Mark Ballenger | AGW MINISTRIES

An Excerpt from Intertwined

July 27, 2017April 22, 2016 by Mark Ballenger

Never in the Bible is there a miracle without a mess. Jesus never heals anyone who isn’t first sick. He never quiets calm waters. He never produces food for people who already have enough. God always displays his glory in a miraculous way by first allowing a massive problem to arise. He doesn’t do miracles for entertainment purposes or to produce tingles on our necks. His purpose is always to display the power of Jesus to save.

Without A Death Their Can’t Be A Resurrection

God loves us so much that he allows short-term pain in our lives to display his glory which then produces long-term joy. I think this is what Jesus was trying to teach us through the raising of Lazarus:

3 So the sisters [Mary and Martha] sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.”
4 When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” 5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days.” (John 11:3-6)

To most of us, the phrase “the one you love is sick” seems like an oxymoron. If Jesus loves Lazarus, why the heck is he sick? We naturally associate easy external circumstances with God’s pleasure towards us and hard external circumstances with God’s displeasure towards us.

Freedom from the Riot

April 21, 2016 by Mark Ballenger

Each of us has those untouchable topics in our life. Whenever they are brought up, whenever we are confronted there, or whenever that certain itch is not scratched, being “enraged” and “crying out” (Acts 19:28) is sure to follow.

We don’t want to yell at our spouse when they confront our eating habits. We don’t want to go into a rage when our kids break a window . . . again. Nobody wants to get into the car after a long day’s work to then fume in fury as we sit helplessly in traffic. Nobody wants to rage and yell, and yet we do far more often than we would like to admit. Why?

9 Biblical Ways to Avoid Being Deceived By a Leader

November 1, 2016April 21, 2016 by Mark Ballenger

How to avoid being deceived by others — (Note: Most of AGW’s content is much shorter. I’ve categorized this piece under “sermons” due to its length.)

In Genesis 20, Abimelech was deceived by Abraham. Abraham lied to Abimelech about Sarah being his sister rather than his wife. In Genesis 20:18 we see that Abimelech was negatively impacted by the deceit of Abraham. Abimelech did nothing but believe the words of Abraham, and yet God did not spare Abimelech of the consequences of following Abraham’s lies.

Likewise, when we are deceived by others and thus participate in their wrong doings, either inadvertently or otherwise, God still holds each of us accountable for doing the right things regardless if we were duped or not.

In short, God expects all of us to avoid being deceived by others. Thankfully, we can learn from Genesis 20:1-18 on how to avoid falling for the lies of others.

Escaping Our Prison through His Payment

April 20, 2016 by Mark Ballenger

In 2006 I was living in Liberia doing missionary work. This West African country was rebuilding from a civil war which lasted over a decade. There was still a somber feeling in the air. It felt like everywhere you went the local people where internally recovering from the atrocities they witnessed firsthand on the very ground we stood.

What Does the Bible Say About Judging Others?

May 28, 2018April 18, 2016 by Mark Ballenger

The Bible states that there are two ways to judge others. One way is to judge their motives, which is sinful. The other way is to judge their actions, which is right to do. Sadly, people often mistake what the Bible actually says about judging others by misapplying one of these truths.

Perhaps one of the most widely read passages of the Bible on judging others is Matthew 7:1-6. Let’s look deeper into this passage to better understand what the Bible really says about judging others.

To Love Well, We Must Learn People’s Backstory

April 17, 2016 by Mark Ballenger

How to love people Mark Ballenger — John 5:1-6

It was a hot, sticky day just last summer. It was my day off from work and I had a rare few hours to myself as my wife and kids were out with friends. So despite the sun being at its hottest point, I decided to head up to the outdoor basketball courts to get some exercise. Hoping to play a few pickup games, I was disappointed to find no one at the courts. I guess most people are too smart to play basketball at this time of day during the hottest point of the year . . . .

Praying About Your Prayers

April 15, 2016 by Mark Ballenger

Before my wife and I were married, we dated long distance for over a year. We would drive eight hours to see each other around every two weeks, but of course we wanted to connect more than that. Phone conversations were the next best thing.

Looking back, perhaps one of the best foundations to our marriage was that year of dating where we were forced to connect with one another through conversation. As humans, having conversations is essential to building deep relationships. The same is true with our walk with God.

As Christians, we all know we should pray more than we do and talk with God as his word instructs us to. But how can we pray more? Being disciplined and just deciding in your heart to pray more is certainly not the worst thing you can do. But perhaps there’s a better way.

The Bible explains that before we will truly have the desire to seek God we must ask God for that desire. To have a passionate prayer life, we must pray to God for a passionate pray life.

Prayer Changes Me Most

August 24, 2016April 14, 2016 by Mark Ballenger

I pray because I can’t help myself. I pray because I’m helpless. I pray because the need flows out of me all the time- waking and sleeping. It doesn’t change God- it changes me.-C.S. Lewis

And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.-John 14:13

Before going to college, I took a year off and headed to West Africa. I was volunteering with a Christian organization called Mercy Ships in the country of Liberia. Mercy Ships is a floating hospital that travels up and down the west coast of Africa to provide healthcare for the poorest of the poor.

I had left the States in hopes of a deeper relationship with Jesus. This was my hail-Mary pass, my attempt to push in all my chips, my last desperate stab at knowing God like never before. If I don’t experience him out here, I figured, then I probably never will. You see, I knew I was a Christian, but I also knew I wasn’t a very good one. Chronic sins plagued my life and I knew if ever I was to experience the freedom of God I longed for and read about in the lives of his saints, I had to do something drastic.

It was going pretty well. I was working faithfully in the ship’s kitchen to help feed the crew, serving in local orphanages on my days off, and spending a ton of time reading in the ship’s library due to the dullness of life spent docked in a port. But after three months, things were starting to get really stale. The awe-factor of being in a third-world country was wearing off, routine was setting in, and although I was no longer stuck in a sinful lifestyle like I was back home, I had yet to experience God the way I had hoped.

Holiness and Humility

April 16, 2016April 11, 2016 by Mark Ballenger

As for me, may I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.-(Galatians 6:14)

What stance should I, a Christian, take on my own state of being before God? Am I sinful or holy?

Let God Fulfill God’s Promises to You

September 3, 2018April 7, 2016 by Mark Ballenger

Genesis 15:4-6, Genesis 16:1-3, Genesis 17:18-19, Genesis 18:13-15

Imagine a man who loved a woman, but he was going off to war and he didn’t know when he would be back. Before he left he promised her that when he returned, he would marry her. How odd would it be if the woman jumped the gun and went out and bought her own engagement ring? She wanted the promise to be fulfilled, but she did not want to wait, so she took matters into her own hands.

God is a God of promises. He promises good for those who love him. He promises to save those who put their faith in Jesus. He promises to take care of us when we trust him. Throughout nearly every page of Scripture a promise can be found by God.

Life is a journey. The path to God is straight and narrow (Matthew 7:14). But throughout the journey of life there are so many ways to veer away from God. Perhaps one of the most common ways is to seek God’s promises and blessings in your own power.