Lessons for Living (Audio)

Lots of people who call themselves Christians say they believe in Jesus. Many have ‘walked the aisle’ and made a profession of faith. If you’ve looked at peoples’ lives over the years, you can make some assumptions about the depth of their commitment to Christ. Pastor Mark will be teaching about the importance of moving from simply being a convert to becoming a disciple. You’ll learn the responsibility that a disciple has to God and to those around themselves. You’ll find out about your requirement from Jesus to reproduce yourself, and how to do that.

Jesus did many amazing things. The Gospel of John says that all the books in the world couldn’t have held the stories of everything that Jesus did when He was on the earth. Pastor Mark will be teaching about Jesus’ promise to His disciples that they would do greater things than He did. You might think, “How can Christ followers today do greater things than Jesus did?” Well, Pastor Mark will be explaining that statement, showing through scripture and history how Jesus’ followers have fulfilled that statement, and how you yourself can participate in that as well.

You’ve probably heard stories of people who go out and hitchhike across the United States, or Europe, or Asia. Most folks think of these travelers as maybe having a screw loose, or very brave. Pastor Mark will be teaching about some other people who might’ve been thought of the same way. You’ll find out about one big difference between those hitchhikers and the disciples, though. Pastor Mark’ll be telling you about the need that this world has and what you can do to help. You’ll come to learn that as you take advantage of what God’s given you, you’ll come more into line with His purpose for you.

It’s easy to trust God for the ‘small’ stuff. That way, if it doesn’t happen, your expectations are low enough that the disappointment is small. But when it’s something big – a needed job, housing, illness – your faith’s on the line and really tested. Pastor Mark will be teaching about an experience the disciples had where they had to trust God for everything. Jesus put them in this position – in the ‘school of faith’, so to speak – to give them a chance to put into practice the things they should’ve been learning. You’ll hear how their lessons can be applied to your life, too.

America is a very prosperous country – possibly the most prosperous one ever. As a result, the American church is able to send money all around the world, aiding her poorer brothers and sisters. In Pastor Mark’s teaching, he’ll be reminding you that Jesus didn’t have anything He could call His own except the clothes on His back. And Jesus sent His disciples out twice, telling them not to take anything extra. You’ll hear that God’s not looking for the best and brightest to do His work. He’s looking for people who are willing to trust Him completely for all they’re given, storing up treasures in heaven, not on earth.

If you grew up in the church, your impression of the ‘rules’ probably included a lot of ‘no’s, or at least you thought that was how it was. Don’t wear ‘those’ clothes, don’t watch ‘those’ kind of movies, and absolutely don’t listen to ‘that’ kind of music! The Jews of Jesus’ day got the same vibe from their leaders, and as a result there was a lot of apathy toward religion. Pastor Mark will be teaching that Jesus came and stirred things up by talking about the intent of the heart rather than outward actions. You’ll hear about the kind of freedom that an authentic life with Christ will bring to you if you let Him.

Did you ever have an opportunity, or felt like God was giving you an opportunity to do something, but you didn’t follow through? Do you still feel twinges of regret for not doing it? Those feelings can haunt you and corrode your confidence. In Pastor Mark’s teaching today, he’ll be talking about how to avoid those feelings of regret. He’ll be speaking about pushing past your fears and apprehensions, and doing what it’s clear that God wants you to do. He’ll talk about what you need to do to learn to trust God and to look to Him alone, trusting Him for the strength and courage to do what He’s called you to do.

For many years, health professionals have wondered whether there is a genetic tendency in some people toward things like alcoholism and other self-destructive behaviors. While no one may ever be able to definitively prove it one way or another, it’s an interesting conversation. Pastor Mark will be teaching about a genetic tendency that all people, for sure have. You’ll hear about the desire that God has put inside the core being of every person in history: the desire to have significance, to really matter beyond this life and the day-to-day mundane things that make up your earthly existence.

If you’ve ever used a recipe to cook or bake, you find pretty quickly that if you leave out an ingredient or get some other aspect of the preparation wrong, the dish won’t turn out like it should. Pastor Mark will be teaching today that the Christian life is much the same way. God has given the Christ follower specific steps – ingredients – for a successful relationship with Himself. One of the most neglected things is time spent with God Himself. Pastor Mark will be talking about the negative results from ignoring this ingredient, as well as telling you of the benefits that come from adding this quiet time to your life.

It can be frustrating being a Christ follower because God just doesn’t think like you do. He did at least warn you about that, though: He said in Isaiah that “My thoughts aren’t your thoughts”. Pastor Mark will be reminding you about that fact in today’s teaching. He’ll be talking about the ways that Christ followers become better Christ followers, and what you have to do to reach that goal. He’ll tell you about the benefits of making the effort to get closer to both God and your Christian brothers and sisters.