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As Christians or followers of Christ, our goal is to become mature disciples of Christ.  This means that you need to know why you believe what you believe. There is no way around it, to become a mature Christian, reaping the blessings of God, you need to know what the Bible says. You cannot be a mature Christians based on feelings or what others have said alone. You must allow God’s Holy Spirit to teach you through the Bible. That is not to say that you can’t learn from others, but you must confirm what others are teaching for yourself. Even this message I am bringing, don’t just accept it. Check it out! Confirm it through your own study of the Word of God. Show More

In my last message, I said that it is impossible to understand “grace” without understanding the difference between the Old Testament and the New Testament. Let’s take a closer look at the Old Testament which is all about the Covenant of Law.

The Old Covenant

The Old Testament represents a “covenant” known as the covenant of the Law. Every Covenant has two parties called covenant heads. God is one covenant head, and the other covenant head is a person called out by God to represent a group of people. In the case of the Old Testament Covenant of the Law, the two covenant heads were God or Jehovah and Moses. Moses represented a group of people known as the Hebrews or Israelites. What is true of all covenants is that there is an exchange between the two parties. What belongs to one now belongs to the other. God, clearly the stronger party, made His power and authority available to the weaker party, Moses and the people of Israel. 

The Israelites

Where did the Israelites come from? Let me take a brief moment to take a look at the genealogy of the Israelites. God created Adam and Eve then after many generations came Noah, a descendant of Adam and Eve. After more generations, a descendant named Abram was chosen by God to be the one whom God would use to receive the promise that his descendants would be God’s chosen people. 

God changed Abram’s name to Abraham. Abraham had a son, Isaac. Isaac had a son named Jacob. God changed Jacob’s name God to Israel. Jacob now known as Israel had twelve sons and they eventually became the twelve tribes of Israel. The sons were Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, and Benjamin. The point is that these twelve tribes of people became known as the Israelites, or the children of Israel (Jacob). Just as a side note Jesus is a descendant of Judah. 

As a result of a famine in the land, these tribes found themselves in Egypt. In the beginning, they were treated very well, but over a period of 430 years, they became slave laborers. All of this is described in beautiful detail in the Book of Genesis. I would encourage you to read or re-read this book of “beginnings”. The book of Genesis shows that in the midst of life, God has a plan and that His plan will come to pass. God never fails.

So far, with many gaps in between, the genealogy goes like this; Adam and Eve, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob (Israel) and the twelve tribes of Israel.

In the Book of Exodus, we pick up the story of the Israelites in Egypt. God heard their cries of hardship and raised up a Hebrew leader named Moses. It is with Moses that Jehovah God establishes the Covenant of Law. The Covenant of Law was the fulfillment of the promise God made to Abraham that his offspring would become a great nation. Moses is the Covenant Head representing the people of Israel. This is a key point; God deals with the people of Israel through the Covenant Head Moses. 

On Mount Sinai, God gave Mo

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Seek Truth.

In my last message, I tried to focus on the importance of the truth about God. It should be obvious if you are not working or operating in truth you will go astray. It would be like having a defective compass, you would never get to where you want to go. God can only honor the truth. We have so much information available to us, but the question is always, is what I believe or been taught true according to the Word of God? Jesus has made it clear that He is committed to fulfilling what He has promised, no more no less! God will not violate His own principles for anyone’s sake. Show More

 

One very simple thing to keep in mind is to ask yourself the question, “what would Jesus do”! This may seem like a simple question, but it is the doorway into finding out about the nature and character of God.  If we try to know the character of Jesus, we then will know what He expects from us in every situation. Often our response to life’s circumstances is centered on what we want instead of responding to what Jesus wants. 

Mature Christians.

This may come as a shock to some but, Jesus does not exist for the sole purpose of making you happy. As a new Christian, it is normal to focus on what you need from God, but again it’s important to make the effort to “grow-up or become mature in Christ. Jesus gave His all so that you would become mature and become more like Him. His plan for your life is to advance the Kingdom of God on earth by being witnesses of Him. So that all may know of Jesus!

Romans 8:29 “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren”.Romans 12:2 “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God”.2 Corinthians 3:18 “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord”.

The Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 3:1-17, is speaking to the Corinthians who should be mature in Christ but have not given the evidence of that maturity and understanding. They are still behaving in a carnal manner. In other words, they proclaim that they are Christians, but they still behave as if they did not know Jesus Christ. He describes these kinds of Believers as babes in Christ. All Christians should desire to know more about Jesus, what He has done for us and what we can expect from Him.

Seek His Kingdom and His Righteousness.

The desired way in which to become mature in our relationship with Jesus is to follow His instructions, for instance in Matthew 6:33, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you”.

The Kingdom Jesus is speaking of is a spiritual Kingdom, and it exists on earth as each believer acts according to what Jesus has taught. Luke 17:20, “Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.” When you do what is required in the Kingdom, the Kingdom is being made manifest through you. Keep in mind the Kingdom has a King, and the King is Jesus. He is the Lord of lords and the King of kings (I Timothy 6:15 and Revelation 17:14).

If you have Him and He has you- you will have everything. Seek His “face” (Who He is) not His “hand” (only what He can provide).

The Old Testament of Law.

All that Jesus has promised to provide for His people is dependent on underst

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Welcome to a new series in Pastor Vic’s Nuggets of Truth. I am calling this series “Living the Supernatural Life: A Journey into Grace and Faith” or simply Christianity 301. While our focus in this series will be on God’s Grace and His truth, we need to look at some important issues beforehand.  Show More

Many Voices

In Christianity, there are many voices proclaiming they have the truth about Father God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit and God’s Word the Bible. It can be very confusing. They can’t all be correct because so many of them contradict each other. So, how do we strip away what is false and find the truth about God and His will for us?

First, we have to keep in mind that Satan is the father of all lies. This means every lie that is spoken or perpetrated originates with him. Satan uses deception to mislead people and draw them away from the truth about God. His plan is to make you feel weak and powerless so that you would depend on your strength instead of trusting in Jesus. Satan wants to create doubt in your life about God’s love, faithfulness, and plan for you. If he can create confusion, then you will seek the wrong things which will draw you further away from Jehovah God. 

Secondly, we have to remember what Jesus said in John 8:31-34, that the truth will set you free and that if Jesus sets you free then you are free indeed!  Now, what kind of freedom is Jesus talking about? Well, the most important freedom we have is that we are free to receive Heaven. because of the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Heaven is ours instead of Hell. Jesus also promised that we would be free from sin and the death and destruction that it brings. Freedom in Jesus also means that all of the promises of God are ours to obtain and enjoy. 

Missing out on God’s best.

Jesus promised a lot, so why is it that so many live below their potential in God. Is it because so many have exchanged the truth for a lie? Listen to what the Apostle Paul said in Romans 1:25 “… who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen”. If one sincerely believes a lie about spiritual things that sincerity will count for nothing. It’s still a lie!  If the truth sets free then a lie will produce bondage- physical, emotional and spiritual.

Throughout our lives, we have been exposed to all kinds of influences. Some of those influences were good, noble and consistent with God’s plan for us. However, we have also been exposed to influences that were negative, evil and totally at odds with God’s will for us. 

Make no mistake if you are deceived by Satan you will not be fulfilling God’s desire and you will be reaping the fruit of Satan which is pain, suffering, and heartache. 

What I am trying to say is, the truth from God’s perspective, is essential to a blessed life. You cannot blame others for what you believe. As a believer, you have the Bible and the Holy Spirit of Truth to guide you in your search for the truth. Don’t assume that others are wiser, smarter or more knowledgeable about the Word of God, search for yourself! Being a Christian is a life-long journey into God’s truth.

An Important Question

Here is a question you should ask yourself, “are you doing things to please God without knowing why”! This is where it is important to examine what you believe and why. Is it because someone told you that it is true or is it because you have discovered the truth for yourself in the Word? 

In 2 Corinthians 3:12-18 the Apostle Paul talks about the “veil” of deception. This was a veil over the hearts of the legalistic

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Remember each of the Gospel writers, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John were recounting the life of Jesus and in particular the ministry of Jesus on earth. Each Gospel writer was writing from a different perspective and to a slightly different audience. The first three Gospels cover approximately the same materials and are referred to as the Synoptic Gospels. The word synopsis means a summary. John’s Gospel is unique in that it is not so much a summary of Jesus’ life and ministry but is a clear look at Jesus as God incarnate. In other words that Jesus is God! Show More

John focuses his writing on the miracles of Jesus not as events but as a sign of Jesus’ power and authority over nature and life. All of the signs point to the fact that Jesus must be God in the flesh. 

Now we will continue to look at the miracles of Jesus. I discussed the first four miracles in the last post. I will continue with the next three.

Five – John 6 Jesus Walks on the SeaJesus showed that He had control over the physical laws of nature by walking on water.

15 Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone.16 Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, 17 got into the boat, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was already dark, and Jesus had not come to them. 18 Then the sea arose because a great wind was blowing. 19 So when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near the boat; and they were afraid. 20 But He said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” 21 Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going.

Six – John 9 A Man Born Blind Receives SightJesus demonstrated His authority over congenital defects, by healing the man who was blind from birth.

1 Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. 2 And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him. 4 I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”6 When He had said these things, He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva, and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay. 7 And He said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated, Sent). So he went and washed, and came back seeing.

Seven – John 11 Lazarus Raised from the DeadThe greatest miracle was shown by Jesus’ authority over death itself.

38 Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. 39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.”40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?” 41 Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. 42 And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.” 43 Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!” 44 And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Loose him, and let him go.”

Conclusion

Jesus sh

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The Gospel Record

The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John provide the most accurate record of who Jesus is. Each of the Gospel writers was present during the life of Jesus. Matthew, Mark, and John were three of the twelve Apostles. Luke was a companion of the Apostle Paul and must have known the other Apostles as well. They wrote first-hand accounts of Jesus’ ministry on earth. While each of them wrote from different perspectives, as you would expect from four different witnesses, all of them left no doubt that Jesus was God in the flesh. Show More

Gospel of Matthew

The Gospel of Matthew was written to a Jewish audience and as a Jew, Matthew wanted to show that Jesus was the promised Messiah of the Old Testament. That Jesus was the fulfillment of time-awaited prophecy. As a result, Matthew uses the expression, “that it might be fulfilled”. He quotes more from the Old Testament than any of the other Gospel writers.

Matthew emphasizes the teaching nature of Jesus and the theme of the “kingdom of` heaven or the kingdom of God” as a means of describing Jesus’ rule on the earth and in the human heart. Matthew left no doubt to the deity of Jesus. The symbol for the Gospel of Matthew is the Lion, which represents Jesus as King!

Gospel of Mark

The Gospel of Mark was probably the first Gospel written. Theologians believe that the Matthew and Luke may have used Mark’s Gospel as a source of information. Mark focuses on Jesus as the suffering servant who ministers to the physical and spiritual needs of those He was sent to. 

Mark’s Gospel is the shortest of the Gospels and written to a Gentile (non-Jewish) audience, probably to those who were Roman citizens.

The message of Mark’s Gospel is that Jesus was a man of action and His message was urgent and important. Mark demonstrates to the Roman mind, that Jesus was the son of God. He even uses a Roman soldier’s words at Jesus’ crucifixion, “Truly this Man was the Son of God!” (Mark 15:39). The symbol for the Gospel of Matthew is the Bull, which represents Jesus as humble, a servant and powerful!

Gospel of Luke

Luke was a Gentile and wrote to a Gentile audience. He starts with Jesus’ birth and because Luke also wrote the Book of Acts, the birth of the Church. In Luke there are many parables that are not recorded in the other Gospels. Jesus is portrayed as the compassionate Savior of the world. It is important to know that the words Savior, Messiah, and Christ have the same meaning but in different languages. Savior is English, Messiah is Hebrew, and Christ is Greek. All of these terms are used to describe the nature of Jesus- to rescue the lost. Which is the nature of God!

The Gospel of Luke is universal in appeal in that he is all-inclusive. The Luke’s Gospel is for all people, Jew or Gentile, male or female, rich or poor, slave or free, and noble or outcast!

Luke emphasize the work of the Holy Spirit and the importance of prayer in Jesus’ life and ministry. This is of course to meant to be an example to us all… the work of the Holy Spirit and prayer! The symbol for the Gospel of Luke is the figure of a man, which represents Jesus’ wisdom and character.

Gospel of John

John’s Gospel is the most theological of the Gospels with its focus on who Jesus is rather than what He did. The purpose for John’s Gospel message is, “that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you have life in His name” (John 20:31).

John’s Gospel is the divine gospel in that it clearly demonstrates though seven miracles and seven statements that Jesus is God! The symbol for the Gospel of John is the Eagle, which represents Jesus as deity!

The Number Seven

Be

The Gospel Record

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The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John provide the most accurate record of who Jesus is. Each of the Gospel writers was present during the life of Jesus. Matthew, Mark, and John were three of the twelve Apostles. Luke was a companion of the Apostle Paul and must have known the other Apostles as well. They wrote first-hand accounts of Jesus’ ministry on earth. While each of them wrote from different perspectives, as you would expect from four different witnesses, all of them left no doubt that Jesus was God in the flesh. Show More

Gospel of Matthew

The Gospel of Matthew was written to a Jewish audience and as a Jew, Matthew wanted to show that Jesus was the promised Messiah of the Old Testament. That Jesus was the fulfillment of time-awaited prophecy. As a result, Matthew uses the expression, “that it might be fulfilled”. He quotes more from the Old Testament than any of the other Gospel writers.

Matthew emphasizes the teaching nature of Jesus and the theme of the “kingdom of` heaven or the kingdom of God” as a means of describing Jesus’ rule on the earth and in the human heart. Matthew left no doubt to the deity of Jesus. The symbol for the Gospel of Matthew is the Lion, which represents Jesus as King!

Gospel of Mark

The Gospel of Mark was probably the first Gospel written. Theologians believe that the Matthew and Luke may have used Mark’s Gospel as a source of information. Mark focuses on Jesus as the suffering servant who ministers to the physical and spiritual needs of those He was sent to. 

Mark’s Gospel is the shortest of the Gospels and written to a Gentile (non-Jewish) audience, probably to those who were Roman citizens.

The message of Mark’s Gospel is that Jesus was a man of action and His message was urgent and important. Mark demonstrates to the Roman mind, that Jesus was the son of God. He even uses a Roman soldier’s words at Jesus’ crucifixion, “Truly this Man was the Son of God!” (Mark 15:39). The symbol for the Gospel of Matthew is the Bull, which represents Jesus as humble, a servant and powerful!

Gospel of Luke

Luke was a Gentile and wrote to a Gentile audience. He starts with Jesus’ birth and because Luke also wrote the Book of Acts, the birth of the Church. In Luke there are many parables that are not recorded in the other Gospels. Jesus is portrayed as the compassionate Savior of the world. It is important to know that the words Savior, Messiah, and Christ have the same meaning but in different languages. Savior is English, Messiah is Hebrew, and Christ is Greek. All of these terms are used to describe the nature of Jesus- to rescue the lost. Which is the nature of God!

The Gospel of Luke is universal in appeal in that he is all-inclusive. The Luke’s Gospel is for all people, Jew or Gentile, male or female, rich or poor, slave or free, and noble or outcast!

Luke emphasize the work of the Holy Spirit and the importance of prayer in Jesus’ life and ministry. This is of course to meant to be an example to us all… the work of the Holy Spirit and prayer! The symbol for the Gospel of Luke is the figure of a man, which represents Jesus’ wisdom and character.

Gospel of John

John’s Gospel is the most theological of the Gospels with its focus on who Jesus is rather than what He did. The purpose for John’s Gospel message is, “that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you have life in His name” (John 20:31).

John’s Gospel is the divine gospel in that i

The person of the Holy Spirit is not someone unique to the New Testament. The Holy Spirit has co-existed with Father God from the beginning. We see the Spirit of God at work in Creation- Genesis 1:1-2, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of Godwas hovering over the face of the waters”. 

In Old Testament times, the Holy Spirit would “come upon” or “be with” someone to enable them for a specific purpose or task, but in the New Covenant, the Holy Spirit lives “within” the believer. Christ-followers are the temple or home for the HolySpirit. 1 Corinthians 6:19 says, “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own”? Show More

The grace of the Holy Spirit is especially evident in the New Testament as He comes as a gift of Jesus to be our:

Helper, to help us in our troubleComforter, to comfort us in our distressthe Spirit of Truth, to lead us out of bondage intofreedom. 

The Holy Spirit also comes with power and authority over the devil. 1 John 4:4 says the following, “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world”. As we surrender our lives to God, we have the Holy Spirit’s power to conquer our selfish will and He helps us live the Christian life as we learn to be led (guided, directed, influenced) by the Spirit, Romans 8:11 says, “But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you”.

As we learn to walk in the Spirit, we will overcome the desires of the flesh (Gal 5:16-18). This new life in the Spirit requires a new way of thinking and doing things. The Bible instructs us to “…be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:23, 24). This new way of thinking can be summed up in the following expression, “You are not a human being having a spiritual experience in life, you are a spiritual being having a human experience in life! It is so important to see yourself that way.

We also have the following promise: “For if you live according to the flesh you will die; “but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live”. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, “these are sons of God” (Rom 8:13, 14). 

Putting to death the deeds of the body has to do with putting to death those habits and patterns of thinking that are contrary to God’s righteousness and replacing those habits and patterns of thinking with godly habits and godly thoughts. This is where the Holy Spirit’s help is crucial. The Holy Spirit can reveal the truth, remind us of the Scriptures and speak encouragement to us.  

As if all of that were not enough, the Holy Spirit also made available, to all believers, important spiritual gifts. As a matter of fact, the Apostle Paul warns us to not be ignorant or unaware of these gifts in 1 Corinthians 12:1, “Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant”. In other words, Paul was saying that these gifts are too important for the church to neglect. 

While I would encourage you to read all of 1 Corinthians chapter 12, I will be touching, ever so briefly on the gifts listed in 1 Corinthians 12:8-11. 

These spiritual gifts are available to all born-again believers in Jesus Christ because the Holy Spirit lives in you. These are the Holy Spirit’s gifts, not man’s gifts. While all the nine gifts are available to the believer some believers operate more strongly in certain gifts.

The gifts of the Spirit function to encourage, edify and exhort the Christian into a stron

In our last episode, we looked at the Five-fold ministry gifts Jesus gave to the church. The gifts of the Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor, and Teacher, which is found in Ephesians 4:11. It is important to understand what a “gift” is in this context. A gift from God is a gift of Grace. What I mean is that a gift from God is unearned and undeserved! Salvation is such a gift of Grace. The Apostle Paul makes it very clear that the moment you try to earn or work for God’s gift you void the gift or nullify it. Look at the following verses:

Romans 4:4 “Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt”.Romans 11:6 “And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work”.2 Timothy 1:9 “who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began”.

These and many other scripture verses make the case that the words Grace and Gift are interchangeable. Now how does this apply to the Five-fold ministry? 

Five-Fold Ministry; servants or to be served?

As I mentioned in the last episode the Five-fold ministry gifts describe functions, not titles. The function describes what they do and how they are used to bless the Church. The church, in this case, describes the people of God, not a building, organization or denomination. The overall function of the Five-fold ministry is to create the smooth, effective operation of the Body-of-Christ. That the Body-of-Christ would work in harmony advancing the Kingdom of God. So, the Five-fold ministers are servants to the Body of Christ or the Church, they serve the Church by leading the church body to serve Jesus. That may sound confusing to say that they serve by leading, but that is exactly what a Five-fold minister is, he or she is a servant-leader. The church does not serve the minister it is the other way around. The church or Body of Christ serves Jesus as the minister serves the church.

Since Jesus gave the gifts of the Five-fold here is a question to think about; do we appreciate the gift or the gift giver? Of course, we should appreciate the gift giver more than the gift. The conclusion of all of this is that the Five-fold ministry gifts are given to the Church to serve the Church. If you are called to the Five-fold ministry the burning question you must ask yourself is, “am I here to serve or be served?”. All of us whether clergy or lay-people are here to serve our Lord Jesus. 

The Pattern for Serving

As the Apostle Paul was speaking to the church, he stated the following, “For we are God ‘s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building. 10 According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. 11 For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:9-11). 

We are “Gods fellow workers” in the ministry. What a glorious thought that is! We are not just working for God but working with Him.  When we use the word ministry we often think of the “five-fold ministry”, Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers (Ephesians 4:11). Now, remember what Jesus said, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed (ordained) you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you” (John 15:16). 

What does it mean to bear fruit that remains? To understand this phrase, it means that we must look at this issue from God’s perspective. As ministers, we often think in terms o

Another gift of Grace from Jesus is the gift of the Five-Fold ministry…

In the last several posts we have focused on the gift of grace of the Father – that gift is Jesus. Then we looked at the gift of grace of Jesus – that gift is the Holy Spirit.We will now look at one moreimportant area in which Jesus gave us gifts. 

This final gift of Jesus is meant for the Church. Now it is important to distinguish between the physical church and the Spiritual church. The physical church would encompass church buildings and holdings as well as denominations and groups of which there are many. However, there is only one Spiritual Church. 

The spiritual church is made up of all believers who are born-again, otherwise known as the body of Christ. As Jesus is now the spiritual head so His body (us) is spiritual as well. In Ephesians 1:22-23 the Apostle Paul says, “And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all”. Spiritually speaking, we are the Body and Jesus is the Head! Show More

The gifts of grace of God are for His body of believers. As important physical churches and organizations are, they are not what Jesus died for… He died for you and me! The original word for church in the New Testament is the Greek word, Ecclesia, or “called out ones”. Those who have been called out of the World into the Kingdom of God, the Spiritual Church on earth!

Jesus empowered the church with spiritual leaders to lead the way in Ephesians 4:11,

“And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers”, these five gifts are often referred to as the “Five-fold” Ministry gifts. 

These five-fold gifts are functions, not titles.

Remember God calls the Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor and Teacher, then it takes people to recognize and ordain the Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor, and Teacher. Ordination is simply man’s way of recognizing the call on someone’s life.

There are many who have the title but do not function in the way God intended them to function. They are more interested in the title than doing what the title suggests.

On the other hand, many don’t have the title but function as Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors, and Teachers. They work tirelessly for the Kingdom of God. They may not be recognized by other leaders; but they are recognized by God. 

Let’s briefly look at each one of these gifts to the Church.

Apostles– are ambassadors of the Gospel; officially a commissioner of Christ with miraculous powers: a messenger, one that is sent. Apostles go to new places to establish the body of Christ, and to ensure that churches are operating under correct doctrines or teachings. Missionaries are examples of those who are sent to establish works in foreign lands.Prophets– are forth-teller not fortune-tellers; they are inspired speaker of and for God. A Prophet speaks forth what Christ is saying to the church for today. A New Testament prophet encourages, edifies and exhorts the Body of Christ.Evangelists – are preachers of the gospel. The gift of the Evangelist is to produce new converts with the simple Gospel of Jesus; the message of love, forgiveness, and acceptance.Pastors – are shepherds or those who are responsible for the spiritual care and health of the Body of Christ. Teachers – are instructors who teach the truths of Jesus Christ from the Bible. They take the deep things of God and make them easy to understand.

All of these are people are called by God to equip or prepare the saints (you and I) for the work of ministry or serving. All of this is revealed in Ephesians 4:11-16.

Let me take a moment to talk about a sensitive issue regarding leaders in the church. 

It is easy to put leaders “o

In the last several posts we have focused on the gift of grace of the Father, the gift of Jesus. “For God so loved the world he gave His only Son…” 

Then we looked at the gift of grace of Jesus– the gift of the Holy Spirit.“I will not leave you as orphans, but I will send you another Helper like me”. 

Before we look at the gift of the grace of the Holy Spirit- which would be spiritual gifts we want to look deeper at the gift of Jesus- the Holy Spirit and the function of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Show More

Our natural inability to live without sin

The entire Old Testament of the Bible clearly point to mankind’s inability to live according to the Mosaic Law, under the Law no one could be “good enough”! Therefore, as far as the Old Testament is concerned it teaches that it is impossible to live without sin. 

The Two results of sin

First it results in “eternal death” or Hell, second it separates one from the blessings of God and a wholesome relationship with Him. When I say that sin separates from God, I do not mean that God leaves us. God has promised that He Will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5) and God cannot break His promises. When we sin, we are the ones who move away from God and try to hide from Him. Remember Adam and Eve after they sinned and recognized their sin, they tried to hide from God the Father.

This brings up the question, “what is sin”? Is it lying, stealing, coveting or murdering or is it something else? The breaking of the 10 Commandments is a symptom of not believing in God! When we talk of sin, we tend to focus on the symptoms instead of the cause. The cause is that we don’t believe what God has said or in the one whom God sent to redeem us, Jesus. Not believing or trusting in Jesus is the only reason one is condemned to Hell.

The Solution

The Father sent Jesus to deal with the “death” or going to Hell issue, once and for all, by dying on the Cross. He was the perfect sacrifice for our sins and His resurrection was the assurance of our own resurrection or life everlasting. The sin that condemned us was the sin of unbelief in Jesus; that Jesus was God and is God in the flesh. That He was the evidence of God’s love for us. The most well-known scripture in the Bible is John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life”. 

As I said there is only one sin that condemns a person to Hell, and that is the sin of not believing in the one whom the Father sent. Look at the verse that follows John 3:16- John 3:17, “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 18 He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God”. A person who does not believe in Jesus is condemned already.

The evidence that we have truly been saved is that we begin to reject and repent of those habits and ways of thinking that do not glorify God. 2 Corinthians 5:17 states that, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new”. These symptoms of our old-self are referred to, in the Bible, as the deeds of the flesh.  Galatians 5:19-21 describes the deeds of the flesh. “Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God”. 

These deeds of the flesh are all part of our sin-nature, which through Jesus Christ has been broken. As a result of what Jesus did, we are now pa