Worship music has been at the center of controversy in the Church for at least a few decades. Whether you go into a service that resembles a rock concert or one that feels like you’ve stepped back in time 100 years, the style and sound are not really what matters. If you don’t think you can worship through one or the other, the actual music may have become an idol, and your heart is in the wrong place. As Pastor Mark reminds us in today’s message, worship, whether through a chorus written last week or a hymn penned a century or two ago, should be focused on bringing God glory and opening your heart up to His Spirit.

If you’re like most Christians, you might reach a genealogy or a list of people in Scripture, and quickly scan through it with little regard for its value. Sure, it may not be heart-warming or uplifting on the surface, but Pastor Mark challenges us in today’s message to look a little deeper and think about why those names are there. When you read the name of a loved one – of someone important to you – what do you feel? It likely revives memories and feelings that you shared with that specific person. In the same way, each person listed in Scripture is significant to God and gives us a snapshot of His work in their story.

Christ is often misinterpreted as being a pacifist. While He did encourage us to respond to personal attacks, such as a slap on the cheek, in a way that demonstrates grace and love to our attacker, He was not a proponent of passively standing by in the face of injustice or abuse. You need to stand up for the oppressed. As Pastor Mark challenges us in today’s message, especially when it comes to spiritual warfare, you can’t shy away from the battle. You need to run to the battle dressed in the armor of God. His truth and love are your greatest weapons to vanquish the enemy that seeks to destroy all of mankind.

God designed the Church as a body for a reason. Every part serves a purpose and helps the other parts. Yes, a body can continue living even when it loses one part, but the absence of it can severely lessen the quality of life. As Pastor Mark continues our study of the book of Nehemiah in today’s message, he reminds you of the importance of surrounding yourself with Christian friends and taking advantage of their help. You have to be intentional about reaching out and allowing them to help pull you through your struggles and temptations; and make sure you are there when they need the same from you.

The Bible is like a magnifying glass that points out sins you otherwise wouldn’t see. Unlike sin, which deceives and lies to you, the Word shows you the true condition of your heart. Sin causes you to compare yourself to others and elevate yourself above them, as you’ll hear from Pastor Mark today. Nobody likes to see themselves as a sinner in need of help, but God has given the amazing gift of repentance. He’s always ready to forgive when your sin is exposed. The closer you get to God, the more you’ll become aware of your sin and want to daily confess it. Because a true life of freedom is found in forgiveness.

Is your response to God’s Word one of arrogance and pride, or one of humility and repentance? You can learn a lot from the Israelites’ reaction to the reading of the law from Pastor Mark’s teaching today. They immediately humbled themselves with fasting, putting on sackcloth and dirt, and confessed their sins. They saw their frailty and sinfulness in light of an awesome God. Just as the Israelites, you’re prone to sin, but thank God He’s rich in mercy. Ongoing repentance should mark your life as a believer. This motivates the daily perspective of your utter dependence on God in light of His glory, but also His grace.

The Word of God must be taught for it to be understood and understanding reveals what has already been there the whole time. God will use different circumstances and situations at certain times in your life to illuminate the meaning of Scripture right when you need it. This is why it’s key, as Pastor Mark points out today, to make sure the teaching you’re getting from the Word leaves you understanding God better, not a person. This process will involve correction and reproof which aren’t pleasant. But your humble response and teachable heart are essential for change, growth and deep, abiding joy.

Take an inventory of how you spend your time each day. This will reveal much about where your priorities lie. Is study of God’s Word high on your list or does it get beat out by social media, television, or hobbies? Today Pastor Mark teaches a strong emphasis on God’s Word is a primary mark of spiritual renewal. You don’t desire God’s Word unless the Spirit is moving and working in you. If you want to see change in your life, you must be willing to let the Bible do the hard work on your heart. Foster an attentive and reverent attitude as you read Scripture and you’ll find the Spirit causing you to hunger for more.

Countless families, marriages, and lives have been destroyed because of complacency. When a couple lets their guard down and allows sin and selfishness to grow in their marriage, it will eat away at their foundation, and they’ll easily crumble when a strong enough storm comes through. The same can happen when parents aren’t on alert for the ways that Satan is actively infiltrating their family. As Pastor Mark warns us in today’s message, you must always be on guard against our enemy. You need to be actively seeking Jesus on a daily basis and imploring the Holy Spirit to strengthen you in your weakness.

God’s creation is beautiful. Whether you’re walking through an arid desert, along the thundering ocean, through a temperate forest or in a vast mountain landscape, you can look around and just be struck speechless by the splendor of it all. As Pastor Mark explains in today’s message, as amazing as this place is, it is flawed and broken. Because of man’s sin, all of creation longs for redemption. The good news is that one day, we will be restored and made whole, and we’ll stand before God. In that moment we will see Him clearly and our praise will be completely unbridled as we encounter His glory in all of its fullness.