Pastor Mark preaches on Jesus’ words to the church in Pergamum from the theater on the upper acropolis of the ancient city of Pergamum itself. Jesus encourages the...
[LESS INFO] 0 VIEWS | ADDED 00:05:39 05/21/12
Pastor Mark preaches on Jesus’ words to the church in Pergamum from the theater on the upper acropolis of the ancient city of Pergamum itself. Jesus encourages them for withstanding physical, political, and spiritual persecution in their city, where Satan’s throne is. However, he rebukes them for their apostate beliefs (false doctrine) and behavior (sexual sin). How could we fall into apostasy?
Best Of: Jesus Swea...
1 Views 20:48:34 05/14/12
Jesus is in absolute agony, sweating blood, as he prays honestly with the Father. Every sin is like a drop into a cup. We pour the sin in. God, at the end of this ...
[LESS INFO] 1 VIEWS | ADDED 20:48:34 05/14/12
Jesus is in absolute agony, sweating blood, as he prays honestly with the Father. Every sin is like a drop into a cup. We pour the sin in. God, at the end of this life, pours out commensurate wrath. Yet Jesus submits his will to the Father’s; he exchanges places with us on the cross and drinks every single drop of cup of the wrath of God. The cross is where the love of God is most clearly seen.
Persecuted in Smyrn...
0 Views 03:55:52 05/07/12
Pastor Mark preaches at the church in Smyrna on Jesus’ words—still applicable today—to the church in Smyrna from Revelation 2. Today, Turkey is the least churched ...
[LESS INFO] 0 VIEWS | ADDED 03:55:52 05/07/12
Pastor Mark preaches at the church in Smyrna on Jesus’ words—still applicable today—to the church in Smyrna from Revelation 2. Today, Turkey is the least churched nation; still, Jesus tells the church in Smyrna to be encouraged and to endure what he endured (tribulation, poverty, slander, suffering, even death), but not to fear. Pray for Christians and churches where persecution still continues.
Fundamentalist in E...
0 Views 18:24:38 04/30/12
Pastor Mark preaches on Jesus’ letter to the church in Ephesus from the ancient city of Ephesus itself. Jesus commends the Ephesians for how they serve faithfully,...
[LESS INFO] 0 VIEWS | ADDED 18:24:38 04/30/12
Pastor Mark preaches on Jesus’ letter to the church in Ephesus from the ancient city of Ephesus itself. Jesus commends the Ephesians for how they serve faithfully, endure hardship, have sound doctrine, and hate heretics, but his big criticism is that they are not very loving. Instead of merely criticizing the Ephesians, we must read Jesus’ words humbly and realize how we could become like them.
A Message To Seven ...
0 Views 02:04:18 04/23/12
The book of Revelation is about loving Jesus and the church. Despite John’s suffering, Jesus redirects John to the churches—the lampstands that reflect Jesus to th...
[LESS INFO] 0 VIEWS | ADDED 02:04:18 04/23/12
The book of Revelation is about loving Jesus and the church. Despite John’s suffering, Jesus redirects John to the churches—the lampstands that reflect Jesus to the world. Jesus tells us to persevere in him, with his people; to worship him privately and publicly, with his people; and to serve and give to his church. If you aren’t, it’s due to fear. But Jesus says to fear not, for he is with us.
The Revelation of J...
1 Views 03:09:42 04/16/12
John was one of the closest people on the earth to Jesus, as his best friend and eyewitness to Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. Even after being boiled alive ...
[LESS INFO] 1 VIEWS | ADDED 03:09:42 04/16/12
John was one of the closest people on the earth to Jesus, as his best friend and eyewitness to Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. Even after being boiled alive and then exiled to the island of Patmos, John was faithful and never stopped talking about Jesus. For John, it’s always about Jesus. Revelation, penned by John, is all about King Jesus and Jesus’ church, because Jesus loves the church.
Jesus Is Risen
2 Views 22:16:59 04/07/12
Jesus said he was God. And Jesus showed, through his death, burial, and resurrection, that he alone is God. Jesus is either God, or he’s not God. Jesus either told...
[LESS INFO] 2 VIEWS | ADDED 22:16:59 04/07/12
Jesus said he was God. And Jesus showed, through his death, burial, and resurrection, that he alone is God. Jesus is either God, or he’s not God. Jesus either told the truth, or he lied. Jesus is either alive, or he is dead. It’s that simple! Do you believe Jesus is God? Do you believe that he died for your sin? Do you believe that he rose from death? Turn from sin; trust in Jesus.
Jesus Died
6 Views 04:48:05 04/02/12
Pastor Mark looks at how Jesus died (crucifixion) and why he died (for our sins), to prepare our hearts for Jesus’ resurrection on Easter Sunday. Jesus is God. He ...
[LESS INFO] 6 VIEWS | ADDED 04:48:05 04/02/12
Pastor Mark looks at how Jesus died (crucifixion) and why he died (for our sins), to prepare our hearts for Jesus’ resurrection on Easter Sunday. Jesus is God. He lived without sin, died on the cross for our sin, and then rose from death. Jesus is our high priest, sacrifice, and scapegoat. It all comes down to Jesus. Did he die and rise for you? Do you trust in him, or will you suffer like him?
Reverse-Engineering...
2 Views 05:44:43 03/26/12
The most important day of your marriage is the last day. What will that day look like? As you think about and plan for that, consider that you need Jesus, Jesus’ p...
[LESS INFO] 2 VIEWS | ADDED 05:44:43 03/26/12
The most important day of your marriage is the last day. What will that day look like? As you think about and plan for that, consider that you need Jesus, Jesus’ people, prayer and planning, as well as some flexibility and a sense of urgency. Pastor Mark interviews families whose stories illustrate each of those biblical principles. We want to make the most of each day, in case it’s the last day.
Can We ________?
4 Views 04:26:23 03/19/12
When the Corinthians asked the Apostle Paul a list of questions about sex, he directed them to consider three categories: 1) Is it lawful? 2) Is it helpful? and 3)...
[LESS INFO] 4 VIEWS | ADDED 04:26:23 03/19/12
When the Corinthians asked the Apostle Paul a list of questions about sex, he directed them to consider three categories: 1) Is it lawful? 2) Is it helpful? and 3) Is it enslaving? Pastor Mark encourages married couples to do the same, so that they may be free in Christ to enjoy one another and use whatever freedom they prayerfully agree is acceptable to them.
Selfish Lovers and ...
3 Views 03:33:13 03/12/12
Jesus is the unselfish servant, but we are all selfish. Our selfishness is rooted in pride; we believe “I’m more important than you.” Proud people are selfish love...
[LESS INFO] 3 VIEWS | ADDED 03:33:13 03/12/12
Jesus is the unselfish servant, but we are all selfish. Our selfishness is rooted in pride; we believe “I’m more important than you.” Proud people are selfish lovers, in and out of the bedroom (and most problems in the bedroom are the result of problems outside of the bedroom). Selfishness shows up in the “little things.” Are you proud and selfish, or are you a humble servant, by the grace of God?
The Porn Path
3 Views 16:42:13 03/05/12
Porn hurts God. Porn hurts men, women, and children. Porn hurts marriages. There is no such thing as free porn. Crissy (iamatreasure.com), a former pastor’s daught...
[LESS INFO] 3 VIEWS | ADDED 16:42:13 03/05/12
Porn hurts God. Porn hurts men, women, and children. Porn hurts marriages. There is no such thing as free porn. Crissy (iamatreasure.com), a former pastor’s daughter who grew up to be a porn star and has since returned to a vibrant relationship with Jesus, shares her story and realities of the porn industry. Those of you on the porn path: Jesus died so you can kill your sin before it kills you.
Disgrace and Grace
36 Views 03:49:13 02/27/12
Sexual assault is an epidemic: 1 of 4 women and 1 of 6 men have been assaulted—including Pastor Mark's wife, Grace. Sin would leave us as shamed, defiled victims, ...
[LESS INFO] 36 VIEWS | ADDED 03:49:13 02/27/12
Sexual assault is an epidemic: 1 of 4 women and 1 of 6 men have been assaulted—including Pastor Mark's wife, Grace. Sin would leave us as shamed, defiled victims, but in Jesus, we are cleansed from all unrighteousness if today we turn from sin and trust in him. Two key books on assault from Mars Hill leaders: "Rid of My Disgrace" http://amzn.to/fWmyl3 and "Redemption" http://amzn.to/huKDbT
Sex: God, Gross, or...
10 Views 04:25:13 02/20/12
Before sin entered the world, God created sex for marriage between one man and one woman. People distort this gift and tend to see sex as either god or gross. Howe...
[LESS INFO] 10 VIEWS | ADDED 04:25:13 02/20/12
Before sin entered the world, God created sex for marriage between one man and one woman. People distort this gift and tend to see sex as either god or gross. However, the Bible gives six ways in which sex is a gift from God: for pleasure, children, knowledge, protection, comfort, and oneness. When God tells you to be faithful to your spouse, what he’s saying is, “I want the best for you.”
The Respectful Wife
33 Views 04:36:49 02/06/12
A wife is to respect her husband (Eph. 5:33). A respectful wife has a head of respect (How do you think about your husband?), a heart of respect (How do you feel a...
[LESS INFO] 33 VIEWS | ADDED 04:36:49 02/06/12
A wife is to respect her husband (Eph. 5:33). A respectful wife has a head of respect (How do you think about your husband?), a heart of respect (How do you feel about him? What do you say about him?), and hands of respect (What do you do for him?). A disrespectful wife may be silent/compliant, or loud/contentious. Still, it is possible to disagree respectfully. Do you respect your husband?
Men and Marriage
22 Views 02:22:32 01/30/12
Marriage is a covenant, not a contract. Every covenant—including the new covenant of salvation—has a head, who is ultimately responsible for the covenant. The husb...
[LESS INFO] 22 VIEWS | ADDED 02:22:32 01/30/12
Marriage is a covenant, not a contract. Every covenant—including the new covenant of salvation—has a head, who is ultimately responsible for the covenant. The husband is the covenant head of a marriage; he is responsible for his marriage, his wife, and his kids. Similarly, Christ took that which was not his fault—our sin—and he made it his responsibility on the cross. He is our covenant head.
Luke: John the Baptizer's Birth Prophesied 09/28/09
John the Baptizer’s birth was prophesied in Malachi 3:1; 4:5–6. Then, after 400 years of silence, during the time of Herod “the great,” in the city of Jerusalem, at the Temple, we meet Zechariah, a priest, and his wife, Elizabeth. They were old, barren, poor, and righteous. Zechariah wasn’t a big deal; he was no one from nowhere doing, in the sight of the world, nothing. He was finally picked to go inside the Temple and burn incense, representing our prayers to God. While inside, the angel Gabriel appeared to Zechariah and told him that his prayer was answered and he would have a son who would be great. The baby, John (meaning “God is gracious”), is named by God and filled with the Spirit from his mother’s womb. But Zechariah did not believe the angel, so he was made mute. The couple returned home, Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she stayed home, praising God for taking away her reproach, or shame and disgrace, among the people.
