LHIM Everything

LHIM Everything

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LHIM Everything episodes

  • Lord of Glory

    1Peter 5:8; John10:10; Ephesians 6:11-12 Our adversary is mighty, relentless, and intimating. However….

    Jesus’ power and authority during his earthy ministry were but a small taste of his power now and in the future.

    John 2:1-11 Jesus had the authority to turn water into wine.
    Mark 8:13-21 He provided five loaves for 5,000 with 12 baskets of leftovers and seven loaves for 4,000 with 7 baskets of leftovers and demonstrated his authority to provide daily sustenance for all.
    Mark 4:37-41 Authority of the elements
    Matthew 14:23-32; John 6:16-21 Authority over gravity
    Mark 1:27; 5:1-15 Authority over demons
    Matthew 11:5 Authority over all sickness and disease
    Mark 5:22-43; Luke 7:12-16; and John 11 Authority over death
    Mark 2:1-12 Authority to forgive sins

    Jesus’ power and authority now in heaven

    Ephesians 1:20-23; 1 Peter 3:22 Authority over all supernatural power save for God
    Revelation 5:11-12 He is worthy to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessings.

    Jesus will have all power and authority in the Kingdom to come

    Colossians 1:15-20; Revelation 5:13-15
    Ephesians 6:11 and 12 Indeed our adversary is powerful, but compared to our Lord, he is nothing. Therefore, (Ephesians 6:10) stand strong in the Lord.

    The post Lord of Glory first appeared on Living Hope.
    49 min
  • Reach Out to the World

    Glorifying God is the purpose of our lives! We are called to exalt Him, not just in the church, but in our lives, in the world.
    Matthew 9:35-38
    V. 37-38 – Jesus: “Father, send someone out there to help these people!”
    Matthew 10:1, 7-22, 26-33 – Jesus sends out his disciples.
    V. 16-22 – It will be a difficult task.
    V. 19-20 – The “Spirit of your Father” would give them the words to speak.
    V. 29-31 – The context in which we reach out to the world is: you are valuable to God.

    “I am a child of the awesome God.”

    We need to put our focus on our great Father rather than on ourselves and our weaknesses.

    Acts 3:1-8 – Man healed – Gospel Preached – God is glorified
    Acts 4:1-8, 14-22 – As the disciples reached out, things happened just as Jesus said they would.
    Acts 4:24-28 – God is exalted.
    Acts 4:29-30 – Prayer: “Take note of what is against us, and give us boldness to speak”

    The post Reach Out to the World first appeared on Living Hope.
    47 min
  • Here and Now

    Genesis 28:13 God’s original revelation to Jacob
    Genesis 31: 3, 13 Over 20 years later, Yahweh tells Jacob to go back to the land.
    Genesis 32:7 – 12 Jacob is afraid, so he prays for help.
    Genesis 32:24-32 Yahweh answers his prayer.

    Yahweh empowers him to wrestle all night − something that is impossible. When it is finally over, Jacob walks away with a limp as a reminder of his own weakness and that with Yahweh you can prevail.

    Hosea 12:3 and 4 In the struggles that are beyond your human ability, with Yahweh you will prevail.
    Ephesians 6:10-12 Like Jacob, we find ourselves in an impossible situation from a human point-of-view. We cannot wrestle against spiritual powers and win without the help of God and our Lord Jesus the Christ.
    11 and 13 The full armor of God includes truth, righteousness, peace, faith, hope, God’s Word, and prayer.
    14 – The primary way the devil operates is with lies and deception. He tells you what you want to hear and appeals to your flesh; yet, it is contrary to God’s truth.
    Ephesians 4:15, 21, 24, 25; 5:9
    6:14 Righteousness is doing the next right thing. 4:24-ff; 5:9-ff
    Matthew 6:33 and 34 Live here and now. All you can do is the next right thing now.
    Ephesians 6:15 – Peace – 1:2; 6:23; 2:14-17; and 4:3 Peace is fundamental to our well-being and necessary in order to stand in the evil day. We are to be peacemakers, not peace breakers.
    Ephesians 6:16 Faith is the confidence and trust we have toward that which God promises. We know God will do everything He says He will do; and therein, we have faith.
    17 – Helmet of salvation Ephesians 1:13 and 14; Hebrews 11:13-16

    The word of God – knowing and speaking the Word of God are vital to combat the temptations of the adversary

    18 With all prayer and petition, pray at all times in the spirit….

    The overall instruction is to stand as did Abraham, Isaac, and Israel. We can stand only here and now.

    The post Here and Now first appeared on Living Hope.
    46 min
  • The Mystery

    Ephesians 3:1 Prisoner of Jesus Christ
    Eph 4:1; Col 4:3; Ephesians 6:19-20
    Paul was literally a prisoner. Also, he was bound to the gospel of Christ – the mystery of the gospel.
    Ephesians 3:2
    The “stewardship” of God’s grace – was given to Paul for others.
    Stewardship (oikonomia) – other English versions translate this word in this verse as: dispensation, administration, the way entrusted, ministration.

    This is the same word in Ephesians 1:10.

    With a view to an administration [oikonomia] – other English versions translate this word as dispensation, a plan; to act upon, to put into effect, have it declared.

    Greek – oikonomia – the management of a household or of household affairs; specifically, the management, oversight, administration, of other’s property; the office of a manager or overseer, stewardship (Luke 16:1-8 – a manager; management)

    1 Corinthians 9:16-19 – Necessity was laid upon him – he was under compulsion. A stewardship of God’s purpose and plan had been entrusted to his care. Though he was free from all men, he was slave to all.
    Ephesians 3:3-4
    What I wrote afore in brief – Eph 1:9-10; Eph 2:14-18, or possibly the book of Galatians or Corinthians
    Ephesians 3:5 – Not made known to sons of men as it is now revealed
    Ephesians 3:6 – That the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body and fellow partakers of the promise of Christ Jesus through the gospel. Eph 2:14-18; Gal 3:8-9; 14; 27-29; Rom 9:4-8; 23-32
    Ephesians 3:7-9
    Paul was made a minister because of God’s grace.
    Ephesians 3:9
    And to bring to light what is the administration [oikonomia] of the mystery. Some modern English versions translate the word “oikonomia” here as “the plan” (NET, ESV, RSV). This plan was hidden for ages in God who created all things. Rom 16:25-26; Col 1:25-27
    Ephesians 3:10 – “Made known to rulers and authorities in the heavenly places” (Eph 1:20-22; 6:12)
    1 Corinthians 2:6-8 – Rulers of this age did not understand.
    1 Peter 1:9-12 – The prophets were not serving themselves, but you! Angels long to look!
    Ephesians 3:11-12 – The eternal purpose or the purpose of the ages – Ephesians 1:8-12
    Ephesians 3:2-12 (NET)
    If indeed you have heard of the stewardship of God's grace that was given to me for you,that by revelation the divine secret was made known to me, as I wrote before briefly. When reading this, you will be able to understand my insight into this secret of Christ. Now this secret was not disclosed to people in former generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit,namely, that through the gospel the Gentiles are fellow heirs, fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus.I became a servant of this gospel according to the gift of God's grace that was given to me by the exercise of his power.To me– less than the least of all the saints– this grace was given, to proclaim to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ and to enlighten everyone about God's secret plan– a secret that has been hidden for ages in God who has created all things. The purpose of this enlightenment is that through the church the multifaceted wisdom of God should now be disclosed to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly realms. This was according to the eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and confident access to God because of Christ's faithfulness.

    The post The Mystery first appeared on Living Hope.
    41 min
  • The Gospel Goes to Greece

    Acts 17:1-3: Preaching in Thessalonian synagogue

    After the Philippians beat Paul and Silas, they released them from jail and begged them to leave their city. Next, the group traveled to Thessalonica and for three weeks reasoned with the Jews there that Jesus was the Messiah.

    We need to look for places to speak to people. If you aren’t around non-Christians, you will never have an opportunity to share your faith. Look for people with whom you have common interests.

    Acts 17:4-9: Response in Thessalonica

    Some people believed; these formed the nucleus of the Thessalonian church to which Paul later wrote two letters.

    The Thessalonians accused them of turning the world upside down. How come people don’t say that about us?

    Acts 17:10-14: Preaching to noble-minded Bereans

    What a wonderful description! A Berean is someone who neither rejects nor accepts a new teaching but checks it against the Bible to see if it is true.

    At this point in the trip, Paul has preached in Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea. In each case, the people have persecuted him and made him leave. Why didn’t he get discouraged?

    Acts 17:15-17: Preaching in the Athenian synagogues and marketplace

    “His spirit was provoked”: Now we see a major part of Paul’s motivation—compassion.

    Acts 17:18-21: Stoics and Epicureans invite Paul to speak.

    Pay close attention to how Paul preaches to these Greeks. They do not share the same background as him. They do not believe in the Jewish Scriptures, nor do they believe in Yahweh.

    Acts 17:22-29: Paul preaching about God and idolatry

    He begins by finding a hook in their culture and then lays the groundwork of who God is.

    Sometimes we need to build a bridge before we can even begin sharing the good news with people.

    Acts 17:30-31: A call to repentance

    Repentance is the goal of sharing the faith with someone. Calling people to repentance and forgiveness was what Jesus commissioned his followers to do before he ascended (Luke 24:46-47) and what they consistently did throughout the book of Acts (Acts 2:36-38; 3:17-19; 20:20-21; 26:17-18).

    Acts 17:32-34: Balking and believing

    Although the majority sneered, some believed! Those are the ones you are looking for. Don’t worry about the majority; look for the few with open hearts to receive.

    The post The Gospel Goes to Greece first appeared on Living Hope.
    50 min
  • Moving On

    Corinth was the capital of the Roman province of Achaia. Athens, only 45 miles northeast, gave Corinth a position of strategic commercial importance and military defense. The city was located so that it had access to two seas − the Aegean about five miles to the east and the Ionian on the west.

    The temple of Poseidon was given over to the worship of the Corinthian Aphrodite (probably a counterpart of the Syrian Astarte), whose temple had more than 1,000 female prostitutes. Aphrodite was the Greek goddess of love, beauty, pleasure, and procreation. Her Roman equivalent is the goddess Venus.

    2 – Aquila and Priscilla were a couple who associated with Paul from early on.
    4 – Paul often went to the synagogue in the many cities he entered because of his desire to win the Jews (as he forcefully expressed in Romans 9:1-3) and because it afforded him opportunity to speak to many people at one time.
    5 –The effort remains the same, testifying that Jesus is the Christ, but today the challenge is presenting who Jesus is, what he has done, and what he will do.
    6 – No matter how passionate your desire is to help another soul to accept Christ or to change in any way, if he or she does not want it, you cannot make the person change. We must accept the fact the God gave each of us free will that He always honors and we are to do the same.

    Paul was one of the most determined, resilient, and flexible men to ever live. Nothing stopped him. Ephesians 6:10-ff

    8 – Although he did not have success with the majority of Jews, he did reach Crispus, the leader of the synagogue.
    10 – Do not be afraid; go on speaking; do not be silent. I am with you.
    28 – Apollos followed Paul in Corinth, and Paul followed Apollos in Ephesus.
    1 Corinthians 1:14 Crispus and Sosthenes 1 Corinthians 1:1
    1 Corinthians 1:10-13 – Divisions over which man to follow, the first of eleven major concerns are confronted, ten of which are behavioral and one doctrinal (chapter 15, the resurrection)
    1 Corinthians 5:1-13 Sexual immorality
    6:1-8 Going to the world to settle problems
    6:9-11 Again, sexual immorality

    The post Moving On first appeared on Living Hope.
    50 min
  • Missionary Minded

    Acts 15:35-41 Paul splits with Barnabas and takes Silas.
    Acts 16:1-5 Timothy joins Paul and Silas.
    Acts 16:6-10 Traveling across Turkey
    Acts 16:11-15 Lydia, the first convert in Europe
    Acts 16:16-24 From harassment to mob violence to prison
    Acts 16:25-34 The Philippian jailor and his family
    Acts 16:35-40 Begged to leave the city
    Three Lessons for Us

    1. Perseverance: Paul traveled hundreds of miles on foot with absolutely no success. Still, he didn’t quit; he pressed on until God opened the door to speak. We can’t allow past failures, scarcity of opportunities, or fears of rejection to push us around.

    2. Accommodation: Timothy voluntarily underwent circumcision in full knowledge that it was not necessary for salvation simply so he could be a more effective witness. We can’t let discomfort or inconvenience or even or own personal rights stand above our commitment to reach out to people.

    3. Trust: Paul trusted Christ’s direction to avoid Asia and Bithynia. Even in his deepest, darkest moments in the inner prison, his back bloody from a fresh beating, he kept on trusting God. Rather than waiting for God to give us the whole plan, let’s get moving and trust Him to steer us along the way.

    The post Missionary Minded first appeared on Living Hope.
    48 min
  • The Transformation of Saul/Paul

    1 Timothy 1:12-16 Paul thought of himself as the foremost sinner of all – chief sinner (KJV).

    The stoning of Stephen

    Acts 6:8-15
    Acts 7:1ff – “The witnesses laid aside their robes at the feet of a young man named Saul.”
    This is how Saul is introduced in the Scriptures.

    Saul Before his conversion (Phil 3:4-6)

    Acts 8:1 – Saul was in hearty agreement of putting Stephen to death (Acts 22:19-20).
    Acts 8:1-4 The persecution caused the disciples to scatter and begin spreading the gospel outside of Jerusalem.
    Acts 9:1-2 – (Acts 9:21; 22:1-5; 26:4-5; 9-12) Saul was leading this persecution, even to foreign cities.

    Saul’s conversion

    Acts 9:3 – Suddenly a light from heaven (Acts 22:6 – “a very bright light;” Acts 26:13 – “brighter than the sun”)
    Acts 9:4-7 – Jesus spoke to Saul in Hebrew (Acts 26:14). The men with him saw the light, heard the voice, but did not understand, and did not see Jesus (Acts 22:9).
    Acts 9:8-16 – This took courage on the part of Ananias.
    Acts 9:17-22 – Saul immediately began preaching!
    Acts 9:23 – From the very start, Satan began his assault on Saul, attempting to have him killed.
    Acts 9:24-30 – Paul now spends about 10 years in this region of Cilicia and Syria (Gal 1:21).

    During this time, the first Gentiles believed and received the holy spirit (Acts 10 – household of Cornelius).

    Acts 11:19-26

    Acts 13:1ff – The beginning of the first missionary journey of the Apostle Paul
    Acts 26:6-19 – Paul recounts his conversion to King Agrippa. Once Paul was called, he was not disobedient to the heavenly vision.

    The post The Transformation of Saul/Paul first appeared on Living Hope.
    53 min
  • Paul and Grace

    2 Corinthians 5:15 – Paul personally knew that grace caused the giving of thanks to abound to the glory of God and therefore wanted others to enjoy the same experience and service with and to God.

    The definition of “grace” is unmerited (undeserved and unearned) but freely given love and favor of God toward man.

    Acts 8:1-3; 9:1 and 2; 1Timothy 1:11-17 – Paul, once the main proponent and leader of Christian persecution, was himself redeemed and entrusted with the mystery that God kept to Himself for centuries.
    Ephesians 3:2-8 – Paul never doubted the privilege that was His and knew exactly where it came from and why – God’s grace.
    Ephesians 1:1 and 2 – Considering man’s innate sin and guilt, the only access to God must be by grace. We have no grounds for anything we receive from God, yet the blessings are incomprehensibly bountiful due to their eternal implications. Understanding and embracing grace produces a life enriched with thankfulness, humility, and love. Grace is our personal evidence of God’s love.
    3-6 – Why is He so good to us? The explanation provided for His great loving generosities are found in verses 5, 7, 9, and 11. The words “according to” earmark His reasoning and motivation. “According to” sets the standard for what proceeds and sets the agreement or conformity for what follows. The verses show His demonstrated grace and love are in agreement or conformity to His inner desire, His heart for you.

    According to:

    • The kind intention of His will – 1:5
    • The riches of His grace – 1:7
    • His kind intention which He purposed in Him – 1:9
    • His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will – 1:11
    1:6-7 – “Redemption” is to regain possession of by paying a price. 2:1-3 reveal our standard of life or that which we conformed to before Christ (which is again set-off by the words “according to”).
    2:1-3 – We were owned by the prince of the power of the air and were slaves to our own impulses and longings. God paid the price or ransom with Jesus to set us free, to rescue us from the devil to become His possession.
    1:14 – “Possession” implies we once belonged to the devil and with redemption we now belong to God.
    2:4-8 – We move from complete engrossment in the impulses and longings of self-centeredness to salvation that issues in God showing the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in the ages to come. Is there any more contrasting extreme in comparison?

    The appreciation of grace is found in understanding what we once were (seldom grasped by anyone) and the reality of what we are now coupled with the promise of our destiny. Paul is our example of someone who really understood grace based on the aforementioned. He never forgot who he was and what he did before Christ, and he strongly embraced the hope.

    2 Corinthians 5:15-18; Ephesians 4:29 – Like Paul, we should be driven by the grace that has been given and the hope that is coming to live faithfully and proclaim boldly the gospel of grace.

    The post Paul and Grace first appeared on Living Hope.
    44 min

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A weekly podcast featuring the engaging and life-changing Bible teachings of Sean Finnegan and the team at Living Hope International Ministries.