Come To The Table

Jesus’ life and ministry had such an amazing impact on His world and continues to have an impact on millions of lives. Still, He told His disciples that they would do an even greater work than he did. That’s hard to fathom, but Pastor Mark will help clarify this statement in this teaching.

Our planet is often referred to as “the land of the living,” but as Pastor Mark will point out in this teaching, our fallen world would be better described as “the land of the dying.” When you are in Christ and pass away, you enter into true life for all eternity, but even here on earth, believers can connect to His everlasting kingdom of life through prayer. God has offered us an amazing privileg...

Many people find it hard to accept that there is only one way into Heaven. This stubborn mentality can be directly traced to the sinful pride in each of our hearts. We want to be in control of our own destiny, and we don’t want to bow our knee to anyone or anything. As Pastor Mark stresses in today’s teaching, the fundamental truth of Jesus Christ is that He is the way, the truth, and the life; No...

For a young child, a loving father is one of the most trustworthy figures in their lives. They trust them to an unrealistic extent and often believe they’re capable of the impossible. This level of respect and love fades as they grow older and see their parents’ humanity, but for believers, it is necessary to return to that kind of trust as we look to our Heavenly Father. You and I can trust that...

The word “love” is overused in our world. In this teaching, Pastor Mark explains the different kinds of love described in the Bible. The word used to describe God’s love for man is “agape.” This is a love that transcends conditions. This love gives with no expectations and continues regardless of the response. God has agape love for you. It is not dependent on anything you do for Him. All you have...

In this teaching, Pastor Marks discusses the bewildering love of Christ. Our human perspective cannot make sense of it. Jesus exemplified a father-like love for the disciples as He led and taught them. He has that same love for us. When we sin, He doesn’t look on us with disgust or frustration but with love and sadness.

John—the “beloved” disciple of Jesus—was in a position of intimacy that allowed him to hear things the others did not. We can apply this example to our spiritual walk with Christ. As Pastor Mark points out in this teaching, the closer we draw to Jesus, the more aware we will become of His voice. Let’s put aside the distractions of this world and lean on Him. It is when we rest in Jesus that we’ll...

It’s hard to fathom how someone could walk with Jesus for three years, witnessing miracles, and still reject Him. Judas’ agenda was driven by his own reason and selfishness. Jesus didn’t fit the image that he and so many others had imagined of the Messiah. In a moment of greed and pride, he handed his Rabbi over to be arrested and executed.

Humbling ourselves to serve friends and family can be challenging. Even more challenging it is to serve someone who dislikes you or has even betrayed you. Jesus did exactly this. He knew what Judas was planning, yet still washed his feet along with the other disciples. Our hearts, which desire to get even when we are wronged, need to learn the sacrificial nature and servitude of Christ.

A musical instrument, however beautiful, gains its value from the music it makes more than its physical appearance. If left un-played, it will fall out of tune and its potential will be wasted. Believers can be like that as well. If we submit ourselves into the hands of God, He can make beautiful music through us. If we waste our potential on our own comforts and conveniences, however, we will mis...

Tomorrow is not guaranteed. We are not even guaranteed our next breath. Life is fragile and fleeting, and this is the only one we’ve got. In this teaching, Pastor Mark warns against squandering the opportunities we’ve been given. Choose to use your limited time for seeking Jesus.

God desires love and obedience from us, but He gives us free will. Choosing to reject Christ is a personal decision that cannot be blamed on Him. He has gone to incredible lengths to draw us to Himself, but if we harden ourselves against Him, we deserve the eternal separation our decision grants us. In rare cases, men harden their hearts so much towards God that they go past a point of no return....

God won’t force faith into the heart of man. He gave us free will. Sadly, many have ample opportunity to accept God’s grace but choose to reject Him, following their own selfish desires. They may feel like that decision gives them control of their lives, but its consequence is an eternal separation from God, an eternal death. In this teaching, Pastor Mark challenges us to make a decision. There is...

Time is precious; Most of us are familiar with that maxim. As Pastor Mark points out in this teaching, time is also easily wasted. As morbid as it may seem, take a minute to imagine this is your last day on earth. What do you wish you had done more of? If you come to the realization that you’ve been wasting time, now is the moment to change course and dedicate your time to eternal matters.

When Jesus rode the donkey into Jerusalem, it was an act akin to a king riding into his city in peaceful triumph. He was coming into the city knowing that only a few days later, He would undergo the anguish of dying on the cross for us. In this message, Pastor Mark points out that Jesus’ death was not merely or the Jews. He died for everyone—Jew and Gentile alike. He bore our sin to repair our rel...

If you’re in Christ, you have hope for eternity. You have confidence in what will happen after you die, and that confidence should replace your natural fear of death. Paul was a great example of how a follower of Jesus can impact lives when they embrace their security in Christ. As Pastor Mark notes in this teaching, it’s not that we want to die, but our fear of death is gone, freeing us up to pou...

As much as we might not like to admit it, Judas had a point: Mary’s valuable spikenard could have been used for practical ministry. Many poor families could have been clothed and fed if it had been sold. The poor should not be neglected, but Mary had insight into the value of worshipping Jesus. Jesus was everything to Mary. That is the problem with Judas’ argument. We should care for the poor, but...

When we read the story of Mary anointing Jesus’ feet with the spikenard, we might imagine a fancy bottle of oil or perfume. In reality, this oil was worth 300 denarii, which would be around fifty-five thousand dollars in today’s currency—a year’s wages as Judas Iscariot notes. In this teaching, Pastor Mark challenges us to examine our hearts and ask whether we would go to that extreme level for Je...

Nothing you have is truly yours, except your free will. Whether you’re one of the “haves” or “have-nots,” all your possessions, power, or position are ultimately God’s. He simply placed you as a steward of those things. He desires that you use them for His glory, not your own comfort or gain. While God will give and take according to His will, you must decide how to respond. Will you cling to and...

Have you ever prayed or heard someone else pray, “God, if you’ll give me a sign, I’ll believe”? While this seems logical, thousands of people encountered Jesus and witnessed His earthly miracles, yet still did not believe and even joined in the cries to crucify Him. In this teaching, Pastor Mark addresses the truth about our nature. Humans have stubborn, sinful hearts. God might bless us with a pe...

Sin creates a kind of spiritual stink in our lives that is impossible to hide. That doesn’t mean that most of us don’t try to hide it. This is why our brothers and sisters in Christ are vital in our spiritual walk. They are often the first to see the sin in our lives, and they can help lift us out of it. Whether you are the one observing sin in someone else or it’s your sin that is coming to light...

Getting older is hard. Still, it can bring wisdom and grace if you have used the years to spend time in the presence of God, seeking Him daily. What kind of witness would you like to have? Do you want people to look on you with respect and warmth, to see Jesus in you? When you spend time with the Lord, others will be able to see the effect it has on you, just as one can see the effects of age in t...

God’s church is very diverse. Depending on your background in the faith, your idea of the average Christian may be very stereotypical: a suit and tie, a pretty dress, a smiling face on a sunny, Sunday morning. Of course, that’s pretty far from reality. In this teaching, Pastor Mark points out the diversity of personalities and struggles within the Church. Getting saved does not remove these differ...

Our God and His perfect plans are worth waiting on. Following Christ requires patience and trust. In this teaching, Pastor Mark warns of the dangers of lacking these two things and of the anxiety that comes from this lack. God works outside our timeframes and expectations. If you wait on Him, good things will come. Why didn’t Jesus go immediately after hearing that Lazarus was sick? We can specula...

God is an uninhibited provider. All things belong to Him and are easily within His grasp. Still, all too often, Christians allow themselves to be racked with worry over how the bills will be paid or how they will put food on the table. Worrying does nothing for our good, and it reveals our lack of faith. In this teaching, Pastor Mark tells us to expect hardships in this life. God doesn’t remove al...