The Bible has been greatly misunderstood throughout the centuries--from the Pharisees and their predecessors all the way through modern-day. Many look at Scripture as a rulebook for how to live life, but, as Pastor Mark will explain in today’s message, that’s not an entirely accurate view. The commandments and laws contained in Scripture are impossible for us to keep. You may succeed in some ways, but as a fallen human being, you’ll stumble and fall into sin no matter how hard you try. Scripture was given not to show us how to live but to show us our need for God. Only when you trust in Him can you be made righteous; it’s not by keeping all the rules.

As Pastor Mark will point out in this teaching, there was a time when God spoke to only a select number of people – the prophets. These people weren’t perfect, but they had dedicated themselves to listening and obeying God as He spoke to them through Scripture and supernatural revelations. Today, we no longer need to depend on a few people to receive the truth of God and interpret it for us. God has given us a great gift in His Holy Spirit. That Spirit speaks directly to us and confirms the message of the Gospel while helping us interpret and apply it to our lives in this fallen world.

Have you ever seen a commercial for a product whose main selling point is that they’re better than their competitors? It’s convincing when a testimonial is given from someone who used to use the other brand, but now that they’ve tried this brand, they’ve seen how much better it is. If they’d never tried the other brand, we wouldn’t trust their opinion nearly as much. Paul’s testimony was more effective because of the extreme nature of his transformation. As Pastor Mark will point out in this teaching, Paul went from persecuting and even executing Christians to putting his own life on the line for the sake of the Gospel.

None of us enjoy correction or rebuke. Most of us will try our best to avoid being on either side of it. There’s a good reason God gave us that hesitation. It’s vital that you take the time to really think about and, more importantly, pray about an issue before you confront someone. It should only be done out of love. As you mature in your faith in Christ and He transforms you from the inside out, you’ll get better at dealing with correction. You’ll still feel those defenses come up, but if you look at the other person with grace and love, giving them the benefit of the doubt, it can be a beautiful opportunity for growth.

Rebellion and resistance to correction are characteristics of an immature believer. When an authority figure or a peer comes to you with correction or accountability, your first reaction may be to get defensive. The excuses start flowing. Or sometimes you try to turn it around on them and start pointing out their flaws. How should a mature believer handle those moments of confrontation? As Pastor Mark will point out to us in this teaching, while there are those who like to lord over others because they enjoy that feeling of power, a good, loving leader–like Paul–will confront sin or false beliefs because they love you.

The days in which we are living are challenging. We have two options. We can either use the turbulence of our circumstances to grow our faith or we can use it to grow our fear. We may not have much power in this world, but we do have the power to choose between these two things. In this teaching, Pastor Mark will encourage us to choose faith in the midst of trials. Instead of staring at a television screen or scrolling angrily through social media, let’s use these times to direct people to the only one that can calm the storm. People are longing for peace, and there’s only one place they can find it: Jesus Christ.

Dying for our faith is generally not something we have to worry about in this country. As much as popular culture may have moved away from the values and virtues that characterize the life of a Christ-follower, things simply haven’t reached that point yet. It is hard for us to put ourselves in the shoes of our spiritual predecessors who faced the very real threat of death simply for believing in Jesus. Countless martyrs have given their lives to in gruesome ways, not with fear and trepidation, but with a supernatural joy and peace that clearly demonstrated the Spirit’s presence in their hearts. We, too, can have that joy and peace.

The world is full of sights and sounds and the next big thing. All these things have the power to pull you away from what really matters, and what really matters is Jesus. Jesus asked Peter if he loved him more than all the sights and sounds and things. This challenged Peter, and it should challenge you too.

Before Jesus’ death, Peter claimed he would never deny the Lord. For those who know the story, you know he did deny Jesus—three times—and his decision crushed him. Jesus knew he would do this, and yet He still loved him. When Jesus returned, Peter was restored and made new. Maybe you’re wrestling with a mistake that you’ve made in the past. Jesus wants to restore you! In this teaching, Pastor Mark will encourage you to run to Jesus for that restoration.

When boredom strikes, our hearts are quick to look for excitement. Sometimes, this searching can lead us to places and things that are not good for our souls. When you’re tempted to find pleasure in all the wrong places, be still before the Lord and ask Him to help you. As you’ll hear in this teaching, it is only in Jesus that you find true satisfaction.