Come To The Table

God has given you one calling and gifted you for it. But as Pastor Mark said, that calling can be played out in your life in many different ways! It may mean changing assignments in the same location, or it may mean moving to follow where God leads. When the assignment changes, we need to be ready to change whatever is needed to carry it out! Does that mean changing jobs or joining a church plant...

Do you feel stuck? Feeling stuck in ministry can be one of the most discouraging things we face. But Pastor Mark gives us encouragement today from the book of Acts. When you feel stuck in ministry, remember to be faithful to complete the assignment you’ve been given because when it is complete, Jesus will move you on to a new assignment. But if instead of continuing in the work you grow weary and...

Have you ever experienced that gut-wrenching moment when your heart throws in an extra beat or gets out of rhythm? It doesn’t take much of that to have the heart go from something pounding away in the background to being the thing on the top of your mind, all the time. When we talk about spiritual gifts and their place in the body, you might be pounding away in the background and feel insignifican...

The believers had been praying all week and all night for Peter to escape the death sentence he had been given, but when he was out in the night knocking on the door they wouldn’t believe it was him. Sometimes we’re all like that. We’ve been praying and praying and praying, but when God moves, we find it hard to believe! Pastor Mark reminds us today that even when we have little faith God still mo...

When you think about persecution coming to the church in America, what are the feelings you have surrounding that? Do you feel fear? Or do you, like Pastor Mark, recognize that with increased persecution comes increased joy, increased passion, and increased witness to the surrounding world? When persecution comes to our nation, the biggest thing to remember is this; that God is faithful. He will n...

God used Moses and his rod to show his supernatural power. When he turned the rod into a snake, Moses took off running. God showed his power and it frightened Moses. When you see the power of God at work in the world, what is your response? Pastor Mark is talking about Spiritual gifts today—the supernatural work of God in the world. And maybe you’ve seen the gifts used in a way that was frightenin...

God used Moses and his rod to show his supernatural power. When he turned the rod into a snake, Moses took off running. God showed his power and it frightened Moses. When you see the power of God at work in the world, what is your response? Pastor Mark is talking about Spiritual gifts today—the supernatural work of God in the world. And maybe you’ve seen the gifts used in a way that was frightenin...

God is going to reach the people he needs to reach and he’s going to do it with or without your help. But the awesome thing about God is that he wants to use you! He wants to invite you into the work he’s doing in the world! Pastor Mark reminds us that if we hold our traditions too closely and value them above God’s word and God’s voice, he can’t use us like that! So, if you want to be a part of t...

Part 1 of 2 Peter’s denomination/non-denomination didn’t believe God cared about the Gentiles. They believed that the only people God chose were the biological descendants of Abraham. But God stepped into Peter’s life and showed him in a vision that he was very interested in bringing salvation to the Gentiles. If Peter hadn’t been willing to set aside the views of his denomination to follow God’s...

How will you respond when God tells you to do something you’ve never done? What if your tradition tells you not to do it? What will you value more, the traditions you grew up with or the living and active voice of God? Pastor Mark reminds us today that our priority needs to always be on following God, not man. We can’t follow God freely if we value man’s traditions too highly. Don’t let your denom...

Do you ever wonder, like Pastor Mark, if what you do makes any difference at all? You pray but you aren’t sure your prayers are heard. You give, but you aren’t sure if it’s making any difference. And you serve but you don’t see any effects on the world around you. You’re not alone in wondering that but you can take comfort from God’s words to Cornelius today! If his prayers are talked about in hea...

Pastor Mark goes after tradition today. But it’s not just for the sake of bucking tradition! It’s in the interest of the freedom of following Jesus. When our traditions get in the way of what God wants to do, we aren’t living in the freedom he gave us. Pastor Mark will show us today that God longs to make us free from the traditions that are holding us back from being fully effective for him. Ask...

Jesus the Christ is the one who gets all the glory. When we give God the glory, glorious things begin to happen. When we keep the glory for ourselves, any good that had been done ends there. Pastor Mark says that when God was given the glory here, many people in the region came to know Jesus. Peter didn’t keep any of the glory for himself. He knew that only God can heal. When you give God the glor...

Pastor Mark tells us today that we have to be out and doing things for the Lord in order for him to use us. If we stay at home, safe inside our comfort zones, there’s no way for God to use us for his glory. Do you want to see God use you in mighty ways? When’s the last time you stepped out to do something for him? Pastor Mark tells us that Paul is out doing things for the Lord. He’s teaching peopl...

Do you feel like no matter what you do, you end up walled in again? Just like Paul. Everywhere he went he ended up in prison! It must have been frustrating to end up in chains time and time again when all he was trying to do was follow Jesus. Pastor Mark shows us today that sometimes God has us live a life with walls for a while so that we will become small in our own eyes.

Are you an older believer? Have you been following God for years? Has he brought you through your own desert, just like Moses? What did those years change in you? Are you like Moses, saying that you’re not even interested in the fight anymore? Pastor Mark says that’s the time when God can use you! When you’re not hungry for the fight, you let go of the glory that comes with it. Take a second look...

We really like to emphasize the more pleasant promises of God, but there are promises like this one too—that all who follow God will suffer persecution. Everyone who picks up their cross and follows Jesus will suffer. But there is good news with it too. Those who suffer will find joy in the morning. Sometimes sorrow and suffering will last for a night. Sometimes it will last for a week or a month...

God stepped into Saul’s life on the road to Damascus and drastically and permanently changed its direction. And God sent Ananias to him, saying he could be found praying on a street called straight. As Pastor Mark says, when we allow God to change the course of our lives and we begin to follow him, our path will be straight, too. Paul let God redirect his path. Have you made the choice to let God...

Jesus was in the grave three days before he rose again. Paul sat blind for three days before he was able to begin a life of great ministry. What did your three days look like? Pastor Mark tells us that God wounds his children. And then he binds them up again.

Tragedies aren’t a cosmic mistake, they’re a part of God’s perfect plan. Pastor Mark is talking today about how tragedies in your life could be the one thing that would bring you into a relationship with God. It might just be the only way to get your attention. So, when God knocks you off your horse, let him get your attention. Let God use the difficult things in your life to draw you closer to hi...

Pastor Mark is showing us the heart of the Ethiopian who was seeking God with everything he had. He knew he wouldn’t be able to enter the court but he still made the long and difficult journey just so he could hear and learn from the Word of God. How dedicated are you to learning from God’s Word? What would you give up in order to spend time in the Word? The Word of God holds the greatest treasure...

So often following what the Spirit asks us to do doesn’t make any sense to us! His ways are so far above our own that it can be hard to see what God is doing. Pastor Mark is talking about Phillip when God moves him to go talk to the Ethiopian instead of continuing the work he was already doing successfully. What will you do when God tells you to do something that doesn’t seem like it could be him?...

The great works of God happen because every believer is joyfully doing their part. We function as a body with Christ as the head. When we fulfill our roles and our calling within the church, the entire body benefits. But like Pastor Mark says today, we need to be joyful in doing the small things! There is nothing so small that it escapes God’s notice. He sees the work you’re doing!

Is it so hard to imagine being raised to hate a culture? What culture enters your mind when you think of terrorism? Or what culture do you think of when you hear the words illegals? Phillip preached Christ to the culture that his culture hated. Pastor Mark says that was the result of the love of Christ working in his heart.

Pastor Mark is working his way through Acts, and today he is in the speech that Stephen gave right before he was killed. Stephen used the scriptures that his accusers already knew in order to share the truth of the kingdom of God with them. When you share your faith, find that common ground to begin on. The church grew quickly in the early days, but not everyone was a fan. Stephen was martyred for...