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Jesus said ‘come to Me’ as little children – audio sermon
The gospels record several instances in which Jesus Christ told His followers to “come to Me” – with the implication being that they also stay with Him – as little children. The relationship of abiding in the Lord is first spiritual, from the inward depths of a person. Shallow or false religiosity may go a long way in duplicating the outward appearance of a Christian life, but God who deals with our spirits by His Spirit is satisfied by nothing less than authentic spirit-to-Spirit relationship. His goal is to restore us to Himself, in love, and by so doing create a testimony and witness that cannot be falsified by the…
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The Church of Jesus Christ and the Ephesian Epistle – Audio
The church that Jesus would build is hidden in plain sight in the words of scripture. While today people cannot even agree if the scriptures themselves are valid, or what the church in our times ought to look like, the Bible says God knows! A valid church is one Jesus builds (Ps. 127:1) – by His Spirit – to the praise of His glory! There is both the universal church comprised of all Christians everywhere, and the local assemblies – and indeed, the epistles were written to local assemblies, such as the one in Ephesus (depicted in picture above). May the Lord bless you!
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The Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus – Audio
A foundational topic of a normal Christian life, the “law of the spirit” is something everyone should know. Like the lilies of the field that just grow, the law is a spontaneous phenomenon experienced by those rightly abiding in Christ, in faith, and this overcomes the “law of sin” (or the sin nature). The apostle Paul spoke of this in Rom 7 and 8 (copied in below). In Rom 8, he uses the term “law” in three different applications and this can be confusing to some. Colored in words help call out the different uses of the word “law” and this handout was given with this house church sermon. May…
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How Christians May Be Bound in Mental ‘Strongholds’
In Second Corinthians 10 the Apostle Paul speaks of “strongholds” to describe mindsets in people which are like a fortress locking in falsehoods and keeping out the truth of God. These strongholds are thoughts, ideas, feelings, and the like which help give the person his/her identity, form a worldview of life, or the church, or God, Christ, the Christian life, etc. They may have come from your own reading of the Bible, or someone you trusted to tell you what the Bible says, or anywhere else. Thoughts that form a false picture of things pertaining to God make a person truth-resistant and not even know it. Indeed, they stand to…
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God’s will for people and His church
This started as a study of Colossians 2 but became more an exposition of key concepts branching off of the first nine verses of that chapter. Colossians, like Ephesians gives a picture of what God wants of His people, and what we may hope for from Him. In this study which follows one on Colossians 1, we go to other Scriptures to comment on how they are part of the whole message of the gospel. Other random comments pertaining to all people add to this. God is reaching out to all who will hear Him. He wants to draw them to know Him, take on His nature, and shine as…
