Come To The Table

We tend to get arrogant when we’re given a position of power and authority. You may see certain tasks or activities as below your paygrade or as something to be handled by someone a little lower on the totem pole. The world often operates in this manner, but the Church should not. Delegating as a leader isn’t a bad thing; it’s wise. Still, our perspective should never be that those under our leade...

In the women’s liberation movement, Christianity is not often referenced in a positive manner. Christianity is often accused of being repressive towards women. In this teaching, Pastor Mark draws our attention to the way that Jesus and His Church have actually elevated women out of cultural repression. Some branches of so-called Christianity have greatly misinterpreted and misused the Bible to jus...

God gave us our bodies and we are to be good stewards of everything He’s given us. But as Pastor Mark will remind us in this teaching, as much as we should honor these temples of the Holy Spirit, we also should remember that they’re only temporary. Our bodies will continue to degrade and eventually give out, but our spirits will last through eternity. Instead of focusing so much of our energy on f...

Have you been seeking the face of the Lord? All too often, we get so caught up in our routines and what will make us happy that we neglect to seek Jesus. In this teaching, we’ll encounter Jesus’ Disciple Mary expressing her devotion to the one who rescued her from demonic possession. When we look at what Jesus did for us, it makes any effort on our part look pretty small. In this teaching, Pastor...

Our faith can be one of deep unity or deep divide. When people accept the Lord, they are immediately unified with us and all believers throughout the world. When people reject Christ, however, they often look at us and other believers with disdain. This rejection can be extremely difficult-especially when those people are good friends or even family. As you deal with broken relationships, take hea...

A life free of suffering and pain doesn’t necessarily mean you are living within God’s will. As Pastor Mark points out in this teaching, God’s own Son endured unimaginable suffering according to God’s plan. While we’ll never experience pain as deep as the crucifixion, we should expect suffering throughout our walk with Christ. Instead of questioning God, we should look at suffering as an opportuni...

The pain Jesus endured on the cross goes beyond our comprehension. The emotional and spiritual pain of enduring all the guilt and shame of the entire world surpasses any pain—no matter how excruciating—that we as humans can experience. Despite this anguish, Jesus did not attempt to lesson His pain. In this teaching, Pastor Mark points out that Jesus’ entire focus was on others--His mother, His fol...

Pilate was a sick man. The label he placed about Jesus’ head—King of the Jews—was not only done to mock Jesus but also to mock the Jews. In essence, the sign was saying this is what happens to Jews who stand against Rome. In this teaching, Pastor Mark explains that while Pilate meant the words to be taken ironically, they were incredibly apt. Jesus was and is the only true King of the Jews.

Jesus wasn’t afraid to speak truth to power. The irony of His trial before Pilate was that Jesus was the only one in the room with true power, yet He submitted Himself to Pilate, a man whose power could be stripped away with just one word from Him. In this teaching, Pastor Mark explains that Jesus was never held against His will. He underwent pain and agony that few people have ever knows all by c...

Jesus never organized a march, protest, or a sit-in. Still, He’s the most influential person to have ever lived. He chose to focus on proclaiming the truth of God instead of on making political stands, allowing people to choose whether to soften their hearts or harden them in the face of His truths. In this teaching, Pastor Mark explains that political action can be warranted, but it should never...

Do you feel alone and hurt? Are you in pain—physically or emotionally? Jesus knows what you are experiencing on a close and intimate level. He went through the depth of suffering for your sake, and He went through it alone, all so He could meet you where you are and provide comfort.

Sin has been so destructive to mankind. It goes far beyond just death. As Pastor Mark points out in this teaching, sin brought emotional, physical, and psychological pain into the world that torments all men. Jesus endured every type of pain and stress that you or I can suffer, even more so, as he endured the excruciating death on the cross. By suffering on our behalf, he provided a way for us to...

A mentality exists among many Christians that believes the world should and will be thrilled at our message of salvation. That would be wonderful, but it would mean contradicting the sinful nature that pervades the hearts of men. In this teaching, Pastor Mark tells us to expect persecution and resistance. Effective change can only come about by sharing Christ and His grace with the world. Let’s gr...

People often say that Jesus and His disciples turned the world upside down. Pastor Mark points out, however, that our world has been upside down ever since Adam and Eve fell in the garden. Jesus came to restore the world—to set it right side up by changing the hearts of men back to what they were designed to be.

Generally, we are very aware of our areas of weakness. Whatever it is--lust, greed, anger, consumption--we know if we are especially prone to fall in that area. One of the best defenses against falling is to stay away from places, activities, or people that lead us towards those areas. As Pastor Mark points out in this teaching, on the night of Jesus’ arrest, Peter ended up in a place he should no...

In this teaching, Pastor Mark explains the necessity of prayer in overcoming temptations and trials. Peter felt a fierce loyalty to Jesus and believed he was willing to die for him yet failed when the test came because his flesh was weak. We are in no place to ridicule Peter. The circumstances he faced would have tested even the most faithful of saints. Still, we can prepare for trials by committi...

Jesus willingly went to the cross. As we see demonstrated in today’s passage, just by uttering the declaration “I Am,” He unleashed enough power to knock down a battalion of soldiers. He humbled Himself for our sake, submitted to the Father, and took on the sin of mankind, all while possessing unlimited power.

Jesus’ time of prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane weighed heavily on Him. Think of your most guilty moment, a moment when you realized you had done something terrible and regretted it so deeply that it hurt. Now, take that feeling and multiply it exponentially--then you may come close to what Jesus experienced. But to tell the truth, we will never be able to fathom it. In this teaching, Pastor Mar...

We have full access to God and His truth through the revelation of His word. There’s a reason the Bible is a source of division for many. It is not just a book; It’s one of the primary ways that God exists among us now. He speaks to us and changes lives through it. In this teaching, Pastor Mark warns believers that they will be rejected by the world. Don’t expect to be embraced in a world that has...

If you’ve ever saved something, like an animal or even a person from harm, you may have an understanding—albeit a small one—of how God feels when He looks at His kids. As Pastor Mark will discuss in this teaching, we’ve inherited a heart for rescue from our loving Heavenly Father.

We can barely begin to fathom the scope of what God has done for us in Jesus. We are incapable of not sinning, and our good works and sacrifices have never been enough to make up for the evil in our hearts. Our sin requires atonement, and that is where Jesus comes in. The perfect lamb of God willingly offered Himself as a sacrifice for our redemption. As Pastor Mark examines the prayer Jesus offer...

While many of us are familiar with the Lord’s Prayer, the men of God that pieced the books of the Bible together with chapter breaks, verses, titles, and headers could have named it the Believer’s Prayer. When Jesus prayed it, He did so as an example of how we should pray to God. Jesus does have His own prayer, however, that He prays as God’s son. In this teaching, Pastor Mark examines this prayer...

How do you react when you face trials or persecution? Do you get angry with God and question why He would allow such things? Sadly, many Christians struggle with those feelings. The truth of the matter is God is not to blame when we go through suffering. Suffering is the result of living in a fallen world that hates God. When you find yourself in the midst of suffering, take heart. The hope you ha...

Looking at the relationship between a loving parent and a child is the closest thing we can get to understanding the relationship dynamic between us and God. Most parents, as imperfect as they are, look at their kids with a love and affection that no one else will. They like their children simply for existing—there are no conditions that need to be met. So it is with God. He likes you, not for wha...

God doesn’t want to be the enemy of our world, but that’s what the unsaved world has made Him out to be. His sovereignty directly contradicts the fleshly desire to serve ourselves and our momentary pleasures. When you become a part of His kingdom, however, your perspective on life will completely change. As a follower of Jesus, you’re going to be pushing upstream, going against the current of our...