Lessons for Living (Audio)

Surveys have been done over the last few decades, trying to figure out if there’s a difference in behavior between Christians and those outside the church. Unfortunately, what they’ve found is that people in the church are becoming more like those outside of the church rather than the other way around. Pastor Mark will be addressing this problem. You’ll hear him use and define the term, “carnal” Christian. You’ll learn why this isn’t someone God wants you to be. You’ll be challenged to examine yourself to see whether your lifestyle places you in this undesirable category.

A long time ago Americans began to get the idea that America is a “Christian” nation. Although that was never defined, some people began to equate that with meaning that all Americans are Christians. Pastor Mark will be teaching today that this belief is not biblically accurate. You’ll learn that God doesn’t “save” countries – He saves individuals. You’ll hear about the Apostle Matthew’s conversion experience, and what took place there. Pastor Mark will tell you what becoming a Christian means, and he’ll talk about what should be happening in your life after that initial event.

There are billions of people in the world who’ve never even heard of Jesus, and billions more who have heard but who have just blown Him off. These numbers can feel overwhelming and make you think that there’s nothing you can do to change them, but that’s not true. Pastor Mark will be teaching today about Jesus’ Great Commission, His command to go and make disciples of the whole world. You’ll find out what a disciple actually is, and what characteristics are part of a disciple’s lifestyle. You’ll also find out that the whole “making disciples” thing isn’t as hard as you might think that it is.

When you read a story and they talk about a church having a weekly attendance of, say, ten thousand people, does that impress you? People tend to be influenced by positive – especially large – numbers. At one point, though, Jesus’ followers went from being in the thousands to just the inner twelve. And Jesus was okay with that. Pastor Mark will be teaching about what God really wants in His church. You’ll discover that God’s a lot more interested in what’s on the inside of the person than how many persons are in the building. You’ll be challenged to be the type of believer that God is looking for.

You might have heard the term, “professing Christian”. Maybe you’ve used it to refer to someone you know; maybe you use it to describe yourself. While the origin of the term isn’t known, the Bible doesn’t use this term to describe a follower of Jesus. Pastor Mark will be reminding you in his teaching today that Jesus didn’t say, “Profess Me”; He said, “Follow Me”. You’ll learn what the difference between professing and following is and how to figure out where you are between the two. You’ll find out how to get things right with God if you need to, and how to progress in your walk with Christ.

If you’re a Christ follower, you know what a difference having God in your life has made to you. So how come everybody that has the Gospel presented to them doesn’t become a believer? After all, it seems to make so much sense to do so. Well, Pastor Mark will be explaining that in today’s teaching. You’ll hear the reason that you need to continue to share about Jesus with your friends and family. Pastor Mark will be explaining about this, along with other expectations God has for the Christ follower. You’ll learn about more things that God wants you to be doing.

Everyone has a unique combination of talents, personality, and passion. No one’s mix is the same as anyone else’s. The challenge for you can come when you are discontented with your particular set of abilities, and begin to envy someone else. Pastor Mark will be teaching about the importance of not only recognizing the abilities you have, but understanding that God’s given them to you. You’ll be learning how to become able to rest in what you’ve received from God. You’ll also find out the ways that you can start to step out in faith and use the gifts you’ve been given to aid God’s kingdom.

Mankind has made a real mess of marriage, changing God’s definition to almost anything goes. Men marrying men, women marrying women – even a woman marrying a dolphin! This stuff is so beyond what God intended, and the results have been predictable: rampant divorce and infidelity, and a lot of faithful couples that just aren’t happy with each other. Pastor Mark will be teaching about the importance of understanding how God intended marriage to be. You’ll learn what has to be in the person before marriage and then what the marriage has to be based on to have the best success.

The world, in many ways, has thrown off the idea of marriage as God intended it. Many couples are living together before marriage – if they even bother with marriage at all. If they do claim to value marriage, they’re having sex before their marriage. Others, of course, are just having sex without committing to a single partner for any length of time, let alone for the rest of their lives. Pastor Mark will be teaching how these changing mores are devastating to society. You’ll hear why biblical marriage – the concept, not just the ritual – matters to more than just the two people combining their lives together.

There’s a lot of sexual dysfunction these days. Promiscuity, homosexuality, and infidelity runs rampant. And that’s just in the church! Many of the people who say with their mouths that they’re devoted to Jesus more than anything else, say something else with their bodies. Pastor Mark will be teaching about what God’s plan for mankind originally was. You’ll hear about how humanity’s gotten off track from God’s plans, and the tragedies that have resulted from that rebellion. You’ll also find out about God’s ability to redeem and restore the life that’s been broken by sexual sin.