holy war

It started small—too small, surely, to make a difference. The first skirmishes in the battle for humanity would be waged in a flyspeck fishing town north of nowhere. With just a few good men, the Light would launch its offensive to take back a world covered in darkness. Leading the way, heaven’s Champion would prove that God was not done fighting for his people.

Though it all started so small, the world would never be the same.

Part III
No sane person wants war. Along the border between darkness and light, however, conflict is inevitable. When skirmishes do erupt, Heaven’s Champion stands ready to intervene on behalf of God’s people.

In Mark chapters 3 and 4, we find Jesus preparing for all-out war. He knows what victory will cost him, but his mission comes first. For the road ahead, he will begin training up an army to fight by his side.


Part i: august 8, 2021 - september 5, 2021
part ii: October 17, 2021 - october 31, 2021
Part iii: March 6, 2022 - April 10, 2022

Pastor Jonathan Badgett, pastor Zach Masdon, & zach walsh

sleeper agent

april 10, 2022

Nobody could have imagined God choosing him. Of all the people he knew, no one was a less likely candidate… which is why he was perfect. He’d been as close to Hell as any of them, but had lived to tell his story. Now Heaven would use him to go places not even Jesus could reach.

Mark 5:1-20

pastor jonathan badgett

secret weapon

april 3, 2022

With the war raging on between Jesus and the forces of evil, Jesus takes a moment to share with His followers some classified information. Not only is there a war going on between Jesus and evil forces, but a war is going on in the hearts and minds of every person as they consider the teachings of Jesus.

Mark 4:1-20

pastor jonathan badgett

classified information

march 27, 2022

With the war raging on between Jesus and the forces of evil, Jesus takes a moment to share with His followers some classified information. Not only is there a war going on between Jesus and evil forces, but a war is going on in the hearts and minds of every person as they consider the teachings of Jesus.

Mark 4:1-20

zach walsh

lines drawn

march 20, 2022

 It didn’t take long for folks to start taking sides in the battle between darkness and the Light. Even Jesus’ own family would join in with those opposing his mission. But his mission, like his message, was neither crazy nor evil. He came to overthrow the enemy and set his captive free.

Mark 3:20-35

Pastor jonathan badgett

a leader we can follow

march 13, 2022

Jesus is calling us, a group of common, diverse, and imperfect people, to join His mission of saving the world by following Him through devotion to His presence, declaring Him Lord in our words, and declaring Him Lord in our actions.

Mark 3:7-19

Pastor zach masdon

shots fired

march 6, 2022

Want to know what makes Jesus angry? When powerful people use their power to harm rather than help the hurting. In fact, it makes Jesus angry enough to go to war. And go to war he did, though doing so made those powerful people want him dead.

Mark 3:1-6

Pastor jonathan badgett

rules of engagement

october 31, 2021

Rules are important. They keep us inside the lines and outside of trouble. God has set some of the rules for us. But who decides the rest? And how do we know when each rule applies? The short answer: Jesus! If we want to know the long answer, we’re going to need to spend more time with him.

Mark 2:18-28

Pastor jonathan badgett

Essential personnel

october 24, 2021

The kingdom advances! Now that Jesus has revealed his authority to forgive sins, the next stage of his mission becomes clear. He’s on the hunt for sinners—not to condemn and cast them out. No, Jesus is recruiting sinners—these essential personnel will help advance his kingdom here on earth!

Mark 2:13-17

Pastor jonathan badgett

jesus, the forgiver of sins!

october 17, 2021

When Jesus forgives the paralytic man of his sins, Jesus demonstrates His authority over sin by healing and restoring the paralytic man. The question now is “what do we do with this information? Do we disregard it like the Scribes, or accept Jesus as the Son of Man like the four men who brought their paralytic friend to Jesus?”

Mark 2:1-12

zach walsh

rescued!

september 5, 2021

The leper was relationally isolated, tormented by his disease, and viewed as ritually unclean by the faith community, but heaven’s champion was moved with deep compassion for the leper’s hopeless situation. Jesus reached out and touched the man to set him free from his hopelessness. The healing that Jesus provides is comprehensive; He saves, He heals, He reunites, and He redeems!

Mark 1:40-45

Pastor zAch masdon

cleaning house

august 29, 2021

Nothing stands in the way of heaven’s Champion. There’s no challenge he can’t handle. No sickness so severe he cannot cure it. No pain is so deep he can’t heal it. No darkness so thick he can’t pierce it. When he marches, the gates of hell shudder. Those who march with him will witness his wonders.

Mark 1:29-39

Pastor Jonathan Badgett

showdown

august 22, 2021

No place on earth is immune to darkness—no place under the sun to hide away from heaven’s enemy. But with heaven’s Champion we need not fear! He is authorized by heaven to command the darkness and make it run. The safest place on earth is close to Jesus Christ!

Mark 1:21-28

Pastor Jonathan Badgett

battle plan

august 15, 2021

Every successful battle demands rigorous planning and a well-trained army. Heaven’s plan? No battle-scarred musclemen, mighty in deeds. No trained orators skilled in wisdom and wit. Just a few simple messengers with an even simpler message. Doomed from the start or destined for glory? Only heaven would decide.

Mark 1:14-20

Pastor Jonathan Badgett

invasion!

august 8, 2021

Who is Jesus and why did he come? As the opening of Mark’s Gospel makes clear, Jesus is the one sent from God to set his people free from darkness. He’s the champion of heaven—the hero of God’s story. His arrival signaled the end of the reign of darkness and the coming of God’s kingdom of light.

Mark 1:9-13

Pastor Jonathan Badgett