Loving the Christ-life!

By Tammy Lacock

“Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel.” (2 Timothy 2:8 KJV)

Warren emphasizes this verse from Paul to Timothy for several reasons. First, Paul wants us to remember that everything starts with Christ. He then reminds us that Jesus Christ came from the seed of David. Christ was a natural man who was born of Mary who, in turn, was a descendant from the line of King David. Christ was born into humanity. He felt pain just like anyone else. He felt every human emotion. However, He was different!

Paul then reminds us that, after His crucifixion and death on the cross, God raised Christ from the dead. Now we know Christ in Spirit. He is no longer in the flesh. By the revelation of Christ in Spirit, Paul tells us that we died, too. Our old lives of sin and death died with Christ, and we arose with Him into a new life in Him. As believers, Christ saved us from our old lives and brought us into our new life in Him, joined with Christ in one Spirit, making us now bona fide children of God!

This is the gospel that Paul states here in verse 8 when he says this is “my gospel.” He calls it his gospel because Christ gave it to him directly and it is personal to him. Throughout his epistles, Paul wants us to understand that we can only know and experience Christ living in us by having that revelation ourselves.

With the help of the Holy Spirit, we too can have this personal relationship with Christ who lives in us now. It is only by this personal relationship that we may call it our gospel, as Paul rightly called it his gospel.

By Tammy Lacock

“And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully. The husbandman that laboureth must be first partaker of the fruits. Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things.” (2 Timothy 2:5-7, KJV)

“If you don’t start right, you won’t end up right” is a phrase Warren Litzman shares to explain verse 5 in 2 Timothy 2.

He says, when we search the Scriptures, when we are seeking to learn more about God and His plan, we need to take the words in Scriptures as they are, rather than trying to change the words around to make sense of them or waiting on an interpretation from others. Paul says in this verse that if we don’t search the Scriptures lawfully, or in the right way, then we won’t be “crowned” with understanding. We need to allow the Holy Spirit to teach us the truth in the Scriptures. If we don’t get understanding, then we are not ready, therefore, we’ll need to lay it aside for a time until the Holy Spirit equips us.

In verse 6, Warren explains that the husbandman, the one that shares the truth of the Scriptures, must experience this truth before he can preach it. He must experience the fruits of the gospel before he can share it. Paul tells us throughout his epistles, the final gospel given to him by Christ, Himself, that truth is a person; Truth is Christ.

If we don’t see Christ in the Scriptures and experience the fruits of Christ, then we are not fit to share it. If not experienced, the Scriptures are just words, just phrases with no life.

In verse 7, Paul prays and assures us that Christ will give us the understanding of the Scriptures, and specifically Paul’s gospel of Christ in us, if we search them truthfully and rightfully. He assures us that if we search them wholeheartedly and ask the Holy Spirit to renew our minds, then truth will be revealed. Truth will set us free. We will assuredly experience the fruits of Christ.

Just as it was revealed to Paul, may the Holy Spirit reveal it to us as we search the Scriptures: Truth is a Person; Truth is Christ.

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6 KJV)

By Tammy Lacock

“Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.” (Phil. 3:6-7)

A Christian is Christ Alive!

Warren explains what a Christian is through the Apostle Paul’s message continuing here in Philippians verses 6 and 7.  Paul is basically saying here, out with the old and in with the new. 

With the help of the Holy Spirit, Paul’s understanding and perspective of who he is had gloriously and radically changed as a born-again believer in Christ. He says that who he was before, an educated Hebrew dedicated to and blameless before the law, is no longer who he is. His past no longer matters now that he knows Christ.

Everything else besides Christ doesn’t mean a thing!  He is dead to his old life and alive now IN Christ.

Paul’s message is meant for us believers today! As Christians, Paul tells us that we must let go of our old lives and let Christ fully take over. Christ now lives in every believer. Let us be true Christians today and spread Paul’s message of Christ alive IN us!

Out with our old lives and into our new life IN Christ!

By Tammy Lacock

“Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; Concerning zeal, persecuting the church ; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.” (Philippians 3:5-6)

Warren Litzman continues to explain the meaning of the Apostle Paul’s words in Philippians Chapter 3. In verses 5 and 6, Paul goes on to further share how his upbringing and past proved that he was righteous and blameless according to Hebrew law. He did everything he needed to do to uphold that law even if it meant persecuting Christians.

As he shares in the following verses however, he counts all of that meaningless for the sake of now knowing Christ IN Him.

Warren asks the question that reaches to the heart of the Christ-Life. What would you give up to have Christ live IN you? The beauty of God’s Grace is that we don’t have to give up anything. Christ did the work and died on the cross to save us from sin and death and God put Christ in every believer that is saved. We are New Creations IN Him.

So the question is not what will we give up? But will we let go of our old lives of sin and slavery to the law and let Christ now take over?

Now joined together in Spirit with Him, will we get out of the way and let Christ be our New Life?

By Tammy Lacock

“Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more: Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee.” (Philippians 3:4-5 KJV)

In Part 2 of Philippians chapter 3, Warren Litzman explains the importance in verse 4 and 5 of the Apostle Paul dividing the spirit and the flesh, or outer things. Paul further explains here that he, more than any other man he knows, lived his life by circumcision, by the law. He did everything according to the law and based his confidence on the things of the flesh or outer things. He relied on his upbringing, his education, and his status within his religious circle for his validation.

Paul explains that the true circumcision is now worshipping and confidence in spirit, Christ’s Spirit within us. Laws are no longer valid.

Christ raised up Paul to bring this most important new message of Christ’s Spirit living in every believer. Christ is our new life now. In Christ, we are no longer Jews or Gentiles or any other outer label. We are born-again believers in Christ. Those born of God are righteous and blameless before God not because of anything we do, where we are from, where we have been or what we know. We are saved by Christ’s work on the cross. As believers, we are joined in one spirit with Him. Death to our old law-driven lives, rising to life as New Creations IN Christ.

By Tammy Lacock

“Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe. Beware of the dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision. For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.” (Philippians 3:1-3)

Warren Litzman begins a new study of the Apostle Paul’s message of Christ with Philippians 3:1-3. In Paul’s letter to the Philippians, he reminds the Church to rejoice and delight in the Lord as he writes again and again of our new life in Christ, now joined in one spirit with Him. By reiterating this message throughout his letters, he says we are kept safe by this knowledge.

Many will try to explain away our new life in Christ Jesus. Yet, Paul says we are kept safe from those who try to pervert the true message of Christ, that of being born again. When we believe in Christ as our Savior, our old lives have died with Him and we receive HIS life; we are risen with Him, born again into HIS new life. Being born again, we enter the spirit realm, and are circumcised to the flesh, born of God’s Spirit, one with the Spirit of Christ. We are the true circumcision. We worship God in spirit and place no confidence in the flesh. This means we have moved from being slaves to sin and law (that circumcision is necessary for salvation) to living in grace to serve righteousness from our hearts. We aren’t saved by anything we do or don’t do. Christ did the work on the Cross. By his death and resurrection, we are saved, reborn in spirit, one spirit with Him. 

Rejoice in Him!

Tammy Lacock

“Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 5:20-21 KJV)

Warren Litzman closes out this study with the last verses in Romans chapter 5. The Apostle Paul plainly tells us here that sin only reigns under the law. The law tells us that what we do or don’t do determines our salvation. However, Paul also tells us that God’s abundant grace reigns over sin and, therefore, supersedes the law.

The Apostle Paul tells us that we are NOW living in the Dispensation of God’s Grace which began at the cross. By Christ’s death and resurrection, we are saved. He is our salvation. There is nothing we can do or not do to be saved. Grace reigns over sin.

As believers, Christ is our new life. When He died, we died, and our old lives of sin died, too. When He arose, we arose to a new life in Him.

The end of our sin is death to our old life. Yes, we may sin again as we come to know who we are now in Christ. Yet it is by God’s Grace that we are forgiven time and time again.

We must only believe.

From that moment on, Grace reigns over sin and brings death to our old lives. And this is where our new life in Christ begins!

By Tammy Lacock

“For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.” (Romans 5:19 KJV)

Warren Litzman continues to explain Paul’s message that he made clear in 12 verses of Romans Chapter 5. God raised up only Paul to preach our rebirth, the gospel of Christ in every believer.

What does it mean to be born again?

In these 12 verses, Paul tells us one man, Adam, got us into trouble and only one man, Christ, got us out of it. By believing in Christ as our Savior, by His death and resurrection, we are born again into a new life in Him. When he died, we and our sins died too. When he rose from death, we rose from death, too, with Christ as our new life. God placed Christ in every believer making us New Creations, His born-again, bona fide children.

Adam’s sin through Satan ruled this earth until Christ died on the cross and defeated sin and death. By God’s Grace, we are saved by just believing.

Salvation is one man, Christ.

In Him, we now stand righteous before God.

He is our new life, our only life we now live.

By Tammy Lacock

“Therefore, as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.” (Romans 5:18)

Warren Litzman’s mission for this broadcast is to explain just what a Christian is.

A Christian is Christ living in the believer. A Christian; therefore, is a Christ-person. A Christian is a believer who is bound by, led by, and made whole by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. A Christian is brought to life by Christ’s death and resurrection.

In Romans 5:18, the Apostle Paul delivers to us the message of this liberation to humanity. He shares God’s plan revolving around two men. One man, Adam, by his offence in the Garden of Eden, humanity bore that sin and became a slave to death and sin. However, by only one man, Christ, through His death brought our death to Adam’s sin. And by His resurrection, we are brought to life, a new life in Him.

As believers, we are born again by God placing Christ in us. This is the free gift given to us by His abundant grace.

Jesus didn’t say ‘I will give you the way, the truth, and the life.’ He said “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” Truth is a person. The only Way, the only Truth, and the only Life is Christ. He is the Christ who now lives in us as believers. He is our only Life.

By His Life, we are Christ-persons.

By His Life, we are Christians.

By Tammy Lacock

“For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of Grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5:17, KJB)

Warren Litzman discusses in more detail Romans 5:17, reminding us that the Apostle Paul is the Apostle of Grace because his writings ushered in the Dispensation of Grace in which we are living NOW.

In Roman 5:17, Paul states it is by this Grace of God that we are saved. Through God’s abundant Grace, He sent one man, Jesus Christ, to redeem us from the sin of one man, Adam. Paul’s writings help believers understand the final gospel of Jesus Christ that by His death, burial, and resurrection, we too die to this life of sin and rise up with Christ to a new life IN Him. Christ is our righteousness. He is our All. As believers alive IN Him, God our Father in Heaven now sees us blameless and holy. We are His bona fide children!

There is only one man who can bring anybody out of this life of sin and death into a new life, eternal life in Him. There is only one man that can bring us back to God. His mighty and beautiful name is Jesus Christ.