Lessons for Living (Audio)

Lots of people have trouble with the Christian God because they don’t get the idea of an all-loving God who also judges. They think – incorrectly – that one of those characteristics somehow cancels the other one out. This thinking shows that they don’t really understand the character of God as He’s revealed Himself to men. Pastor Mark, in his teaching about the Great Tribulation, will show you how these two sides of God’s character work. You’ll hear about God’s giving mankind chance after chance to turn to Him, with mankind continually rejecting God’s call to repentance and to receive eternal life.

If you’ve ever had the misfortune of raising a wayward child, you know the frustration of second, third and fourth chances gone to waste. For many parents this is what drives them to their knees, asking God for wisdom and patience. Pastor Mark will be teaching about God’s similar view of mankind. You’ll learn that God’s patience, while being infinite in scope, will be tempered by His sense of justice. You’ll find out about that justice being expressed during the Great Tribulation, when mankind’s following the Antichrist will compel God to say, “Enough!”, and then the end will come.

Hollywood likes to portray pastors as semi-unbalanced, wild-eyed guys who have secret doubts about their faith but who preach about “hell and damnation”. This portrayal is, of course, an extreme exaggeration that shows their ignorance about what the Bible says a pastor should be like. Pastor Mark will be teaching about the end times and God’s judgment on the earth. You’ll find out how much Jesus talked about hell – you might be surprised. Pastor Mark will be telling you why you should talk about hell with your friends and family, and will show you the best way to do that.

There are many views in the world regarding what happens after you die. Some people say there’s nothing awaiting you, while some say that you come back in some form to continue fixing what you did wrong the last time. The Bible tells you that crossing over into death seals your eternal fate. Pastor Mark will be teaching that it’s important for you to believe you’ve only got one chance on this earth because of what’s coming in the future. You’ll hear about recognizing the value of your life and of your being decisive in choosing your eternal destination, whether it be heaven or hell.

If you want to sum up the attitude of many in our world today, particularly those who run (or want to run) the world, it’s this: “Just win, baby”. It’s more obvious in the political arena, where cheating and character assassination seems to be the norm. But it’s also evident in the business world where deception to gain market share is not only accepted, but encouraged. Pastor Mark will be teaching about these attitudes and how they’ll lead people to embrace their final, terrible choice of accepting the rule of the one the Bible calls the “Man of Sin”, the Antichrist.

Did you ever think about the effort God made to bring you to Himself? All of the people and circumstances that He orchestrated to get your attention? It’s quite humbling and amazing, isn’t it? Well, He is still doing that around the world and won’t stop until the end of time. Pastor Mark will be teaching about God’s persistent desire for men to be saved, even when they’re being judged by Him. You’ll hear about the end times, about the frightening judgments that God’s going to pour out on the earth. You’ll also learn how God’s gonna keep giving people opportunities to turn to Him.

If you look at the events that are going to happen during the last seven years before Jesus returns to set up His kingdom on earth, some amazing things are going to take place. These incidents will be a reminder that even in the middle of God pouring out His anger on the earth, He still gives people a chance to turn to Him. Pastor Mark will be teaching about these things and how God’s grace will still be evident, even as He brings about mankind’s well-deserved punishment. While most people will give themselves fully to the Antichrist, some will respond favorably to God’s call to turn from evil.

You may have heard of people who hate Christians so much that they wish for all of those “Bible thumpers” to not be around anymore. They want to be able to be free to do whatever they want, without any reminders of an alternative morality – God’s morality. Pastor Mark will be teaching that those people are going to get their wish someday, when Jesus takes His followers out of the earth. You’ll learn that those who are left behind will be glad to see the believers gone, but won’t understand why they were removed. You’ll find out what God has in store for the people left on earth, and it won’t be good.

There are a few people, especially those who are skeptics about the God of the Bible, who believe that God is cruel because they think that He sends people to hell, who don’t believe in Him. That would be a reasonable conclusion, if it were true. Pastor Mark will be teaching about God’s final judgment on the earth and what kinds of things will happen at that time. You’ll hear about the plagues and disasters as well as man’s response to those events. You’ll come to understand that God doesn’t send people to hell, and you’ll be shown who sends people to hell and why they do.

It’s funny how people want to believe in a God but don’t want to believe in His adversary, the devil. They ask questions like, “If there’s a God and He’s so good, then why are there wars and famines and birth defects?” In his teaching today, Pastor Mark will be using the Bible to answer these questions. You’ll find out the source of the misery in the world – and in your own life. You’ll learn why things in the world seem to be getting worse at the same time as you’re told things are getting better. You’re going to find out that there’s an invisible war and that you’re going to have to pick a side to be on.