God gave us our bodies and we are to be good stewards of everything He’s given us. But as Pastor Mark will remind us in this teaching, as much as we should honor these temples of the Holy Spirit, we also should remember that they’re only temporary. Our bodies will continue to degrade and eventually give out, but our spirits will last through eternity. Instead of focusing so much of our energy on feeding and caring for our physical bodies, we should be pouring into our eternal soul, preparing ourselves to stand before the throne of God.

Have you been seeking the face of the Lord? All too often, we get so caught up in our routines and what will make us happy that we neglect to seek Jesus. In this teaching, we’ll encounter Jesus’ Disciple Mary expressing her devotion to the one who rescued her from demonic possession. When we look at what Jesus did for us, it makes any effort on our part look pretty small. In this teaching, Pastor Mark will ask us to consider what Christ has done for us. What measures have you gone to for His sake?

Our faith can be one of deep unity or deep divide. When people accept the Lord, they are immediately unified with us and all believers throughout the world. When people reject Christ, however, they often look at us and other believers with disdain. This rejection can be extremely difficult-especially when those people are good friends or even family. As you deal with broken relationships, take heart. God’s love transcends even the deepest divides. Continue to pray for and love those individuals who persecute you and remember that you are a part of the body of Christ. You will never be alone.

A life free of suffering and pain doesn’t necessarily mean you are living within God’s will. As Pastor Mark points out in this teaching, God’s own Son endured unimaginable suffering according to God’s plan. While we’ll never experience pain as deep as the crucifixion, we should expect suffering throughout our walk with Christ. Instead of questioning God, we should look at suffering as an opportunity to stay faithful, to learn more about God’s character, and to grow deeper in our intimacy with Christ.

The pain Jesus endured on the cross goes beyond our comprehension. The emotional and spiritual pain of enduring all the guilt and shame of the entire world surpasses any pain—no matter how excruciating—that we as humans can experience. Despite this anguish, Jesus did not attempt to lesson His pain. In this teaching, Pastor Mark points out that Jesus’ entire focus was on others--His mother, His followers, you, me. He even expended his strength to declare forgiveness for those who placed Him on the cross.

Pilate was a sick man. The label he placed about Jesus’ head—King of the Jews—was not only done to mock Jesus but also to mock the Jews. In essence, the sign was saying this is what happens to Jews who stand against Rome. In this teaching, Pastor Mark explains that while Pilate meant the words to be taken ironically, they were incredibly apt. Jesus was and is the only true King of the Jews.

Jesus wasn’t afraid to speak truth to power. The irony of His trial before Pilate was that Jesus was the only one in the room with true power, yet He submitted Himself to Pilate, a man whose power could be stripped away with just one word from Him. In this teaching, Pastor Mark explains that Jesus was never held against His will. He underwent pain and agony that few people have ever knows all by choice in order to secure our salvation.

Jesus never organized a march, protest, or a sit-in. Still, He’s the most influential person to have ever lived. He chose to focus on proclaiming the truth of God instead of on making political stands, allowing people to choose whether to soften their hearts or harden them in the face of His truths. In this teaching, Pastor Mark explains that political action can be warranted, but it should never be the way the true Church affects change. The Church should bring the truth in love and grace, allowing God to bring about change in the hearts of men.

Do you feel alone and hurt? Are you in pain—physically or emotionally? Jesus knows what you are experiencing on a close and intimate level. He went through the depth of suffering for your sake, and He went through it alone, all so He could meet you where you are and provide comfort.

Sin has been so destructive to mankind. It goes far beyond just death. As Pastor Mark points out in this teaching, sin brought emotional, physical, and psychological pain into the world that torments all men. Jesus endured every type of pain and stress that you or I can suffer, even more so, as he endured the excruciating death on the cross. By suffering on our behalf, he provided a way for us to transcend our painful conditions. We’ll still experience hardship throughout our lives, but He can offer us peace and healing in the midst of it.