Ephesians (Program #71) – Ordinances and the Church Life

The book of Ephesians reveals that what God is after is for Christ to be wrought into His chosen and redeemed people to produce the Church. But it also exposes many of the negative things that frustrate us form attaining to His purpose. Among these are the obvious items of sin and worldliness. But though these things surely damage the Church none are so great a problem as the not so obvious matter of ordinances.

Ordinances expressed our own way of practicing the Christian life. And each group, each gathering of believers has its’ own particular characteristics, its’ way to practice, to meet and to worship. Yet these ways that we treasure and value so dearly may in fact be the factor divide us from other believers and thereby frustrate God to the uttermost and He desires to obtain His heart desire, the Church as the One New Man.

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Ephesians (Program #60) – The Church as a Hybrid Life; the Mingled Spirit for the Church Life

Every person asked themselves at some point in their life, why am I here? Or even what’s the reason for the universe and everything in it?  Well, as believers we probably add to those questions a third, why did God save me? What purpose does He has for me being a Christian?  Well, these are the great questions that had perplexed and puzzled mankind for all time. Yet the Bible speaks very clearly to these great universal questions, especially in the New Testament book of Ephesians. We will consider the answers to these questions from the perspective that the apostle Paul gives us in this most marvelous book of the Bible.

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Genesis (Program #95) – Being Transformed (4)

Our life study of Genesis today brings us once again to chapter 35.   Chapter 35 means that we are going to remain today at Bethel, the House of God.  During the message today, Witness Lee again will use the term “church life”.  We’ve had it in the past, and this is in reference to the place or condition that we as believers need to be to experience God in a full way.   What is meant by this term “church life” and how it differs from just Christians “going to church”?

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1 Corinthians (Program #55) -Dealing with the Collection of the Gift and Conclusion

In his first epistle to the Corinthians, the apostle Paul dealt with eleven serious problems that had overtaken the church there. Then in chapter 15, the next to the last chapter, after dealing with all of these matters specifically he points them to the unique solution to all the problems both of the church life and our human life and that is the reality of the resurrection life of Christ as our portion, the new creation. That brings us to the conclusion of the book, Chapter 16.  And as he begins this final chapter its’ almost as if he puts the Corinthians on the test, the most vigorous of tests to see if his words concerning living in the reality of the resurrection had penetrated. He challenges them on the matter of money and material possessions. And this matter of money is still testing all of His believers even today.  We will fellowship this and see the sweet conclusion to the book of 1 Corinthians.

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1 Corinthians (Program #1) – Introduction (1)

Every detail of the Bible is under the sovereign arrangement of God. Not only the words themselves have God as their source even the arrangement of the Bible is significant.

Romans for example gives us a full and complete sketch of both the Christians life and the church life. Then immediately following Romans we  1 Corinthians. What we have is the illustration of the same church life in the Christians life. What Romans reveals 1 Corinthians illustrates.

As we begin the life study of 1 Corinthians, a book that on the surface seems to be mainly focus on the problems of this 1st century gentile church in the city of Corinth but actually we will come to appreciate there is a very positive message in this book that is critical in God’s economy.

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Romans (Program #60) – The Practice of the Body Life

The testimony of Christ and the testimony of oneness is not a matter of eating and drinking, but it’s really a matter of taking Christ, taking care of Christ and enjoying Christ as the life-giving Spirit, who is our righteousness, who is our peace and who is our joy.

We are coming back again to the later chapters in Romans where we really see a marvelous display of the Body life with the Church life. Is a picture we are going to see today of the practical expression of the Church it was at the time of the Apostles really applicable to us today?

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Romans (Program #30) – Transformation in Receiving the Believers

If we receive the believers, according to the Word, we will be those who are absolutely beside ourselves with the joy of the Holy Spirit. God’s blessing is commanded upon those who receive the believers in such a way.

One of the most intimate and revealing passages of the New Testament is found in the final chapters of Romans. The apostle Paul opened his heart revealing the real practice of the Body life.

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Romans (Program #29) – Transformation in Receiving the Believers (1)

Our eternal salvation is by faith through faith.  Once we have been born of God, we can never be unborn and lose our status as regenerated ones.  But there is a matter of reward and/or discipline.

The book of Romans has been called the fifth gospel or the gospel of God.  At its consummation, it beautifully depicts the tender and intimate church life that satisfy both God and man.

The book of Romans as we have been seeing, is divided into 5 basic sections of justification, sanctification, glorification plus selection and then one other.  If we look just casually, it may not seen to fit that this final section concludes with several non doctrinal chapters dealing with the church life.

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Romans (Program #26) – Transformation in Practicing the Body Life (1)

Our life study of Romans today brings to to chapter 12, a wonderful marvelous chapter in the book of Romans.  The early portions of Romans present us many great spiritual terms; justification, sanctification, glorification to name just a few.  We have seen deeper meanings of these items in the previous programs.  But the presentation that will take place today will begin to show how the process of life that we experience really has a goal related to our practice of life.

The process of life is sanctification and this is actually the process of our being saved in Christ’s life.  He sanctifies us wholly.  This means He adds Himself in His holy nature into our spirit, into our soul, and into our body.  This is the process of life.  more…

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Romans (Program #1) – A Foreword

Our God is a God of newness and we enjoy Him and apply Him for this new start in the Life-Study series.

Historically, Romans has been presented and studied as one of the great books of Christian doctrine and theology. Certainly we will recognize it in this way and touch these bulwarks of the truth in the weeks ahead, but that will not be our primary emphasis in this Life-Study of Romans. Although we in no way intend to minimize the significance of Romans as a basic book of doctrine and theology – more…

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