Come To The Table

Our world is ripe for Christ’s return. The circumstances described in Revelation fit well with what we’ve seen happening in our world over the most recent decades. If you think things have been bad lately, it’s only going to get much worse. For those that love the Lord, there’s no reason for fear – He won’t let His Church suffer the tribulation that’s to come. As Pastor Mark will warn in this mess...

If an oil lamp runs out of oil, it no longer offers light. That lamp is essentially useless if that happens… It may serve as a nice decoration, but it loses its main purpose. In the same way, if we aren’t being filled with the Holy Spirit as believers, we’ll quickly lose our purpose and be nothing more than decorations in the church pews. As Pastor Mark wraps up his study of Revelation chapter 11...

Just as the Israelites lived under the oppression of slavery in Egypt, we find ourselves as captives in a foreign land as believers. We’re under siege, with our enemy attacking us at every angle. Often, his attacks are subtle, and we may not even be aware of his efforts to undermine the work of God in our hearts. As Pastor Mark will explain in today’s message, if you look at the story of the Exodu...

Contemplating the future as a believer is a bittersweet thing. We have such incredible hope knowing that Jesus is going to take us to Heaven to be with Him, but contrast that with the thought of all the people who have and will reject God as their Father. This breaks God’s heart, and it should break ours as well. The good news is that we don’t have to wallow in sorrow over the coming judgment of m...

For most of us, it’s hard to imagine experiencing something so dire that we’d rather die than live through it. As Pastor Mark will point out in this teaching, that’s the level of torment that can be expected in the End Times. It’ll be so bad that people would rather just end their misery altogether – only they won’t be able to. As awful as the End of this world sounds, you don’t have to be depress...

Nobody likes the thought of Hell and the Bottomless Pit we find described in Scripture. It’s a harsh contrast to the love, grace, and compassion that characterize God. If Satan hadn’t rebelled, there’d likely be no need for Hell. Mankind wouldn’t have sinned and rejected God, and men and women would live in a relationship with Him in the Garden of Eden. That may be a nice thing to imagine, but it’...

Think of the fear that gripped us when the news about the coronavirus first started coming out. Remember the images we’ve all seen of the aftereffects of tsunamis, hurricanes, earthquakes, and fires over the last few decades. Now, imagine all those things happening at once. The panic we experienced in the spring of 2020 was mild by comparison. While we will see things getting worse, the good news...

Our God is creative by nature – He’s The Creator. Destruction is not His preferred operation. But as Scripture makes clear, there are times when the only way to restore is to first destroy. Think about Babel. Men tried to build something that would bring themselves closer to God, and the only way to fix the problem they created was for God to destroy it and disperse the people. Before things can b...

We don’t like to be disciplined. If you had loving parents who disciplined through spanking, you likely don’t look back fondly on that painful experience, but you can look back and understand why they did it. It wasn’t because they were angry and didn’t like you. It was because they cared deeply for you and didn’t want to see you continue in your destructive behavior. In this teaching, Pastor Mark...

God gives His Children a spiritual insight that this world lacks. Through His Word, He has warned us of the tactics that the enemy will use to fool people. Lately, reading the headlines can feel like reading straight out of the book of Revelation, but the world will call you crazy if you try to point that out. As Pastor Mark will explain in this teaching, the signs of the times are undeniable. The...

None of us like to hear about the tribulation that will occur in the End Times. Events such as the pandemic or even the world wars of the last century seem mild by comparison. Billions will die in horrific ways. It’s going to be really bad. In light of these drastic measures, is God really a loving God? In this message, Pastor Mark will explain that, while it may be hard to grasp, the judgments of...

When the Antichrist comes, even many Christians may have to take a closer look before realizing who he is. He isn’t going to be reviled in our world. He won’t seem evil. Many people might see him as an answer to prayer. He’ll come at a time when we’re all desperate and looking for someone to unite and save mankind. As Pastor Mark will point out in this teaching, while the coronavirus pandemic may...

This life can feel so defeating. We are all confronted with broken relationships, an aging body, the loss of loved ones, and personal failures, along with many other trials. Those things are inevitable, and apart from a bigger purpose, you’ll find yourself questioning why things happen this way. In this message, Pastor Mark will encourage you to hold on to the hope that is only found in Christ. As...

If you knew you were going to meet the president, a king, or some other world leader, would you take to social media the day before, bashing them and questioning their position? For most of us, the easy answer is no. Whether you like them or not, you would at least respect their position and opt to keep your negative opinion to yourself. Jesus – the Son of God and the one who rules this world and...

In this message, Pastor Mark will draw our attention to the Throne Room of God as described in the book of Revelation. One of the things we can expect is to hear everyone who stands there in God’s presence proclaiming that God is Holy. It’ll be said over and over again, emphasizing just how holy He is. He’s perfect in every way, void of any injustice and full of grace and love. God’s holiness is o...

Worship should completely revolve around the One we’re worshipping. Many of us get distracted by the superficial elements of it. If the songs are old and boring, we can’t worship. Or maybe if the songs are too loud, it’s obnoxious and we can’t worship. Whether or not it’s your style of music or if the lights and visuals fit your taste shouldn’t matter. You’re welcome to have a preference, but ulti...

Where do you devote the majority of your energy? Is it in your career? Your family? Your hobbies? As Pastor Mark will clarify in this message, it’s possible to be saved but not live as a disciple of Jesus. Being a disciple requires your ambition and resources. It takes sacrifice and time as you pursue Jesus’ calling on your life. For many of us, we may only dedicate Sunday morning to God. While th...

Not all cultural trends are harmful. Our God is our Creator, and that creative nature is reflected in us. Because of that, we’re going to write new songs and come up with new styles and ways to worship and serve Him. That’s a beautiful thing. New understandings, when guided by the Holy Spirit, can bring new life and breath into His Church. Not all change is a bad thing. As Pastor Mark will warn in...

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is like a two-edged sword. As Pastor Mark will explain in this teaching, one edge of that sword cuts away the chains of sin and death, freeing people and bringing them into God’s family. It brings life. The other side cuts people away from the grace they’ve been offered, bringing death. God sent Jesus with the desire to save all of mankind. He would love to restore all o...

The size of a church doesn’t always correlate to their health as the body of Christ. There are churches that are huge - they’re bringing in thousands of people, they’re putting on exciting services and maybe even making a positive difference in their community, but their hearts aren’t growing closer to Jesus. As Pastor Mark examines this passage, he’ll examine four of the seven churches that Jesus...

Our God is a perfect Father. In His wisdom, He knows exactly what His children need. As much as He hates sin, He loves us far more. It’s because of that love that He hates sin with such intensity. He knows it destroys us and wants to restore us back to His original design, free from oppression. In this teaching, Pastor Mark will draw our attention to the gracious way that God reacts to our failure...

Do you ever feel that if only things would get easier--if only I was more financially stable or my family life was better or if I had a better boss-- then I could really thrive in my faith and focus on getting to know God and doing great things for Him. In this teaching, Pastor Mark will begin a study of the book of Revelation. Was John on a life-giving, peace-filled retreat on the coast when he w...

Jesus alone can bring the peace and contentment that so many are seeking through wealth and political power. Just like the Israelites before God put King Saul in place, we often desire a king. We want a person to thank for our success or blame for our failures. Many want the government to do what they are ultimately responsible for. As Pastor Mark continues our study of 2nd Thessalonians in this t...

The Church has always been good at making up rules as they go. It’s a tendency for all people. We all want to have control, even over others sometimes. Rules about what you can or can’t wear in church or what type of worship is played aren’t necessarily bad, but all too often, we equate manmade rules with the commandments found in Scripture. As Pastor Mark will point out in this message, Paul enco...

There’s a storm coming. For years now, the waves have been increasingly violent as the headwinds warn of what’s to come. Just like modern satellites warn us of coming storms, God gave us the Bible in part as a warning of what’s to come for this world. It’s not meant to bring hopeless fear but to inspire hope and motivate believers and nonbelievers to action. In this teaching, Pastor Mark will chal...