Lessons for Living (Audio)

One of the things that’s amazing about the Bible is that it can be applied to any people, anywhere, at any time. The reason for that is that the nature of humans hasn’t changed over time. The living circumstances or technology changes, but the nature of people is basically the same. Pastor Mark will be teaching today about a subject that can be frustrating – how, as a child, to relate to your parents. He’ll also be addressing how a parent should lead their children. There’ll be lots of useful biblical wisdom for everyone today.

Some people really get wound up about this “which day to worship” issue. There are the “Sabbath keepers”, who insist that it has to be done just like the Jews did and do. There are the “Saturday only” or the “Sunday only” groups who have what they think are good reasons for their stands. Pastor Mark will be teaching today that these people are kind of missing the point. You’ll hear about God’s reasoning behind His establishing the Sabbath in the first place, and what He really wants people to get from it.

What’s your favorite day to go to church? Sunday? How ‘bout Saturday? Maybe Wednesday or Thursday works best for you. For the Israelites, it was Saturday, period. That’s what God said, and the penalty for failing to comply was harsh – like death. So Pastor Mark – in his teaching today – will be talking about how Christ followers deal with this particular law. You’ll hear about the idea of the Ten Commandments being concepts rather than simply laws to be obeyed, and you’ll get a better idea of God’s heart behind the laws.

It’s interesting that when man thinks he’s smarter than God and changes what God put in place, it crashes and burns – sometimes spectacularly. If you design a product, you understand that it’s supposed to work the way you designed it to. In Pastor Mark’s teaching today, he’ll be showing that it’s the same for people. When they try to live their lives in a way that God didn’t intend them to, things don’t go good for them. You’ll learn the importance of rest and worship for your whole body, and your relationships.

It might be safe to say that no one listening to this teaching is going to become an ambassador to a foreign country. However, that doesn’t mean that you don’t know what an ambassador’s job is. An ambassador is the face of his country to the country he’s called to serve in. Pastor Mark will be teaching today that it’s exactly the same for the Christ follower. You’ll learn the importance of honoring the names of Jesus and Jehovah. You’ll also discover ways of dishonoring their names that you might not have thought of.

Everybody dislikes two-faced people. They’re looked down upon, and people try to avoid them. Unfortunately, they’re also found in the Church. People that put on a pious front when they’re in church but outside those walls act no different than the worst nonbeliever. Pastor Mark will be teaching about people like this. He’ll be showing how if you behave in this manner but still call yourself a Christ follower, you endanger more people than just yourself. You’ll find out how much God hates that behavior.

People give their kids some crazy names these days. They seem to name their kids for any – or no – reason at all. This is a lot different than the names in the Old Testament. Parents then gave names that had a meaning of some sort; they weren’t given frivolously. In Pastor Mark’s teaching today, he’ll be talking about the relationship in the Old Testament between names, character and reputation. You’ll hear how this applies to God’s name, and also to you as a Christian (“little Christs”) or Christ follower.

It’s hard being a Christian parent. Not only do you have the regular parent stuff to be concerned about, you have the added task of being a spiritual leader to your children. The world, of course, is trying to tempt them into following that way of living. Pastor Mark will be teaching today about the importance of parents who are Christ followers to not take days off in their godly living. You’ll be reminded of how closely your children watch you, and how much they imitate you – both virtues and vices.

You might’ve heard about curses that can be passed down a family line. These supposed curses afflict a family, many times without them knowing what it is. Well, in Pastor Mark’s teaching today, he’ll be talking about the original generational curse – the one that came from Adam. You’ll hear about God’s warning to the Israelites about leaving their devotion to Him. Pastor Mark will show you how God’s cautioning of Israel as well as the blessings He promised them relates to you in this day and age.

Parents want the best for their kids. They hope that their children grow up to be better people than they are. They understand that they need to be good role models to their children but often don’t realize how perceptive they can be. Pastor Mark will be teaching today about God’s warnings to the Israelites. You’ll hear about promises both good and bad. You’ll learn about the importance of the parent’s consistent right living before God and the consequences for future generations if they fail to live right.