Pastor Vic's Nuggets of Truth

Disciples of Jesus: Walking in the Power, Purpose, and Presence of God

Hello, and welcome to Pastor Vic's Nuggets—simple truths from God's Word to strengthen your faith and encourage your walk with Christ. I'm Pastor Vic. Let's open our Bibles and see what the Lord has for us today.

Whether you're listening at home, in your car, at work, or taking a walk, I pray these next few minutes will encourage your heart and strengthen your walk with Jesus Christ.

One of the greatest truths I've discovered over the years is that God never intended the Christian life to be lived in our own strength. Too often we struggle, become discouraged, or settle for far less than what God has promised—not because He has withheld anything from us, but because we haven't fully discovered what He has already placed within us through the Holy Spirit. 

Over the years, one truth has become an anchor for my faith: God never changes. The longer I have walked with the Lord, the more I have come to appreciate the comfort and confidence that truth brings. We live in a world where almost everything changes. Circumstances change. People change. Our health changes. Even our emotions can fluctuate from one day to the next. Yet through all of life's uncertainties, God remains exactly who He has always been.

The Bible is the only trustworthy source of our knowledge about God, and one of the first things it teaches us is that both God and His Word are unchanging. Hebrews 13:8 declares, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Every time I read that verse, I am reminded that the God who called Abraham, delivered Israel, strengthened David, and raised Jesus from the dead is the very same God who is at work in our lives today.

The Gospel Is a Person: Jesus Christ!

One of the most important words in the Bible is the word, Gospel. The word gospel means “Good News.” Jesus came preaching the Good News, and the central point of this teaching is that Jesus is the Gospel. He is the Good News. Sometimes our focus is on what the good news of Jesus brings; He indeed brings health, healing, wholeness, prosperity, and sound relationships; all these things are important. However, if we miss the provider of all these things, Jesus, then we are pursuing what Jesus can provide rather than Jesus himself. You see, if you have Jesus, you have it all! 

Even the Pharisees and Scribes of Jesus' day missed who Jesus was.  Because they were so focused on the promises of Abraham and Moses, they missed the one who would fulfill all of the scriptures. Jesus said to the Jewish leaders in John 5: 39, “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of, Me. 40 But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.” While it is the “hand of God” that attracts us to Him, it is the “face of God” that produces the eternal relationship.

Jesus makes it clear that we are to pursue Him and Him alone in John 14, Philip the Disciple asked Jesus to show Him the way, and Jesus replied in John 14:6, “Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” Then look at John 6:44, Jesus said, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise Him up at the last day.” Nothing could be clearer: Jesus is the instrument God has used to bring salvation, healing, and hope to a lost and dying world.

The Holy Spirit Is a Person!

Many people think of the Holy Spirit as a vague force—something like energy, influence, or power. But Scripture consistently presents the Holy Spirit not as a “thing,” but as a Person—one who thinks, feels, speaks, and relates. Understanding this truth changes everything. It transforms the Christian life from a mechanical religious experience into a living relationship.

Recognizing the Spirit as a person deepens our relationship with Him and allows us to respond not just with obedience, but with fellowship and worship. You see, the key to obedience is a relationship and fellowship of mutual love. You love Him. He loves you. Therefore, you want to be pleasing to Him.

How the Holy Spirit Produces Spiritual Boldness in the Believer

Boldness in the Christian life is not something we work up; it is something God works in. When the Holy Spirit fills a believer, courage replaces fear, clarity replaces confusion, and obedience replaces hesitation. Jesus says in Acts 1:8, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Like electricity in a house, power may be available, but unless the switch is turned on, the room remains dark. The Holy Spirit is God’s power within us—boldness flows when we yield to Him. Obedience is the switch that releases the Holy Spirit. You can tell if you are trusting in the Lord or not by asking yourself the following question: Am I trying to be bold in my own strength, or am I relying on the Spirit’s power? Biblical boldness is not loudness, arrogance, or natural confidence. It is supernatural courage produced by the Holy Spirit...

I want to talk about an important aspect of God’s will for us, and that is the difference between God’s perfect will and His permissive will. However, before we can really understand the difference between God’s perfect will and His permissive will for us, we need to understand the Biblical concept of free-will.

In Scripture, free-will refers to the God-given ability of human beings to make real, meaningful choices for which they are morally responsible. Every individual has the ability to make their own choice to either obey wholeheartedly, obey reluctantly, or disobey God.

One of the most misunderstood words in the Bible is the word “rest.” We are commanded to “enter into the Lord’s rest” but many understand that to mean to refrain from work. While it is important to get physical rest the rest that the Lord wants is a rest for our souls. 

Many try to replace work with recreation such as sports, hobbies, TV or watching reels on our phones. All of these activities have a place in our lives, but the “rest” the Lord wants is the rest we find in his presence. Jesus wants us to spend time with Him, focused on His healing, purposes and plans for our lives. 

For most people, life is filled with activity, competing for time that should be spent in communion with God. An important truth is the principle of doing “first things first!” This means doing the most important things first and then everything else will follow.

 In my last post, “190 Are Christians under the Law of Moses,” I said that the Bible teaches that Jesus fulfilled the Law. Matthew 5:17, “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.”

This means that the Law is now outdated because Jesus completed its purpose. The Law has been replaced by grace, Hebrews 8:13, “In that He says, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.”

Jesus fulfilled the Law by living in perfect obedience, demonstrating the righteousness no one else could achieve. Through His death, He became the final sacrifice for sin! 2 Corinthians 5:21,” For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. Where the Law exposed guilt, Jesus brought grace and truth; John 1:17, “For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”

You might ask what does “Jesus fulfilled the Law” mean? Here is a practical example: suppose you borrow a sum of money and agree to pay a portion each week until it is paid in full. What happens when the debt is paid in full? Do you continue to make payments each week, or do you stop? Of course, you stop when the obligation is finished or fulfilled! In the same way, the Law of the Old Testament has been fulfilled by Jesus Christ, and there is now no obligation for Believers to keep it. The New Covenant of Grace through Jesus Christ has now replaced it.

In my previous episode, 189 The Better Covenant, I made the point that the Bible, both Old and New Testaments, is the inspired Word of God, literally 'God-breathed' (2 Timothy 3:16). From beginning to end, it reveals God’s redemptive plan and His covenant relationship with humanity. The two Testaments represent two distinct covenants: the Old Covenant given to Israel through Moses, and the New Covenant given through Jesus Christ to all who believe. Understanding how these covenants connect, and how the New is better than the Old is basic to living in the freedom and grace God offers.

As Christians, we understand that the entire Bible, Old Testament and New Testament, is inspired, or “God breathed.” 2 Timothy 3:16, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” The word “inspiration” literally means “breathed”, in other words, all scripture is “God breathed.”

We also know that the two parts of the Bible represent two separate Covenants. The word testament is from the Greek diathēkē, which means covenant. A covenant is an agreement or contract. A theological covenant is an agreement between God and mankind. Therefore, the Bible represents two covenants. The Old Covenant was a covenant between God and the Hebrews, and the New Covenant was a covenant between God and the followers of Jesus, Christians.

Every theological covenant has a mediator. The dictionary defines a mediator as one who attempts to bring people involved in a conflict to an agreement, serving as a go-between. In the Old Covenant, Moses was the mediator; that is why the covenant was often called the “Law of Moses.” The New Covenant mediator is Jesus, who gave His life willingly to save us from sin and gave us eternal life with Him in Heaven. Notice that I said, “Jesus gave His Life.” That giving of life is why the New Covenant is called the Covenant of Grace. 

Back to the dictionary, grace is defined as: “(in Christian belief) the free and unmerited favor of God, as manifested in the salvation of sinners and the bestowal of blessings.” Put another way, Jesus giving His life for us is the very definition of grace. Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.”

Here is the crucial point: you can’t have two mediators! Too many Christians are trying to live under the Law and under Grace. Grace and Law are mutually exclusive, meaning that it must be one or the other; it can’t be both. Look at what the Apostle John said in John 1:17, “For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” And then the Apostle Paul in Romans 6:14, “For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.”