Have you ever worried about a future event? An expression often used is feeling as though we are “in the path of an oncoming train.” As humans, we tend to project into the future – and we usually envision the worst outcome However as believers in Jesus Christ, we should have a different hope and a different mindset.
The Bible tells us that even though things may seem bleak and we will have pressures of life come upon us, we have access to divine information and a divine source of help which very few have been drawing from, or even been aware of. This is what we will be studying today.
The word “know” is an interesting word. We sometimes use it to refer to personal, even intimate relations, and other times we use it in more of a formal and distant familiarity – as in “I know of him.”
The Scriptures speak of knowing God, in-fact the entire Bible is designed to show us Jesus for the purpose of us knowing Him. Even so, there are a great many believers today who know more of God, than actually know Him. You may have even heard me say that before and wondered about it. So today we will be exploring what it means to actually know God, and how a real relationship with Jesus benefits us in our daily lives.
There seems to be a lot of emphasis these days on relationships. Reality shows typically focus on relationships, new dating websites seem to spring up every month, and more songs are written and more movies are produced about relationships than any other subject.
It should be no surprise then that the Bible has quite a bit to say on this important topic, and while it is an extremely broad issue with many sub-areas, there is one over-arching principle which we will be studying today, and that is the importance of Jesus being the center of not only the relationship, but the center of each persons life. Whether you are single, dating, or married, the centrality of Jesus can not be over-stated, and this relationship with Him is what we will be taking a look at today.
It's almost cliché these days when someone says “faith to move mountains”, it's more of a catch-phrase than a truth. But Jesus was not joking or exaggerating when He said that these things were possible, nor was He speaking in purely spiritual terms.
Today we will be studying the kind of faith which Jesus spoke of when He walked on the earth; we will learn what it is, where it can be found and how to activate it in our lives as Jesus taught us to. At the conclusion of this study, you will have everything you need to accomplish what Jesus spoke of.
When you were a child, did you ever pretend to be royalty? Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a great ruler? You might think “I come from a low family, that could never be me, I'm not worth much of anything.” Well, are you aware that the Bible says that Jesus Christ has made us a Royal Priesthood? Worthy of double-honor from holding both positions of honor and glory.
Today we will be studying this high position which we hold in Christ Jesus, and how we can live in this honor and glory every single day of our life, and we will see our true worth and value in Christ today.
There have been quite a number of people who have wrote to me or spoken to me over the years about their problems. They tell me about their sicknesses, they tell me about their struggles, they tell me about their depression, and about their addictions and their needs of every kind. They do this because they are desperately seeking help, and in every single instance, I always lead them to the all-important truth: that Jesus is the answer.
Now some argue that this answer is too simplistic. However in truth, the Gospel is simple. It is life-changing truth, yet simple enough for a child to understand. The scriptures advise us to never leave the simplicity of the Gospel, and so today we will be studying the simple truth of the scripture, and how it is also applicable to save us in every area of or lives.
The title of the study today is purposefully phrased as a question, to get you to think. Many times believers quote Bible facts as rote and dry text rather than wonderful realities to be celebrated and rejoiced over.
Today we are going to be examining the wonderful truth that we are risen with Christ. As we see the reality of our status in Christ, this truth will become more than words and phrases that we recite, but it will become a life-changing realization that will strengthen our relationship with Jesus.
Service in the ministry is one of the most rewarding things that anyone could ever undertake. There is nothing like the experience of being led by God and given a plan and purpose by God and watching Him unfold it in your life. Every day is a blessing and every challenge ends-up being a new testimony of His love and power. However there are many serving in ministry, missions and church today, that are not experiencing what I have just described. Instead, they are finding stress, difficulty and frustration. Obviously this is not God's intention.
The same thing can be said for non-ministers as well, regardless of vocation or title, nothing can be successfully accomplished apart from the supply of Jesus. Notice that I said “successfully accomplished.” So today we will be examining the supply of Jesus that He gives to us for our benefit, how to receive it and how to apply it in our lives.
My mother used to have a lot of plants, and I used to enjoy watching her take care of them. I particularly liked planting seed and watching the complete process over weeks and months as the seed slowly grew out from the soil into a thriving plant. I remember that once for Christmas, my mother gave me a gift of a large package of many different types of seeds to grow. I was very excited and enthusiastic about it... but I encountered some unexpected difficulty in getting certain types of seed to grow, and as I researched some tips on improving my success I discovered that the soil was not right for certain types of the seed. For some seeds it was too hot or dry, and for others it was too cold or wet. Some seeds required cover soil, and others did not.
The Bible also speaks of soil and seeds, and how there is a certain type of spiritual soil that produces a wonderful harvest. If you have not been experiencing a very good spiritual yield in your life, then this study today will set you free.
One of our most popular and often requested resources, is our study on How to Have Faith in God. There have been testimonies of how this study has changed the minds and outlooks of people who now have a clear understanding of what faith is and how to grow in faith.
Today we will continue with part two of this study, examining what the Bible calls our “Good Fight of Faith”, what this fight is and how we can be victorious through Jesus Christ.
If you have not yet heard or read part one, I would suggest that you do so as the principles which we learned in that study will be mentioned and referred back to in our study today.