This Changes Everything- Week Tree :)

happy friday everyone! alright so here is the long awaited recap/messge responses :) This past Sunday, October 23, we had the privlege of having Layne Wakuta speak about Jesus' authority! :D

Without further ado, here is a little summary of Layne's message :)

word of the week: AUTHORITY(exousia)-the freedom of choice..."the rightful, actual, and unimpeded power to act, or to possess, control, use or dispose of, something or somebody." (The New Bible Dictionary)

The Gospel of Mark=The Gospel of Action
-Mark 1:15,17
-There is very little detail, Mark gets straight to the point.
Jesus Christ=Man of Action,Man of Authority
-Mark 1:28-31
~Jesus shows His authority in 2 ways:
* Authority in His teaching
* Authority in His power over evil spirits

Authority in teaching:
-Mark 1:21-22~"...he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law."
*Matthew 28:18-"Jesus...said, 'All authority...has been given to me."
What happened to authoritative teaching?
-"400 years of silence" (Intertestamental Period):time between Malachi & the coming of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ
-Influence of Hellenism throughout Israel, even the Jewish people
-Authoritative speaking of prophets was replaced by boring repitition of Jewish laws by the teachers of the Law (Pharisees and Scribes)
*Luke 4:14-22

Authority over evil spirits:
*Mark 1:23-28~"...A new teaching-and with authority! He even gives orders to evil spirits and they obey Him."
What is an evil spirit?
- an unclean spirit, or demon
*Does demon possession occur today?
-Yes, demon possession seems like when a demon(s) live in a person they take control over that person's mind & body (Charles Ryrie)
*How can someone become demon possessed?
-God blinds the minds of unbelievers so they cannot see Christ (2 Corinth. 4:4)
Can a Christian become demon-possessed?
-NO...why?
*Christians are indwelt by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinth. 6:19-20)
*The Holy Spirit is stronger/greater than demonic spirits (1 John 4:4)

The Spiritual War:
*Ephesians 6:10-18
-The Armor of God: the belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, feet fitted with readiness, shield of faith, helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit (the Word)
*The Protoevangelion-The First Gospel
-Genesis 3:15-"...he will crush you head..."
-1 John 3:8- "The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work."

We have authority and victory over Satan and his demons through Jesus Christ...JESUS FTW!!! :)

Some things to think about:
-Who/what has authority in your life? Is this authority good/bad?
-Does God's Word/Jesus' teachings have authority in your life?

God Bless <3

coming soon to epic blog...

due to craziness, blogger being crazy, and other miscellaneous stuffsss...message responses/re-cap from Sunday, October 21 and a re-cap of our special event on Sunday, October 16 will be posted at a later date...so so sorry to leave you all hanging!!!! i promise they will be coming soon!!!! until then, have a blessed week[end], and God bless <3

"The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be His people, his treasured possession." Deuteronomy 7:6

"This Changes Everything"- Week Dos

Hello EPIC familyyyy!!!! <3 SO...this past Sunday, October 9, Brad spoke on Mark 1:16-20 which is where "Mark begins his portrait of Jesus' public ministry with the recruiting of Peter, Andrew, James, & John."

Here's a sorta brief re-cap :)

In Brad's words,"Jesus divinely & intentionally calls these 4 fishermen to follow Him & partner with Him in His Kingdom's causes to become Fishers of Men. This simple yet profound event becomes the model of the believer's obedient response to Discipleship as they abandon everything in order to follow Him. So what must be true of a person in order for them to respond to Jesus in such a radical way? And likewise, what must be true of us if we are to respond to Jesus' specific calling for our lives as college students?"

To answer these questions, a true follower must...
1.Trust in His provision

• They were Fishermen by trade; it was their source of income. According to v20, it was a successful family enterprise, & according to Luke 5, the 4 men were business partners. These men must have really trusted Jesus in order to drop EVERYTHING and follow Him.


• We too must trust that Jesus will provide for us when He calls us in a direction that may seem to contradict the outwardly logical, comfortable, & economical.

2.Be committed to His gospel

• There was no misunderstanding, Jesus' call was about ONE thing...dropping nets to save souls by the power of the gospel, & as believers, we often forget this crucial calling to spread the gospel. This calling can even become overshadowed by Christian events & activities!


• Though God may have a specific plan for our lives involving school, career, & ministry, it's never more important than the calling to spread the gospel withing those specific plans.

3.Submit to His sovereign empowering

• These men were fishermen...NOT scholars, yet Jesus specifically chose them for His Kingdom. The key to this calling is found in the phrase "I WILL MAKE YOU BECOME fishers of men." These men would turn the world upside down for the Lord because of one reason...they were powered by the Holy Spirit.


• We too need to humbly come as we are before the Lord & allow Him & His power to use us in mighty ways.

4. Love Him more than anythings & anyone

• It counts for nothing in eternity to follow Him out of religious zealousness, as Jesus states in Luke 14:26, following Jesus must come from a deep-seated cherishing of the person of Jesus Christ.


• Loving Jesus is the only way we can truly honor Him as we abandon everything to follow Him.

some questions to think about...

• What are some things that are keeping me/have kept me from dropping everything & truly following Jesus.


• What are some things that God has been calling me to do?

"My prayer for the students of EPIC is that they would be sensitive to God's specific calling for their lives and that they would whole-heartedly run after it with reckless abandon." ~Brad

God Bless, have a wonderful week & ...and check out the message responses :D ------>

"Mark" My Words this is the Best Series EVER!!!! - "This Changes Everything" WEEK 1

Chris' summary about the new series and overview of Sunday's (10/2/11) message.

Messege response from last week and its 2nd service style. lol 

Enjoy. :)

-Epic Blog Team