Author Archive: Pastor Mark

Nearsighted forgetful

Don’t be a Nearsighted & Forgetful Christian

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As we turned our attention away from scriptures which press the need to bear fruit and the persecution it will elicit from the world, we started examining 2 Peter 1. In this chapter we are told that fruit production is the result of collaboration between us and the Spirit of God. That fruit does not just happen. It requires genuine effort and sustaining power. Each progression in the process outlined by Peter reveals that each is dependent upon the other and that if we have all of these things AND we are increasing in them – we will NOT be fruitless!

However, if we are fruitless it is because we do NOT have these things which proves that we are nearsighted and have forgotten that we have been forgiven our sins.

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Psalm 119

Cracking open the Methodical & Inspired Psalm 119

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Thru the Bible: Psalms Book V – Chapters 117-119a

Psalm119 is very structured Psalm that is organized as an alphabetic acrostic, containing 22 sections or divisions (each associated with one of the letters of the Hebrew Alphabet) making a total of 176 verses.

Like so many languages of antiquity, the Hebrew alphabet was originally pictographic and these pictographs themselves carried meanings which when arranged into words could deepen the meaning of the text. The meaning associated with these pictographs have been preserved through generations and sometimes include both a literal and a spiritual meaning.

As we work our way through Psalm 119 we will attempt to see if or in what ways these pictographs which head each section bear upon the intended point and focus of the passage.

Tonight we only introduced Psalm 119 and covered its first division which is ‘aleph’ – the Hebrew letter roughly corresponding to the letter ‘A’ in English.

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I was in serious trouble and He delivered me

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Like many of the Psalms in Book V, these address the need to praise the Lord! They sing about God’s faithfulness to His word and covenant. How mindful He is of the poor and the barren – they are NOT invisible to Him, and He acts on their behalf. He is”merciful, fair and compassionate’.

God is unlike any other “god” in that the thoughts, concepts and even physicalk materials they are made of came from Him. He is THE Creator and Owner of this world. He is the manager of Heaven, but He has place the stewardship of the earth under mankind.

In the end the appropriate response to all of this is priase… public praise and celebration over the deliverance He gives.

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Living Great Commission

Living Out the Great Commission

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Paul’s ending command ti Timothy was to live the Gospel and preach it whether convenient or not because that the days were coming when neither the world nor many in the church will endure or even tolerate sound doctrine. Instead they will have fanciful desires for something new and unique. In short, the truth would no longer suit them!

Nevertheless he was to encourage, rebuke, exhort with extreme patience and teaching.

Last week we began looking at this from the perspective of the Great commission which is the work of the Kingdom of God.

This week we began with the FIRST of those obligations which is to live out the Lordship of Jesus Christ in all things.

The Spirit of God WITHIN, does a progressive work which produces in the child of God a heart change from interests in the affairs of this life to those of the Kingdom. We begin to “SEEK FIRST” the kingdom of God rather than selfish, earthly pursuits.

It is not hard to see how this first principle of Kingdom life, runs contrary to the modern interests of many Christians and certainly the world. This is because we are part of the generation Paul warned Timothy about. A generation who would not endure sound doctrine but who having desires to hear something new, would find teachers to fill their ears with what they want to hear.

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