Mark was a realist and a very close friend of Jesus. We do not know when the two met and when their friendship began. It may have been when Jesus’ family made their annual pilgrimage to Jerusalem, or it may have been when Mark became a disciple of Jesus. What was and what still is … Continue reading Partners with the Holy Spirit: Part #76 →

Pilate understood the Jewish fanatical stubbornness and he gave them what they wanted. The witness of Mark’s Gospel saw no compassion in Pilate, in his soldiers, or even in Jesus’ accusers, except some in Simon of Cyrene. The witness in Matthew remembered that Pilate’s wife had a dream that her husband should have nothing to … Continue reading Partners with the Holy Spirit: Part #75 →

Jesus and his disciples were led to the Upper Room and ate the Passover after the sun had set on preparation day, which was two days before the Passover. It was night! And it stayed dark long after Jesus had died on the cross, when darkness covered the land. After Jesus and his disciples had … Continue reading Partners with the Holy Spirit: Part #74 →

The Evangelist Luke recorded how Jesus felt when He saw Jerusalem: And when Jesus drew near and saw the city he wept over it, saying, “Would that even today you knew the things that make for peace! But now they are hid from your eyes. For the days shall come upon you, when your enemies … Continue reading Partners with the Holy Spirit: Part #73 →

The idea of being spiritual or spirit filled was a trademark for the prophets and for a handful of priests, but not a public commodity that everyone could enjoy. The truth was and still is that they had the spirit to live, but it was blocked by their own interpretation and understanding, which stopped God’s … Continue reading Partners with the Holy Spirit: Part #72 →

Mark was a true partner of the Holy Spirit! Mark shared his knowledge of Jesus with the writers of Matthew, John, Luke, and even with Paul. The idea that Mark was Peter’s scribe has some credence because they were friends while they were in Rome, and before that in Jerusalem (I Peter 5:13). The brevity … Continue reading Partners with the Holy Spirit: Part #71 →

Love, yes love, can be a window into heaven, but love can also be a door into hell. I have been through times when I felt guilty of not loving God and Christ enough, not praying enough, not reading the Bible enough, and not being more active in Church. And, I, myself, have been guilty … Continue reading Partners with the Holy Spirit: Part #70 →

Love is a popular subject in the world and we use it mostly for our convenience. We love to hear that God and Christ love us, but how do we love God and Christ without their physical presence? In that sense, love takes on a completely different role. In addition of comforting and encouraging, love … Continue reading Partners with the Holy Spirit: Part #69 →

The Zebedees were not the only ones with preconceived ideas what it meant to partner with the Spirit of Christ and with God. It was and it is still difficult to hack into a fixed mind, that has a set perception, based on an antiquated idea that through a man like Moses and David, God … Continue reading Partners with the Holy Spirit: Part #68 →

It was not Mark’s style to overlook Jesus’ interest in Samaria because Samaria became a major mission outreach field for the Kingdom of God, after Pentecost and the first major persecution. Philip, one of the seven deacons, ended up in Samaria, and many Samaritans became followers of Jesus, including an Ethiopian official (Acts 8). Samaria, … Continue reading Partners with the Holy Spirit: Part #67 →