Sin is not the bad things that we do but the deep desire within all of us to be independent from God – to be our own bosses. Man started out as children of God in the Garden of Eden [the garden of pleasure]. Through stepping away from God as Lord and Father man became [...]
Mark gives a great sermon on How to Hear God.
Hello. This is Mark's wife Shell with an introduction to this teaching. I have often told Mark he needs to tell people the reason he hears from God so quickly. He takes an hour each day sitting in stillness and silence with God. Sometimes he won't hear or sense anything for days, but he still [...]
Naomi sent me in a good question, "You give allot of examples of how God talks to you when you are praying. What if I don't sense Him? It is hard to have a relationship with someone you can sense or hear." Hi Naomi, When I say that God talks to me I do not mean [...]
Many of us have seen the ink drawing which, at first glance, appears to be nothing more than wandering lines on a page. We are told it is a drawing of an ugly old hag. Soon we see the ugly old hag and we can’t believe we didn’t see her immediately. At this point, we [...]
Do you ever doubt your influence? I am talking about your good influence. I never doubt my bad influence. I think all of us wonder from time to time just how much good we are actually doing for God. Last Tuesday I was asking myself that question. It always seems to me that I could [...]
Someone asked me it I thought it was possible to have a "long distant" relationship with God. Here is our dialogue. I would love others to join in on this conversation. Leave a comment. Mark - Good question. What do you define as a long distance relationship? Ferguson - Now that's a good question too. I [...]
All religions are basically the same. A spiritual, material, eternal reward is offered and a system of behavior is required. When properly applied, the behavior brings the reward. The rewards differ: Nirvana, 72 Virgins, Cosmic Consciousness, Heaven, etc. As well, the system of behavior differs: prayer wheels, jihad, religious rituals, moral living, etc. But the [...]
Mark Cowper-Smith Someone has asked me how to respond to someone who doesn't really care about their life choices because they think God has to love them on account of Grace. This attitude is, of course, a misapplication of God's unconditional love. Sadly, it proliferates where teaching on grace abounds. In fact, this [...]
Someone has asked me why, given all we know about our faith as a relationship with God rather than a works based religion, do we so easily fall back into a works based, religious orientation toward God. I think there are two basic reason for this. The first is pride. Sadly, pride survives conversion. In [...]
Someone sent me an article from Richard Rohr about the Dark Night of the Soul. I am including the full article and then my comments below. There comes to many seekers, at some time or a few times in their lives, a “dark night,” a period of seeming distance from God, from the ways in [...]
This morning a lady called that I have never met to tell me she was reading my book and wants her son to read it. We went on to have a long and very enjoyable conversation about our faith. Sometimes the best insights come about just because we begin discussing something that matters to us. [...]
Mark Cowper-Smith When I thought about what I wanted in a blog it was clear to me I wanted to engage in thoughtful dialogue around interesting questions and issues. I also wanted a place to answer peoples questions about their relationship with God and the Bible. Others thought these sorts of dialogues and Q and [...]
17 of us enjoyed the wonderful A/C on one of the hottest days of the year in Room 254 at RB Community Presbyterian Church last Tuesday night. I asked what people wanted to get out of the discussion group and got some great gut honest answers. A few people responded that they see their black [...]
As to Eternal Security. I am not sure. There are proof texts on both sides. These days I am tending toward the belief that we can lose our salvation. I believe that God honors our freedom beyond all else [how else do we explain the state of the church and the world]. When Paul lists [...]
Absolutely. I think the value of my book is it's emphasis on seeing our faith as fundamentally a relationship rather than a religion. When I look at the issue of forgiveness and repentance, I think in terms of the effect my behavior is having on my relationship with someone I love. In regard to God, [...]
Yes, regularly. And to answer "Does God see our sin?" Yes, for the purposes of sanctification, not for the purpose of judgement.
Mark Cowper-Smith The answer depends on what they are angry about. For many years I was very angry with the church I grew up in. My anger was such that it was keeping me from God. I actually hated Christians. My issue was hypocrisy. My mistake was confusing God with His people. People [...]
Mark Cowper-Smith There are a few reasons for the condition of not hearing God's voice like you used to. The first is very easy to fix. It may be that you have stopped listening in order to obey. Many of us, at times, only listen to hear what we want Him to say. [...]
Mark Cowper-Smith 1 Corinthians 5:11 But as it is, I wrote to you not to associate with anyone who is called a brother who is a sexual sinner, or covetous, or an idolater, or a slanderer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner. Don't even eat with such a person. (see full chapter [...]