August 2013

The Gospel of Mark – Too Few Servants

Do you have a bucket list? Things to do before you die? What do you think Jesus bucket list was before He went to the cross? As a believer what do you believe God wants you to accomplish before you take your last breath on this planet? Why do you think the KING of kings and LORD of lords has to beg His church, His children to help Him complete His kingdom work? Why are there so few laborers in God’s vineyard? Truly the harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few. We are to pray the Lord of the harvest to send forth laborers into His harvest fields, (Matthew 9:38). In this week’s passage: (Mark 9:33-41) Pastor Pete shares four thoughts on this passage: 1.) Too Many Chiefs; too Few Indians (9:33-35), 2.) Too Few Children; too Many Adults (9:36,37), 3.) Too Many Churches; too Few Worshippers (9:38-40), 4.) Too Few Servants; too Many Consumer’s (9:41; 10:45). You will be challenged to not just hear the Word but to become a doer of the Word. (James 1:22) Begin to put together your bucket list of things to do before you die and then start doing them as you listen for LIFE!



July 2013

“What Is That In Your Hand?” Missions Sunday Thailand 2013

Pastor Aaron over the last two messages in Exodus spoke of Moses burning bush call from God. The bottom line was this: God expects you to not just hear the call but respond in faith to it. In this brief devotional, from the 2013 Thailand Serve the Servers Report, Pastor Pete shares from Exodus 4:1-4 and a brief portion from Exodus 14: Essentially the call of God on Moses and on our lives today is the same. He expects us to use what He has sovereignly and providentially given us for His glory. Any response other than a resounding YES is unbelief and grieves the Holy Spirit of God. There is nothing quite so tragic than to see a grown man or woman who have wasted their lives and their potential on meaningless and worthless pursuits. Potential is worthless if it isn’t used for God’s glory. By faith, take what is already in your hand (POTENTIAL), throw it down (PROMISE), pick it up (FAITH) and throw it out (POWER) for God’s glory. Listen for LIFE!



June 2013

The Gospel of Mark – What Are You Afraid To Ask?

The only stupid question is the question not asked. Why then are we afraid to ask good questions in order to succeed in life and cross the threshold of heaven with fruits born out of an obedient and joyful life? Ephesians 2:10 reminds us that we were created for good works that God has before ordained that we should walk in them. Will you stand before the Bema Seat Judgment in heaven empty handed? Will you squander your time, talents and resources on yourself? God has put eternity in our hearts. What is your mission in life? A good question that demands a thoughtful answer and a life well lived and spent in the realization of that life calling. Pastor Pete will share from Mark 9:30-32. In these three short verses we will examine four pertinent and life changing questions for our immediate and eternal consideration. Listen for LIFE!



The Gospel of Mark – I Believe! Lord, Help My Unbelief!

The disciples, Peter, James and John, have just descended from the Mountain of Transfiguration. They have just witnessed the glory of the transfigured, glorified Lord, only to be greeted in the valley with a demon possessed boy and a father desperate for answers and deliverance for his son. This message, “coincidentally” landing on father’s day 2013, is a remarkable study on faith, from our Lord’s perspective, from our heavenly Father’s perspective and from the perspective of a normal dad concerned for the well-being of his family and more specifically his beloved son. In this lesson Pastor Pete will share the seven levels of faith, from: unbelieving faith, powerless faith, faithless faith, weary faith, simple faith, great faith and lastly, rewarded faith. Listen for LIFE!



The Gospel of Mark – It Is Good For Us To Be Here Part Two

In this two part series on the Mount of Transfiguration Pastor Pete opens Mark 9:9-13 to our thinking. Most of us approach life with both negative and positive reactions as it pertains to us. We see life from a selfish, temporal perspective. What is it that God wants and expects from us? In this week’s message we will learn what our religious, eternal and temporal perspective needs to be, as we bring the mountains into our valleys. It all comes down to our perspective of what and WHO we are gazing at. Where does our full orbed attention rest? As we descend the mountain of transfiguration we need to Listen for LIFE!



The Gospel of Mark – It Is Good For Us To Be Here

“Religion must die in order for faith to be born.” In the passage of Mark 9:1-13 Pastor Pete shares the context of the transfiguration of Jesus Christ. The Apostle and Disciple Peter, true to form, felt like he needed to contribute something to the perfect situation, the perfect setting and the perfection of God represented in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. How often do we in our attempts to please God try and contribute our lame ideas to a perfect plan. God doesn’t need our help but He graciously asks for it but only under His instruction and direction. How well do we take instruction? How teachable are we really when it comes to true faith? Do we feel like we must add something to the perfect plan of God? This message is extremely relevant for those of us who want to erect monuments to our past experiences or even to ourselves. Listen for LIFE!



May 2013

The Gospel of Mark –

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The Gospel of Mark – Knowing the Cost; Paying the Price

Why doesn’t God do something about the mess we are in? What in the world is God doing? Does He even care? How can we explain the pain, suffering, death, hunger, injustice, poverty, tyranny that seems to be exploding all around us? Why doesn’t God step in to this mess and clean things up? You will be surprised to learn that God is very much concerned and actively participating in the redemption and salvation of man. What seems so ironic is that He has entrusted to redeemed man the job of proclaiming to the world the solution to their many problems. Jesus waits for us to share the gospel message and then in partnership with His Holy Spirit He convicts of sin, righteousness and the coming judgment. He draws the unsaved to Himself, He redeems, justifies, sanctifies and one day even glorifies saved men. Pastor Pete shares from Mark 8:34-38 the words of Jesus as He tried to share the cost of salvation and challenged them to be willing to pay the price. When we hear that salvation is free, this only partially true. It cost our Lord His life. But in His death life came for not only Himself but for all who place their trust in Him alone for salvation! This section of Scripture has the potential of changing once and for all everything. True salvation does! Listen for LIFE!



The Gospel of Mark – “I See,” says the Blind Man

American Christianity is woefully negligent in hearing the truth, seeing the truth, believing the truth and preaching the truth. We have our ears wide open and are as deaf as stones. We have our eyes wide open and are as blind as bats. Jesus said, many religionists, Pharisees are like the blind leading the blind. In Mark 8:22-33 Jesus goes out of His way to heal the blind man and then proceeds to speak to His disciples of what they heard and saw, in Jesus, and who they said He was. Pastor Pete shares insights into this passage with three main points of consideration: 1.) “I SEE,” said the blind man: the Natural man who needs a second touch. (8:22-26) 2.) “I’m BLIND!,” said the seeing men: The Spiritual man who needs a spiritual touch. (8:27-29a) 3.) “I See and am Blind, “ said the seeing man: the Carnal man who needs an eternal touch. (8:29b-33) Listen for LIFE!



April 2013

The Gospel of Mark – Why Christians Forget to Remember

Why does it seem like, as believers, we have such a hard time remembering not to forget? We forget the goodness of God, the grace of God, the mercy of God the good news of the gospel of God. We are so consumed with ourselves we forget to remember the needs of others around us who desperately need the message of hope and salvation. Pastor Pete opens Mark’s gospel to chapter 8:1-21 and the second account of the feeding of the four thousand and how quickly the disciples forgot the work of their Lord in the feeding of the five thousand. This is the tension of believing: remembering not to forget all that God has done in the past, is doing in the present and promises to accomplish in the future. Listen for LIFE!