Lessons for Living (Audio)

One of the hard things about serving in ministry – no matter the level – is figuring out which part is God working through you and when you’re trying to do God’s work in your own strength. It’s easy to confuse the two, and it requires some soul searching to get it right. Pastor Mark’s teaching today will be covering the danger of trying to do God’s work in the flesh. You’ll learn that even a mighty man of faith like Moses can slip up at times. You’ll find out how to avoid this pitfall and to rely on the Holy Spirit more in your life.

For generations, Christians have been told – mainly by people outside the Church, but even by some inside the Church – that they’re to leave their Christianity at home. Don’t bring that ‘religious stuff’ to their workplace. The problem with this attitude is that it’s not what God planned for those who follow Him. Pastor Mark’s teaching today will illustrate how God used people in all different kinds of positions in the Old Testament to get His work done. The thing they had in common was being used by the Holy Spirit.

Do you understand the power of God? You might say, “Of course not – He’s God, I’m just human!” And while that’s true on one level, there’s still another aspect of God’s power that people can understand. Ironically, it can only be understood by people when God’s power is working through their lives. And Pastor Mark, in his teaching today, will show you the urgent need for every Christ-follower to have God’s Spirit working in their lives every day. You’ll recognize that you can’t successfully live life any other way.

Most people – whether they are serving Him or not – admit to the idea of a God the Father. They also accept the idea of Jesus, since there are records of His having been on the earth. The Holy Spirit, though, that’s a different animal altogether. Many religions contain a ‘spirit-like’ entity but generally, it’s an ‘it’, an undefined force – think Star Wars. But Pastor Mark will be teaching today about the Biblical concept of the Holy Spirit. You’ll discover that the Bible’s Holy Spirit is far different from everyone else’s ‘divine spirit’.

Humans have a tendency to look at non-human things and to sometimes humanize them. What pet owner hasn’t talked to their pet, maybe revealing things they’d never tell another person? And there’s the history of religions who have as their focus a statue, or the trees or nature. Well, you’ll hear in Pastor Mark’s message today that Christ-followers don’t worship objects; they worship Persons. You’ll learn about the Person of the Holy Spirit. You’ll find out the ways He is a Person, and how other religions are wrong about Him.

Mary’s pregnancy was a scandal. In that society, sex outside of marriage could’ve been a capital offense; death by stoning was the normal penalty for extramarital sex. It was kind of up to Joseph as to how this would be handled. As you’ll learn from Pastor Mark’s teaching today, God intervened on Mary’s behalf. Even though it seems Joseph was inclined to handle the matter out of the public’s eye, God had an even different plan for them. Their willingness to submit to God’s will despite the public humiliation is encouraging.

Mary was a remarkable young woman. It seems she was a young woman of quality, which is why God chose her to give birth to Jesus. There are some who want to elevate her to an almost godlike status based on the fact of her being Jesus’ mom. Others, reacting to this, seek to deny her ‘specialness’. As Pastor Mark will be teaching today, both sides miss the mark. You’ll hear how she viewed herself, and how that view lines up with scripture. You’ll learn how her self-analysis is a good template for all people.

Western society is so used to kids having sex that the idea of waiting until marriage or being embarrassed for not waiting, isn’t even considered. But God – the Creator of sex – had and has quite a different viewpoint on sex. You’ll find out in today’s teaching by Pastor Mark what a remarkable couple Mary and Joseph were. You’ll learn from scripture how their personal integrity, which was a byproduct of their devotion to God, guided them and made them the suitable caretakers for God’s Son that they became.

What about you? Have you been a follower of Jesus for many years? What would you say your faith level is? Do you think it’s where it should be? It’s hard to go through life with its ups and downs and maintain a consistently increasing level of faith. Pastor Mark’s teaching today will remind you that faith is like a muscle; it has to be continually exercised to keep it strong or to make it stronger. One of the ways God tests your faith is to throw challenges your way, as He did for Elizabeth and Zechariah.

You probably know someone who was what you considered a strong Christian at one time but isn’t anymore. When you see them, maybe they try to avoid you. Or instead, they want to tell you how good life is now that they’ve gotten rid of all of that “God stuff”. They had an opportunity to follow God’s will for their lives or not. And just like your friend, the people in the story of the coming of Jesus had choices to make, too. Pastor Mark will teach you why doing things God’s way is so much better for you.