Take Up Your Cross!

The Word of God not only talks about the cross in terms of finding forgiveness and cleansing from sin, and entrance into the Christian life, but it also speaks of the cross as that which followers of Jesus Christ must take up themselves. In Mark 8:34 Jesus says, “…whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” This is not what most Gospel preaching calls people to today.

Instead of taking up a cross, today we are told to find fulfillment for self, not the crucifixion of self. Today’s Gospel seems to be all about being your best self, self-esteem, and even what some are calling self-realization. Christianity has become about being successful, about being rich, and about becoming top dog in the world that is around us.

No wonder the church of our generation is so weak and irrelevant in the world. We have focused on ourselves, and we have taught our people to focus on themselves, when all the time the call that Jesus has given us is to deny ourselves, to take up our cross, and to follow Him. Until we truly count the cost of what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ, and until we accept that as God’s will for our lives, we will never see revival, and we will never see the move of God in our culture that we so desperately need.

Heavenly Father, please forgive us for our selfishness in Christian living. Forgive us for focusing on ourselves, and not on You, and on the needs of others. As Paul writes in Philippians 2:5, give us the mind of Christ that we may truly take up the cross, as Jesus took up His cross. Let us not be as concerned with living our lives, as we are with living a crucified life in this world. Give us the determination that we will live for You no matter what the personal cost may be, even if that means literally dying for the cause of Christ. Father, we cry out to You for the grace to deny ourselves, to take up our cross, and to follow Jesus wherever He may lead. It is in His name I pray, AMEN.

Mark Applebee

What People Want vs. What They Need

What people want is for their pastor to be a buddy with whom they can have a good time. But what they need is for their pastor to be a man of God who can bring them to the throne of grace where their lives can be changed for time and eternity.

Heavenly Father, make me the man of God who will bring my people to You, in Jesus’ name, AMEN
Mark Applebee

Revival Praying Is Not Easy

If you have been reading my posts of recent weeks, then you know I am praying for a revival in my life, my church, and my community. As I write this post, that is still the longing of my heart. Now I am not praying for simply a moving of emotions, although revival will include that. But I want to see a work of God’s Spirit that will put a fire in my heart and life, and in the hearts and lives of others, that will move me to live and minister in boldness for the Lord, to walk in His holiness, and to move in His power.

However, when you become serious about praying for revival you need to be ready, for you may be entering the arena of spiritual warfare like you have never seen before. You see, revival praying is not easy. Jesus said that the thief comes not but to steal, kill, and destroy, and Satan surely wants to steal, kill, and destroy any move of God’s people in seeking revival. Why? Because revival would bring holy living and power to the church. Revival would bring lost souls into the Kingdom. And revival would bring glory and honor to the Lord Jesus Christ. Since I have been praying for revival we have seen a major drop in our weekly church attendance, two families have left the church, and the temptation is about as heavy as it has ever been to be discouraged.

So if you are going to pray for revival, you need to determine to pray through no matter what may happen around you. Satan will do anything to stop you from praying. But don’t give up for the battle you are in is a sign that God is going to pour out His Spirit in a glorious way. If that were not so, Satan would not bother. Revival praying is not easy, but the results are surely worth it.

Father, the battle is getting hot, but still my passion is for revival. No matter how fierce the battle gets, I am not going to give up until You pour out the blessing of revival in my life and in my church. I stand against the battle of the enemy by faith and in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Pour our Your Spirit, dear Lord, and send revival, AMEN.

Mark Applebee

What I Want For My Birthday!

What do you want for your birthday? That is a question that Brenda is going to ask me in a day or so, as my birthday is later this week. I will probably give her some kind of answer of this or that, because I know that she wants to do something nice for me on my birthday. But really, as far as this world is concerned, there is nothing that I need or really want.

Oh, but there is something that I would like, and it really doesn’t matter if it is here right on my birthday or not. What I want is to see a true revival in the church once again. I want to see God’s people crying out for His moving and working in their hearts and lives. I want to see God’s people crying out to Him for His Spirit and His power and the boldness we need to live for and represent Jesus Christ in this world. I want to see souls saved, truly saved. I want to see people truly repent of their sins, and truly put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord. I am tired of seeing this phony salvation that we are seeing all over the place today, as people supposedly accept Christ, and then they go out and live like the world with no conscience about it. They profess salvation in Christ one day, then they go to the bar and get drunk the next. I am tired of this phony brand of Christianity where being pandered to is more important than our surrender and our being crucified with Christ.

Oh, I want a revival in my own soul. I want my love for Christ to so consume me that living for Him, serving Him, and reaching people for Him is everything that my life is about. I want to be like Jesus. I want to live like Jesus, think like Jesus, walk like Jesus, talk like Jesus, eat like Jesus, sleep like Jesus, preach like Jesus, pray like Jesus, and when people encounter me, I want them to encounter Jesus.

That is the longing and cry of my heart. That is what I want for my birthday, and everyday. No more playing church. No more playing religion. No more going through the motions. I want revival, and I want Jesus. That’s what I want. That’s all I want. And really, I am not willing to settle for anything less.

Heavenly Father, my birthday is coming. May I have a revival? May I see one, not only in my life, but in the church? May there be such a move of the Spirit that the world around me cannot help but be touched with Your salvation, with Your glory, with Jesus. Oh yea, Father, may I live the rest of my life seeing and experiencing that revival? Father, that is what I want, and that is all I want. Please, send a revival in Jesus’ name, AMEN.

Mark Applebee

Tomorrow Is Sunday

Here it is, another Saturday afternoon, and tomorrow is Sunday, and as a pastor, I will be preaching in my church. Is it enough just to sing a few songs, listen to a sermon, say a pray and go home? That is what happens in the average church on Sunday. As a pastor, it is not enough for me that people depart saying,” that was a good sermon preacher.” What I want is for people to leave church having heard from God, and having found grace to help in time of need from Him.  I want people to leave church having come under the conviction of the Holy Spirit, and having found God’s grace to meet the need that they were convicted about.

We have made the Sunday morning service more about entertainment than about worship. More often when people say, that was a good one preacher, it is more about being entertained, than it is about finding God. “Oh God, forgive us, and help us to focus on You. Set Your people on fire with the presence of Your Spirit, and above all, let Jesus be glorified.” So may people truly find God in my church and in yours tomorrow. Remember, it is not about the preacher, it is not about the choir, it is not about the special music, or the people taking the offering, or an elder that leads in prayer, it is about God, worshipping God, hearing from God, seeing God move in your heart and life, and then going out and living in the world for God.

Heavenly Father, move on Your people, bring revival to Your Church, and let Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ be exalted through it all. Let not me, or any other preacher, steal or try to steal your glory, but just use us to bring people to the throne of grace where they can encounter Jesus, for it is in His name I pray, AMEN.

Mark Applebee

God: Partner or Owner

If I am to live a victorious, fruitful life in this world for the Lord, He must not be my partner, but my Owner. For only as God is the Owner of my body, my soul, my spirit can I ever even begin to do anything of lasting value for His glory. The Bible tells us to present ourselves as living sacrifices to the Lord, to consider ourselves as crucified with Christ. In other words, we are to be the living dead in Christ. Dead to ourselves, dead to our sins, dead to our own ambitions, and alive to Christ only, and His rule in our lives.

Too many professing Christians never do anything for God that really counts for His glory, because when it comes right down to it, what they are doing is really not for God at all. They may operate in the church, in the ministry, even in prayer and evangelism, but what they are really seeking is their own success and their own glory. And let me tell you something, God will share His glory with no man but the Man in the glory Himself, and that is Christ Jesus our Lord.

So die to yourself, die to your ambitions, and let Jesus have Ownership, that means let Him be truly Lord. I tell you right now, if Mark Applebee is to live in the fulness and power of God, he needs to be a dead man. For as long as I hold on to my own life, God cannot use me, as He would like. Romans 6:11 says, “Likewise, reckon ye also yourself to be dead indeed unto sin, and alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Only dead men can know victory over sin, and only dead men can know the full blessing of life in Christ.

Heavenly Father, I relinquish all ownership in my life, and I surrender to You the title-deed of who I am. So fill me with Your Spirit that I cannot help but walk in victory over sin, the flesh, and the devil. So fill me that Your life and the fruit of Your Spirit abounds in all that I do and say. It is not worldly success that I want to see in my life, but Jesus being exalted and glorified all around me. This is my prayer, dear Father, in Jesus’ name let it be so, AMEN.

Mark Applebee

Not Just Something to Say

It has been a while since I have made any additions to my blog, but I don’t want to write just for the sake of writing. When I sit down to write a blog, I want it to be because God has put something on my heart to write about. My desire is that God will use this to bring you closer to Him, and that He would set your heart ablaze so that you can go out there into this world and represent the Lord Jesus Christ in a powerful way.

When Christ told the early church to wait in Jerusalem for the Promise of the Father, it was not just so they could have some warm fuzzies, but so that they could go into the world and powerfully witness for Jesus. And that is just what we need today, we need the Holy Spirit to come upon us in power so that we can live for Christ and boldly proclaim Him to our generation. So don’t settle for the warm fuzzies, when what you need is the fulness and power of God in your life. Don’t settle for a spiritual pep talk, when what you need is the conviction of the Holy Spirit to repent of your sin, or to surrender your life into His control.

Folks, God has all the power that we need to do what He has called us to do. The problem is that we are running out of time to do it. Jesus is coming again, and I believe that could be very soon. So cry out to the Lord today, and settle for nothing less than His life changing and empowering fulness and presence. For the world does not need to be entertained with our flashy music, or our motivational talks, but the world needs Jesus, for everyone that does not have Him is going to Hell dead in their trespasses and sins.

I want something from God to say, and it is this: Wake up church, cry out to God, and settle for nothing less than His fulness and power so that we can take the salvation of Jesus to all who need Him.

Heavenly Father, it is not the warm fuzzies that I need, but it is You. I need the fulness of Your Spirit so that I may represent Jesus Christ in this world in Your power, and for Your glory. In Jesus’ name I pray, AMEN.

Mark Applebee

Happiness or Joy: Which is Better?

Is it not a great blessing to have the weather we are having here in Western Pennsylvania in the month of March? Today it is 75 degrees, and I am sitting on my back deck writing this blog. It was during this same weekend in 1993 that we had the blizzard of the century in this area, with over two feet of snow in less than a day. We surely must enjoy this while we have it.

As I sit here enjoying the peace of a beautiful day in late winter, I am also sitting here enjoying the peace of God’s Spirit in my life through faith in Jesus Christ. That peace is not dependent upon what the weather is like, or what any of the external circumstances of my life are like, but that peace is totally dependent upon the Lord who lives and rules in my heart and life.

Too many people, even Christian people, find peace only as they are happy. The problem with that is happiness is a fleeting thing. You can be experiencing happiness one minute, and then disappointment, or pain, or even grief the next. This is because happiness is based on the happenings around us. For instance, you can be happy that you get a new job, but when you find out that the job is more difficult, or the boss more demanding than you had anticipated, what does that do to your happiness? I have seen people’s happiness in a new marriage turn to despair and bitterness, when they realize that their spouse does not always see things eye to eye with them, or that they are more difficult to live with than they thought. You see, if the happenings around you are not what you desire, happiness is very difficult to maintain, or ever experience on any consistent basis.

What I strive for, as a Christian, is not happiness, but joy. You see, joy is different from happiness because it is not dependent upon what is taking place around me, for joy is dependent upon what is within me.  Joy comes as I know Christ. In fact, joy is a fruit of the Spirit of God who abides in and fills my life, as I am surrendered to God through faith in Christ. Galatians 5:22 says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace….” Then in Romans 14:16 – 17 he writes, “Let not then your good be evil spoken of: for the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.” In other words, it does not matter what people may say or think, it does not matter whether you have food or not, circumstances cannot affect your joy in the Lord. For you see, in Christ your focus is not set on this world anyway, for Jesus says, your treasure is in heaven (Matthew 6:19 – 21).

Heavenly Father, thank you for the joy that is mine through faith in Jesus Christ. And let that joy continually fill my heart, yes as things in life go well, but more importantly, in those times when things are now as well as I would like. And Father, as the Holy Spirit fills me with joy, let that be attractive to people around me who need Jesus, and who need to be closer to Him as well. Use the joy of your Spirit to open doors to share Christ with those who need Him. It is in Jesus’ name I pray, AMEN.

Mark Applebee

Just do it!

Maybe it is time to just do it. Don’t wait until tomorrow. Don’t wait until you feel more qualified. Just go out and do it. Go out and share the Gospel of Jesus with people around you who are in desperate need of Him.

Heavenly Father, give me the boldness to simply go into this world and do what Your Word says to do, and that preach the Gospel to every creature. Give me the boldness, the faith, and the love to just do it in Jesus’ Name, AMEN.

Mark Applebee

Watered Down!

When things are watered down, they never taste quite right. Now you can try to make it taste better by adding sugar, and that may make it acceptable to your palate; however, that added sugar may not be good for your overall health.

Many, throughout the years, have tried to water down the Gospel, and then add some sugar to it to make it more palatable. When you do that you really have no Gospel at all. For instance, you can water down the Gospel by avoiding sin, repentance, and judgment. Or rather than making the Gospel a matter of righteousness, you can make it a matter of life enhancement. The modern Gospel has done just that in talking about joy, peace, and fulfillment, rather than salvation from sin and judgment through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ.

When you come to Christ for righteousness and salvation, you will not waver when things get rough in this world. But if you come to Christ for joy, peace, and fulfillment, what happens when things go wrong in this world?  And believe me, they will. That person may question his faith, the truth of God’s Word, and the very relationship that he thinks he has with Christ. You see, he came to Christ for the wrong reason. He did not come to Christ for righteousness and salvation, but he came for life enhancement. Now don’t get me wrong here, for there is joy, peace, and fulfillment in Christ. But joy, peace and fulfillment are not why I gave my life to Him, but I gave my life to Jesus and I put my trust in Him because I was a sinner, heading for an eternity in the lake of fire, and without putting my trust in Jesus I would be lost for time and eternity. I praise the Lord for His goodness in my life, but I trust in Him because I need a Savior.

Don’t water down the Gospel with a message of life enhancement, but pull out the Law of God, show people the seriousness of sin, and point them to the One who died on the cross for that sin, and rose again to give them eternal life.

Heavenly Father, I thank You for my salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ. I don’t want to be one that tries to water down the Gospel and then sweeten it with some kind of life enhancing sugar, but give me the boldness to preach the Gospel of salvation that only comes through repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, for it is in His name I pray, AMEN.

Mark Applebee