Mike Bitter

We cannot forget, during these times of struggle we are covered with the blood of Jesus. All those cracks, all those openings for the evil one to get into are covered; but he continues searching, looking for a way into our hearts and minds.

So what do you do when you find yourself in the middle of a battle with the evil one? What do you look for when things seem to be going wrong? I ask these things not to scare you, but to prepare you; because they will come. Sometimes they’ll even come daily.

Pastor Jim Pearson, a recent graduate of the Martinwood Christian's Pastor's Class preaches about Finding God's Purpose for Your Life.  It seems we are forever looking for His purpose, but what's so strange about that?  Maybe our purpose in life changes as we mature.

What Are Those Voices I Hear

It’s easy to hear those voices and sometimes even easier to follow them.  Why not, they are the loudest and most convincing voices you’ve heard all day.  Besides, they are always there, trying to convince you of how bad things are, or how troubled you should be about something or even more so, that you should take action you know is wrong.

https://youtu.be/ymeGej4EGrQ

So how is a young man supposed to be a good father if no one is there for him?  If no one will mentor him and guide him?  Many times the father chooses a path other than raising their children…they walk away.   But is that their fault?  If they have questions, or are raised a certain way that’s not right, but they don’t know that.  They think the way they were raised was right, so they emulate their fathers, or in some cases they emulate the fatherless home.

Be Still 

It’s hard to Be Still, especially when we have so many errands, so many people depend on us and we feel obligated to help them.  I’m not saying don’t help those who need help, but what about you?  What about you taking time to be still; time to be with the Lord?  He’s always waiting on you.

Pastor Jay Giovanni is one of the newest graduates of our Pastor's Class.  He is a graduate of our 2022-01 class.  His sermon is the final part to passing the class.

 MartwinwoodChrisitanChurch.com

1 Thessalonians 5:2 For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.

No matter how much we prepare, we never know when the thief will come. I’m not talking so much about when the thief comes for me, but when the thief comes for those closest to me. Just as Jesus passed on, so too will our many friends and loved ones. The one thing we all have in common is the Spirit we leave behind. The Spirit we see in others. For the saved, it is that same Spirit Jesus left us. That beautiful, wonderful Spirit He gave to us. Just as your spirit is obvious in a hallway, in a room, or an office we've decorated, so too will our spirit be shown in those who love us.

Graduating - Next Higher Level      www.MartinwoodChristian.com

Sometimes we don’t see what is ahead of us, maybe we want to give up or maybe we want to just sit on the sidelines like those “other” people, but that’s not what they did and that’s not what we do at Martinwood Christian Church. We get off the couch, move forward and do what we can to change the world.

We aren’t the only ones who occasionally have fear. The disciples did too. Their savior was gone. The Messiah that was supposed to save the world, bring the Israelites back home, was gone. He had warned them, but you see, they were stuck in the natural.

John 20:19

Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the

doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews,

Now when we get back to the Road to Emmaus and what Luke is trying to tell us with this scripture. Let's put this into perspective:

Two disciples are probably somewhat bewildered about what has happened. They are probably unnerved that the person they were going to follow is no longer alive, or so they think. Then, as they are walking along several things happen.

The first is that Jesus appears to them; they don't know who he is. I think this happens to us a lot too. Although Jesus is right here with us, we don't recognize him or open our minds to see him.

They went on to tell about what had happened and that he was sentenced to death, etc. Then he told them they are foolish.

Luke 24:13-15

Now behold, two of them were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was seven miles from Jerusalem. And they talked together of all these things which had happened.

Mike Bitter talks about there being more to the resurrection than meets the eye.  Jews believe that the spirit does not leave the body for three days.  Sound familiar?  Yes, Jesus did not rise for three days, but did you ever wonder why it took Jesus so long to get to Lazarus?    Jesus seemed like he was not in a hurry to save his friend, Lazarus.  He seemed like He took forever to get to him.  In fact Jesus waited three days after Lazarus was dead to bring him back from the dead so the officials at the time knew it was truly a miracle.  Jesus came back from the dead after three days for the same reason; to prove he was the Christ.  The officials at the time could not dispute that Jesus was the Christ after he rose again from the dead. There is another custom Jesus used to send a message to the Jews.  www.martinwoodchristian.com

Mike Bitter makes the case that Jesus is the one whom we need to keep our hope. He is the one who'll pull us through; we just have to keep our eyes on Him. I don't know why He allows certain people to control things in our lives, or why He allowed events to happen in the past, but one thing I do know is, we need to keep the faith.

Mike Bitter talks about how he finds himself taking a humanistic view of how life works. I need to look deeper and try to keep my eyes on the spirit realm, or the supernatural, but it is so easy to take a humanistic view and not take into account all the things that REALLY go on around us; all the things that affect us each day, that we may not realize.

Special guest speaker Minister James Finch preaches about the enemy not winning in our everyday life at Martinwood Christian Church (www.martinwoodchristian.com) in Council Bluffs, Iowa.  Minister James is a recent graduate of the Martinwood Academy.  Here's James.....  

John 1:1 - The Word Became Flesh
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.


God is the Word. That’s how we find out what he wants us to do and how to love ourselves. The better our relationship with our Lord, the more we’ll want to do for Him and love ourselves in the process, but where does it start? Where does loving thyself start? It starts with you. It starts in the beginning. It starts with the Word. The Word of God. Let go to the first book of John, the very first verse.… In the beginning...

www.martinwoodchristian.com

Love is the Greatest Thing in the World.  Christ is Love and therefore the Greatest Thing in the World, the summum bonum is Love. Think about how Love relates to God’s commandments.

If you Loved God you wouldn’t have to be commanded to have no other Gods.
If you Loved your neighbor you wouldn’t covet anything he has.
If you Loved your wife you wouldn’t commit adultery
If you Loved, you wouldn’t want to kill.

www.martinwoodchristian.com

http://www.mikebitter.com

 God asks us to cultivate the ground, plant seeds of righteousness, then nurture them to maturity.  We all have seeds we can plant, but it's easier to leave them in the container they came in and not do anything with the seeds we've been given.  God can't work His Glory if seeds don't get planted. 

Overview: There is still much to do in the church; not only our church, but also in the church of God.  Today we'll talk about how our church fits into the overall calling God has for us and how we're going to answer that call. 

The life of a rural pastor is filled with excitement, discouragement and much more.  Were here to tell you the ins and outs of being a rural pastor. 

Do you spend your time on what is really important, or are you distracted by life’s “little” things that keep you from what is really needed? In today’s lesson we’ll talk about Martha, who was so distracted by the dishes and missed he opportunity with Jesus. Don’t miss your opportunity; the dishes can wait.  Based upon Luke 10:38-42

Mike and Ruth are at it again, but what are they doing now? Check in and see.  They are back from the flood and have a Flood Relief event for flood survivors on Saturday June 15.  There's much more coming up.  

Mike and Ruth are on an incredible adventure as pastor and pastor's wife and they want to share.  It's 18 degrees outside, a 30 mph wind and 3 feet of snow.  Last night was a blizzard, but Mike and Ruth still made it to church and gave the last sermon in his Love series.  Join them on the most incredible ride of their life!!

Mike and Ruth talk about all the cool things God is doing in and around them.  It's incredible is what an Omaha Worship Leader recently stated.  What is going on in Waterloo and at Martinwood International.  Tune in to find out. They just keep saying "It can only be God."  Join them as they show you how to build a relationship with God. 

 What is the Greatest Thing in the World?  You may think money, possessions or even faith is the greatest thing in the world, but what does Jesus and His disciples say is the greatest thing in the world? This month we are going on a journey to explore and experience the greatest thing in the world, like it has never been done before.  

Come along with Mike and Ruth to find out what the greatest thing in the world is.  We're about to embark on a month-long journey exploring what the greatest thing in the world is, according to the Bible.  We'll show you what Jesus and the disciples said about it and how to apply it to your every day life.  This will be an incredible journey so join us right here to learn more about the greatest thing in the world. 

This is Mike Bitter's first podcast and he's still learning the ropes.  Catch the one minute episode before he deletes it for good.  Welcome to Mike Bitter's Podcast site.