? Who alone can accomplish what needs to be done?

Luke 10:25-37. Jesus often answered a question with a question. But when asked "Who is my neighbor?," He answered by telling a story - a story that asks the same question of us. Today’s study is The Good Samaritan, a 2000 year old parable from Jesus that still speak into our culture today. This story starts with an expert of Jewish law asking Jesus a question. Jesus answered the question with a question. A tactic Jesus used frequently. Why? Because He knows questions are how one gets to a person’s heart. Questions force one to think things through. Jesus answers the first few questions from the expert with questions but then He answers the “who is my neighbor” question with a parable (but it ends with a question as well.) The Parable Jesus tells is about a man that is beaten, robbed and left for dead on the road side and the reactions of three by-passers. 1. Priest - a religious person who just ignored the beaten man and just kept on walking 2. Levite - a church worker, stops to look at the man but decides to

“Hypocrite.” This word is used a grand total of seventeen times in the entire New Testament — and Jesus is the only one who uses it. (Hint: He does not have a good opinion of hypocrites!) The word Jesus uses is actually a technical term meaning actor. In Jesus’ vocabulary, a hypocrite is one who outwardly plays the part of a religious person to perfection, while inwardly having no genuine relationship with the Living God. Some of the toughest words Jesus ever spoke were addressed to the religious leaders of the nation of Israel. Matthew 23 records many of these scathing indictments. It would be a mistake to assume these words only applied to people living 2,000 years ago. Religious hypocrisy is alive and well today. Matthew 23 speaks powerfully to the current religious scene in America.

Family traditions, handed down over generations—or recently established—can be a real blessing to young and old alike. They help us remember and celebrate the past and give reason to anticipate the future. On the other hand, some traditions can be spiritually deadly. Jesus highlighted the danger when He warned, “You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.” (Mark 7:8) In Jesus’ day many religious people went through the motions of faith without truly practicing that faith. That kind of religious traditionalism is self-centered and arrogant. It mistakes religion for a genuine faith relationship with God. It is often easier to recognize the failures of the past than to identify today’s mistakes. “Traditions” applies the teachings of Jesus to our own day and calls us to a joyful relationship with the risen Jesus.

In the parable of the sower, Jesus compares the Word of God to seed falling on four different kinds of soil - hardened, shallow, thorny, and productive. Which soil does God's Word find in you? Pastor shows us a picture of a wheat field in Israel that is actually a battlefield, in the Valley of Elah, where David battled Goliath. It’s an amazing battle in which God won the victory. The picture of this field reminds us that as Jesus tells the story of The Sower, He is speaking about warfare, spiritual warfare. God desires to bring every man, woman and child into His loving presence, but there is a battle raging over the human heart and in the human soul and it is a life or death matter. Seed has power and that’s how it is with God’s Word. His word that does not change is a powerful word. It is a life-changing word. God’s word is a Living Word, and a word for us today. Seed= God’s Word Four kinds of Soil. Which soil are you? 1. Pathway soil - hardened - where God’s Word (seed) cannot grow. God pleads, “break up t

Luke 6:47-49, John 3:16, 1 John 3. Is your life built on a solid foundation, or on a shifting, unstable one? What did Jesus say was a solid foundation? In our continued Two Year Study of the Gospels, we now move from the Gospel of Mark into the Gospel of Luke, specifically taking a look at the Parables of Jesus. The first parable Pastor Dodge examines is the Parable of the Wise and Foolish Builders. Where we build, how we build and what we build with are important and the foundation makes all the difference. A solid foundation can withstand the storms that a house built on sand cannot. Today’s parable demonstrates this profound truth: Jesus tells us if we come to Him and hear His Word and put those words into practice, it is like a wise man who dug down deep to get a solid foundation on the rock and when the storms of life came - that house stood strong. But the person who built quickly without a strong foundation, when the storms came that house was totally destroyed. We want to make sure our lives are ancho

Week 30 - Mark 15:40 - 16:8 (including 9-20). Death and burial of Jesus; The Resurrection; Women, the first witnesses to the Resurrection. In this study we finish the final chapter of Mark by taking a closer look at the women at the foot of Jesus’ cross when he dies and the women who were on their way to anoint Jesus on Sunday morning and find Him gone and also a look at the woman who was the first to talk with Jesus after His resurrection. This look at these women brings some great insight into who these women were and takes a specific look at Mary of Bethany (Lazarus’ sister) and Mary Magdalene with some exploration into them possibly being the same person. Pastor puts out the lay of the land, where specific houses were located and where the tomb was along with the look at the women and puts together the resurrection story using the accounts of all 4 gospels and unites them into one cohesive reconstruction of the events of Resurrection Sunday. Here’s how Pastor takes Matthew, Mark, Luke and John and puts th

Mark 15:22-39. Roman crucifixion; meaning of INRI; Crucifixion in Old Testament prophecy; Sacrifice of Jesus. This study is an in depth look at Jesus’ crucifixion on Golgotha (Calvary). Pastor shares pictures of the present area of Golgotha and the archeological discoveries that are happening. He explains the true nature of crucifixion: a most brutal, demeaning, ghastly, immoral, unholy, merciless, humiliating method of execution ever devised. One of the intentions of crucifixion being carried out in such a public place outside the city wall was so that many could see and the goal was to fill people/onlookers with fear. But we read in 1 John 4:18 “...perfect love drives out fear...” This verse shows us the very opposite of the actual intention. What does perfect love look like? Mark chapter 15 lets us know. Pastor finishes today’s teaching with a look at Jesus’ final words and describes the tearing of the curtain in great detail that brings a clearer understanding of this piece of the crucifixion story that c

Mark 15:1-21. Unjust accusations and punishment; Crucifixion; The Cross. If you ever doubt God cares, or if in the midst of difficult times you say, “Does God really care what I’m going through,” take a look at Mark 15. This chapter is short but it is powerful. It says loud and clear, here’s how much He loves us: He stretched out His arms, and He took it all for you and for me. And that is the heart of the gospel story—because that gospel story is the heart of God. https://www.awakeusnow.com The Gospel of Mark is the first of the 4 Gospels we are studying. The book of Mark highlights and applies the fundamental teachings of the Biblical faith as encountered through the life and teachings of Jesus as written by Mark. This study is great for large group, small group or home group Bible study.

Mark 14:63-72. A look at Caiaphas the High Priest. Jesus: charged, tried, convicted and sentenced. Peter’s denial. Pastor talks about repentance, and restoration and how God forgives anything and everything when we repent and He welcomes into His kingdom.

Mark 14:27-64. God offers us forgiveness and hope and meets our deepest needs in Jesus our Savior; The Lord's Supper and the “New Covenant in Christ’s blood,” Blood of the Covenant; Betrayal, arrest and denial of Jesus; Jesus claims He is the Messiah and Son of God.

Mark 14:1-26. Jesus’ anointing during the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the significance of this anointing and how it ties into a kingly anointing; observations that point to God being in control of every detail of the plan for Jesus, nothing was by chance and Pastor shows the consistent truth of the Bible; the betrayal of Jesus by Judas is set into place; Passover and its picture of Jesus as the Sacrificial Lamb; the Last Supper and the New Covenant; The Bread in the Middle - Jesus the Messiah; The 4 cups of Passover but Jesus stops with the 3rd and will not take the 4th cup until He returns; and an exploration of the hymn sung as they went out to the Mount of Olives.

Mark 13. Topics: the last days; an overview of each of the views of Jesus’ return: Pre-, Post-, and A- Millennialism; the first resurrection; and the second resurrection.

Mark 13:19-31. The Last Days; Tribulation, Rapture, and the Second Coming; Pre-, Post-, and A-Millennialism; Be Awake! We do not need to fear. Jesus has left us warning so that we will be prepared, filled with the Holy Spirit and trusting in His promises.

Mark 13:1-19. Signs of the End; Jesus shares the warnings of the signs of the times not to scare us but to prepare us; the abomination that causes desolation; the Olivet Discourse; false Messiahs and prophets; preaching the Gospel; "Abomination of Desolation.”

Mark 12:1-43. Topics: rejecting Jesus; obey God or the state?; resurrection; the greatest commandment; offerings to God.

Mark 11:15-33. God's Temple; temple cleansing; lip service or true worship?; authority of Jesus.

Mark 11:1-14. Topics: Jerusalem; the 7 days from Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem through his resurrection; How does Messiah reveal Himself?

Mark 10:13-53. Topics: child-like (not child-ish) faith; "What must I do?"; difficulty of riches and a deeper study of riches; the healing of the blind man; following Jesus through suffering to glory.