Ascend Bible Church

Mark 12:35-42 | The Faithful Widow

In this message from Mark 12:35–44, Jesus stops debating His opponents and begins teaching His disciples—and in doing so, He exposes a gap that can exist between what we know and how we live. After a long day of confrontation in the temple, Jesus turns His attention to the hearts of those listening. He warns about religious leaders whose faith is visible but not dependent, impressive but not obedient. Their knowledge of Scripture never leads to trust in God. Then, in quiet contrast, Jesus points to a poor widow who gives everything she has. Her offering isn’t flashy or celebrated, but it is marked by dependence. In the middle of a broken system, her faith still dares to trust God. The big idea of this passage is simple and searching: faith is measured by faithful follow-up. Right understanding of who Christ is leads to worship, obedience, and surrender—not performance or control. In this sermon, we consider two profiles: Disciplined minds with faithless actions Dependent hearts with faithful response Jesus uses money as the example not because it is everything, but because it reveals what we trust, what we fear losing, and where we find security. The question this passage presses on us is not merely, How much do you know? It is, How much do you trust God? We pray that God would expose the gap between belief and action, free us from performative faith, and teach us to live with dependent hearts that trust Him with all that we have. Scripture: Mark 12:35–44 (ESV) Big Idea: Faith is measured by faithful follow-up

How Do I Read My Bible?

In this episode, Jon and Mitch talk through several simple methods to help us better understand how to read the Bible. Their hope is to encourage us to be a people who are committed to getting into God’s Word, seeking to understand it, and faithfully applying it to our lives.

Mark 12:28-34 | Love God + Love Neighbor

Due to winter weather, we were unable to gather in person this week. Instead, we’re sharing a discussion-style version of the sermon content from Mark 12:28–34, centered on one of the most important questions in Scripture: What is the greatest commandment? In Mark 12, Jesus has faced a series of hostile confrontations—from political traps to theological challenges. But in this passage, a scribe steps forward with a sincere question, not to trap Jesus, but to understand what truly sits at the center of God’s commands. In this video, we reflect on: Jesus’ response to the scribe The heart of the Law: loving God and loving neighbor The Shema (Deuteronomy 6) and wholehearted devotion to God Why love is not mere emotion, but covenantal allegiance How love for God necessarily overflows into love for others The sobering words of Jesus: “You are not far from the kingdom of God” This conversation is meant to move us beyond information to transformation—toward reordered affections, Spirit-led obedience, and resurrection-shaped living. Our prayer is that as our love for God grows, our faithfulness would grow with it—not through willpower alone, but through the transforming grace of God. Scripture Reading: Mark 12:28–34 (ESV) Prayer Prompt: Lord, change our affections as we draw near to You. Teach us to love You with all that we are, and to love others as a reflection of that love. Thanks for watching, and we hope this encourages you to draw near to Christ daily.

Mark 12:18-27 | Resurrection Life

In this passage from Mark 12:18–27, Jesus is confronted by the Sadducees—a powerful group who deny the resurrection. They come to Him with a hypothetical question meant to make resurrection faith look foolish. Instead of debating theory, Jesus exposes a deeper problem: they do not know the Scriptures or the power of God. Jesus reframes resurrection not as a strange future idea, but as the necessary outcome of God’s covenant faithfulness. God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. If He is still the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, then death cannot be the end—and resurrection is not optional. This sermon explores what resurrection meant in the Jewish worldview, why the Sadducees resisted it, and how Jesus grounds resurrection hope directly in the Torah. More than that, we see how resurrection is not only a future promise but a present reality. God is already making all things new. Because Jesus rose from the dead, resurrection life has begun. And as people who have been made new in Christ, we are called to live as ambassadors of that future hope here and now—loving, forgiving, welcoming, and restoring as signs of the kingdom God is bringing. Resurrection is not just about going to heaven when you die. It is about God renewing His world—and beginning that work in us today. Key Themes: Resurrection and covenant faithfulness God as the God of the living The already and the not yet Living resurrection-shaped lives Bringing glimpses of the renewed world into the present Scripture: Mark 12:18–27

Mark 12:13-17 Podcast

In this Podcast Pastor Mitch, and Pastor Jon work through this week's passage and pause with each work that has importance to dive deeper into the text!