Blog Archives

13 May 2022 James (Program #10)

James (Program #10) – A Life Not Fully According to and for God’s New Testament Economy (1)

In Acts chapter 2, the apostle Peter spoke boldly to his Jewish kinsman, “be saved from this crooked generation.”   Some time later, the apostle  Paul reminded the Jewish believers that God had rescued them out of the present evil age.  The context of both passages makes it clear that these strong words, “the crooked generation” and “the present evil age” both refer to the religious system that had become modern Judaism at the time when God was ushering the New Testament economy.

Peter and Paul made it very clear God was calling people out of that religious system.  Yet in other New Testament passages, it is equally clear that the apostle  James was not only comfortable receiving the Jews into the fellowship of believers, he was even willing to accommodate the major practices of Judaism into the church.  Well what lessons can we glean from this confused situation today?

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23 Apr 2022 Joshua (Program #10)

Joshua (Program #10) – The Allotment of the Land (2)

When the children of Israel entered the good land, the land was apportioned to them according to their tribes. Each tribe received a different piece, some larger than others yet each one according to their condition and situation.

Bible interpreters long agrees that the good land is a type of Christ and Israel certainly typifies us, the Church.   So how is it that the Christ you receive may be in a sense bigger, more extensive than the one I have?   Well, it seems to be a paradox particularly in the light of the scripture clearly tells us in Hebrews 13:8 “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, yes, even forever.”  Well, we will see today that the Christ we experience matches our situation, our condition and our capacity.

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20 Apr 2022 Hebrews (Program #56)

Hebrews (Program #56) – The Experiences of Christ for the Church Life

The book of Hebrews marvelously presents the heavenly Christ again and again. But, interwoven in the presentation is God’s purpose, the Church. Stay with us with for today’s life study of the Bible as we see the wonderful Christ together with the glorious Church in the book of Hebrews.

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18 Mar 2022 Hebrews (Program #23)

Hebrews (Program #23) – The Remaining Sabbath Rest (6)

Today we look again at the Sabbath rest and how it is related to God’s dealing with His people and His judgment upon them that they could enter into that rest.  Hebrew is a book of warnings.  Warnings to believers.  We know that in our salvation we are spared God’s judgment on our sins.  But what does it mean that “judgment begins at the House of God?”  We will look at how God will judge His children in the coming age.

We are going to begin today’s life study of Hebrews by looking at a verse in 1 Peter 4:17 “judgment begins at the House of God”.  Surely this refers to us, the church.  Yet Christians don’t typically think of judgment having any implication for us once we are saved.  What is the context that God will judge His believers?

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12 Mar 2022 Numbers (Program #22)

Numbers (Program #22) – Fighting (3)

In the Old Testament book of Numbers there is the story of a gentile prophet named Balaam.  The Moabite king Balak had hired him to curse and prophesy against God’s people Israel, who Balak the king greatly feared.  Yet at each instance, as much as Balaam desire to please the king, whatever he spoke concerning Israel turned out not to be a curse but a blessing.  These parables recorded in Numbers 22 through 24 had a greater impact than just the Lord’s frustration of a heathen king with an evil intention towards God’s people.  These parables actually revealed how God views His people, whether the nation of Israel in the Old Testament or the church in this age despite the failures and weaknesses.  God sees the church as glorious, victorious and beautiful.  How can this be?  it’s because He sees the church, the believers, in Christ.

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07 Mar 2022 Hebrews (Program #12)

Hebrews (Program #12) – The Many Sons, the Many Brothers, the Church

Only one verse in the New Testament book of Hebrews mentions the church.  Hebrews 2:12 reveals the church in a marvelous way.  We will see the Son of God attending and even participating in this first gathering of the church in today’s life study of the Bible.

We are going to see three basic factors of God’s economy developed today.   The significance of these three items in the context of Hebrews; number one, the church, number two, the many sons and number three, the many brothers.

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23 Feb 2022 Philemon (Program # 2)

Philemon (Program # 2) – A Brother Recommended for the Acceptance of the New Man

A picture is worth a thousand words. Today we have a wonderful picture from the book of Philemon illustrating the believers equal status in the New Man.

The apostle Paul gave the teaching of this in Colossians 3:11 where he said, in the New Man “… cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free man, but Christ is all and in all.”  But in the real life story of Philemon with his slave Onesimus we see this illustrated in a beautiful way.

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22 Feb 2022 Philemon (Program #1)

Philemon (Program #1) – A Slave Reborn to be a Brother

The short, one chapter epistle of Philemon serves a special purpose in the Divine revelation of the holy scriptures.  It shows the equality in eternal life and divine love of all the members in the Body of Christ.

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21 Feb 2022 Titus (Program #7)

Titus (Program #7) – Dealing with a Factious One

The tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil are pictures in Genesis chapter two that portray two lines through out the entire Bible.

One line is the line of life and Paul told Titus that we should stress that.  The other is the line of death and Paul told Titus that we should avoid that terrible line.

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20 Feb 2022 Titus (Program #6)

Titus (Program #6) – Charging the Saints to Keep a Good Relationship

Titus 3:4-5 says, “But when the kindness and the love to man of our Savior God appeared,  not out of works in righteousness which we did but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Spirit.”  A very pleasant life study program on God’s salvation.

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