Come To The Table

Most of us wouldn’t look back over the pandemic as a time of “soaring to new heights.” Especially in the early days, when so much was unknown and we weren’t supposed to even leave our houses, many people found themselves at an all-time low – filled with fear, anxiety, and frustration. In this message, Pastor Mark will challenge us to take on a different perspective. As followers of Christ, we can...

With more than a year of living during a pandemic behind us, most of us could say we’ve learned some things. Many of the big changes it brought about in our lives have taken on a kind of normalcy, but do you remember what a shock they were to your system and way of life? Many of us didn’t know what to do with all of the change – it was overwhelming. Today, Pastor Mark will encourage us to see all...

Thessalonica was a thriving city in Paul’s day. It would have been an epicenter of technology, trade, religious and ethnic diversity, and of course, you could find all manners of sin in this city. As Pastor Mark will point out in this message, the Thessalonians who came to faith in Christ embraced this new religion and the hope and joy it brought, but they were resistant to the laws and wanted to...

The amount of persecution we face for being Christians in our culture is minimal. But that doesn’t mean we aren’t facing pressure to compromise. We are often pressured to look past certain sins or ignore a few select parts of Scripture that don’t seem to align with modern science. If we do that, then we can love Jesus – as long as that Jesus fits the box they’ve created. In this message, Pastor Ma...

There are a lot of burdens you’ll face in this life that you can handle alone—just between you and God. You can strive and work and slowly make progress. With God’s help, you can get through by yourself, but as Pastor Mark will ask in today’s message, why should you? If it’s all about proving yourself, you’re going to burn out and likely find yourself sliding back under the burden. God gave us the...

Can you think of anything in your life that has been a burden? I’m sure we all can. Many of our burdens we have been born into. The heaviest of them is sin. It’s a weight that will drag us into eternal despair if we don’t do anything about it. As Pastor Mark will remind us in this message, Jesus has offered us relief from those burdens. Oftentimes, even after we ask Jesus to save us, we still hang...

If you had never stepped into a church or had a conversation with a believer, some of the terms and phrases used could be confusing. Christians might even sound like a violent bunch, with all the talk of crucifixion and sacrifices. Well, don’t worry – we’re not planning on hurting anyone or anything – we’re referring to a state of the heart. As Pastor Mark will explain in today’s message, to find...

There’s been a tendency among parts of the church to blame personal sin on forces outside of our control. Some point to chemical or psychological imbalances. Others point to demons as forcing them into actions and attitudes they don’t want. While there are sometimes psychological issues at play, in general, sin is a personal choice, and the responsibility for it lies squarely on our shoulders. Pas...

What have you been choosing today? To serve self or to serve God? It’s a daily decision. Many days, it can even be a moment-by-moment battle. This battle is easily lost if you depend on your own strength. But, when you lean into God and open yourself to the filling of the Spirit, He can empower you to be victorious. As Pastor Mark continues our study in the book of Galatians, he’ll challenge us to...

Love goes far beyond feelings. Our world equates love to that feeling of pleasure you get when you look at someone you find attractive and who is attracted to you. It centers around what that relationship does for you. That’s not real love. Real love serves others, even when you get nothing in return. In this world, you’re going to have to choose to love. It’s not going to come naturally, but it’s...

The Law doesn’t have grace built into it. As Pastor Mark will illustrate in this message, if you roll through a stop sign, even if you almost stop, you’ve still broken the law. If you drive 56 in a 55 mile per hour zone – you’ve broken the law. If the police weren’t human, they would fine you on the technicality. With God’s Law, we’re judged on a heart level. That makes it impossible to be righteo...

If you found out tomorrow that you were the long-lost first child of the Queen of England or one of the world’s richest people – Bill Gates or Jeff Bezos for example—you would suddenly find yourself as an heir to great power and wealth. As incredible as that would be, each one of us is invited to become heirs in a Kingdom that’s far greater than the greatest kingdoms of earth. As Pastor Mark will...

We often get comfortable in our spiritual slavery. It’s hard to imagine any person choosing to remain in slavery when offered a way out, but freedom also bears new responsibilities, and that can be intimidating. In a spiritual sense, we may desire to be free, but we know that accepting Christ’s offer of salvation will come with its own costs. Even for many of us who are saved, we have an inclinati...

Throughout the centuries, people have fashioned their own forms of Jesus in order to accommodate their needs. We all desire a Savior – God’s placed that desire in our hearts – but if the one true Jesus doesn’t fit the mold that we prefer, we have a tendency to go looking for a version of Him that will. Many religions and denominations have been formed as a result of this prideful desire. If you re...

If you haven’t accepted Jesus as your Savior and submitted to Him, you’re chained to sin. Whether you’re aware of it or not, in your disobedience, you’re serving the enemy of God. The incredible news of the Gospel is that you don’t have to stay in that slavery. When Christ opens your eyes to your need for Him, you’ll find that He requires nothing of you but faith. In this teaching, Pastor Mark wil...

Whether it’s music styles, hat-wearing, dress codes, or other various church traditions, it’s important not to equate our manmade customs with God’s Laws. Today, Pastor Mark will point out some of the ways we cling to legalism in the modern Church. We have been made free in Christ. That doesn’t mean you can just go on doing whatever you want to do. If He’s transforming your heart – you won’t want...

We have this built-in tendency as humans to cling to any sense of control we have in our lives. Even when we become aware of our sinfulness, instead of realizing the gap between us and God is too big, we try our hardest to find ways to cross it on our own. As Pastor Mark will point out in this teaching, there is no way for us to achieve righteousness by our own power and means. We may find ourselv...

When you accept Jesus as your Savior, you become a brother or sister in His family. God becomes your Father, and you are given all the rights to the inheritance of His infinite wealth of grace, love, and freedom. You are no longer bound by the chains of slavery to your sinfulness. As Pastor Mark will illustrate in this message, the level of hospitality you’ll find in God’s family is beyond compreh...

Think about your childhood. You had rules to follow; you had to be in bed by a certain time. Most likely, you weren’t allowed to do whatever you wanted. When you grew up, those restraints were lifted. You can go to bed whenever you want. You can do just about anything, as long as it doesn’t break the law. But, if you have wisdom, you’ll choose restraint as an adult, because it’s what’s best for yo...

The Law isn’t as much a guide for how to live as it is a revelation of how all of us are living wrong. On its own, it presents a great burden of guilt. It reveals just how far we are from God. The chasm between us is too far to span, but the beauty of the Gospel is that God made a way where there was no way. God gave the Law to reveal our wickedness, but He gave Christ to forgive and remove that e...

If we can’t live by the Law in a way that pleases God and the only way to obtain righteousness is through Christ, then why even have the Law? Should we just do away with it? There have been those who would say “yes,” while there are others who stress the importance of the law in the life of a believer. As Pastor Mark explores these two seemingly contradictory approaches to faith, he’ll draw out so...

The consequences of sin are dismal. That word doesn’t even begin to cover the agony that can be expected throughout eternal separation from God and His grace. You may not realize just how much His grace does for you in this life, even before salvation, but an existence without it would be unbearable. As completely awful as hell sounds, the alternative is even more indescribable in the joy and plea...

You can try to live by the Law and earn your way to Heaven –many people have – but just like all of them, you will fail. You have sin in your heart, and no matter how well you follow the law, your heart can’t be made clean enough to be worthy of God’s presence. There’s only one way for that to happen. In today’s message, as Pastor Mark continues our study of Paul’s letter to the Galatians, we’ll b...

Have you ever felt bitterness or doubt towards God because He hasn’t answered a specific prayer? Maybe it was a prayer for healing for yourself or a loved one. Why doesn’t God answer those prayers every time? The truth is, we can’t know. Sometimes He’ll make it clear in hindsight, but sometimes we have to wait till heaven to find out. As Pastor Mark will explain in today’s message, God’s ways are...

Why did Jesus humble Himself by taking on human flesh and living a sinless life of selfless ministry just so He could die for us? Did He do that so that you could pour yourself into trying to earn your salvation through the Law? God gave us the Law to show us our need for Him. As soon as we chose rebellion, He knew we could never measure up on our own. As Pastor Mark will explain in today’s messag...