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Becoming ‘spiritual’ and knowing God’s inner ‘witness’ as your true north
One of the tragic outcomes of the otherwise commendable practice of studying the Bible is those who fail to become “spiritual” and come to experientially “know” God in their daily lives. These are those who read, think about, and possess the knowledge of God’s Word and truth and suppose to follow God based solely on their perception of what is “biblically correct.” Wait! Some of you may be saying. Isn’t that what we are supposed to do? Well, yes, and no – sort of, but not really.
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A litmus test of true Christianity – The Epistle of 1 John 1&2 – audio
Actually the entire epistle of First John is a litmus test of the Christian faith, and that was fully intentional. John the apostle was combatting Gnostic and Docetic false teachings and with a shepherd’s heart, he was spurred to pen the epistle for which innumerable others since his day can be eternally thankful. The epistle brings into sharp contrast truths about the Lord Jesus Christ and what He and the apostles expected of authentic disciples. In this study we go on the usual rabbit trails, as we otherwise go line by line through the first two chapters. Lord bless you!
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Ephesians 1&2 and related topics studied – audio
The epistle to the Ephesians is directed to the local church at Ephesus, and is one of the more valuable New Testament books on the church. We actually did this as a repeat because it is of great value, and much related commentary on salvation and the local church are offered. Lord bless you!
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On ‘Cessationism’
Cessationism – from the root word “cease” – is a theory that the gifts of the Spirit went away after the first century and the death of the last original apostle, John. Before examining the theory that the spiritual gifts have ceased, a few things ought to be said up front. In this century, this has grown into a debate and at its worst, both proponents and opponents may contentiously call foul, accusing one another of twisting scriptures, and questioning whether one or the other are “real” Christians truly following Christ. The answer however may be not an either/or proposition. Rather, the whole truth is likely somewhere between opposite extremes…
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Against ‘cessationism’ – and why gifts of the Spirit have continued to this day – audio
The New Testament records gifts of the Spirit granted to the believers and while no scriptures state these would be taken away before the return of the Lord Jesus Christ, there are those who say they long since “ceased.” The extra-biblical doctrine called “cessationism” contends that with either: 1) the finalization of the New Testament, or 2) the death of the last apostle John – who wrote the last book – God withdrew the gifts that were only temporary, they say. Those who take the opposite stance have been called “continuists” or “continuationists” because they advocate the gifts have continued to this day. Without doubt, this is a can of worms.…
