A.W. Tozer once wrote, "Thomas Boston (18th Century Scottish preacher) said the difference between man and beast is that a beast looks down and a man is made to look up. Only man can engage the God above. God is infinitely more concerned that He has worshipers than that He has workers. A worker who does not worship is only piling up wood, hay and stubble for the time when God sets the world on fire. God wants worshipers before He wants workers. In an effort to better understand and apply God's purpose for Mountain View, we must see the priority worship plays in our corporate and private settings. We can never inspire others to fellowship with God if we are not first worshiping Him. 

1 John 1, Revelation 4-5

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Dave Paxton, the Generations Pastor at First Baptist Church of Orange Park, Florida was the camp pastor at youth camp. He came back with the youth to share about what it takes to be a good father.

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 In one of the most widely read books among Christians the last 500 years, Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, the author, John Fox, takes great care to record the deaths of Christian martyrs from the 1st through 16th centuries. He tells how Christians were flung to the lions, wrapped in pitch (tar) and burned, sewed in animal skins and torn to death by hunting dogs, tortured on racks, and burned to death by molten iron. They were accused of eating each other, participating in orgies, setting fires to cities, inciting political unrest, and breaking up families. His graphic, historical accounts confirm what Jesus taught His disciples about the persecutions they could expect for being His followers. It is a teaching introduced in a passage known as the Beatitudes. We come to the last Beatitudes today and consider the final trait we should treasure-suffering for Jesus.

Matthew 5:10-12

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When commenting on the impact of the Beatitudes, one Bible student had this to say, "The Beatitudes are like long spikes holding down the lid of the coffin on the false teaching that says if you just believe in Jesus, then you will go to heaven — whether or not you are merciful, or pure in heart, or a peacemaker. From beginning to end, the Sermon on the Mount cries out, “Get yourself a new heart! Become a new person!" (John Piper, Desiring God Website)"

One of the ways a new heart expresses itself is in the area of conflict resolution. Jesus called it peacemaking - not peacekeeping, but peacemaking. There is a big difference and today we turn our attention back to the subject of making peace among Christians.

Matthew 5:9

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We were blessed yesterday by the One Voice youth choir from First Baptist Church of Montgomery, Alabama. Our stage was filled with young people worshiping with us in song, dramatic reading, and a message from their youth pastor, Russell McCrory. We streamed the entire service for all to enjoy!

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Mothers have to put up with many messes in life. How does a mom handle them all? She handles them with great patience, wisdom, resilience and especially mercy.  Paul tells us in Romans that mercy is a spiritual gift but to some degree all of us, mothers included, are given the gift of mercy the moment we receive Christ as Savior. God's love for us in Christ stems from His heart of mercy. And those shown God's mercy, show God's mercy. We began looking at this character quality last week from Matthew 5:7 where Jesus says 
   Blessed are the merciful for they shall receive mercy. 

Matthew 5:7

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  In a recent article for Christianity Today, Jonathan Merritt relayed that when it comes to God, many people won’t share their struggles with their pastors or friends. Instead, they type them into Google, where they can ask with both freedom and confidentiality. One researcher sifted through a decade worth of Google searches and found that the most Googled questions about God included these: Why does God allow suffering? Why does God hate me? Why did God make me ugly? Why doesn’t God answer my prayers? Even a blind person can see the common denominator: Disappointment with God. Many of us—perhaps tens of millions—have a common experience when it comes to spirituality. We expect God to be something and then discover that He is not like that at all. Or we expect God to do something, only to realize that He seems to have other priorities in mind. 
    So what do you do when God doesn’t turn out the way you expected? Is God cruel, impatient and unconcerned about our lives? The truth revealed in Scripture is just the opposite. The picture of God the Bible gives us is of One who has gone to great lengths to reveal His love for us. In today's message from Acts 2, we examine how God in Christ over came every obstacle to secure our highest joy in Him.

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  During his earthly ministry, Jesus guided, guarded and taught His disciples how to love and follow God. As His days of ministry in the flesh came to an end, He announced that He would soon be leaving His disciples. Their mood shifted during their last week together. Trouble and sorrow filled their hearts. And yet, He promised that he would not leave them as orphans; He would come to them, abide with them and actually live in them. As part of the Father’s great plan, Christ's exit from Earth meant the entrance of Holy Spirit, another Helper just like Jesus who would guide their way. What Holy Spirit did then, He continues to do today in every heart that embraces Christ as their Savior.

John Chapters 14-16

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One of the marks of a healthy church is its desire to pass on the faith to younger generations following them. To make sure that our experiences with Christ and understanding of His gospel does not end with us. We are like runners in a relay race who are passing the baton to those coming behind us. Josiah Oldham is one of several runners at Mountain View getting ready to receive the baton of leadership. As a young man feeling called to international missions in East Asia, we are blessed to have the privilege of helping train and release him into the greater stream of God’s purposes. In today's message from Psalm 34, Josiah reminds us of three important elements of genuine worship.

Psalm 34:1-10

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   “Acres of diamonds are near you. Every child in our land has access to these age old words that are rich gems available at any moment. Men and women who face frustration and confusion and despair can reach into this treasure chest and come out with the answer that is so desperately needed." So begins Kyle Yates commentary on the book of Psalms, a book filled with precious truths just as relevant today as they were thousands of years ago.

   In today’s message, our guest speaker, Andrew Rogers, Assistant Professor of Biblical Counseling at Boyce College, unearths the precious treasure of repentance found in Psalm 32. Whoever said the God of the Old Testament is not a kind, compassionate and forgiving God has never read Psalms. For in Psalm 32, we find the gracious nature of God on full display.

Psalm 32

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Psalm 107:1-2  reads, “Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, For His lovingkindness is everlasting. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so…” (NASB)

 Notice that the Psalmist doesn’t say-"Let the redeemed of the Lord think so" or "pray so" but rather, "say so." In other words, let it out! Confess publicly what the LORD has done for you personally. Today we get the wonderful privilege of hearing how the Lord Jesus did a mighty work of grace in the lives of 3 individuals among the Mountain View family. Their confessions of faith help remind us that church is first and foremost about Jesus.

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