Mark 4:35-41 - Jesus Calms the Storm
35 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, "Let us go over to the other side." 36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. 37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?"
When We Partake the Lord’s Supper.
Partaking of the Lord’s Supper is not a meaningless routine ritual. We must partake thoughtfully, and with our minds engaged. Communion should be one of the richest and most meaningful experiences of our week.
1. We remember Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf.
“Do this in remembrance of me” (1 Corinthians 11:24*). Lest we think we deserve God’s favor, lest we forget what Christ did for us, we are regularly reminded of the price paid for our salvation. The cross of Christ is not an insignificant fact from the storeroom of history. We are remembering and savoring the meaning of the most pivotal event in human history.
Worldly Thinking
The world's futile thinking is evident all around us:
We restrict cigarette advertising in order to protect children from being persuaded to smoke, and yet refuse to restrict pornography because there is no proof that viewing obscene material leads to immoral conduct.
We punish someone with a severe fine for disturbing an eagle's egg, but legalize the killing of an unborn child. We kill the unborn child but want to save the unborn baby seals in Alaska.
We protect the rights of rock singers to promote drugs and violence on public property on the basis of free speech, yet prohibit a preacher from praying at school functions on the grounds that prayer may offend some children.
Why I Am a member of the Christian Church.
"What church are you with?" "Christian." "No, I mean what denomination." "Christian. We just call ourselves Christians." "Oh."
I could not begin to count how many times I engaged in such an exchange, and I am sure it is familiar to many in our fellowship. By insisting that Christians should call themselves just that, the 19th-century American religious leader Alexander Campbell clearly signaled a return to fundamentals and equipped us with a marvelous intellectual "foot-in-the-door."