The One Year New Testament

April 27

Mark 11:12-25

Mark 11:12-25

12 On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry. 13 And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. 14 And he said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it.

15 And they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. 16 And he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. 17 And he was teaching them and saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.” 18 And the chief priests and the scribes heard it and were seeking a way to destroy him, for they feared him, because all the crowd was astonished at his teaching. 19 And when evening came they went out of the city.

20 As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. 21 And Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.” 22 And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. 23 Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25 And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”

Reflection

The cursing of the fig tree that was unfruitful is symbolic of what God is going to do with the “fruitless” temple in Jerusalem (see Mark 13:1–2). The temple was meant for true worship, not corrupt business and personal gain (1 Chron. 29:10–19; 2 Chron. 6:14–42), which is why Jesus passionately cleansed it in this confrontation (Mark 11:15–17).

Because God’s chosen people (the nation of Israel) had proven to be a fruitless fig tree, he is extending his kingdom to every corner of the globe. Anyone who will receive the gospel with childlike trust in Christ is gladly welcomed into his kingdom. The followers of Christ bear the fruit of worship, prayer, and godliness through faith in God and his Son Jesus (vv. 22–23).

Galatians 1:6-10

Galatians 1:6-10

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.

10 For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.

Reflection

Here we see the main concern of Paul’s letter: God has called the Galatians to himself (Gal. 1:6), but they are distorting and deserting the good news of his grace (v. 7). False teachers had taught the Galatians that, in order to be fully acceptable to God, people are required to contribute their own personal efforts to the finished work of Christ (5:2–6; 6:12–13; cf. 2:3–5)—a teaching that Paul fervently condemns (1:8).

The truth of the gospel never changes, even if respectable people begin to promote false teaching (see 2:11–14). Our ultimate loyalty is to God, not to the trendy spiritual ideas of our culture. Paul’s desire was to please God, not people (v. 10), even if his faithfulness to the gospel resulted in many hardships (5:11; 6:17). The good news about Jesus Christ has the power to calm our quest for human approval. The gospel tells us that we are freely given the full approval of God apart from our personal merits. We are accepted and approved by faith alone.

Psalm 63:5-8

Psalm 63:5-8

My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food,
and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips,
when I remember you upon my bed,
and meditate on you in the watches of the night;
for you have been my help,
and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy.
My soul clings to you;
your right hand upholds me.

Thoughts For Prayer

Christianity requires the people of God to stand up for their faith in Christ (Mark 11:22). The human heart tends toward unbelief, which is why it is important to fuel our faith with the gospel on a regular basis. Spend some time with God recounting the gospel and sharing your appreciation for what Jesus has done for you.

Missions Prayer Requests More

  • April 9, 2021

    Supported Workers: Emily (& Blake) Ackerson

    Country: United States of America

    This month all the Bridges team leaders will gather for a virtual conference. Pray they would be deeply refreshed and encouraged by the Lord during this time as they lead on their respective campuses and faithfully connect with students during these challenging times. Blake has continued to connect with a former Chinese PhD student who became a believer right before returning home. He has found that it is very hard to follow Jesus in his home country. Pray that God would connect him with other believers there and give him the strength and courage to follow him. Pray that God will allow Blake’s team to build partnering relationships with churches who desire to reach international students with the gospel. Praise God for answering prayer for Emily’s recovery. She is experiencing significant improvement through specialized physical therapy.

    The Gambia (Africa). Population: 2,227,413, Believers: 0.8%. Young people have flocked to Banjul (the capital) and are increasingly subject to Western culture at the expense of their traditional values. Pray that God would raise up a new generation of Christian young people who will lead their peers into a lifestyle of godliness.

    From Operation World DVD-ROM 2010, www.operationworld.org