Come To The Table

The Israelites truly illustrate how a simple misunderstanding can unravel everything you've built. The Bible says that the Messiah will build the fourth temple in Israel. But because they don’t see Jesus as the Messiah, they’re on the lookout for someone who will step up and declare themselves as the Messiah, ready to assist in constructing the temple. Do you realise who might capitalise on this mindset of the Israelites? Absolutely, it's going to be Satan! In today’s message, Pastor Mark dives into the intriguing topic of how the Antichrist will present himself as the messiah, leading the people of Israel and the world astray. 

Have you noticed the different actions world leaders are taking to tackle the growing concerns of pollution and global warming? It's quite a topic these days! People are getting together for a seed-planting drive, diving into recycling, and exploring other fun ways to help our planet go green once more, just like it used to be! Today, Pastor Mark shares an intriguing thought: God is the one who has permitted the world to become polluted, and He’s the only one capable of healing it and restoring it to its former glory! Once the judgment period wraps up, He’ll create a brand-new earth, completely free of any trace of pollution!

Who doesn't enjoy a fantastic promotion, right? It boosts our worth in the company and surely gives a nice lift to the paycheck, too! There are moments on your spiritual journey when you might find yourself feeling a bit anxious about when that next promotion in your life will come along. You may be feeling a bit worn out from the daily grind. Today, Pastor Mark shares how God gets you ready, both spiritually and mentally, in your current job before that exciting promotion comes your way. He will guide you into the next step just as soon as He senses you’re ready to take that leap! Just stay faithful where you are!

Every now and then, as you’re gliding down the highway, you might suddenly find yourself staring at a “road closed ahead” sign, right there in front of you. It’s like a surprise party you didn’t ask for! So, do you just make a U-turn and head back home? I really don’t think that’s the case! You look out for contingencies, right? Just like that, walking in the path that God wants for you can be a bit bumpy at times. You might encounter a few blockages in the road, too. Today, Pastor Mark inspires you to keep faith in God’s plan for your life. Instead of throwing in the towel, he urges you to seek out solutions or alternatives. 

This is our time. Before any of us were born, God sovereignly planned our entire story. We've never been closer to the end, when Jesus comes back and takes us home to live with Him for eternity. But there are still billions who need to hear the gospel and repent. Our moment is now, and it's up to us to use it well! Today, Pastor Mark will remind us that our lives are so brief and that we must not waste them. We could just put our feet up, knowing that our salvation is secure in Jesus. But God has called us to do His work in this particular moment in history. So share the truth boldly, because the clock is running out!

Our enemy, the devil, loves to accuse us of being unworthy of belonging to God. And he's right! We were 100% helpless to save ourselves, and our value is rooted solely in the righteousness of Christ! If Jesus hadn't sacrificed Himself to pluck us out of the fire, we would still be separated from a perfectly holy God. Today, Pastor Mark will remind us how blessed we are to have been chosen by God! But the story doesn't end there! Now we have the equally great blessing of being able to spread the gospel around the world! Don't listen to the devil's lies that you are still unworthy. Rest in the finished work of Christ and share that miraculous gift!

It's hard to grasp how glorious eternity will be, especially when we're facing devastating situations. But the Lord tells us to lift our eyes to Him and rejoice, knowing that He is coming back soon to make all things right. Our suffering is real, and God sees it all and cares infinitely about us! So don't lose hope, child of the King! Today, Pastor Mark will encourage us to remember that Jesus promises us eternal life with Him, and that glory is right around the corner! Our God never breaks His promises – in fact, He can't! So look to eternity, side-by-side with Jesus, ruling over the New Creation and forever free from sin, pain, and death!

It's a dangerous and challenging time in history right now, especially for God's people. We don't know when exactly Jesus will return. But we do know that God is not done with the nation of Israel. Today, Pastor Mark will show us that passages like Zechariah 2 point to a future redemptive plan for the Jewish people. As persecution increases in the Middle East, we should be praying consistently for God's chosen people. In the United States, we're blessed to be able to freely and openly practice our faith. That's tragically not the case for billions all over the world! But God has a plan to work in the hearts of many before the final curtain falls!

In today's message, Pastor Mark talks about the moment when Elisha’s servant finally sees what is actually happening in the spiritual realm. He describes these glowing horses and chariots of fire. It was an army of heaven standing right there to show him that any earthly forces were nothing to be afraid of. When you feel like you are backed into a corner by people giving you a hard time or your enemies closing in, you have to realize your perspective is missing the bigger picture. The people coming against you are the ones in danger, because God has a heavenly host surrounding you that they can't even see. 

In today’s message, Pastor Mark emphasizes that when the Lord calls you to turn back to Him, He has already paved the way for that transition to happen. You’re never left to struggle through the process of change solely on your own strength or ability. When you repent, look for the opportunities that are around you. God’s ultimate desire is for your restoration, not your destruction, so He effectively builds the bridge before He ever asks you to cross it. Your part is to respond to the call, while He provides the path to make it possible. You don’t have to clear or create the path for yourself; you just have to follow where it leads!

The depth of your relationship with the Lord is ultimately determined by your own willingness to seek Him. In today’s message, Pastor Mark explores the promise of how if we draw near to God, He will draw near to us. The invitation to closeness with the Lord is always open, but the next move belongs to you. The ball is in your court, and God’s waiting to see how much of your heart you are willing to invest in Him. Your closeness to the Savior is directly tied to the time you spend in the Word, in prayer, and in pursuit of His Spirit. Every step you take toward Him is met with a corresponding movement from the Lord.

Your current trials are the training ground for an eternal destiny that goes far beyond this life. In today’s message, Pastor Mark explains that God is molding and shaping you through these trials to serve as a king and a priest in the Millennial Kingdom. He’s preparing your character for a position of divine authority. The challenges you face today are the very tools God uses to forge the strength you’ll need in the age to come. This theme of battle is central to the Book of Zechariah. You aren’t just enduring hardship; you are being trained for a throne. Victory over any trial is always one step closer to filling that role.

Imagine a football game where everyone was playing by their own rules. It would be complete chaos. The referees would be pulling their hair out. One player could just pick up a missed pass off the ground and start running, but then the defense could just as well throw a leg out in front of him and trip him. In today’s message, Pastor Mark wants you to understand that there is only ONE truth, and that’s GOD’S TRUTH. You can’t just make up the rules of life. You don’t have your truth, and I have mine. That’s not how it works. God is the creator of everything, and His Word declares what is right and what’s wrong.

As a young man, I made some pretty flippant decisions. In fact, a mantra often repeated within my circle of friends was, “Don’t think, just do.” I know, pretty dumb, right? Well, it didn’t take long to learn that when I indulged in my impulsiveness, it often came with a price that I wasn’t really prepared to pay. In Pastor Mark’s message today, he warns you against acting impulsively. Don’t let your emotions drive you to act in a way that’s going to come back and bite you. Instead, step away from the situation, go to the Lord in prayer, and then do what’s right in the sight of God. When you do things God’s way, you won’t regret it.

In a music production studio, it’s important to “Tune the room.” This includes things like acoustical sound treatment and speaker calibration. Without a tuned room, the music mix might sound great in the studio, but when heard in another location, it could sound completely different, and honestly, pretty awful. In today’s message, Pastor Mark encourages you to make sure that your heart is in tune with God. Have you looked to His Word? Have you confessed your sin? Have you asked Him to fill you with His Holy Spirit? If you want to live an effective Christian life, then the first thing you need to do is calibrate your heart.

In construction, there’s something called a plumb line. It’s really a simple device. In fact, it could really be made at home just using a piece of string and a circular washer. The way it works is that it’s hung vertically from a rafter, and gravity keeps it straight. Then the rest of the construction can use it as a reference to keep everything else straight. In today’s message, Pastor Mark wants you to know that the Word of God should be your plumb line for life. How do you know what’s right and wrong? Look to God’s Word. Does your life line up with it? Or is it more in line with the world? You just might have some adjustments to make.

Have you ever had a near-death experience? Or at least some sort of event that caused you to see your life flash before your eyes? That can be pretty scary. But when you go through something like that,  it really makes you think about the way you’re living your life, doesn’t it? It really wakes you up! In Pastor Mark’s message today, he teaches you that if you’re spiritually dead, then it might take something shocking to bring you out of it. It might take something like as if God were using His heavenly defibrillator on you… CLEAR!!! It might send your head spinning, but it will also get your heart beating again.

Morally, ethically, and spiritually, we have slowly started to accept what isn’t honorable and glorifying to God. Sin has crept in and has polluted our minds, our families, and our nation. Sin is a sneaky weed that will sprout its roots deep down if we don’t cut it out quickly and vigorously! In today’s message, Pastor Mark will challenge you to check your morals…what is your standard? What do you allow that isn’t holy? If you honestly answer those questions, you will recognize your sin, and you will have a chance to pull up those weeds of sin before they grow any stronger!

Knowing right from wrong, knowing what to do and who to trust, isn’t found in the world or in ourselves; it’s found in the Word of God! The Bible is the literal words of God, so how could you not trust and follow the same words that brought life to the world and breath to your lungs?!?! In today’s message, Pastor Mark will remind you that there is still time to obey God’s Word and change your habits! You have an opportunity today, our nation has a chance today, to repent and turn back to the Lord! We get to choose what our future in eternity will look like by our choices today…so, will you choose God?

Whether you have kids or not, you influence some little one! Raising or helping to raise children according to the Word is vital! Parents have possibly the most important job of all! Biblical parenting is raising them in the ways of the Lord and showing them who Christ is through the Bible and through your own actions. In today’s message, Pastor Mark will share a little about how he raises his daughters to know the Lord, and he sets the example of spending time in the Word with God! Today is your opportunity to have faith like a child and share the Word of God with your children, grandchildren, nieces, and nephews!

Thinking back to all the bad things we’ve done can be overwhelming. It’s impossible for us to even recall everything, let alone pick out what was good enough to outweigh the bad; It’s simply not possible in the sinful world we live in. No amount of good deeds we do can cancel out the bad in our wake. In today’s message, Pastor Mark will share this seemingly devastating fact, while highlighting that, yes, our good deeds mean nothing, but the actions of Jesus on the cross mean everything! We are now washed clean, and the price of our record has been paid for by the blood of Jesus Christ!

Can you imagine treading water for twenty hours?! Sometimes our lives can feel like we’re constantly treading water and putting in all this effort for someone to come save us… It’s exhausting! It’s tiring to not know when rescue will come; It’s tiring not knowing when you can simply rest for a few moments! In today’s message, Pastor Mark will sympathize with you as you’re feeling like you may want to give up. Pastor Mark will challenge you not to give up!! But to seek God, pray, and encourage others to just keep going! Keep your eyes on the Lord, and He will never let you sink!

With the direction that our nation is going right now, we’re headed away from God. We can already see by the wars, the conflicts, and the overall disagreements that it’s chaotic! In the center of all that craziness, we find sin. We can see the byproduct of not only our own sin, but the sin of our whole nation. In today’s message, Pastor Mark will remind you that you’re not to look towards the world or look like the world; you’re to look like God, as should our nation! When everyone starts looking more like Jesus, that is where you’ll see peace and unity among all the nations and people!

Maybe you’re not as picky as needing certain M&M colors, but Christians can, unfortunately, be needy and sometimes demanding. We may not expect it, but we’re not entitled to anything; everything we own, everything we are, even all our followers on social media, are God’s and God’s alone! In today’s message, Pastor Mark will encourage you not to lose sight of what real Christianity is all about…serving! Remember that it’s not about you…it’s not the “Me show”, it’s the God show!!! It’s all about what Jesus has done for you and sharing that overflow of love to others in your everyday life!

This may sound like a tongue-twister, but…when we move from just knowing about God to actually knowing God, that is being known by God. There is more to religion and life than what you may expect; There is a real-life transformation when you have an intimate relationship with the God who knows you! In today’s message, Pastor Mark will explain the vast differences between the religions of the world and the relationship that Jesus offers, called Christianity! Many people claim to be Christians because they’re scared of hell, but declaring Jesus is Lord and creator of the universe is what real Christianity is!

True restoration is something I think we all need in today’s society. We all need forgiveness, new chances, and transformation in the name of Jesus! In today’s message, Pastor Mark will teach the steps to restoration according to the Bible, and according to the story, you will hear about Samson! Step one: repent from your sin. Repentance means turning the other way. We must do a full 180 from our sin! Step two: allow God to humble you and make you new! Humility is a necessity when we’re ministering and simply living life! We all need humility before the Lord, but true confidence in the Lord!

Samson made some poor choices, and he fell into some serious sin…and he paid a heavy price for it. While Samson was learning his lesson, he began to understand the weight of his sin, and he repented to God! He turned back to God, he trusted God, and guess what God did? God blessed Him more than before! In today’s message, Pastor Mark will share that there is SO much that we can learn and identify with from the story of Samson’s life. Even when we sin, we can ALWAYS turn back to God, we can ALWAYS repent! God will be waiting, He will forgive, and He will bless us and use our experience to bless others!!!

We all know that sin starts as fun. Sin is a quick shot of dopamine, it's a fast hit of satisfaction, it’s what you want…right now. But as we all know, that feeling, that satisfaction, ends, and it ends quickly!!! Sin is a fun time until we try to stop. That limited enjoyment depletes quickly!! In today’s message, Pastor Mark will highlight the story of Samson and how he was blindsided by the repercussions of his actions; He was surprised by the toll it had on him and his life. Sin was a literal prison for Samson; don’t let your desire for quick satisfaction be your prison!!!

Samson is one of my favorite examples that God gave us to understand how sin can conquer even the strongest people. No one is immune to sin, but followers of Christ have a secret weapon against sin…do you wanna know what it is? It is Christ! With God giving you your strength, you can conquer your sin! In today’s message, Pastor Mark will remind you of your secret weapon: the power, strength, and endurance that the Holy Spirit gives! Jesus defeated death, and He defeated sin…so live like that is true in your life…because it is! You have ALL power over ALL sin through the mighty name of Jesus Christ!

It’s hard to read the story of Samson and Delilah and not be amazed at the incredible recklessness of Samson.  How could Samson tell Delilah the means by which she could kill him?  WHY would he do such a thing???  Surely you wouldn’t be so brazen in the face of obvious destruction… would you? The answer, according to Pastor Mark today, lies in the alluring power of sin.  You may think you can flirt with sin, and then step back before it gets a hold of you.  You might even do some things and be saved from the consequences a few times.  But at some point, as with Samson, your ability to escape will be depleted.

The scourge of “physician-assisted suicide” has been spreading through the world at a rapid pace.  As Christians, we know it’s wrong to take our own lives.  And we know it’s wrong for anyone – a medical professional or anyone else – to take someone else’s life.  But is it possible to assist someone else in committing “spiritual” suicide? Today, Pastor Mark illustrates from the tragic story of Samson and Delilah, not only how Samson killed his own spiritual life, but how Delilah assisted him in doing so.  Hopefully, you’re not committing spiritual suicide with your sins.  But you also need to ask yourself: are you helping someone else to commit spiritual suicide?

Reflect for a moment on that deplorable modern tragedy known as “human trafficking”.  Now, imagine that a person who was a victim of such trafficking was somehow liberated from that bondage and was able to establish a free, happy, and prosperous life.  Do you think they would ever want to go back? Today, Pastor Mark explains that if you’re a Christian, you’ve been liberated from something even worse than human trafficking: the bondage to sin.  Surely you wouldn’t want to go back to that… would you?  It’s easier to do than you might think.  But there are some practices you can follow to protect yourself from that danger. 

Most people have heard the story of Samson and Delilah.  And if nothing else, they know that somehow, she tricked Samson into telling her the secret of his great strength.  And then she brought in some of his enemies, and they captured him.  But how did he get into that position in the first place?  What went wrong? Today, Pastor Mark describes what he calls “The Samson Effect”.  It’s where you start with some teeny, tiny compromise with sin.  And you’re sure you can handle it without getting into trouble.  And sometimes, God will even rescue you from your own folly.  But – as Samson found out – tragically – that’s not always the case.

I remember my son’s baseball coach would tell his fielders: “On every pitch, be saying to yourself: ‘hit it to me! hit it to me!’”.  Why did he say that?  Because he wanted them always to be ready.  So when the ball is hit to them, they’ll field it successfully and make a good play.  Confidence is a good thing! In today’s message, Pastor Mark doesn’t want to discourage confidence, but he does want to warn you about overconfidence.  You may be a strong Christian.  You may think you have the strength to handle some “risky” temptations.  But… remember Peter.  Remember David.  And today, as you’ll hear: remember Samson.

How many times have you heard someone describe a situation they were in, and it was all somebody else’s fault?  “This other driver did such-and-such.”  “My boss is incompetent.”  “My parents did a bad job raising me.”  It’s much easier to blame someone else than it is to look at yourself honestly. Today, Pastor Mark explains that as long as you’re looking at somebody else, you’ll never solve the real problem inside.  And that is: you’re responsible for your own choices.  And when you acknowledge that, and submit yourself to God, you’ll be able to stay out of situations that could be destructive to yourself or others.

Have you ever had someone ask you a really ridiculous question about God?  Something like “could God make a rock so big that He couldn’t pick it up?”  What’s at the bottom of this?  Is it someone’s sincere, genuine request for a better understanding of God?  Or is it really just a feeble attempt to dismiss Him? Today, Pastor Mark has another really ridiculous question that some Christians ask.  “If God’s so powerful, why hasn’t He freed me from my sin?”  But all the time, they’re just holding on to the same old habits that keep them in that sin.  What questions are you asking God?  Are they good questions, or subterfuges?

There are always plenty of things to worry about.  I won’t mention any right now, so you won’t start worrying about them.  But what, exactly, is “worry”?  It’s a feeling – yes.  But the feeling is only a symptom.  There’s a reason some people worry while others don’t, and it’s not primarily a personality trait. Today, Pastor Mark has an antidote for worry – and that’s transferring the problem up the ladder.  Maybe you’ve had a problem at work, but when you told your boss about it, he said, “Don’t worry about it; I’ll take care of this”.  So, pass your problems up to the Top of the Top of the Ladder – the God of the Universe.

You know it well… whether it’s from a video you’ve watched, or it was your own child… the moment you catch her with chocolate on her face, even though she didn’t eat that last donut. “No, daddy, I didn’t eat it. It must have been Rover.” Dad smirks and tries to keep his cool, knowing his little one is lying right to his face. In today’s message, Pastor Mark encourages us to be honest about things we know to be true. Even if there are consequences, it’s better to be truth tellers and allow God to handle the rest. Otherwise, we’ll be the toddler lying about chocolate on our face, digging deeper and deeper holes for ourselves. 

God created everyone with unique talents and gifts; Maybe sometimes you look at yourself and can’t see what yours is. You can see giftedness in others, especially when it’s something outward like musical or athletic ability. But keep looking, because there is something inside you that God wants to use for His glory. Today, Pastor Mark encourages us to use our passions and gifts for Christ.  Are you good with kids? Can you skip rocks on the pond 7 times? Or maybe people see you as an encourager or a teacher. There’s absolutely something you have that God needs you to use. Figure out what it is, and He’ll give you opportunities!

My wife and I love to leave the windows open - to air out the house, especially in the fall and spring when the temperature is just right. However, as it gets into summer… that’s when the flies start to come in. At first, all of the buzzing is miserable, but after a while, it doesn’t seem to bother us as much anymore. In today’s message, Pastor Mark teaches that sin is kind of like those flies. At first, it eats away at you and ruins a good thing. But after a while, the good thing is still ruined, yet it doesn’t bother you nearly as much as it used to. Today, if God is convicting you of a sin, maybe it’s time to close the windows.

Spring cleaning is a much-needed time of the year. It’s a time to reflect on all the valuables we have, all the garbage we need to get rid of, and address the pile of things sitting on the counter that we’ve grown to ignore. The more we clean, the more we realize just how much we’ve gotten used to living in a mess. It’s really easy to want to think you’re living in a clean home, but you don’t realize how dirty it’s been getting right under your nose. In today’s message, Pastor Mark teaches that sin works in the same way. It creeps in, and even though you think you’re doing well, you’ve been lowering your standards time after time.

One of the greatest joys in life for toddlers is a nice, warm cup of milk. It’s even more refreshing after a nice, long nap. The problem is, sometimes that’s all they want. Dinner may be getting close, but their impatience means that the only thing their taste buds will really get to experience is milk. Today, Pastor Mark teaches that we have natural desires, but often get too impatient for them to be filled in God’s timing. Maybe for you, “dinner” looks like a promotion at your job, but your “milk” is quitting and finding a job elsewhere. Don’t let your fleshly desires be the ruler of your life when God has better things in store for you.

An evening ritual my wife and I share is fresh popcorn. It didn’t start that way. It used to be that occasionally, I’d offer to make some for both of us, and since she’d decline, I would only measure out enough kernels for myself. However, I’d only get to enjoy half of what I made… thus, the portions increased, and the habit was formed. In today’s message, Pastor Mark teaches that there are far too many instances in life where you might be tempted by your surroundings. If you really do not want popcorn… well, it’s really hard to abstain when you can smell it and reach it. Sometimes, it may be better off if you leave the room before it consumes you.

The heaviest deadlift ever recorded exceeded an insanely heavy 1,120 pounds. For context, the lifter could have been holding a nine-foot grand piano, and the player. It also means that the record holder could have lifted an adult horse all by himself. Talk about strength! I can barely lift myself out of bed in the morning! In today’s message, Pastor Mark teaches that too often, we try to rely on our own strength. The fact of the matter is, no matter what your deadlift record is, sin will still be too heavy for you. You can’t overcome it by sheer force. It can only be overcome by the blood of Jesus, who died on the cross to set you free.

Did you know that the average credit card debt per cardholder in the U.S. is around $6,000? Maybe you have more, or maybe you’ve been disciplined enough to have less. The promise of instant gratification has led to debts looming over the heads of many, and they end up paying more in the long run. Too often, people believe that, since they can’t afford that new toy right now, they can swipe their American Express and pay it back later. In the same way, Pastor Mark teaches today that many believers have a hard time waiting for the treasures of heaven, so they indulge in sin now, racking up a debt that only Jesus could pay.

Manoah was blissfully unaware that his spiritual journey wasn’t aligning with where God hoped he would be. So, what did that lead to? God decided to share His messages through His wife, who was truly in tune with her spiritual connection to Him. When you start to drift away from your relationship with God, you might find that you’re not quite in sync with the amazing plans He has for your life. In today’s message, Pastor Mark invites you to take a moment to reflect on your spiritual life and explore ways to deepen your connection with God. When you’re in harmony with Him, everything around you will align perfectly.

Dealing with teenagers can sometimes feel like navigating a tricky maze, and as a parent, you might find yourself in a mental tug-of-war! As a believer, it can be truly tough to watch your kids drift away from their faith and rebel in their own ways. But does that make you lose all hope? Today, Pastor Mark has a heartfelt message for all the parents out there—he's inviting you to lift your spiritually lost kids in prayer. It seems like you may have missed the chance to build a solid spiritual foundation. But your prayers have the power to unlock those stubborn hearts to embrace God’s love. It’s never too late to come back to Jesus!

When constructing a skyscraper, the crew always ensures that the foundation is rock-solid. That takes away the worry of earthquakes and wind causing any harm to the building. In the same way, being a parent gives you the chance to guide your kids through life and get them ready for what’s coming next. But have you taken the time to build that spiritual base in their lives? Today, Pastor Mark encourages you to build a strong foundation by guiding your children to walk with God from a young age. Even if they do stray away from Jesus at some point, He will find a way to reach out to them and bring them back to Him. 

Samson, huh? He’s quite the character, isn’t he? Famous for his incredible strength, he stood out among other Bible characters. So, you might be curious about the kind of diet that boosted his strength to such impressive heights, huh? Guess what? It was all God! His trust in God filled him with an amazing strength. Yet, as he wandered from God and led a sinful life, his strength began to wane. In today’s message, Pastor Mark shares insights on how to stand firm against sin and lean on God’s strength. Unlike Samson, be mindful not to let sin get in the way of that beautiful bond you share with your Creator. 

What drives you when you’re doing something, whether it’s playing music or lending a hand at church? What’s the spark behind your actions? Are you doing it as a way to honour God, or is it more about impressing others and making them think highly of you? It's interesting how, even within ministry, there are individuals who seem to prioritise their own interests while claiming to serve God. In today’s message, Pastor Mark invites you to open your heart to worship and to serve God with sincerity and a joyful spirit. God truly knows what lies within your heart and the motives behind your actions. Be true to Him!