1 John (Program #7) – Conditions of the Divine Fellowship (2)

As believers in Christ, our relationship with God is unbreakable but our fellowship with Him can be broken. Our relationship as children of God is unconditional and has been settle once and for all. However our fellowship with God is conditional and may fluctuate.

We are going to pursue further the first of the two main conditions for our fellowship with God.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: TuneIn | RSS

1 John (Program #5) – The Fellowship of the Divine Life

We all should realize by now that John the apostle had a particular emphasis in all of his writings.  That emphasis was that what God desires for men above all else  is that men would receive Him as life.  “I have come that they may have life”, he writes in his gospel and “he that has the Son has the life“, he says in his epistle.  But we should also realize that this divine, eternal, uncreated life has an issue or an outflow, which John calls “the fellowship of life”.  If we want to know Him as life and experience the greatest of all divine gifts, we should pay our full attention to the “fellowship” or “flow of life” from the One who is life.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: TuneIn | RSS

Judges (Program #7) – The Abominable Chaos in their Worship

The life study of the books of Joshua and judges reveals not just the history of Israel with its’ successes and failures possessing the good land of Canaan, but also even more importantly it teaches us how we can gain and possess the all inclusive Christ as our full portion, our enjoyment and our inheritance. Israel in the good land typifies us, the New Testament believers in Christ and just as Israel allowed their departure from a close and intimate fellowship with Jehovah to impede their progress gaining the land we too can see our spiritual progress and our enjoyment of Christ impeded if we don’t take care of our day by day, even moment by moment fellowship with Him.  Listen to this verse in 1 John 1:3 “That which we have seen and heard we report also to you that you also may have fellowship with us, and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.”

A very marvelous portion related to this matter of fellowship typified of course by the picture in the Old Testament of Israel gaining, possessing the land. We enter into the fellowship the moment we receive Christ and this fellowship is a fellowship that is life long.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: TuneIn | RSS

Hebrews (Program #55) – Ten Practical Virtues for the Church Life

Near the end of the book of Hebrews, several practical virtues are extolled as they pertain to the practical daily living of the believers. They seem outward and obvious from a casual glance. But, a more critical examination reveals much about both God’s desire and need, as we will see today on the life study of the Bible.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: TuneIn | RSS

Leviticus (Program #24) – The Lesson and the Regulations for the Priests

Chapter 10 of the book of Leviticus is a wonderfully intriguing and interesting chapter. It begins with a day full of glory and a day full of blessing and enjoyment because God has accepted the offerings of the priests, the sons of Aaron. But then something severe happens to Aaron – two of his sons bring themselves under God’s judgment and the scene changes to one of God’s righteousness and holiness only to be turned again to God’s mercy. We invite you to stay with us for this life study of Leviticus today, as we look at chapter 10, a chapter that reveals God’s mercy and His holiness.

Chapter 10 follows a wonderful section that we cover yesterday in chapter 9 with the four issues of the priestly service.  But in this chapter there is a sad, even tragic event that is told and it has to do with these two sons of Aaron, Abihu and Nadab.  The account is found in the first 11 verses of chapter 10 and we are going to see how this tragic story really applies to us today in our situation.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: TuneIn | RSS

2 Thessalonians (Program #7) -A Concluding Word

In both of his epistles to the new believers in the Church in Thessalonica, Paul the apostle speaks to them regarding the Lord’s second coming and the rapture of the Church. Then near the end of the second book, he warns these new believers to avoid associating with those who walk disorderly. What is this disorderly walk that Paul was talking about? And what does it has to do with his fellowship on the events associated with the Lord’s return?

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: TuneIn | RSS

1 Thessalonians (Program #1) – Introduction to a Holy Life for the Church Life

The apostle Paul’s two letters to the Church in Thessalonica may be considered his earliest writings. They are also significant in that they represent his fellowship to new believers, for the church in Thessalonica was made up almost exclusively of young people whom Paul personally preached the gospel to less than a year before he wrote this letter.

Acts chapter 16 gives us the account of how the Church in Thessalonica came into being.  In chapter 16 of Acts beginning in verse 9.  “And a vision appeared to Paul during the night: A certain man, a Macedonian, was standing and entreating him and saying, come over into Macedonia and help us.  And when he had seen the vision, we immediately endeavored to go forth into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to announce the gospel to them.”

And now jumping to chapter 17, “And they traveled through Amphipolis and Apollonia and came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews.  And according to his custom Paul went in to them, and on three Sabbaths he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, opening and setting before them that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead, and saying, this is the Christ, the Jesus whom I announce to you. And some of them were persuaded and were joined to Paul and Silas, as well as a great multitude of the devout Greeks, and of the chief women not a few.”  So, a Church was born.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: TuneIn | RSS

Ephesians (Program #25) – Both Reconciled to God in One Body and Fellow Citizens of the Household of God

Imagine that you are a lonely visitor in a foreign country and meet a fellow citizen of your own country, the American, Great Britain or Canada.  You immediately sense a kind of kinship. But how is that compare with the intimacy and share delight that would result from unexpectedly meeting one of your own family members in the same setting?

Well, this is the situation that should exist with all members of the Body of Christ, the Church. And not just with those who are in our circle of fellowship. For the Bible tells us in Ephesians 2 that not only we are fellow citizens with all the believers in the kingdom of God, but we are also His household, family members. This describes which should be a sweet and intimate relationship with all those who belong to Christ.  We will consider both of these aspects today.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: TuneIn | RSS

2 Corinthians (Program #55) – Final Exhortations, Greetings, and Blessings (2)

The book of 2 Corinthians has a wonderful conclusions.  Paul after unveiling so many aspects of his own living and his own experience of Christ in this book, concludes with this 3-fold blessing.  2 Corinthians 13:14 “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”  But this is not a blessing given in a merely religious way.  It’s a blessing that brings us into the very Triune God that Paul himself experienced, enjoyed and even lived out in his daily life.  Grace, love and fellowship were his portion and daily enjoyment of the very Triune God.  May we have Him as such a portion as well.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: TuneIn | RSS

2 Corinthians (Program #45) – The Apostle’s Fellowship Concerning the Needy Saints (4)

2 Corinthians chapters 8 and 9 are often used in campaigns for money-raising for various Christian causes or ministries.  But it’s interesting, although they both deal with the matter of giving, they don’t focus on the word “giving”.  In chapter 8, Paul refers to our giving as a kind of gathering, as the children of Israel gathered manna each day for their daily supply.   In chapter 9, our giving is called sowing, as a farmer sow seeds in order to produce a crop, in order to meet his family’s daily need.  Gathering and sowing, this is the renewed thought concerning the offering of material items to meet the needs in the Body of Christ.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: TuneIn | RSS