Message Responses-Week Fourrrr :)

Hello hello everyone! here are some of your guys' message responses from Brad's message :)

The message tonight was exactly what i needed to hear. i've been stuggling with a situation with my parents. i have somewhat of a better understanding. thank you for clarifying a few questions although i have a lot more.

WOOOOOO! now that's what i needed! to see that my acts are in loving response to God's grace and His mercy and not pure programmed machination. YES JESUS!

this message really brought to light the wrong things i've been focusing on. i am obedient to Jesus not because i'm trying to earn something but i am obedient to Him out of love for Him-in response to what He's already done for me. He is truly worth loving and following as faithfully as i can. thank you Jesus!

i grew up as a Christian and i have always believed in the grace of God. But when reality sets in, its really hard to live as a Christian but that's why we strive to become perfect because we will never be perfect. i wan to enjoy my sundays by giving up the Internet.

the message really spoke to me because lately i'be always felt like i have failed God. because i was focusing so much on keeping the law, it made my love relationship with Him so much harder and i became so distant. i want to do His commands out of love and not pure obligation.

God has not called me to live a life based on rules that cause me to leave Him out of the picture. we are each called to live a life obedient to God not by following rules, but by following God's commandments out of our love for Him.

I feel that lately as i've been stuggling with certain sins and failing with certain responsibilities, there is a strong temptation to feel guilty (in that i need to earn more forgivness when in fact Jesus paid for ALL my sin.) before and after i became a believer. and i praise God for His grace so i can get up again and strive for holiness.

Hope you all have a blessed rest of the week <3

De-fencing the Law; Mark 2:13-28

Hey Epic fam! Here is Brad Toy's message recap for last week's message! It was a challenging lesson on what is God's law, how it was viewed in the past, and how it looks now with Jesus Christ at the center of it... anyways, check it out - I guarantee the lesson(s) will be of great significance, as we seek to live this life striving after and loving Jesus - enjoy, and be challenged!
-Sheri (member, the epic blog team)

As an avid sports fan, the thing that hooks me the most, is when a player comes along (in any sport) and changes the game as we know it. Usain Bolt awakened the olympic world to the fact that a gigantic 6'5" human could shatter the world record in the 100m sprint. Shaquille O'Neil forever changed the role of a dominant basketball center. Lance Armstrong dominated the cycling scene by winning an unprecedented 7 consecutive Tour de France victories. There is something about game-changing greatness that we as humans are just wired to be in awe of. And that's the way I feel as we move along through Jesus' earthly ministry as laid out in the Gospel of Mark.

This past Sunday, we continued in our study of the Gospel of Mark. And we spent the night unpacking Mark 2:18 - 3:6, where Jesus epitomizes our series title, "This Changes Everything". We already saw in Chapters 1 and 2, Jesus' breaking of the social and religious norm by healing the leper and by hanging out with Levi, the tax collector. And beginning in v18, Jesus deliberately and divinely goes right after the Pharisaic religious structure that so dominated the NT world at the time. But in order to fully understand the passage (and most of the Bible for that matter), we must get a good handle on the Law of God.

What is the Law of God?

The Law is the set of rules and regulations that were to govern the lives of God's chosen people (Israel). The Law is laid out in the first 5 books of the Old Testament. It can be summarized in the all too familiar 10 Commandments listed in Exodus 20. The 10 Commandments can be further summarized in Matthew 22:36-40 where Jesus explains to the expert in the Law that the 2 greatest commands are to "Love the Lord your God" and to "Love your neighbor".

What was the purpose of the Law?

There are many reasons why God gave His people the Law (ie. Separation from other nations, preservation, systematic orderly government, etc). But the ultimate over-arching purposes of the Law was to be a written reflection of the full character of God Himself. This was to be a standard of perfection to show man that they could not live up to it on their own. It was to act as a mirror in which man could see their true sinful state and that the need for a savior was absolutely necessary for salvation.

Fence/Hedge around the Law

Despite God's desire for the Law to show man their true fallen nature, the Pharisees instead treated the Law as a means of earning salvation by upholding it. And to make sure that they were keeping the Law, they also created hundreds of other supplemental laws ("a fence around the Law") that the Jews were required to keep. The more you restricted and deprived yourself, the "holier" you were.

Jesus the game-changer

In Mark 2:18 -3:6, we see 3 instances where Jesus purposefully attacks the heart of this Pharisaic religious system. Once He violates the religious rules on Fasting, and twice He violates the Sabbath laws. And in each of the three events, we see Jesus making two bold statements:

(1) On a surface-level, the religious rules of the Pharisees were contradictory, ridiculous and out-of-touch with reality (2:19, 2:25-26, and 3:4).

(2) On a deeper level, the religious rules of the Pharisees do not apply when Jesus was physically in their midst (2:20, 2:28 and 3:5).

And here is the key to our understanding of the Law of God: If the Law is the full expression of the character of God, and Jesus is the full manifestation of God in human flesh (John 1:14), then Jesus IS the human manifestation of the Law! As Matthew 5:17 says, He didn't come to destroy the Law, but to fulfill it! He didn't come to do away with the Law, but to usher in a new way, and the only way in which sinful people can live up to it!

Meaning this...when you become a believer, and receive Jesus into your heart, your life becomes intertwined with the only One who has ever fulfilled the Law! Your life becomes indwelt by the Law incarnate! Then and only then can a sinful human live up to the Law. Salvation can only come through grace by faith in Jesus Christ who lives in you, and not by any human attempt to uphold a set of external religious laws and rules. Righteousness must come from the INSIDE-OUT...not OUTSIDE-IN!

What does this mean for the college students of EPIC?

As professing believers, we need to call into question our motives for the things we do as "Christians". Why do we go to church every Sunday? Why do we read our Bibles? Why do we sing songs and give offering? Why do we help others? And if our answer has anything to do with earning favor from God...then we are building religious fences just like Pharisees! We are putting new wine in old wineskins. We are putting a new patch on an old pair of ripped jeans (Mark 2:21-22).

Students, our answer for why we live out the Christian life with obedience needs to be because we love Jesus Christ more than anything in this world. And since He IS the LAW incarnate, obeying the Law should be the desire and longing of our hearts...naturally!

"This is love for God: to obey His commands. And His commands are not burdensome"

1 John 5:3

my prayer

I keep replaying this song in my car over and over and over again.  It's the prayer of my heart right now.  I want more of Christ you guys!  I want to love Him more than anything and anyone else!  He is so good!!!

the return of Open Mic :)

Hello everyone! hope you all have a safe and fun Halloween yesterday! :)



...the blog team is trying to revive and renew this epic EPIC blog, as we revive it, we're bringing back open mic which we think is super duper awesome :) for this week's open mic, Austin interviewed the beautiful Whittany Horton, one of my besties and one of the most amazing people i know :)

So this is the lovely Whittany Horton, she is 19 years old, and a freshman at Arizona State University.

What is your favorite part about college?

theres always someone new with a different personality you can meet. unlike being at home and around family you take your own responsibility and it makes you grow up a lot.

What have you been involved in?

Republican Club, Getting connected w/ church (small groups, bible study), Rotary Club (interact), To write love on her arm (suicide prevention club)

What has God been teaching you?

instead of being home, shes accountable for her own doing and no one tells her whats right for wrong, shes on her own stability

Anything else you'd like to say? :)

you dont know how bad your walk is until you stepped away from poisitive feelings and surroundings, when youre not totally surrounded with good vibes temptation tries to strike

So here's a little bit of Whittany for you :) She is super duper amazing so make sure you talk to her when she comes home for Thanksgiving! :D

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 ------>