In my preaching and internet radio show this month, I'm looking at the Gospel of Mark and digging out the deep truths from this masterpiece of spiritual writing. Its essential message is straightforward and early it on spells out the Gospel message. The word Gospel means good news - it is, at heart, this simple announcement, in this case from Jesus himself: “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” Mark 1:15 (NIV). The long-awaited Saviour or Rescuer, who was to fulfill all those old prophecies, had finally arrived! Jesus, God himself did come as a man to solve the problem of sin in the world. Before we can follow Jesus, we must recognize our sin. We all have sinned (see Romans 3:23) but we can respond to Jesus' calling and, with his help, turn away from our sins. Jesus came to reconcile us to himself, to God. God is too holy to accept sinful humans, but Jesus paid the consequence for us. Now, we can simply believe in him and be saved from our sins. Once we repent and put our faith in Jesus, his Spirit changes us and teaches us. The message is simple. Now is the time. Turn away from your sins, and follow Jesus! That is the message that the Gospel of Mark announces but that's not all by a long way - watch for more right here on this blog.