Episode 81 Direct Revelation of Jesus Christ

Paul said that the gospel he preached did not come through any man, but by direct revelation of Jesus Christ. Is the experience of Paul unique to Him or is he an example of what each one of us should expect today? Today we continue the series by T. Austin-Sparks based on Paul’s letter to the Galatians. In this message, Sparks focuses on the subject of direct revelation of Christ to Paul and what we should expect in our relationship with God. Here is a short quote from this ministry:

How did we get what we got? That is going to decide everything for the future. Sooner or later the stresses of life will come upon our position. The Lord will allow our position to be tried in the fires. And His object in so doing will be to find out exactly what we are resting upon. So Paul said, "I received it not from men, nor from a man. Peter may have been a very important man, but I did not get it from Peter. James may have been the Lord's Own brother in the flesh, and he ought to know, but I did not receive it from James. John was a very loving devoted disciple, he was one of the first three, but I did not get it from John. These men gave me nothing. I RECEIVED IT BY DIRECT REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST. That is the basis of this dispensation. That is the basis of true spiritual Christianity. And that is the great distinguishing mark between a legal system and a spiritual life.

Meeting 28—The Great Distinguishing Mark Between a Legal system and a Spiritual Life is by Direct Revelation of Jesus Christ T. Austin-Sparks, February 26, 1964 A.M.

http://www.austin-sparks.net/english/books/001097.html

• Additional resources at http://www.ntchurchsource.com/ • Theme song “Will Your Anchor Hold” sung by J. Ashley Milne • Comments and questions welcome. Email [email protected]  

Episode 80 Is Christianity a Legal System or a Spiritual Movement from Heaven

Is Christianity a legal system on the earth or is it a spiritual movement from heaven? Or to put the question in other words, is what we see in the world that is called “Christianity” what God desires? If not, why not and how do we deal with that? The question that we pose is a very critical question for us. How does God view what we call “Christianity”? To answer this question, I want to share with us some ministry given some years ago by T. Austin-Sparks in a gathering in Manila, Philippines. It was given in some morning meetings in February 1964. At that point, Sparks was an older man and near the end of His time of ministry. I think the insight God gave him can be very helpful to us in answering this all important question. The transcript from the ministry is available on the Sparks web site (link below) so the reading is from that.

Meeting 27—Is Christianity a Legal System on the Earth, or is it a Spiritual Movement From Heaven? T. Austin-Sparks, February 25, 1964 A.M.

Some Key points: • Judaism was a very strong religious system • Paul was a chosen vessel of God to introduce Christ into this context • Paul faced a very strong battle with Judaism the moment Christ revealed Himself • The true nature of Christianity was put to a very severe test in the early church • The controversy that began in that day has continued down to us today • It is possible for us to be bound by a legal religious system called “Christianity” • The true Gospel brings us into liberty in Christ

http://www.austin-sparks.net/english/books/001096.html

• Additional resources at http://www.ntchurchsource.com/ • Theme song “Will Your Anchor Hold” sung by J. Ashley Milne • Comments and questions welcome. Email [email protected]

Episode 79 Christ is Head of His Church

Christ is head of His church. Authority is at the very center of that statement. Moving under the authority of Christ is our place of safety, grace, and fulfillment. Today we share some ministry by Gordon Gentry on this subject.

The scripture is Colossians 1:12-18. Some of the subjects mentioned are as follows:

• Exercising our will in God • Made by Him and for Him • Fulfilment is found in submission to His authority • God’s order in the man/woman relationship • Thinking in God • Life in God is a continual growth in experiencing God • Faith requires that we put our whole self into God’s word • There is no balance between the natural and spiritual • Christ is working now in and through every member • Our lives must command our children

• Additional resources at http://www.ntchurchsource.com/ • Theme song “Will Your Anchor Hold” sung by J. Ashley Milne • Comments and questions welcome. Email [email protected]

Episode 78 Discerning the Body of Christ

Paul said that if a person partakes of the Lord’s Table but does not discern the Lord’s body, he eats and drinks judgment to himself. What does it mean to discern the Lord’s body? What is the “Lord’s body”? A critical foundation truth pertaining to the purpose and working of God in our time is that we are charged with being an expression of the Body of Christ in our locality. This is a great privilege and at the same times a grave responsibility. God has chosen to work in and through a many-member body to express His life. “Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.” (1 Corinthians 12:27, NKJV) Partaking of the Lord’s Table together is a statement that we are in a right relationship with God and one another, and have accepted this responsibility before the Lord. To make the statement falsely invites the Lord’s judgment.

• The focus of a true expression of the Body of Christ is Christ Himself o Christ must be the foundation (the work of God in the cross) o Christ must be the life (the Holy Spirit indwelling each member) o Christ must be the Head (each member submitted to the authority of Christ) • The foundation of the body is the broken body and blood of Christ o All have been brought into union with Christ by the Spirit (I Cor. 12:12-13) o All have been called to participate in His suffering (rejection by the world) o To lay down their own life and live His life for the purpose of God • As a member of the Body, I have a responsibility to give and receive o God places me in an expression of His body according to His wisdom and choice o I am responsible to recognize God coming to me through other members o I am responsible to care for other members according to the grace God has given me • Not discerning the Body of Christ could include: o Only seeing my salvation as an individual matter o Only seeing a gathering of believers as a “meeting” or organization o Holding myself aloof from close relationships o Not desiring accountability o Not submitting “one to another” o Seeing myself as complete without the grace of others • To partake of “one loaf” and “one cup” without the corresponding relationship with Christ and others invites God’s judgment (weakness, sickness, and even death) • God brings discipline that we may not be condemned with the world o Conviction of the Holy Spirit in a personal way o Care coming through other members o Grace of oversight o Plurality of brothers to give strength to truth I need o The final judgment of the church if necessary

• Additional resources at http://www.ntchurchsource.com/ • Theme song “Will Your Anchor Hold” sung by J. Ashley Milne • Comments and questions welcome. Email [email protected]

Episode 77 Judgment

It seems that there is one statement by Jesus that the whole world knows about, Christians and non-Christians alike: “Judge not that you be not judged.” Yet Paul said that the spiritual man judges all things. How do we reconcile these two statements? The subject of judgment often brings a host of responses, some of them quite passionate. Is there ever a place that we are to “judge” another person or is that entirely in the hands of God without human involvement? What do we mean by judgment? Sometimes we use the word judgment when we mean discernment. What is the difference between these? Today we look at this subject and especially in light of the Lord’s Table where we are told that “if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged.” (1 Cor. 11:31)

• Judgment o To make an evaluation for the purpose of choosing the course of action o To make an evaluation in a spirit of condemnation o To pronounce a final verdict on a disputed matter • The final judgment on spiritual matters is always in the hands of God alone • The Holy Spirit has been given to arbitrate in spiritual issues (John 16:8-11) • We all make judgments (evaluations) in many things daily • In order to make proper choices, we need to have proper discernment • The Lord’s Table o A table of purity (no expression of sin) o The first action is for each member to discern or evaluate themselves properly • If we do not discern our own condition properly, God will judge out of love • God’s judgment o Spiritual (by the Spirit) o Conviction to the individual involved o Through other members (counsel) o Through the church (Matt. 18:15-20) o By sickness (I Cor. 11:29-30, James 5:13-16) o By death (Acts 5:1-11) • If we are not willing to address a wrong expression in another’s life, we do not love • All must be done in order with Godly care, wisdom, and love • If we are resistant to such involvement it should concern us: why? • Each member and the church together is responsible to testify to God’s nature

• Additional resources at http://www.ntchurchsource.com/ • Theme song “Will Your Anchor Hold” sung by J. Ashley Milne • Comments and questions welcome. Email [email protected]

Episode 76 The significance of the Lord’s Table

The Lord’s Table is central to Christian doctrine and experience. The Lord Himself initiated this on the night of the last Passover. “Do this in remembrance of Me” was His command. What does this mean? How do we fulfill this commandment? Today we want to look at what we term “The Lord’s Table” and its significance to us in the gathering together of God’s people. We will concentrate on two passages of scripture, namely I Cor. 10:14-22 and 11:23-34

Our focus is on the following: • This is the New Covenant expression of the Old Covenant Passover • This is how Jesus commanded us to remember Him • We express our love for Jesus by obeying Him in this. God’s love is defined ultimately at Calvary • To partake of the elements declares that I am partaking of His life • To not partake is also a statement that something is wrong and we are not loving Jesus in some way • Partaking together gives forth a testimony that God is in our midst and His love is prevailing • Individual and corporate accountability are included • The Table only has value as we move individually and together in faith before God • Qualification for partaking of the table • Judgement • Communion of the body of Christ • Worship

• Additional resources at http://www.ntchurchsource.com/ • Theme song “Will Your Anchor Hold” sung by J. Ashley Milne • Comments and questions welcome. Email [email protected]

Episode 75 Love never fails

Love never fails. That is Paul’s statement in writing to the Corinthians. How can that be possible? Has our love failed at times? Why did it fail? How can we know God’s love that never fails? The subject of love is perhaps the most common subject among Christians, yet at the same time the reality of a love that never fails is probably a rarity. None of us want our love to fail, but the challenges of relationships seem to bring us to the very limit.

Today we share some ministry by Gordon Gentry on this subject. It was given in 1995 to a small home gathering. I pray that God will use this ministry to strengthen all of us in this very critical area of knowing the fullness of love that passes knowledge and never fails.

Some scriptures passages referenced are as follows: Eph. 3:14-21 I Cor. 13:4-8 Eph. 4:1-6

• Additional resources at http://www.ntchurchsource.com/ • Theme song “Will Your Anchor Hold” sung by J. Ashley Milne • Comments and questions welcome. Email [email protected]

Episode 74 First Love

When God addressed the Ephesian church in the book of Revelation, He said that they had lost their first love, and that if they did not recover that He would remove their candlestick. What is first love? How do we get that? I think that all would agree that love is the critical element in our relationship with God and with one another. The Ephesian church was commended for their love, yet by the time John wrote to the church it appears that they had lost that element God called “first love.” Is this also a danger to us? If so, what is our defense against that and if we are already in that position, how can it be regained?

• The truth in Revelation chapters 2 and 3 is for all ages • The Ephesian church had a very good beginning (Acts 19-20) o They began in the Holy Spirit o Their faith was seen in deeds o Their love for the truth and one another was very real • God commended them for many things (Rev. 2:1-7) o Works, labor, patience, against evil, identified false apostles, perseverance, patience, o Hate the deeds of Nicolaitans (“it does not matter how you live”) • What was included in the love they had in the beginning o Love for all the saints (Ephesians 1:15) o God’s great love for us (2:4) o Rooted and grounded in love (3:17) o Love which passes knowledge (3:19) o Bearing with one another in love (4:2) o Speaking the truth in love (4:15) o Edifying of the body in love (4:16) o Walking in love as Christ did (5:2) • What was the answer? o “Do the first works” o What did we do when we first came to the Lord? o Familiarity is a great danger to us all o Are we continually in awe of God’s love for us in Christ? (I John 3:1) o Does the love of God in the heart by the Holy Spirit move us to deeds of love? • Deeds of love o Purify yourself (keep yourself unspotted from the world) (I John 3:3) o Setting an example (“follow me as I follow Christ”) o Bringing refreshment to our brothers and sisters (fragrance of Christ) o Maintaining a pure attitude towards others even when hurt o Opening our lives and homes to others o I Cor. 13:4-8 • He who has an ear, he who overcomes—the tree of life o Love is of God (I John 4:7) o Without love, nothing else is of value

• Additional resources at http://www.ntchurchsource.com/ • Theme song “Will Your Anchor Hold” sung by J. Ashley Milne • Comments and questions welcome. Email [email protected]

Episode 73 The Revealing of God in Jesus Christ

The last book of the Bible is entitled “The Revelation of Jesus Christ.” Paul said that the gospel he preached did not come from man but from the revelation of Jesus Christ. What do we mean by “the revelation of Jesus Christ”? How does that come to us? When we use the term “revelation” many become reserved or even afraid. They begin to think of some strange supernatural appearance and associate the statement with the devil or deception. But the word “revelation” is very scriptural and we need not be afraid of using it in the right way. In fact, it speaks of something very critical that we need today concerning Christ our Lord. Let us come to the Lord and ask God to give us a proper understanding in this matter.

• Revelation means “unveiling something that was hidden” o Christ was hidden (or veiled) to the natural man o It required a supernatural act of God to reveal who He really was (Matt. 16:13-17) • A foretaste of who Christ really was came on the mount of transfiguration (Matt: 17:1-8) • A further unveiling of Christ came in all the events surrounding Calvary (Matt: 27:54) • It was the revelation of the risen Christ that formed the foundation of the faith of the first Apostles o Thomas (John 20:28) o Peter (I Cor. 15:5, 2 Peter 1:16-18) o Paul (Acts 9:1-9,Gal. 1:11-17) • Paul is given as an example for us in many ways (I Tim. 1:12-16) • Each one of us needs a personal “revelation” of who Christ is (God revealed in the flesh) • That revelation is a critical part of bringing substance to our faith (Eph. 1:15-23) o The hope of His calling o His inheritance in us o The power available to those who believe • Christ is now the ascended Lord of all creation (Revelation chapter 1) • The grace for the churches is in who He is (Revelation chapters 2 &3) • It is “Christ in you the hope of glory” (Col. 1:27-29)

• Additional resources at http://www.ntchurchsource.com/ • Theme song “Will Your Anchor Hold” sung by J. Ashley Milne • Comments and questions welcome. Email [email protected]

Episode 72 The Message of the Cross

What is the message of the cross? Paul said it is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to those who are being saved it is the power of God. Do we know the fullness of the message or just a part? I think that all Christians know something of the cross of Jesus Christ. Perhaps some just know it as a symbol of their religion or maybe as some kind of “magic charm.” But most know that Christ died on the cross for their sins, and have believed that because of that they are forgiven and look forward to being in heaven one day. But the cross is so much more than that. I would go so far as to say that very few really know the cross as “the power of God” in experience in their daily lives. Let us ask God to give us a fresh vision of what Christ did at Calvary and how we enter into His provision in all things.

• The cross has two basic aspects o Judicial (the foundation for redeeming mankind from sin) o Practical (deliverance from the power of sin into the righteousness of God) • The Judicial o Mankind was dead in sin because of Adam (Rom. 5:12-14) o Christ came to redeem mankind back to God (Rom. 5:6-8) o At Calvary Christ took the sin of Adam’s race on Himself and accepted God’s judgment of death (2 Cor. 5:21) o He then rose again, conquered death and became the victor, the “last Adam” (I Cor. 15:20-25, Heb. 2:14-15) • The practical o We come to Christ not just to know forgiveness of sins, but to enter into His death and resurrection (Rom. 6:1-14) o We are baptized into His death and rise in newness of life (water and spirit) o In this union with Christ, everything that He did becomes ours through faith in Him and what He did o Christ died to sin, the law, the flesh, and the world o Our death to all of these is possible because He died and we died in Him o Our righteousness before God is the righteousness of Christ (1 Cor. 1:30, 2 Cor. 5:21) o The experience of this comes as we believe God (in a life relationship of faith) o God does not accept anything of the old (Adam) into the new (Christ)  He does not accept our efforts  He does not accept our natural abilities (from Adam) o God only accepts what He has already done in Christ o The Holy Spirit is sent to make the things of Christ real in us (John 16:12-15)

• Additional resources at http://www.ntchurchsource.com/ • Theme song “Will Your Anchor Hold” sung by J. Ashley Milne • Comments and questions welcome. Email [email protected]