When you were a kid, your parents had to teach you the rules. When you broke a rule, you probably had some type of punishment, so your motivation for following the rules was to not get into trouble. Now as an adult, you’re no longer motivated to obey your parents out of fear, but because you love them. Today, Pastor Mark teaches that as you mature in your relationship with Jesus, you’re no longer motivated to follow His commands because you don’t want to get in trouble. You obey Him because you love Him and want to do what makes Him happy! We encourage you to continue growing in your relationship with Jesus!  

When you were young, your parents probably did a good deal of teaching you rules. You may even have had a list of house rules written down, such as sharing your toys with your siblings, not hitting anyone, and brushing your teeth before bed. As you got older, you hopefully needed to be reminded of these rules less and less! Today, Pastor Mark teaches you that the Bible serves as guidelines to help you mature in the Christian faith. New believers need to understand how to grow in their relationship with Jesus. As you get to know and love Jesus more, you’re motivated to do things because you love Him and want to make Him happy! 

Most Americans, if not all, know who Jesus is. They’re probably also familiar with the basic Christian beliefs about salvation. But what about people living in remote villages who’ve never heard about Jesus? What about everyone who died before Jesus was even born, including people in the Old Testament? How are they saved? Today, Pastor Mark teaches you that the only way anyone can get to heaven is through believing in Jesus. That has never changed. People who’ve never heard of Jesus are saved through faith in God’s promised savior for their sins. If you’ve heard of Jesus but have never accepted Him as your Savior, make that choice today! 

Did you know that everyone is born a sinner? Even before they do a single action, they’re sinners. How? Because sin is in our blood. We’ve all inherited the sin nature of Adam and Eve. We don’t become sinners when we sin. We sin because we already are sinners. That’s why it’s impossible for us to live a perfect life. Today, Pastor Mark highlights the importance of Jesus’ virgin birth. The virgin birth wasn’t just a gimmick for God to show off. The virgin birth was necessary so that Jesus wouldn’t be tainted by the same sinful nature that corrupts all humans. It’s only through Jesus’ righteous blood that you can be perfect before God. 

Imagine that the only way to get to heaven is by living a perfect life according to the Old Testament laws. Even if God excused all your past sins, do you think you’d be able to fulfill the law without making any mistakes? How stressful would this be? At some point, you’d probably cry out, “It’s impossible!” And you’d be right. Today, Pastor Mark teaches you that trying to get to heaven by your own good works is indeed impossible. Trying to do so is a curse because no matter how hard you try, you’ll still fail and be condemned. Thank God that He sent His son Jesus to live a sinless life and pay the price for our sins. You can now live in freedom! 

Have you wondered why God doesn’t change everyone’s hearts so that they believe in Him? The Bible says God doesn’t want anyone to go to hell, so if He’s all-powerful, why doesn’t He just make everyone a Christian? Man’s free will and God’s sovereignty seem like contradictions that have stumped theologians for centuries. In today’s message, Pastor Mark teaches that God gives all of us a choice. If you’re forced or manipulated into loving God, that’s not love. You might as well be a robot. God knew before you were even born whether you would choose to love and follow Him. If you haven’t decided to follow God yet, make that choice today!  

The only way to get to heaven is by believing in Jesus as your Lord and Savior. But have you ever wondered how people in the Old Testament were saved? Heroes of the faith such as Abraham, Noah, and Job didn’t even have the Ten Commandments. The Bible says they were saved by faith, just like you and I are.  Today, Pastor Mark teaches that you’re saved through faith in Jesus Christ, not by following every command in the Bible. However, this doesn’t mean that you don’t need the Bible. The Bible is God’s instructions on how you are to live. It shows how you can please God and be a blessing to those around you. 

Maybe you’ve been in Christ for a while now, and you’ve started to look for more responsibility. Maybe you’ve been doing more at the church, giving more, spending more time in the Bible; and that’s great! But we can’t let ourselves forget who gave us the grace to do all these great things, or who gave us the desire to do them. In today’s message, Pastor Mark reminds us how little we had do to with getting to where we are today. He reminds us that it’s all the grace of God and that without His initiation, and ability to accomplish these deeds, we are nothing. In Him, we live, breathe, and have our being. Thank you Jesus for all that you have done.

At some point, maybe you’re there right now, we have to lay our efforts down. We have to accept and be grateful that only, we aren’t enough; and can’t be enough to be right with God. Yes, there is still stuff God has for us to do while we’re here, but maybe there is also some sitting at the feet of Jesus too. In today’s message, Pastor Mark reminds us that this life isn’t all about achieving, it’s also about receiving, and appreciating what the Lord has done and is doing. Thank you, Jesus, you are the provider, healer, deliverer, savior, and so much more. Let’s never forget our first love. Let’s not forget, the one that first loved us.

We’re called to be lambs among wolves, and bold even if it cost us something. The Apostle Paul was a grace teacher, but he was not afraid to correct errors, even publicly. Sometimes that’s what it takes to stop a virus from infecting the sheep. If Paul thought it was necessary shouldn’t we be brave enough to do the same? In today’s message, Pastor Mark examines how to deal with apostasy in the church. If you’re not a bold person, the Lord will help you accomplish what He needs to be done. I’m reminded of a good father and his children, he doesn’t always yield to every whim of his kids, does he? No, sometimes there is a firmness in love.