We have an official air date for the first of two messages I gave down at the Crystal Cathedral on the Hour of Power recently, and it will be August 23. There’s still no date on when the second one will run yet, but when we know we’ll post it here.

6 Million People Hearing the Gospel

Thanks to our friends down at the Crystal Cathedral for not only extending the invite for me to come down in the first place, but then also actually airing it! The Hour of Power is broadcast to over 6 million viewers, so please pray that this first message (which is about Jesus’ claims to be God) bears a lot of fruit.

For more info about where you can watch it broadcast, etc, check their site here.

Pastor Mark

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preaching pastor at Mars Hill Church. See More.

The kind folks at ABC’s Nightline made their third trip to Seattle yesterday. The first time they came out we talked about how Jesus has blessed Mars Hill. The second time got interesting because we opened our doors to host a public debate about the existence of Satan that included Deepak Chopra. This time Nightline wanted to talk to me about the topic of idolatry. Apparently they saw my Tweet about the cult-like response to Michael Jackson’s death and thought my take on it would fit well into a series of episodes they’re doing on the Ten Commandments.

Talking about Idolatry

I sat down for about 30 minutes with Terry Moran and we talked about how idolatry underlies all sin, how it is rooted on the false promise of happiness, how it ultimately destroys, how it is often the result of turning a good thing into an ultimate thing, and how it shows itself in our culture in how we idolize celebrities, athletes, food, family, sex, money, relationships, and achievement – or rather, what we call American culture.

We also took a drive in my Jeep with the top off discussing some of the cultural idols littering my city. It was a bit precarious as the really great camera man was standing up in my Jeep as we drove around and I really did not want to kill him. But things went well and we got some great footage of strip clubs, Seahawks stadium, Safeco Field, Starbucks headquarters, etc. as we drove by them.

Jesus Is the Answer

Most importantly they gave me the chance to explain how Jesus is the only answer to all of our idolatry. Idols take, Jesus gives. Idols destroy life. Jesus gives new life. Idols break apart people and relationships. Jesus redeems and heals.

As they always have been, the Nightline crew was a pleasure to work with and we look forward to working with them again.

As soon as we have a confirmed airdate I’ll post it here.

Pastor Mark

Get the latest content from Mark Driscoll, the preaching pastor at Mars Hill Church. See More.

My facebook account was recently suspended for reasons that I am still uncertain of. At the time I was away at a retreat with my wife, Grace, and the rest of the pastors at Mars Hill and their wives.

Since I left my laptop at home I've been offline with the exception of my iPhone.

Rumor has it my facebook account is back up. I want to personally thank the folks at Facebook for resolving this and giving the world such a great gift.

Editors Update:It appears that the Facebook page has been reinstated. We have not heard any official word from Facebook yet, but you can access Pastor Mark's Facebook page here.

In recent years, Facebook has become a great way for me to connect with folks from all over the world. This week, without warning or explanation, my Facebook page was removed by their team. So when we figure out what is going on, we will let you know, and in the meantime I apologize for any inconvenience to my 35,000 friends.

Editor's note: You can still:

1. Get on the waiting list for Pastor Mark's personal page when Facebook increases the 5,000-friend limit
2. Be a friend of the Resurgence on Facebook
3. Follow Pastor Mark and the Resurgence on Twitter

Resurgence On Facebook

Become a fan of the Resurgence on Facebook, get connected with other fans, and stay current on all the latest updates. Find out more.

Spiritual Gifts Series: Click | View Series

Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality. (Romans 12:13 NIV)

Spiritual Gift of Hospitality Defined

The spiritual gift of hospitality is the ability to welcome strangers and entertain guests, often in your home, with great joy and kindness so that they become friends. Hospitality is supposed to include one's family (1 Tim. 5:8), friends (Prov. 27:10), Christians (Gal. 6:10), and strangers who may not be Christians (Lev. 19:34).

People with the Gift of Hospitality

These people tend to have an "open home" where others are welcome to visit. This gift is often combined with the natural talents of interior design, cooking, and event planning. Importantly, hospitality is NOT to be extended to false teachers and the like, who are a danger (2 John 10-11).

Hospitality in Scripture

Jesus spent time befriending social outcasts (Matt. 11:19), often ate with His disciples, and has welcomed us into the family of God, which includes an eternal home (John 14:2) and an eternal party (Isa. 25:6-9; Rev. 19:6-9). Elders and pastors are commanded to exercise hospitality (1 Tim. 3:2; Titus 1:8). Peter enjoyed the hospitality of Simon (Acts 9:43) and Cornelius (Acts 10:48). Paul enjoyed the hospitality of Lydia (Acts 16:15) and the Philippian jailer (Acts 16:34).

Do You Have This Gift?

• Do you enjoy having people in your home?
• Do you enjoy watching people meet and have fun at parties and events you helped to plan and host?
• Is your home the kind that most people feel comfortable in and drop by to visit unannounced?
• Do you feel that something is really missing in your life when you cannot have guests into your home?
• When you think of your home do you view it from the perspective of guests who will visit?
• Do you consider your home as a place of ministry?

A Book You'll Actually Read:

Clear, biblical answers to some of the most common questions—all in concise books you'll actually read! Mark Driscoll boils down the big ideas into little books. Find out more.

Influence.

In a day when so many are trying so hard to have so much control, we just want influence. We don’t want to have meetings and votes and arguments and lawsuits and power struggles. We just want influence.

We want to influence non-Christians to meet Jesus Christ and begin their eternity-altering walk with Him.

We want to influence Christians to grow in their love for Jesus, Scripture, God’s mission in the world, and God’s portion of that mission through their local church.

We want to influence Christian leaders to humbly persevere by God’s grace and know something of the joy of the Holy Spirit.

We want to influence churches to hope for more, plan for more, and demand more because Jesus is alive and that fact changes everything. And we want to influence men to be godly men and not simply another face in the fools’ parade.

So we give stuff away. We give lots of stuff away.

We give away sermons in audio and video, we give away free ebooks, we give away articles, we give away free copies of all my books to hundreds of church planters, we give away hundreds and thousands of hours of consulting to churches and ministry leaders every year, we give away a chapter of every book I have written for Crossway, and we give away free live recordings of hundreds of worship songs.

Mars Hill Church gives more than $1 million a year to church planting through the Acts 29 Network, and a few hundred thousand dollars more for The Resurgence—to run the website, conferences, Re:Lit, Re:Sound, and now Re:Train.

We rejoice in all that we get to give and we want to give more, which is why we are asking for your help.

If our influence has served you, we would kindly ask that you consider a gift of any amount to help us influence more people. Donations to the Global Fund will help pay for:

• More free content
• More Mars Hill campuses (we’re at nine and counting)
• More Acts 29 churches (we’re nearing 300 in the US alone, plus many more overseas)
• More conferences around the country (2,700 people attended our most recent in Raleigh, NC)
• More free ebooks (such as Pastor Dad and Porn Again Christian, which has already been downloaded over 100,000 times)
• More free sermons and music (downloaded at a clip of tens of millions a year)
• Training for more leaders (our first class of professors for Re:Train—opening this fall—includes Bruce Ware, John Piper, Sam Storms, Gregg Allison, Ed Stetzer, and myself, along with Mars Hill elders Bill Clem and Rick Melson)

In addition, a very generous friend has offered to contribute up to $1 million to match anyone who gives to us so that we can give to others. Visit marshillglobal.com and click on "Give" to contribute.

We are grateful to Jesus, for his influence and generosity, and to the Holy Spirit for allowing us to follow in his example and share in his joy.

Great Books Series: Click | View Series

Cults and World Religions

• Enroth, Ronald, ed. A Guide to New Religious Movements
• Geisler, Norman L., and Ron Rhodes. Correcting the Cults: Expert Responses to Their Scripture Twisting
• Halverson, Dean C., ed. The Compact Guide to World Religions
• Martin, Walter. The Kingdom of the Cults
• Nichols, Larry A., George A. Mather, and Alvin J. Schmidt. Encyclopedic Dictionary of Cults, Sects, and World Religions
• Rhodes, Ron. The Challenge of the Cults and New Religions
• Sire, James W. Scripture Twisting: Twenty Ways the Cults Misread the Bible
• Tennent, Timothy C. Christianity at the Religious Roundtable: Evangelicalism in Conversation with Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam
• Zacharias, Ravi. Jesus among other Gods: The Absolute Claims of the Christian Message

Jesus Christ

• Habermas, Gary R. The Historical Jesus: Ancient Evidence for the Life of Christ
• Habermas, Gary R., and Michael R. Licona. The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus
• Strobel, Lee. The Case for Christ: A Journalist's Personal Investigation of the Evidence for Jesus
• Strobel, Lee. The Case for the Real Jesus: A Journalist Investigates Current Attacks on the Identity of Christ
• Wilkins, Michael J., and J.P. Moreland, eds. Jesus Under Fire: Modern Scholarship Reinvents the Historical Jesus

Miracles

• Geisler, Norman L. Miracles and the Modern Mind: A Defense of Biblical Miracles
• Lewis, C.S. Miracles

Resurgence Literature:

Re:Lit is a ministry of Resurgence. There you will find a growing line of books to help guide the resurgence of the new reformed. Find out more.

Spiritual Gifts Series: Click | View Series

We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully. (Romans 12:6-8 NIV)

Spiritual Gift of Mercy Defined

The gift of mercy is the capacity to feel and express unusual compassion and sympathy for those in difficult or crisis situations and provide them with the necessary help and support to see them through tough times.

People with the Gift of Mercy

They have the ability to "walk in another's shoes" and to feel the pain and burdens they carry. They desire to make a difference in the lives of hurting people without being judgmental. They may have a difficult time evaluating the intentions of others and at times appear naïve.

Mercy in Scripture

Jesus taught on mercy (Matt. 5:7; 9:13; 23:23). He is repeatedly described as having compassion (Matt. 9:36; 15:32; 23:37; Luke 7:13) and was so filled with mercy that He sometimes wept (John 11:35). Jesus' mercy included an attentiveness to and concern for children (Matt. 19:14). Dorcas "was always doing good and helping the poor" (Acts 9:36). Also, the good Samaritan is one of the most classic stories ever told on the subject of mercy (Luke 10:30-37).

Do You Have This Gift?

• Do you find yourself being drawn to people who are needy, hurting, sick, disabled, or elderly?
• Do you often think of ways to minister to those who are suffering?
• Do you sense a great deal of compassion for people having personal and emotional problems?
• Do you find that when you visit those who are suffering it brings you joy rather than depressing you?
• Do you find yourself responding to people more out of compassion than judgment?

Vintage Jesus:

A theological journey chasing Jesus through Scripture and pop culture. Timeless answers to timely questions about the most important man who has ever lived. Find out more.

Spiritual Gifts Series: Click | View Series

We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently... (Romans 12:6-8 NIV)

Spiritual Gift of Leadership Defined

The spiritual gift of leadership is found in people who have a clear, significant vision from God and are able to communicate it publicly or privately in such a way that they influence others to pursue that vision.

People with the Gift of Leadership

These people tend to gravitate toward the "point position" in a ministry. Others tend to have trust and confidence in their abilities. They best serve others by leading them. They tend to operate with a strong sense of destiny.

Leadership in Scripture

Jesus was such a gifted leader that in His day thousands followed Him and today billions follow Him as the greatest leader who has ever lived. Other examples abound, including Abraham, Moses, Joshua, David, Daniel, Josiah, Paul, Peter, and James.

Do You Have This Gift?

• Do others have confidence in your ability to lead?
• Do you enjoy being the "final voice" or the one with the overall responsibility for the direction and success of a group or organization?
• When a difficult situation arises, do others look to you for input and leadership?
• Do you usually take leadership in a group where none exists?
• Do you find leadership enjoyable rather than frustrating and difficult?
• Do others look to you to make the major decisions for a group or organization?

Recommended Reading on Church Leadership

Total Church:

Tim Chester and Steve Timmis make the case for reinforcing and strengthening churches with particular emphasis on the gospel and community. Find out more.

Great Books Series: Click | View Series

General Apologetics

• Boa, Kenneth, and Larry Moody. I'm Glad You Asked
• Carroll, Vincent, and David Shiflett. Christianity on Trial: Arguments Against Anti-Religious Bigotry
• Copan, Paul. How Do You Know You're Not Wrong? Responding to Objections That Leave Christians Speechless
• Craig, William Lane. Hard Questions, Real Answers
• Geisler, Norman L., and Ronald Brooks. When Skeptics Ask: A Handbook on Christian Evidences
• Rhodes, Ron. The Complete Book of Bible Answers: Answering the Tough Questions
• Rhodes, Ron. The Truth Behind Ghosts, Mediums, and Psychic Phenomena
• Samples, Kenneth R. Without a Doubt: Answering the Twenty Toughest Faith Questions
• Sampson, Philip J. Six Modern Myths about Christianity and Western Civilization
• Sproul, R. C. Reason to Believe: A Response to Common Objections to Christianity
• Strobel, Lee. The Case for Faith: A Journalist Investigates the Toughest Objections to Christianity
• Zacharias, Ravi, and Norman Geisler, eds. Who Made God? And Answers to Over 100 Other Tough Questions of Faith

Apologetics Dictionaries

• Geisler, Norman L. Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics
• McGrath, Gavin, and W.C. Campbell-Jack, eds. New Dictionary of Christian Apologetics

A Book You'll Actually Read:

Clear, biblical answers to some of the most common questions—all in concise books you'll actually read! Mark Driscoll boils down the big ideas into little books. Find out more.