Christians up a tree? In this edition of the podcast, Pastor Mark shares how many believers are living in the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, instead of the Tree of Life.
Just as the serpent deceived Eve and Adam in the Garden of Eden, so is he still deceiving believers today. “Has God said” are still the words of doubt that are whispered to call into question the absolute finality of the work that Christ accomplished on the cross.
The serpent deceived Eve and still deceives Christians today
In spite of all of Paul’s teaching that those who are born-again are new creations, the pulpits of many churches are content to teach with a focus on trying to get folks to be “good enough” to maintain a relationship with God. Getting our eyes off of Jesus and His sacrifice for our sins, and shifting our focus onto our own failures, is a slick deception. Certainly it is well-intended by those who preach, but it keeps believers bound in a state of guilt and shame.
Just as Adam and Eve hid from God because they were ashamed, many Christians do the same thing, not knowing or not believing that God loves them without end. Not understanding what happened when Jesus died and rose from the dead.
Listen as Pastor Mark teaches the truth of the finished work of Christ, and encourages Christians to get down from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, and live in the Tree of Life, Jesus.
The murder of George Floyd was horrific and without excuse. The resulting unrest in our country leaves many with questions for which answers are difficult. The big question for people of faith is, “What should the church do now?”
The church must do this now more than ever: pray, pray and pray. Not routine prayers designed to ease the conscience, but pray with intensity and purpose. We need a move of God in our nation and in our world like never before. It is imperative that the church, starting with its pastors and leaders pray and entreat God to heal our land and our hearts.
Also, the church must walk in love like the Apostle Paul exhorts in Ephesians 5:2, “And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.” It is time for pastors and ministry leaders to model walking in love in our communities, leading by example for their congregations. And it is time that we as individuals walk in love, listening to those who are hurting and actually taking time to care.
Blackout Tuesday gave many a chance to show they are aware of the need for change
The coronavirus isolation is giving people who call themselves Christians an opportunity to take advantage of the time they may previously not have had. There has been an is time to pray, and now more than ever it is necessary. The people of God hold the answers to many of the looming questions of today. Walking in real love is the key that can ignite real change. But, it can only come through prayer.
In order to really walk in love, the church must awaken itself to the truth of the Gospel. The reality of being made new creations in Christ is the foundation for being able to walk in love. It is not in our “flesh” or our “old man” that we can walk in genuine love. It is the love of Christ Himself abiding in us that enables us to see as He sees and love as He loves.
We must preach the Gospel and stop with the legalistic preaching that tries to change something that cannot be changed, tries to fix behavior in a sinful nature. When we see the grace and love of God as a reality for us, then we can begin to walk in that love for others.
It is time to lay aside the “Business of Church” and get on our faces and pray. Our nation and our world are hurting and seeking change, seeking something real. These are times that are ablaze with pain and fear.
The fire of prayer must burn hotter then the fire of anger
The church must pray and love now and believe the truth of the Gospel so that the message of God’s love can be not only preached but lived out in our world. The fire of prayer must burn hotter than the fire of anger. The church must pray…now. – Pastor Mark
Coronavirus has shut down most of the United States. But, God has given us a gift in the midst of this crisis. We have perhaps the greatest opportunity as a church that we have had in decades. The coronavirus is bad, but God wants to proclaim through this vessel that He has a gift in its midst.
Coronavirus masks are growing in popularity, as is fear and uncertainty among the people
The mission of this website – www.fueledbygrace.com and its podcast is to encourage folks in the amazing, unconditional never-ending love of God. This coronavirus crisis is the time for the saints to embrace this truth like never before. Knowing that nothing can separate us from His love…really knowing this reality will go a long way to calming the anxious, fearful soul.
God has given a prophetic word for the church – especially in America – at this time. I do not say that lightly. But, the New Covenant prophetic gifting is not one that predicts the future like those in days of old, but rather is used by God to encourage His people in the reality of who He is and His great love.
God is saying that we need to take this time He has given us to embrace our relationship with God. For whatever reason, God has seen fit to let these circumstances we are in continue without a real end in sight. What does He want from us during this time? I believe He wants to rekindle the passion for Him that many of us have lost. And, to calm the fear that is gripping so many. He wants us to grow in the knowledge of Him and in our simple devotion to Jesus.
God can bring us out of the coronavirus isolation filled with the knowledge of Him like never before!
So how does He accomplish this? I believe He is calling us to prayer, reading the Scriptures, and meditating on His great love for us. He is saying, “I’ve given you time, a precious gift. Let Me reveal My love to you and fill you with peace.”
During times of crisis, God uses His prophets to speak words of peace and life. That is what you will find in this latest podcast. Please listen and share it with your family, friends and church leaders. God has given us a tremendous opportunity in this crisis, to find His grace and come out of isolation stronger, bolder and more confident in His love than ever before.
Thank you for listening, and if you need prayer just fill out the comment section. God loves you! – Pastor Mark
You can go to hell, but the truth is that God does not want anyone to make that choice, but wants everyone to come to the saving grace He offers us through His Son Jesus. Sadly, some will say “no” to God’s gift of salvation and to His great love.
It’s Your Choice
The truth of the matter is that you can go to hell. It’s your choice. God has given all of mankind free will. He does not want a bunch of robots obeying Him because they are programmed to do so. He desires that we choose Him and His love freely, of our own will.
Hell is real, not a party
The Fire of Hell is Real
Not only is hell a literal lake of fire, but the fire of realizing that one only had to believe and receive God’s love will be a tormenting fire to those who rejected Him. Take a moment and ask your self if you have been born-again. If not, you can receive God’s love right now, right where you are, by asking Him to make you a new creation, by confessing with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believing in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead. Romans 10
It’s your choice. You can know that you will spend eternity in the righteousness, joy and peace of God, wrapped in His great grace and love, or you can choose to go to hell.
Being broken is not fun. Have you suffered a loss, or perhaps heartbreak or tragedy? Then you know that this world we live in is filled with things that assault our faith. As Christians, we believe that God loves us. But, we also struggle at times when there is no answer to the pain that is so real. We find ourselves broken.
John the Baptist was described by Jesus Himself as the greatest man ever born of a woman. Yet when faced with being imprisoned and eventually the loss of his life, John the Baptist – the greatest man ever – asked of Jesus, “Are You the one?”
Broken for Others
We can find ourselves asking the very same question. When we are broken with loss and pain we cry out, “Are You the one? Are You the Messiah?” Our faith goes through trials and yet God never leaves us. He loves us so very much and the answer is always, “Yes, I am the one.”
Join Pastor Mark as he shared with the folks at Wilmington First Assembly on November 24 from his own journey through loss to the place where being broken becomes an opportunity to help others in their own journey.
Please share this podcast with someone you know who is hurting, has suffered a loss…who is broken and needs the truth of God’s love.
Brokenness implies pain, something is not right, something might be shattered. Like thousands of tiny shards, our lives can seem completely undone, with no hope of repair. But, like a coconut that takes quite an effort to break open, the effort is rewarded with “the good stuff.”
Brokenness can appear to leave our lives in a shattered mess.
Embrace the Process
When we are going through the process of brokenness, it allows what Jesus described in John 12:24, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit,” to take place through our lives. Of course, we know He was referring to Himself dying and being planted in the ground and bearing much fruit in the salvation of many that would result. But we also know that the application of the illustration can apply to us. Unless we embrace times of brokenness, the “good stuff” inside of us that is from our new man, the new creation, will not be able to bear fruit in our lives or in the lives of others.
Listen and Share
You are invited to listen to the following podcast in which I share some of my recent state of brokenness after the death of my sweet bride, Tammy. If we can journey together, we will be stronger. Also, please share this message with a friend or family member who is going through a time of being broken. There is “good stuff” inside every child of God that only comes out when that “kernel of wheat” is broken open. Remember most of all that God loves you very much!
Carnal Christianity has emerged from centuries of the church trying to do the impossible: tame the flesh. In well-intentioned sermons, books, conferences and myriad other ways, ministry leaders have offered their secrets for taming the beast the Apostle Paul referred to as, “the flesh.”
As a result, carnal Christianity has emerged. Not a Christianity that practices or encourages the practice of sin, but rather one whose main focus is on defeating sin and the reigning in flesh. It has not been nearly enough focused on Jesus or His finished work.
“Six Steps to Taming Your Flesh” or “Three Keys to Overcoming Lust” are wildly popular examples of typical teaching that tries to tame the flesh by the flesh. Sadly there are countless believers who are still trying to break free from the sins or other activities that have them bound.
For our purposes, carnal is not just about sexuality, but it is about worldiness…about things not of the Spirit. The church has taught believers to focus on the very realm of the things that they are trying to overcome. A focus on human effort as opposed to the effort that has already been finished by Jesus Himself.
In this podcast, learn the secret to walking in real freedom that is grounded in the reality of God’s love and sacrifice for us all. Discover where the mind of the believer should be focused and how that is a key to victory.
It is easy to receive the “Grace Message” and become so focused on God’s love for us and grace toward us that we forget that there is a whole lot more to living in this world. For example, how are our relationships with others? Are there unresolved issues? Are there offenses?
Jesus was all about people and we should be, too.
Jesus was very practical in addressing these issues during his ministry on earth. He said in Matthew 5 and Matthew 18 that we need to “Go to our brother and try to make things right.” No problem.
Actually it is a big problem for some who are either trapped in the bitterness of an unresolved offense or who are hurting others and
need to be approached in love about being thoughtful. Jesus was our ultimate example of putting others first.
As is the case with most everything about our walk with the Lord our answers are found by looking to Him. Listen to this brief podcast to discover how to handle offenses in grace.
Like the sun breaking through the darkness over the waters, we can come out of the darkness and live in the kingdom of light
Christian, come out of darkness. The Apostle Paul wrote in Colossians 1:13,14 that we have been conveyed – moved, transferred, translated – from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of His Son. “He has delivered us from the power of darkness and [c]conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption [d]through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.” NKJV
It’s awesome! We can live in the kingdom of God right now, not just in the sweet by and by. Sadly, a lot of born-again believers are still living in the kingdom of darkness, struggling with their flesh and trying to live the Christian life in their own strength. This is not what Jesus died to give us.
We can experience His kingdom today. It requires a change of mind, a change of focus. Instead of a mind focused on the flesh – a carnal mind – we can “fix our minds on Jesus!” We can believe what the Scriptures say about who we are as God’s beloved children and the reality that we do have redemption through His blood. We have the forgiveness of sins and can walk in that reality!
Listen to the podcast to find out how to come out of the darkness, and live every day in the light of the kingdom of God’s dear Son. Please share with a friend or family member so that the can experience the reality of God’s amazing love, too.
Some of the most powerful words in Christianity turn our focus away from ourselves and onto the perfect Lamb of God. Realizing that in the Old Testament the priests examined the sacrifice and not the one who brought the sacrifice will change our lives.
God is not examining you or me today, but He has examined His son Jesus as a Lamb without blemish (1 Peter 1:18.19) and accepted His sacrifice for our sins!
Looking to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith will get our eyes off of our flesh, off of trying to fix our old man to make it right with God. We are made righteous through the perfect sacrifice of Jesus!
What are These Five Most Powerful Words?
Listen to the podcast now to discover five simple words that are some of the most powerful in Christianity.
