Lessons for Living (Audio)

You want God to bless you, don’t you? Of course, you do – everybody does! So, how do you get God’s blessings? The preachers on TV tell you to send money to them and God will give you favor. Often, though, all you get from that is a chance to see the stuff they’ve purchased with your gift to them. If you want to know what God’s formula for blessing really is, give a listen to Pastor Mark’s teaching today. You’ll find out that it’s about a lot more than money, both the giving to God and receiving from Him.

You see or hear about people – usually royalty – whose lives and careers are planned for them when they’re children. It seems the only way for them to escape that destiny is for them to cut themselves off from the lives they’ve known. Many times, knowing that God has a plan for your life can cause some anxiety and even resentment. But as Pastor Mark will be teaching today, God’s knowledge of the future is an advantage you should make use of. Doing so will ensure that your life is the best one you could ever have.

When God created the universe, there was order in all things, in every way. The rebellion of mankind introduced chaos into the order of earth. Mankind, having been created in God’s image, seeks order as well. Tragically, because they’re trying to do life without God’s help, more and more disorder is the norm. Sometimes churches get that way. Pastor Mark will be teaching how to get more order in your church and your life. It’s about submitting to and trusting God’s guiding hand on you.

When you’re a young parent and you realize that your kids can see when you’re not being quite…consistent between what you say and what you do, it’s kind of scary. You want to be honest with them about who you are, but nobody likes to be called out for their failings. Eventually, you learn to use those moments to talk to your children about sin and God’s grace. Pastor Mark will be teaching today that that’s how good leaders behave. They don’t pretend to be perfect, but they’re humble and trying to be more like Jesus.

What gift has God given you? Do you ever think about that question? Maybe you sometimes think that God’s idea of your gifting is different than your idea. Maybe you’re sure of what your gifting is but haven’t been able to apply it yet – that can be frustrating. If you don’t think that God’s given you a spiritual gift, be sure to listen to Pastor Mark’s teaching today. Although he’ll be mainly talking about the gift of leadership, what he has to say will make it clear to you that God has made a place for you to fit into His body.

What does the world think of Christians? They actually tell you all the time. Look at the way Christians – not “religious” people – are portrayed in the media. Loudmouthed, rude, and hypocritical – quite the opposite of what Jesus modeled. While there are some who fit that stereotype, most believers in Jesus are quietly doing their best to live out Jesus’ example. In Pastor Mark’s teaching today, he’ll be talking about what God’s looking for and expecting from the people who say that they’re His disciples.

So much of modern life is busy. It’s filled with rushing from one place to another, from appointment to appointment. Not getting enough sleep. So you might ask, “How do I fit God into the busyness of my life?” Pastor Mark will be teaching about this today. He’ll show you how God is able to take those twenty-four hours that you have and, as you make time for Him, make it possible for you to do all the things you need to get done. Giving Him first priority is the best way to live your life, for you and those around you.

Back in the nineteen sixties, many kids who’d been raised in church began trying different things: drugs, Eastern religions, and so on. Their parents tolerated all of these things until they began talking about “getting saved” or “having a personal relationship with Jesus”. Oddly enough, as long as they were on an undefined “search for god” their parents were tolerant of it. But as Pastor Mark will be teaching today, talking specifically about being able to know Jesus is not okay with religious people.

Most people think that they’re giving, generous people. Do you? How about when times are tough? Does charity giving shrink when your wallet shrinks? Ah, that’s the challenge, isn’t it? How do you keep trusting God enough to keep your giving level up, even as your income appears to be falling off? These circumstances always bring you back to the question of are you really trusting God – or your income? Pastor Mark will teach that this was the challenge the Jewish Christians in the book of Hebrews faced, too.

If you were to get a ‘Friend’ request on Facebook from someone who says they’re related to you, what would you do first? Check and see if that’s really true. You’d check with other relatives to see if someone you already know, knows them and can vouch for them. It’s the same way when it comes to teachings or behaviors in the church. If something doesn’t look quite right, you ask someone you trust. Pastor Mark’s teaching today will help you gain some tools for learning to discern good teaching from bad.