Q: What disease is mentioned most in the Bible?
BONUS: Why was this disease so terrible?
You know that prayer is important. Everyone knows that. But it’s not easy to find the time. Jesus was so busy it was hard for him to find time too. Mark says that Jesus’ solution was to get up “very early in the morning, while it was still dark” and slip away to a “solitary place” where he could pray in private (Mark 1:35). Maybe you’re not a “morning person.” But setting your alarm just five or ten minutes early would give you time to start the day off right. And if you can’t find a private place to pray, try the bathroom. You might find that getting up early for prayer can be important for you too.
Last week a girl at my school was talking about unforgivable sins. Are there really sins that can’t be forgiven? What would they be?
Kayla
Dear Kayla,
The Bible speaks of one sin that is unforgivable and that is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (Mark 3:29). The word blasphemy means having contempt or hostility toward God.
In Mark 3, Jesus had been performing miracles of healing, giving clear evidence that he is God. But the teachers of the law began accusing him of doing these things by the power of Satan. Then they accused him of being possessed by the prince of demons. Instead of recognizing Jesus as the Son of God, they said his power was from Satan and he was possessed.
The men couldn’t deny the great healing miracles Jesus performed, so instead they gave credit to Satan. This was the one unforgivable sin: saying Jesus had been given power by Satan.
Jesus paid the penalty for all our sins. We may ask for forgiveness and we are assured we have been washed clean.
Jordan
Do your friends know you’re a Christian? Or hasn’t the subject ever come up? Some teens (and adults too) hesitate to stand up for their faith. But as a Christian you really are different. When you try to hide who you are, it just isn’t right. When people in Bible times lit a lamp, they didn’t hide it. They put it on a stand so everyone could see. Jesus didn’t come into your life to be hidden. He came into your life so you could be his light, so you could hold him up for others to see the way to eternal life.
Have you ever tried to rewrite the end of a Bible story? Try this one. Herodias’s daughter wanted John the Baptist beheaded. If the king hadn’t been so worried about what his guests would think, what could he have said? Perhaps, “I said half my kingdom. I didn’t say I’d kill someone for you.” Or, “That’s against God’s law, my dear.” Or, “What a terrible thing to ask. Guards, get her out of my sight!” There’s always something you can do besides give in to peer pressure. Remember the last time you gave in? Try rewriting the end of that story. Now the next time you’re under pressure, try out one of those different endings.
Jesus said anyone who wants to follow him must “deny themselves and take up their cross” (Mark 8:34). The cross meant suffering and death for Jesus. Does that mean you’ll have to suffer too?
The cross is more than a place where Jesus died. It is a symbol of our salvation and a symbol of God’s will. The cross was God’s will for Jesus. But your cross, God’s will for your life, is different. What is Jesus telling you?
• Deny yourself. Choose what God wants, not what you want.
• Take up your cross. Do God’s will each day.
• Keep on following Jesus.
Following Jesus will make a difference. The old you will be left behind, and you will become a new and beautiful person in Jesus.
Some teens feel uncomfortable with kids from other churches or denominations. They’re uncertain about how big a difference their differences make. Even Christ’s disciples were uncomfortable when they saw a man driving out demons in Jesus’ name. He wasn’t one of them. Jesus corrected them and said, “Whoever is not against us is for us.” Christians don’t agree on every belief. But all who trust Jesus as Savior become members of God’s family. If you refuse to emphasize differences and instead emphasize commitment to Christ, you’ll feel a lot more comfortable with Christian teens from other groups.
Do you ever envy that rich girl at your school? The one whose dad hired a live band and Hummer limo for her birthday party? Do you feel cheated? In Bible times most people thought wealth was a sign of God’s favor. So Jesus shocked his disciples when he said that it’s hard for a rich person to “enter the kingdom of God” (Mark 10:23). What Jesus meant is that a rich person is likely to depend on possessions instead of on God. And a rich person is likely to value possessions more than pleasing God. It’s not wrong to be rich. But this would be an appropriate label on all your possessions: “May be hazardous to your [spiritual] health.”
At a young people’s retreat one of my friends went forward to accept Jesus as her Savior. Now she says it’s all a bunch of nonsense, that it’s what people who want to feel good do to feel good. How can she be saved when she acts like this?
Mackenzie
Dear Mackenzie,
On the first ever Palm Sunday, the crowds were praising Christ as he entered Jerusalem (Mark 11). Yet just a few days later, some of those same people shouted angrily to crucify him. Obviously, their excitement for Jesus showed no real commitment to him.
Faith isn’t just going forward at a revival meeting. It’s committing yourself to Jesus and trusting him enough to follow him. In Matthew 13 Christ told a story about a farmer sowing seeds. The birds ate the seed that fell on the path. Seed that fell on rocky places sprang up quickly but soon withered. Other seed fell among thorns that choked the young plants out. But some seed fell on good soil where it flourished and grew.
Your friend sounds like the rocky soil. The seed (the news of Christ) did not take root in her. It withered and died. It had no staying power. Perhaps the seed will lie dormant and one day take real root and grow. Perhaps not, but the choice is hers. Keep praying for her.
Jordan
Did you ever try to list the things you do, or don’t do, because you’re a Christian? How many things would be on the “do” side, and how many on the “don’t”? The rabbis in Jesus’ time listed 622 “do” and “don’t” commandments. Then one teacher of the law asked Jesus about “the most important” commandment. Jesus boiled all the rules down to just two: Love God completely, and love your neighbor as yourself. Make it your goal to love God and others. Your life will be one that pleases God.
The Bible says that Jesus will return to earth. What do you know about his coming? Here are some things you can be sure about:
• Jesus will come in power and glory (Mark 13:26).
• Jesus will come back in person (Acts 1:11).
• Christians will rise from the dead (1 Thessalonians 4:13–18).
• Jesus will punish those who do not know God (2 Thessalonians 1:8–9).
No one knows just when Jesus will return. Some people think they’ll change the way they live next week or next year. But Jesus warned that he might return at any time! Jesus urges you to “Be alert!” (Mark 13:33). If you expect Jesus to return at any moment, you’ll be careful at all times to do the things that please him.
Many who watched Jesus on the cross ridiculed and insulted him. Probably none of them understood that Christ’s death was self-sacrifice. He was giving his life for them, and for you. Self-sacrifice is usually misunderstood. You give up good times to help take care of your little brothers and sisters. And the kids your age say you’re a loner and think you don’t like them. You get a job to help out because your dad can’t work. And some teachers get on you because you fall asleep in class. Don’t get discouraged. Yes, the sacrifices you make for others may be misunderstood. But you’re following a perfect example: Jesus.
Mark
Who?
This book shows what Jesus was like—a man of action, a man with authority. He wouldn’t rest until he finished what he came here to do.