Blog Posts

Worship Matters

8/11/2019

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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Fellowship With God

8/4/2019

The most important truth about any object is its purpose. The shoes you’re wearing could be used as a pillow or shovel but their greatest and highest use is something to cover and protect your feet. If you are sitting in a chair, that chair could be used as a desk but its best and highest use is in being sat upon. We might say that the glory of these objects is found in their purpose. Why was it created? The same can be said about the church. Why did God create the church? Why is it that when we become Christians we are not immediately snatched from this planet and taken into the presence of Christ We begin a new series today focusing on the purpose of MVBC's existence. And to begin this series, we begin where all churches must begin- focusing on our fellowship with God.

1 John 1:1-4

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Responding To Persecution

7/28/2019

Jesus dropped a bombshell on His disciples one day when He told them they should rejoice and be glad when people persecute and say hurtful things to them for living a godly life. If you are a follower of Jesus, the same word applies to you. Because we don’t have the natural ability to rejoice and be glad in suffering, we need help from above to fulfill Christ's words. In today's final teaching from the Beatitudes, we see how a new nature and a new mind are the keys to rejoicing during seasons of hardship and rejection.

Matthew 5:10-12 (We're aware of the camera issues. Working on it. :)

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The Root of Persecution

7/24/2019

“That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” If you are old enough to remember Apollo 11 landing on the moon 50 years ago yesterday (July 20th), you will remember Neil Armstrong's now famous words as he stepped onto the moon. The historic moon landing capped off a decade of planning on the part of tens of thousands of people working for NASA. No doubt, those chosen to go to the moon, the astronauts, were given the thrill of a lifetime. What NASA could not predict however was all of the hardships, injuries and even deaths, that would accompany putting a man on the moon. But great missions don’t happen without great risks, great pain and great loss. The good news of the gospel is that you don’t have to be an astronaut or work for NASA to be a part of a world changing mission. Followers of Jesus Christ can experience the joy of participating in the greatest mission on earth-making disciples of all nations. But like with any great mission, it will not come without a price. In today's message, Pastor Darrell continues his series from the Beatitudes by explaining where the source of much persecution in the believer's life comes from- religious people.

Matthew 5:10-12 (sorry about the quality - we had network issues)

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How to be a Good Father

7/14/2019

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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Blessed are The Persecuted

7/7/2019

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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Testimony Sunday

6/30/2019

The heart of every life-giving church is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. There can be no church without Jesus. Sometimes churches can lose their way and substitute activities for the relationship. Instead of coming to church to know Jesus, we just come to church. Instead of reading our Bibles to know Jesus, we just read our Bibles. To help us avoid that pitfall, we have begun asking members of Mountain View to share about their personal relationship with Christ. By telling us how they came to know Christ as Savior or how Jesus has made Himself real to them in recent weeks, months or years, we are reminded that church is all about Jesus. He is both the foundation and focus of church life. Their testimonies today also prepare our hearts to observe the Lord's Supper.

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Making Peace -Part 2

6/23/2019

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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Making Peace

6/16/2019

All families fight, whether it be the family at home, the family at work, or the family at church. Knowing that life is full of conflict, it should not surprise us that Jesus addresses the issue of disunity in the Christian life. As we resume our study of the Beatitudes in Matthew 5, it only makes sense that Jesus would include a word about interpersonal conflicts. The Beatitudes describe the core values of Christ’s kingdom. These are the values we should value and the traits we should treasure. Embracing these realities will help us grow a long way in kingdom success. How important then that conflict resolution should be among them.

Matthew 5:9

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One Voice Youth Choir

6/9/2019

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!

The Pure in Heart - Part 2

6/2/2019

For too long churches and Christians have sought to define success by external markers rather than markers which can only come from a transformed heart. Isn’t it time that the scorecard changed? Isn’t it time we began to define success in ways Jesus defines success? We will never see God and experience the manifest presence of His glory if we define eternal life by external realities alone. What we need is a new heart; something He delights to give. In today's message, we dive deeper into the meaning of the 6th Beatitude- "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."

Matthew 5:8

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The Pure in Heart will see God

5/26/2019

The reward for having a heart sprinkled clean by the blood of Jesus is the joy of seeing God face to face one day. Our reward after death is not so much the absence of pain, worry or sadness; it is the literal presence of God. But must hungry hearts wait until death to see God? Is it possible to see God this side of heaven? The answer is YES, a resounding yes, and through this morning's study of Matthew 8, Pastor Darrell explains how the pure in heart will see God this side of heaven because the pure in heart want to see God.

Matthew 5:8

Video of the Message

Return to me

5/19/2019

Even though the church in Ephesus behaved right and even believed right, inwardly their hearts were cold toward God. They had lost their first love. The white hot passion for God they once had was gone. What happened to a 1st Century church can easily happen to a 21st Century church. We can find ourselves going through the motions, very busy with religious activity without ever really connecting with God inwardly. In today’s message, our guest speaker, Dave Johnson, calls attention to the Biblical warnings for believers to continually check the status of their pulse toward God. Have we lost our first love for Him and where do we go to get it back?

Revelation 2:2-5

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MERCY MATTERS (part 2)

5/12/2019

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

Video of the message.

Mercy Matters

5/5/2019

When we think of mercy we might tend to think of withholding judgment to someone who is guilty of a wrong. The difference between grace and mercy have often been defined this way: grace is extending kindness to those who don’t deserve it; mercy is withholding punishment to those who do deserve it. Though that is true, mercy is much more than passive restraint against injustice. In today's message from the Beatitudes, we discover that mercy is as much active kindness as it is passive restraint.

Matthew 5:7

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Testimony Sunday

4/28/2019

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Jesus:Lord of Life

4/21/2019

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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Jesus - Lord of Help

4/14/2019

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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Who is Your God?

3/31/2019

"The doctrine of the Trinity is one of the most important doctrines of the Christian faith." - Wayne Grudem. Far from being an obscure doctrine, the Trinity is essential - without it you don't have Christianity. In this message, Pastor Charles unpacks Scripture from Genesis to Revelation to show how the Bible reveals God to be one Being in three Persons, and how several important applications to our lives flow from this doctrine.

Pastor Charles has also written a document that goes into more depth for further study. Click here to download.

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Elements of True Worship

3/24/2019

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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Divine Desires

3/17/2019

What kind of person does God use to bring His kingdom to earth? That is the question we have been asking in recent months and according to Jesus in the Beatitudes, it’s the kind of person who measures success much differently than the world. Its the kind of person who measures success by begging dependence, genuine transparency and true humility or meekness. Ultimately, it’s the kind of person who gets their worth and value from whose they are rather than what they do. As we look at the 4th Beatitude today, we also see that it is the person whose soul's hunger and thirst cannot be satisfied with anything less than Jesus.

Matthew 5:6

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Blessed are the Meek - Part 2

3/10/2019

If you knew in advance which college basketball team was going to win the national championship next month, which team would you pick to win?If you knew in advance which company was going to triple its value in 2019, which company would you invest in? If you knew in advance which career path was going to provide the most joy and fulfillment, which career would you choose? We can’t always predict who the winners in life will be. We don’t know the future but Jesus does and in Matthew 5, Jesus tells us who the real winners will be when everything is said and done. Jesus tells us in advance who gets to inherit the best His new world has to offer. We resume our study of the Beatitudes today by considering how meekness is both displayed and derived.

Matthew 5:5

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The Surprising Joy of Repentance

3/3/2019

“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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Testimony Sunday

2/24/2019

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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Blessed are The Meek

2/17/2019

Imagine you are part of a group tasked with hiring men to be bodyguards. What if on the reference form, you saw these words written in the comments section-“Bill would make a great bodyguard; he is a very meek man.” Our immediate reaction would probably be, "Nope, don’t want a body guard who is meek; we want someone who is brave and strong." We tend to think this way because we equate meekness with weakness. Some dictionaries even define meekness in these terms. But is meekness weakness? We turn our attention to the 3rd Beatitude today- Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

Matthew 5:2-6

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Worship Matters

Fellowship With God

Responding To Persecution

The Root of Persecution

How to be a Good Father

Blessed are The Persecuted

Testimony Sunday

Making Peace -Part 2

Making Peace

One Voice Youth Choir

The Pure in Heart - Part 2

The Pure in Heart will see God

Return to me

MERCY MATTERS (part 2)

Mercy Matters

Testimony Sunday

Jesus:Lord of Life

Jesus - Lord of Help

Who is Your God?

Elements of True Worship

Divine Desires

Blessed are the Meek - Part 2

The Surprising Joy of Repentance

Testimony Sunday

Blessed are The Meek

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