Leaving Laodicea

In the classic movie Rocky III, we saw our hero going from underdog to the Heavyweight Champion of the World. And in achieving his goal, Rocky went through some internal and external changes. No longer was he full of passion for the fight game. No longer was there a lofty goal to achieve, a supreme purpose in his life. Now, as champion, his days were no longer filled with dreams of sacrifice and winning, but of the fear of losing what he had already accomplished. And this change is best described in the words of Mickey, his wise trainer.

“For years, you were supernatural. You had this cast iron jaw. But then the worst thing happened to you that could happen to any fighter. You got civilized.”

Ah, civilized. No longer the brute, the savage. But now a gentleman savoring the rewards of past victories and fame. Being more concerned about maintaining the status quo than serving with total commitment and reckless abandonment to a cause greater than himself.

And unfortunately, we could say the same about many, maybe most, in the church today. At one time, we were fearless, totally committed, passionate, and full of faith. We were ready and willing to charge the fires of hell with nothing more than a squirt gun in our hands. But not now. Not anymore.

Now we seem more content with being served than serving, to being taught than teaching, and to watching ministry rather than actively taking part in it.

What happened? Where did the passion and drive for Him go? The same thing that happened to Rocky has happened to us. We became civilized.

And what is the remedy for this dire situation? One word, revival.

So what is a revival? And how does a spiritual revival take place? First, let’s look at the definition of revival.

A revival refers to a spiritual awakening from a state of dormancy or stagnation in the life of a believer.

Or, to put it another way, a revival moves a believer from being content, lukewarm, or “civilized”— to a person they once were, full of faith and passion and a great, fearless desire to serve the Lord. This is what His church so desperately needs.

Which brings us to the most important question: Does God show us in His Word how to move from stagnation to fervency? Does He reveal to us the steps to experience revival? And the answer is a resounding, yes!

In Revelation 2 and 3, the Lord, in His seven letters to seven churches, lays out for us the history of the church in advance (we have looked at this amazing truth in the past). And if God listed these letters in any other order, this would not be so.

But they also, amazingly, reveal to us the life-cycle of most believers and show us the key to experiencing revival and the Higher Christian Life. In some of these letters, the Lord has only good things to say. In others, only bad. But for most, He gives both a commendation and a rebuke, and demands repentance to do what they should have been doing from the beginning. Even the names of the seven churches are prophetic in nature.

But you will have to listen to discover more. Join us as we learn how to experience revival and the Higher Christian Life through the seven letters in Revelation 2 and 3 as we Leave Laodicea behind.

To download the slides for this message, click – HERE

526: Unclog the Drain and Let His Living Water Flow

525: How Do We Remain “On Fire” When the Church is “Under Fire”?

524: For His Mercy Endures… Uh, How Long?

523: Looking for Truth in All the Wrong Places

522: The Difference Between Living or Just Being Alive

In Acts 4, we see the first organized governmental persecution of the early church. They were told, in no uncertain terms, not to “speak at all or teach in the name of Jesus” (Acts 4:18). As we have previously discussed, the issue was one of authority and whose authority the church would bow to. Respectively, the disciples refused to follow the governmental mandate, and Christian civil disobedience was born (Acts 4:20). When they returned and reported to their brethren what the government demanded and their response, the entire church broke into a spontaneous time of praise and prayer that is unequaled in the book of Acts.

First, they understood the Biblical basis for their persecution.

So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord and said: “Lord, You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them, who by the mouth of Your servant David have said: ‘Why did the nations rage, and the people plot vain things? The kings of the earth took their stand, and the rulers were gathered together against the LORD and against His Christ’ – Acts 4:24-26.

Next, they acknowledged God’s sovereignty in all they were suffering.

“For truly against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose determined before to be done” – Acts 4:27-28.

And finally, they offered to God their two prayer requests.

“Now, Lord, look on their threats, and (1) grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, by (2) stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus” – Acts 4:29-30.

So what happened next? They experienced the dramatic power of the Holy Spirit, and God immediately answered their first prayer request.

And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and (1) they spoke the word of God with boldness – Acts 4:31.

But when was their second prayer request answered? Not until Acts 5, beginning with verse 12 and following.

And through the hands of the apostles (2) many signs and wonders were done among the people. And they were all with one accord in Solomon’s Porch – Acts 5:12.

This raises just a few questions. Chiefly, why the delay? Why was one request answered immediately and the other took some time? Was there something that needed to be done by the church before they could receive answer two? Or was there some lesson the Lord was trying to teach them, and us, regarding receiving answers to prayer? If so, what can we learn from this? And why is it even important?

It appears something needed to happen to unclog the drain that was hindering the church from experiencing the free-flowing Spirit they had before. And it seemed to involve the hypocrisy, and possibly the church’s acceptance of this hypocrisy, that was centered on a man named Ananias and his wife, Sapphira. I am sure you are familiar with the story. You can read about them in Acts 5:1-12.

Needless to say, God’s actions against these two seem, from our vantage point, somewhat heavy-handed, even bordering on overkill.  But we forget about Nadab and Abihu, who offered “profane fire before the Lord” (Ex. 28:1), and Uzza, whose only crime was trying to keep the Ark of God from falling in the mud (2 Sam. 6:6-7). In both instances, God’s actions seem extreme when seen through the eyes of fallen, unholy men, like us.

But God sees things differently, especially when His honor and glory are at stake (Mal. 1:6-14).

So what can we learn from the life of Ananias and Sapphira? Let me give you just a few points.

•  There will always be tares among the wheat, just like Jesus said in Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43.

•  Actions always speak louder than words. Always!

•  The Holy Spirit is fully God and not something less.

•  And God is not to be mocked, ever!

•  Sin and pride hinder the work of the Holy Spirit in both an individual’s life and in His church.

•  Finally, God will go to great lengths to secure and maintain the purity of His church – even doing things that seem heavy-handed and out of character to us today.

Join us today as we discover another way God protects His church during persecution by removing roadblocks that hinder His children from truly experiencing Him and embracing the abundant life He promised (John 10:10), as we Leave Laodicea behind.

To download the slides for this message, click – HERE

525: How Do We Remain “On Fire” When the Church is “Under Fire”?

524: For His Mercy Endures… Uh, How Long?

523: Looking for Truth in All the Wrong Places

522: The Difference Between Living or Just Being Alive

521: How to Know the Will of God When We Pray

This statement, attributed to the popular humorist Mark Twain, summarizes the dark forces gathering together to come against the Lord’s church in these last days. In other words, what we see on our horizon is like what the church has suffered in the past. And the ways and methods of church persecution revealed in the book of Acts are the same that are being used against the church and faithful Christians today.

But there is one difference. In times past, the church was on fire as it lived under fire. But today, not so much.

Today we will look at Acts 3 and 4 and clearly see the methods of intimidation, deplatforming, cancel culture, and raw threats of asset forfeiture and imprisonment that were hurled against the first century church are the same being thrown at the church today. The situations and circumstances of the persecution may differ, but everything else is the same.

So what are we to do? Great question. And Hal Lindsey has a great answer. I have posted below an email I received from Hal that will help us, in the face of prophetic adversity, keep looking up so we as His church can learn how to remain “on fire” as we live “under fire.”

By Hal Lindsey

Wars are always packed with tragedy and pain. But these days we see these things in a unique way. According to the CIA Factbook, Ukraine has almost as many cell phones per capita as the United States. Cell phones double as motion picture cameras and audio recorders. Those mechanical eyes and ears connect to the internet.

All wars are tragic, but this time we can see war’s tragedies in a more personal way than at any other time in history. And what we see— the sights and sounds from those Ukrainian cell phones— breaks our hearts.

We see the cruelty, the anguish, the fear, and the pain. There may have been times when you were so overwhelmed that you had to stop watching. I understand. It doesn’t mean you’re hardhearted. Just the opposite. It means you are able to empathize, and sometimes that becomes too much to bear.

Sadly, Ukraine is not the only place of cruelty and pain on planet earth just now. Many Christians in Africa, for instance, face unspeakable brutality. The Uyghurs in China are experiencing a level of persecution that some say approaches genocide. And don’t forget the “little” atrocities committed against vulnerable people even in affluent circumstances. All over the world, people suffer the aftereffects of their own and other people’s sin.

As the days pass, more Christians find themselves praying with John in Revelation 22:20, “Even so, come, Lord Jesus!.” We long for the millennium, for a world made right by the rule of God the Son, the Prince of Peace. Those of us who know Him, know that we can trust His will. And where He reigns, His will prevails.

But the Bible doesn’t just speak of a future kingdom of God. It also speaks of God’s kingdom in the present tense. Mark 1:15 reveals the message with which Jesus began His preaching ministry. “The kingdom of God is at hand.”

Colossians 1:12-14 says, “Giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. For He delivered us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

When we come to Christ, God transfers us into His kingdom. If you are in Christ, you are part of His kingdom right now! That means He’s your King. He reigns in you. Where He reigns, His will prevails. And where His will prevails, His power flows!

We need that power now. We need to speak His words with His authority. We need the confidence that comes from knowing we stand safely in the center of His will. May we be circumspect in our thoughts, disciplined in our actions, diligent in our work, and faithful to learn His will by studying His word and going to Him in prayer. In times like these, may we consistently behave as commissioned representatives of His Kingdom— for our loved ones and for a desperate world.

Join us as we learn from the example of the early church how to stand strong in the face of persecution and threats by keeping Jesus in the center of all we do. And in doing so, we will continue to learn how to Leave Laodicea behind.

To download the slides for this message, click – HERE

524: For His Mercy Endures… Uh, How Long?

523: Looking for Truth in All the Wrong Places

522: The Difference Between Living or Just Being Alive

521: How to Know the Will of God When We Pray

520: Faith, Revival, and the Example of George Muller

Several times in Scripture, we get a glimpse into the personal agony of sin. We see the pain and inner turmoil of sin’s conviction when it is revealed by a holy God, and then the joy of repentance and forgiveness freely given by the same holy and merciful God. It is a wondrous cycle from death to life, guilt to freedom, and from utter despair to joyous jubilation.

For example, in 2 Samuel 11, we have a front-row seat to David’s sin with Bathsheba and his murder of Uriah the Hittite. And for a time, it seemed like David might have actually gotten away with it. But in walked Nathan the prophet, with his bony finger pointed at the guilt-ridden David, speaking those chilling words, “You are the man!” (2 Sam. 12:7).

And David’s response? You can read all about it in Psalm 51. It is a gut-wrenching admission of guilt and cry for mercy and forgiveness. Let me give you a taste by looking at the first few verses.

“Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; according to the multitude of Your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight— that You may be found just when You speak, and blameless when You judge” (Psalm 51:1-4).

Can you feel David’s torment and the questioning in his heart? It was like he was saying, “Can God forgive me for this great sin? Or have I exhausted the great reservoir of His mercy? Is there enough mercy with God for me to be forgiven just one more time? Or have I come to the end of His grace?”

Have you ever felt what David was feeling when you sinned, in that old, familiar way, after vowing to God you would never sin that way again if He would just forgive you this one last time? If so, then you somewhat know what David was feeling and may have had the same questions He did about the limits of God’s mercy.

We find the answer to this question in Psalm 136. In this Psalm, which was sung at the dedication of Solomon’s Temple (2 Chron. 7:3,6), we see the perfect picture of the magnitude of God’s mercy. It recounts the ways God redeemed and provided for His people from creation until they entered the Promise Land. And despite their many failures, each of the 26 stanzas end with this encouraging phrase, “His mercy endures forever.”

“His mercy endures forever.”

But there is more. As you will note, in your Bibles, the word endures is italicized. This means it was added by our translators for clarity and not included in the original text. So now, the statement looks more like a question and an answer. Instead of a statement, “His mercy endures forever.” We have an implied question, “His mercy?” And then and answer, “Forever!”

Question: What about the mercy of God? How long will it last? Until I sin again?

Answer: No, forever!

“His mercy?”

“Forever!”

Join us as we experience God’s great mercy by looking at the implied question and answer found in Psalm 136, as we learn how to Leave Laodicea behind.

To download the slides for this message, click – HERE

523: Looking for Truth in All the Wrong Places

522: The Difference Between Living or Just Being Alive

521: How to Know the Will of God When We Pray

520: Faith, Revival, and the Example of George Muller

519: Immanuel and the Higher Christian Life

When we look at the chaotic situation in our world today, we have a tendency to see these crises as isolated events. But they are not. They are all interconnected with each other and point to an end-game clearly revealed in Scripture. Whether it’s inflation, cancel culture, a compromised media, quantitative easing, the Covid mandates and passports, ANTIFA, BLM, January 6th, Russia and Ukraine, China and Taiwan, transgenderism, the de-platforming of conservatives, the Freedom Convoy, DOD funded bio-weapons labs, stolen elections, or any of a million different variants, each of these point to an agenda or an end goal that we can only see when we group them all together.

It’s much like a giant chess game, with each event part of a grand strategy designed to gain position for the coming world leader and global governance. Surprised? Don’t be. Jesus told us all these things in advance so we would not be deceived.

“For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand” – Matthew 24:24-25.

And according to Jesus, all these events are just the beginning of labor pains (Matt. 24:8).

In Matthew 24, in what is known as the Olivet Discourse, Jesus warned us about what to expect in the time leading up to His return. And His key warning had to do with deception. Consider the following.

•  “Take heed that no one deceives you” – Matthew 24:4.

•  “For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many” – Matthew 24:4.

•  “Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many” – Matthew. 24:11.

•  “For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect” – Matthew 24:24.

And then it gets even worse.

“For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened” – Matthew 24:21-22.

So what are we to do? How can we make sure our families and those we love are not deceived and swept up in the apostasy that defines the last days (2 Thes. 2:3)? And how can we remain unmovable and steadfast in our faith (1 Cor. 15:58), especially as we see the day approaching? Who can we believe? Who can we trust? Certainly not the media, nor the government, nor Hollywood. So, where do we turn for truth?

Great question. Timely question. And one that begs to be answered.

Join us as we attempt to uncover the thread that runs through all this uncertain chaos that fills the airwaves, 24/7, as we discover from the Scriptures what we can expect next on the prophetic timetable, as we learn how to Leave Laodicea behind.

To download the slides for this message, click – HERE

522: The Difference Between Living or Just Being Alive

521: How to Know the Will of God When We Pray

520: Faith, Revival, and the Example of George Muller

519: Immanuel and the Higher Christian Life

518: Living in the Kingdom, While Living on Earth

We have been talking about the Higher Christian Life for quite some time. And today, we will discover Jesus pointing to this manner of life, the “abundant life” as He called it in John 10:10, while He was trying to encourage Martha at the tomb of her brother, Lazarus. Do you remember the story? If so, we will see Jesus offering us a life truly worth living and not one of mere existence, of just being alive. It’s the difference between experiencing an exhilarating life of wonder and joy or an artificially sustained life, like a comatose patient on life support. One is truly living, the other is just being alive— barely.

Let me elaborate.

When Jesus received word of Lazarus’ illness, He waited two more days before heading to Bethany (John 11:6). But by that time, it was too late, four days too late (John 11:17). Lazarus had died and was already buried. For Lazarus’ sisters, all hope of a healing was gone, buried just like their brother. For them, Jesus arrived late, the curtain had closed, and their hope was as lifeless as their brother.

Both Mary and Martha were in mourning. When Martha heard Jesus had finally arrived, she ran to meet Him and uttered the pain she held in her heart. She said, almost like an accusation, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died” (John 11:21). Jesus, trying to encourage her, said, “Your brother will rise again.” But unable to see the big picture, Martha responded, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last days” (John 11:23-24). It was almost like she was saying, “But what help is that to me now? I know I will see him in heaven, but I need to see him now. And if You would have been here, this would not have happened.”

It was at this point Jesus spoke these life-changing words.

“I am the resurrection and the life. He who believe in Me, thought he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” – John 11:25-26.

Great question for each of us as well. Do we believe His words? And if so, what does He mean by live? Does it mean a longevity of years, like “eternal life” (John 3:15) or “everlasting life” (John 3:16)? Or could it also mean something else?

Let’s look at the three times in His statement that Jesus uses the words life, live, and lives, and see if we can discover something wonderful about the resurrected life He offers.

In Jesus’ words to Martha, He purposely used two different Greek words for life and live. They are zōḗ and záō and they each reveal a different dimension of the life He offers each of us. Let’s look at the definition of these two words:

First, zōḗ.  The word zōḗ refers to “physical life and existence as opposed to death and nonexistence.” It is the most common word for life and conveys what we assume today when we think of eternal life— life that does not end. Yet, it says little about the quality of that life, only that life exists.

Next, the word záō means “to live, to pass one’s life, to live in a certain way or manner.” This word reveals more about the type of life one leads than the fact they will live forever or have life. But it also means “to live unto God and be devoted to Him, to live a life characteristic of a resurrected life.” And, by implication, to “live and prosper, to be blessed, and to live satisfied in Him.” Or, as we would call it, to live the Higher Christian Life or the “abundant life” Jesus promised (John 10:10).

With this background, let’s look at the words of Jesus one more time.

“I am the resurrection and the life (zōē). He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live (záō). And whoever lives (záō) and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” – John 11:25-26.

Do you see the specific choice of words Jesus used to convey this truth to Martha, and to us? Consider the statement one more time.

“I am (present tense, currently and forever) the resurrection and the life (zōē – physical life, as opposed to death). He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live (záō – the manner of life, the resurrected life, the abundant life, the Higher Christian Life). And whoever lives (záō – the manner of life, the resurrected life, the abundant life, the Higher Christian Life) and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

Even here, at the tomb of Lazarus, Jesus is pointing to a life that knows no bounds and is available to all who are in Him. Currently, forever, He is our resurrection. Jesus, by His simple breath and nature, can bring to life— not just any life, but an abundant life, an overcoming life— that which sin and neglect have destroyed. He said, “Behold, I make all things new” (Rev. 21:5), which includes you and me.

There is so much more we have to say about these small Greek words and the profound meaning they have for us in our quest for the Higher Christian Life. So join us as we learn more about Jesus, the “Resurrection and the Life” who is beyond what we can ask or even conceive in our mind (Eph. 3:20). And let’s experience the “abundant life” found only in Him, together.

To download the slides for this message, click – HERE

521: How to Know the Will of God When We Pray

520: Faith, Revival, and the Example of George Muller

519: Immanuel and the Higher Christian Life

518: Living in the Kingdom, While Living on Earth

517: Something More Powerful Than Your Faith

For many believers, prayer is often confusing and frustrating. We pray earnestly, with as much faith as we can muster up, and many times the answer to our heartfelt prayer is no, or worse, silence. And if we have this experience with prayer and faith repeatedly, eventually, for most believers, we rely less on prayer and more on our own efforts to make things happen our way. Now, instead of praying, “Your will be done,” we pray, “Lord, please bless the works of my hands,” whether or not it is God’s will.

See the dilemma?

Then, when seeking confidence in our prayers, we stumble across 1 John 5:14-15 which seems, at least on the surface, to be the silver bullet we were looking for. Uh, until we look at the passage closer. Then we see the condition that unlocks the promise of confidence.

Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him – 1 John 5:14-15.

And quickly, we see the linear promise and corresponding conditions in this passage.

Confidence in Him (our goal) – We Ask – His Will (condition) – He Hears – We Receive

We can have the confidence to know that if we ask, and here is the stickler, anything “according to His will,” that He hears us and will grant what we ask. But what we pray for must be “according to His will.” If we ask what He wants, He will naturally grant our request. But if we ask something selfish, something “amiss” (James 4:3), God is under no obligation to answer our prayer the way we want.

So the emphasis in our prayer life should not be on changing God’s mind to match our wants. It is to first find out the will of God and then pray accordingly. We are to have the mind of Christ (1 Cor. 2:16), and not the other way around.

So how is that done? How can we discover the will of God in our prayer life? And once I discover it, how can I know for certain I am praying “according to His will”? How can I make sure I am not self-deluded into thinking what I want is what God wants? And finally, when I pray, how can I tell the difference between His will and mine?

As we shared last time, there are two ways to be successful in almost every area of life, both physical and spiritual. One, find someone who is successful and do exactly what they did to become successful. Or two, find a dismal failure, someone you would never want to be like, and do the exact opposite of what they did to get where they are. This principle works in both the natural life and the spiritual life.

We looked at the life of George Muller last time to discover some of his secrets of faith in his relationship with the Lord. If you have yet to listen to that episode, I would suggest you do that before reading any further.

George Muller is our example of both faith and prayer, but especially of praying “according to His will.” And he has not left us in the dark regarding this matter. George Muller published a small paper which outlined the six steps he went through with each prayer request to make sure he was praying God’s will, and not his own. And these six principles can help us today learn how to discover the will of God in our prayer life, before we come to Him in prayer.

So in the words of George Muller, let me share them with you.

One, I seek at the beginning to get my heart into such a state that it has no will of its own in regard to a given matter. Nine tenths of the trouble with people is just here. Nine tenths of the difficulties are overcome when our hearts are ready to do the Lord’s will, whatever it may be. When one is truly in this state, it is usually but a little way to the knowledge of what His will is.

Two, having done this, I do not leave the result to feelings or simple impression. If I do so, I make myself liable to great delusions.

Three, I seek the will of the Spirit of God through, or in connection with, the Word of God. The Spirit and the Word must be combined. If I look to the Spirit alone without the Word, I lay myself open to great delusions also. If the Holy Spirit guides us at all, He will do it according to the Scriptures and never contrary to them.

Four, I take into account providential circumstances. These often plainly indicate God’s will in connection with His Word and Spirit.

Five, I ask God in prayer to specifically reveal His will to me. (According to Muller, the key to getting specific answers to prayer is to ask God to specifically reveal His will to you.)

Six, thus, through prayer to God, the study of the Word, and reflection, I come to a deliberate judgment, according to the best of my ability and knowledge, and if my mind is thus at peace, and continues so after two or three more petitions, I proceed accordingly.

Join us as we learn about faith and the confidence we need in our prayer life from George Muller as we move forward in embracing the Higher Christian Life.

To download the slides for this message, click – HERE

520: Faith, Revival, and the Example of George Muller

519: Immanuel and the Higher Christian Life

518: Living in the Kingdom, While Living on Earth

517: Something More Powerful Than Your Faith

516: School’s Out— Time to Do Something

When we look at the condition of our world and of the spiritual temperature of the church, the clear assessment is that we need revival. Not a revival meeting or a revival as a once-a-year event, but a revival akin to an awakening, like our nation has experienced in the past. It is a re-capturing of lost spiritual ground, exemplified by what Jesus said to the church at Ephesus, “I have this against you, that you have left your first love” (Rev. 2:4). Understanding our present condition, revival would be to rekindle that love by remembering “from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works” (Rev. 2:5).

Which naturally leads to a few questions.

What is a Christian revival?

Why is revival so important in the life of a Believer?

What are some examples of past revivals?

What happens during a revival?

How does spiritual revival take place?

What are the effects of a revival?

And how can we begin the process of revival today?

We should also note, the process of revival is the quickest way to experience the Higher Christian Life we have been talking about. Why? Because the definition of revival is a “spiritual awakening from a state of dormancy or stagnation in the life of a believer.” And this spiritual awakening comes from a resurgence of faith in the believer. Not faith for salvation, but faith in the Word and character of God. It is taking God at His Word and living one’s life in accordance with His truth, and not what we think or feel or want.

And the key to revival and the Higher Christian Life, as with most things in our walk with Christ, is faith.

There are two ways to be successful in almost every area of life, both physical and spiritual. One, find someone who is successful and do exactly what they did to become successful. Or two, find a dismal failure, someone you would never want to be like, and do the exact opposite of what they did to get where they are. This principle works in both the natural life and the spiritual life.

The problem for us, especially regarding living by faith, is that we don’t know many believers who have achieved what we desire. Most of our faith heroes are long since gone and many today struggle like we do with faith. There are very few, if any, Christian leaders who, like Paul, would confidently say, “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ” (1 Cor. 11:1). If there were, we could follow and imitate them and learn from their life. But faith heroes like these are few, especially in the West.

So what are we to do? Simple. We will learn and be discipled by the faith heroes of the past. And in my estimation, the greatest example of pure faith in the last 300 years is a man named George Muller.

Let me tell you just a little about his life.

•  He was born in 1805 in Prussia (Germany) and died in 1898, at the age of 92.

•  He was an evangelist and the founder and director of the Ashley Down orphanage in Bristol, England, and cared for over 10,024 orphans during his lifetime.

•  He established 117 schools which offered Christian education to over 120,000 children.

•  He established the Scriptural Knowledge Institution for Home and Abroad and distributed over 285,407 Bibles, 1,459,506 New Testaments, and 244,351 other religious tracks that were translated into twenty languages.

And he did all of this by prayer alone. Muller never solicited gifts nor went into dept nor told anyone their financial needs. When asked, he would say, “the Lord provides for all our needs.” It is estimated he prayed into the ministry over $113,000,000.

I believe this is someone we can learn from regarding faith, don’t you?

But to show you the magnitude of the five orphan houses he was able to build through prayer and faith alone, consider the following:

Join us as we learn about faith and revival and the Higher Christian Life from a simple man of faith, George Muller.

To download the slides for this message, click – HERE

519: Immanuel and the Higher Christian Life

518: Living in the Kingdom, While Living on Earth

517: Something More Powerful Than Your Faith

516: School’s Out— Time to Do Something

515: How to Experience Freedom From Your “Besetting Sins”

One of the unmistakable truths that leads to a fuller understanding of the Higher Christian Life is our embracing the fact of the Holy Spirit living in us. Now, I know you know that… at least cognitively, as a fact, and probably have this truth hidden for safekeeping somewhere deep in the recesses of your brain. But that’s not where the reality of this wonder takes place. And it is not the knowledge of this truth that leads to the Higher Christian Life, but the experiencing of this truth.

We experience “God with us” when we wholeheartedly release our fear and doubt and shame to the One who literally lives in us. One who abides in you (John 15:4-5). The Spirit, fully God in every sense, who has chosen to “rest, dwell, live, to make His home” in you as well as to “remain united with one heart, one mind, and one will” with you. After all, this is the definition of the Greek word which translates, abides.

This was all promised to us eons ago. We see it in the Old Testament, in the words of Isaiah.

“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel” – Isaiah 7:14.

And an angel later confirmed it to a troubled, betrothed man named Joseph.

But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.”

So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us” – Matthew 1:20-23.

We often focus on the miracle of Christ’s birth, and rightly so. But we find one vital key to the Higher Christian Life revealed in the name given Jesus. They shall call His name Immanuel, which means, “God with us.” Not just with us physically, but with us eternally in the Person of the Holy Spirit.

Oh, the wondrous joy of knowing we are never alone. For God is with us and in us and has promised to never leave us as orphans (John 14:18). His name, given before time for our understanding of the miracle of redemption, is Immanuel. And Immanuel means “God with us.” He is always with us. And we will be forever with Him.

But that raises a few questions on a practical level.

•  What does it mean to have God with us?

•  And how is He with us?

•  What is that experience like?

Now, let’s make it personal.

•  Is God with you?

•  Is He with you theologically or experientially?

•  And if He is, what is that experience like?

•  How does your life reflect God with you?

It is in the Person of the Holy Spirit that God lives in us and is with us. And it is by surrendering our lives to Him who lives in us and is with us that we begin to experience the Higher Christian Life.

So let me encourage you, as you join us today, to consider deeply the meaning of the name of our Lord and realize His very name speaks of the wonder of our redemption. We have our sins forgiven so that we can have fellowship with God Himself. But not by trekking to Mount Sinai to go where God is. No, He is now where we are and He is the One who made the journey for our benefit.

Rest easy in this confusing world. After all, God is with us, with you, forever.

To download the slides for this message, click – HERE

518: Living in the Kingdom, While Living on Earth

517: Something More Powerful Than Your Faith

516: School’s Out— Time to Do Something

515: How to Experience Freedom From Your “Besetting Sins”

514: Religion = Serving God Without Power

We, as believers, are dual citizens and live in two kingdoms. We have temporal citizenship in this world, or so it seems, maybe as a citizen of the United States or whatever country you may be from. But more importantly, we are citizens of the Kingdom of God, citizens in His eternal Kingdom that has no equal. And both kingdoms have rules, make demands, and pull us in opposite directions.

Promises empower one Kingdom. And the other kingdom is full of disappointments.

Note: For a faith exercise and to experience how God’s Kingdom operates, try beginning in Matthew and write down every promise given to you as a child of your loving Father. Start with the Sermon on the Mount. And then align your life in such a way as to live by those promises, to see if they are true or not. What you will soon discover is this earthly kingdom, the fallen kingdom of this world, never keeps its promises. Yet every promise in God’s Word is as true and steadfast as the King Himself. This revelation alone should help you see the waste and futility of one kingdom and the infinite value of the other.

But for most of us, we try to find our success and happiness in this world by doing what this world rewards. We work to make money, and then more money so that we can buy worthless stuff. We want people to like us, so we become like them and like what they like, just to be accepted. And if we are not happy, we will move heaven and earth to change things and rearrange our reality in our vain attempt to make us happy. Not realizing the source of all happiness lives in us, and we are already accepted, loved, and liked by the King of king and Lord of lords (Rev. 19:16).

Unfortunately, this is how many believers live their allotted days in life, chasing after trinkets and toys and things that pass away in time.

But that’s not how those live who desire the Higher Christian Life. For them, all the transitory and temporary things of this world mean nothing compared to what is eternal and infinite. They reason, “If I will live for only 70 or 80 years and then die and leave everything behind, yet spend eternity in heaven, why would I not focus more on heaven while living on earth? Why would I devote my life to something I cannot take with me and slight what I can never lose?”

Or, as Jim Elliot wrote in his journal on October 28, 1949, seven years before he was martyred as a missionary to the Auca tribes in Ecuador:

“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.”

So how can we live in His Kingdom without listening to the deceptive and demanding voices of this world? And how can we live in such a way as to daily experience the Higher Christian Life?

Logic states there are two ways to be successful.  First, find someone who is successful and where you want to be and do exactly what they did to get to where they are. And second, find someone who is a dismal failure, someone you never want to be, and do the exact opposite of what they did to make them what they are. Logically, either path should work and point you in the right direction.

So let’s take the first path and follow the example of Paul, who obviously lived in the experience of the Higher Christian Life. Consider what he did and how he lived:

But what things were gain to me (in this kingdom), these I have counted loss (why) for Christ (and His Kingdom). Yet indeed I also count all (pas) things loss (why) for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, (for what purpose)

(1) that I may gain Christ

(2) and be found in Him, (how) not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, (namely) the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may

(3) know Him and the

(4) power of His resurrection, and the

(5) fellowship of His sufferings,

(6) being conformed to His death, (why) if, by any means,

(7) I may attain to the resurrection from the dead – Philippians 3:7-11.

Do you see the trade Paul is making? He gladly gives up all he has gained in this kingdom to gain what is beyond description in God’s Kingdom. And what He gained was Christ. To know Him. To be found in Him. To experience the power of His resurrection and share in the fellowship of His sufferings. To be conformed to Him (Rom. 8:29), to live in His likeness (Col. 2:6), to have the mind of Christ (1 Cor. 2:16), and as a blessed bonus, to attain the resurrection from the dead and experience life eternal with Him. In essence, to be made complete, whole, perfect, and without defect in Him (Col. 2:10).

What a great trade for Paul! He gave up what was worthless and had an expiration date, his life, and received what is perfect and eternal, Christ in him (Rom. 6:11). And, as a great encouragement to us, he began living the perfect and eternal life in Christ while still living on earth. In other words, He experienced the Higher Christian Life and deep, profound intimacy with the Holy Spirit, just as you can today.

So surrender your life to Him and make the trade. You will forever be glad you did.

517: Something More Powerful Than Your Faith

516: School’s Out— Time to Do Something

515: How to Experience Freedom From Your “Besetting Sins”

514: Religion = Serving God Without Power

513: Choose This Day Whom You Will Serve