One of the issues that keep resurfacing in Christian circles today is covenants. Many believers still do not have a fundamental grasp of which covenant they are under today in Christ, or why they cannot have both Mosaic and the Messianic covenants (The Law and Grace). It's interesting to note that while there were many different covenants in the Bible, only the Law of Moses, only the Mosaic Covenant has seemed to persist and be a point of confusion and an area of stumbling for many believers today. Of-course this is not a coincidence, Satan knows all too well, that the strength of sin is the Law which brings about the sting of death as mentioned in 1st Corinthians 15:56. As long as the enemy can keep believers in confusion about their place and position in Christ Jesus, then they will always be weak and vulnerable due to plain and simple ignorance of the truth. And God does not want that.
That's why in this study today, we will be taking an in-depth look at the covenant which we are under today, the Messianic Covenant of Grace in Christ, and we will also be addressing the common areas of confusion that many believers have today regarding the Mosaic Covenant of the Law and how it relates to us today in Christ. By seeing these truths, you will be set free from confusion, able to freely enjoy the Covenant which Jesus has placed you in today.
Over the years I have talked with a lot of people about healing. And it is surprising how often the conversations take the same paths over and over again. Many people suffer from the same misconceptions and wrong beliefs when it comes to the blessings of God and specifically healing. Sure they know that God is capable to heal, but they do not believe that he is willing to heal, and this can take many different forms, such as God is using a sickness to teach me a lesson, or that God is keeping me sick so that I can be a greater witness for Him – even though none of these ideas are supported in the scriptures. However, the fact that these wrong beliefs are not taught in this scriptures, has not really stopped them from spreading to many people in the body of Christ, and caused them to develop a wrong understanding of the nature and character of God as a result.
That's why in this study today, we will be examining how healing is actually your right in Christ Jesus. He has paid for you to have it, and He wants you to be healed even more-so than you can possibly imagine. God is not withholding healing from you, nor is He your enemy. As you see these truths from scripture, they will expand and increase your ability to see the goodness and mercy of God, and will help you to replace the many misconceptions about God and healing with right believing founded on Biblical truth.
One of the common misconceptions that I encounter in the discussions I have with believers, is that Jesus' commandment to love one another is actually a reference to the Old Covenant Law of Moses. This tends to confuse people because they believe that Jesus is reinforcing the Mosaic Law, even though scripture is quite clear in many other places about us not being under Law but under Grace. So it seems very contradictory and it often confuses people.
We know however that God is not the author of confusion, and He doesn't want His dearly beloved children to stumble over such fundamental things. That's why today in this study, we will be looking at love through the lens of Grace; love in the finished work of Jesus Christ. By seeing this truth, we will be able to understand the differences between the Old and New Covenants in the area of love, and how indeed God is supplying us completely, even in the area of love.
When we typically think of God, we think of an all-powerful being that must be served. We think that if we don't work hard enough or perform well enough that this all-powerful being will be displeased and angry with us, raining down punishment, injury, disease or even death. Furthermore, we think that if we dare ask God for something, that the very action of asking is the equivalent of playing Roulette. I have spoken with people who are afraid that God will be angry at them for being so needy, or that He will either answer “no”, or He will answer yes, but in a way that will cause them harm like the Djinn from popular movies.
However these common beliefs actually could not be further from the truth. God is not someone who will play you out. God is not a sadist or a bully. God cares more about you than you can possibly imagine, and He actually delights in doing good to you and blessing you! This is what we will be studying today.
A common belief among the church is we should exhort each-other to holy living, which we commonly believe to be to stop committing sinful acts. This has actually caused a lot of confusion, resentment, bitterness and condemnation with many in the church due to the fact that it takes the center focus away from Christ and puts the focus back onto ourselves and our own works. It may surprise you to learn then that God has a completely different diagnosis and prescription for living a strong life in Christ (your holiness is actually already taken care of, as we have studied previously); but as for living a strong and solid life built on the foundation of Jesus Christ, the typical way in which the church body handles this is not only detrimental, but actually opposite to what scripture says!
That's why, today in this study we will be examining from scripture what God says about living a strong life in Christ. How it happens, what can hinder it, and how we should react if we see someone else struggling (or ourselves!) and hint: it is not by pointing out their faults! If you have been wondering what the real Biblical solution is to strength for living, this study will reveal the “secret”.
What does it mean to “grow” from a Christian standpoint. Many people think that to grow spiritually means that we must do more, or have more head-knowledge; to know more facts about God or to be able to memorize more of the Bible. However, is this what the Bible actually teaches? Is this what growing in Christ actually is?
Today in this study, we will be examining what the scriptures say about true spiritual growth. (hint, it may be quite surprising!) and that true spiritual growth is exactly the way Jesus describes it, as a tree. As you see these truths, you will realize how amazing the work of God in you really is, and how simple He has actually made things for you.
If I were to ask you what God thinks of you, what kind of answer would you give? Most believers would probably say that “Oh, He loves me!” and that is certainly a true statement, but it has become almost cliché in our current culture to say “God loves you” or that “Jesus loves me”. We say the words, but do we really understand what they mean? The world today has a distorted, corrupted idea of what love is, and that is purely from a human standpoint, much more so then is the love of God misunderstood.
In this study today, we will look deeply into how the scriptures show the love of God in all of its glory. So that you can truly know the way that God thinks of you with love, and have a real revelation of what that means. The love of God will no longer be an empty statement without meaning.
All across the globe, believers are struggling, striving, working, sweating screaming and shouting, they are doing these things in desperation as they try to receive the blessings and miracles into their lives that they need so much. Every day they try, and every day ends with another disappointment as the sun sets and they still are no better off… all their struggling was in vain. Perhaps you can identify with this scenario. Perhaps you need a miracle in your life right now, whether it is healing, or financial, or even a miracle in your mind or your spirit. Whatever it is, you have been fighting for it, but you just can't seem to lay hold on the thing that you are reaching for.
That’s why, in this study today we will be examining the truth of the completed work of Jesus Christ, as it applies to receiving the blessings that He has paid for you to have. As you meditate on these scriptural truths, you will be able to receive what is already yours in Christ.
You have probably heard it quoted before, that you must fear the LORD thy God and serve Him only. This is a popular quote from scripture that seems to get a lot of circulation. Though in all of its popularity and use, it never really is explained what exactly this fear is. Are we to tremble and quake before a holy God as some preachers would have us do? Or does it mean something else entirely?
You might be surprised to learn that Biblical fear is something different than the kind of fear that we often associate with it today. It is by understanding the word fear as the Bible defines it, that we can begin to see what the scripture is actually telling us, versus what man merely assumes of it. This is what we will be studying today.
One of the most common questions asked within Christian circles today is how to properly apply our faith. How do we take the information that God has given us and apply it to our lives in a real and working way that makes it be of some benefit and effect? Often-times this is the “million-dollar question”. And the lack of a real answer to this question has stumbled many people over the years. People become frustrated because the answers that are usually given, generally are not really answers at all. People say things like “Well, just keep on fighting, keep on pressing in.” – and that's a nice word, the Bible does speak about the importance of perseverance, but at the same time, it totally fails to answer the question at hand… how do we apply our faith to our lives and make it effectual?
This very question is what we will be answering today in this study, and we will be answering it directly from scripture, so that this important question will not be a stumbling block any longer. If you have been looking for a breakthrough regarding faith, then you will find it today in this study.