Lessons for Living (Audio)

Everybody knows about the saying, “You can’t take it with you” in terms of when you die, all your stuff gets left behind. Many ancient societies buried their king’s stuff with them because they believed that you can take it with you. Archaeological digs have shown that the stuff always stays here. Pastor Mark’s teaching today will touch on this desire that people have to not only accumulate things but to hang on to them as long as possible. You’ll hear about the counter-culture attitude that Christ-followers should have.

People can be so amazingly mean to each other. You see in the news every day instances of family members harming, even killing, their own relatives. But it’s nothing new – remember Cain and Abel? The first two siblings – one was a murderer, the other the murder victim. The problem, as Pastor Mark will be teaching about today, is the heart. When people don’t give their lives over to Jesus and let the Holy Spirit change them, you have the same conflicts. Today, you’ll learn how to let God change you from the inside out.

You’d think that after all of the ways that God proved who He was to the people of Israel, that they’d have no problem obeying His commands. But as you read through the Old Testament it becomes painfully clear that they were up and down in their devotion to God. Pastor Mark will be teaching today that it’s different for Christ-followers because they have the Holy Spirit inside of them to give them the ability to obey God. They do, however, have to want to be obedient to God’s commands.

Being hurt by someone presents challenges and choices. Too often, people choose to try to hurt back, which only makes things worse. “Two wrongs don’t make a right”, and all that. Besides that, it’s not the way God wants His people to behave. You’ll be hearing from Pastor Mark today about the dangers unforgiveness can bring, and how it can distort every area of your life. Thankfully, you’ll learn today how to turn your right to hurt someone else over to God and heal the hurt inside yourself.

Isn’t it frustrating to see a politician that you thought was a good person – maybe you even voted for – be found to have taken bribes or cheated on their spouse? Of course it is. There’s a level of expectation – a standard – that it’s assumed that people in that position will uphold. And you know it’s true in the church, too. People who have a clear standard – the Bible – who fall short. Well, Pastor Mark’s teaching today will touch on many aspects of the Christian walk, and the need for integrity in your life.

It’s really difficult to interact with someone who thinks that they’re better than you. It can make you mad and act in ways that you usually end up regretting. It’s even worse when the other person claims to be a Christ-follower. The apostle Paul addressed this issue in 1 Corinthians, as did Jesus in the Gospels. It’s a human tendency, as Pastor Mark will teach today, but one that God hates. You’ll hear how to keep from being proud, and how to deal with people that try to make you feel small.

Reading about or hearing the accounts of the apostles in the book of Acts almost seems like fairy tales. The miracles that happened and the trials and persecutions they endured make you shake your head in wonder. And when you hit some rough patches in your life you might wish you could tap into some of that ‘Godly miracle’ stuff. Pastor Mark’s teaching today will show you how you can access God’s power in your life. God’s made His agency available to you – you just have to be willing to…obey.

Do you ever get tired of people? Of course you do. The way they treat you or those around you, or the way people are treated in general – it gets hard to watch. It might even get you thinking that you’d be better off alone. Pastor Mark will be teaching today that while that attitude might be understandable, it’s not the way the Christ-follower is allowed to live. He’ll be reminding you that every believer is to live like Jesus did. Jesus reached out to people – even those who were hard to love – and loved them anyway.

The Christian life is really easy – unless you’re actually trying to become a better follower of Jesus. There are pitfalls and temptations, things (and people) that want to derail you in your walk with Christ. The believers in the book of Hebrews were facing things in their lives that made them question their choices. You’ll hear Pastor Mark teach about these today, as well as the solutions that God through the writer of Hebrews gave them. You’ll find that they’re useful for you in your journey, too.

Modern society tells you that ‘we’ – modern society, that is – has moved beyond the ‘barbaric’ practice of corporal punishment. The truth of the matter, though, is that that ‘punishment’ now takes place in jails and prisons. One of the hardest things to do is to discipline your child, but you know what awaits them if you don’t do it. Pastor Mark will be teaching how God’s discipline works the same way in your life. God wants you to learn how to do life right – His way – because He loves you and wants the best for you.