Lessons for Living (Audio)

It seems like the church is so weak right now. Very few members of the congregations are doing the work while the rest observe. The Bible makes it clear that everyone has a role in the operation of the local church. Pastor Mark will be teaching about the different spiritual gifts that God gives to every member of the body of Christ. He’ll be sharing about the importance of each person asking God what their personal gift is and how and where it should be used. You might find encouragement to pursue your own gift so that your brothers and sisters can be blessed by it.

Some people say that denominations are a bad thing, that this is Satan’s successful attempt at breaking the body of Christ up and weakening it. Sometimes, with all of the infighting that goes on, it might appear to be so. Others say that every local church should be representative of every community and that there shouldn’t be what appears to be segregation. Pastor Mark will be teaching about the church as the body of Christ. He will be talking about the benefit of differences within orthodoxy being akin to the different parts of your body, and the importance of their working harmoniously together.

There’s a theme throughout the Bible – well, a concept rather than an obvious theme. It’s the idea of kingdoms and kings, and the idea that ultimately there are only two realms. Not only that, but every human being is in one kingdom or the other. That means that someone right now is your king, boss, sovereign. Pastor Mark will be teaching about what being a follower of Christ actually means. He’ll be speaking about these two overarching kingdoms as well as who runs them. You’ll learn about the concept of the Lordship of Christ and the implications that has for how you live your life.

Have you ever had someone ask you about your faith in Jesus? How did you respond? Were you satisfied with the answer you gave? Did you give them what you thought was a biblical answer or just some pseudo-Christian platitude? Pastor Mark will be teaching today about the importance of the followers of Christ to actually know what Jesus said. He’ll be reminding you that you are Jesus’ representative here on Earth. To be an effective and accurate ambassador for Christ, you need to be familiar with His teachings. The only way for that to happen is to read and absorb the Bible.

Many people lament the fact that, behaviorally, there is little difference between the church and the secular world. Instances of nonbiblical sex, divorce and other negative societal markers are as prevalent within the church as outside. One of the reasons for this similarity is that Christians don’t actually know what the Bible has to say about these things. Pastor Mark will be teaching about how the church can begin to act like God intended the church to act: by becoming familiar with and obedient to God’s word. If you do that you will find God changing your life for the better.

Do you have trouble trusting God? I mean, really trusting God? For that new job that will provide income for you and your family; for the salvation of your wayward child – that kind of trust. Maybe you feel like God wants you to do something unconventional – can you plow through and obey despite the grief you think you might get from family and friends? Pastor Mark will be teaching about this kind of trust. He will also be explaining where this kind of trust comes from and why you can rely on God this securely in the first place. Listen in and find a deeper relationship with God.

People outside of the family of God – the unbelievers – often have interesting ideas about what Christianity is. Lots of times, they’re way off from the reality Christ followers experience. Even though obeying God isn’t a magic bullet – you know the troubles you have in your life – you also know about the peace that God has given you despite your difficulties. Pastor Mark will be teaching about the amazingness of God and how, because He can see the whole picture of your life, He’s able to steer you away from worse trouble than you can imagine while providing for all your needs.

Do you ever find yourself trying to obey God’s commandments using your own force of will? How often have you succeeded that way? Probably not very often. Even if you’re able to achieve the outward appearance of success, do you find that your attitude isn’t what you’d expect it to be? It can be very frustrating. Pastor Mark will be teaching today about letting God’s strength work through you. When you allow the Holy Spirit to make the changes in you that you recognize need to be made, it happens more naturally, more organically – you might not even realize the change has happened!

God is all about contradictions, isn’t He? The weak will be strong, the foolish will confound the wise – He makes it clear that His ways are not close to our ways. As a result, it’s really hard even for Christ followers sometimes to simply obey God because their minds balk at what they can’t understand. Pastor Mark will be teaching about God’s biggest mashup – of Jews and Gentiles – two groups that couldn’t stand one another. Pastor Mark will be explaining the reason that God decided to do this in the first place and what significance it has for you in your day-to-day living.

Throughout time, men seeking to know God have been told that they had to use some go-between, whether it be a priest, shaman, rabbi, or someone in that role. The Jews were required to have a priest – they absolutely could not go directly to God. Even today, some so-called pastors claim to have an inside track to God, so you should listen to them and follow their advice. Pastor Mark will be teaching today that according to the scriptures, all of those who would stand between you and God have been nullified, which is awesome! You have access to the God of the universe anytime, anywhere.