Fulfilled Biblical Prophecies (#2)

Welcome back to the  second part of our series on Fulfilled Biblical prophecies.  In the first part we looked at the fundamental prophecies surrounding Jesus Christ himself; the ultimate prophecies which enable our very salvation.

And now we’re going to continue with some of the essential prophecies that Jesus mentioned Himself, regarding truths of the gospel.

The Blessings of the Gospel

There are many struggles among Christians today; battles between Grace versus Law, Old versus New, and lies versus truth. There are extremes on both sides of the isle, and I’ve seen a disturbing trend over the years of each side, so zealous for purity, that they throw out the proverbial baby with the bathwater— eliminating relevant portions of God’s message to support their particular position.

One such casualty that I’ve specifically taken notice of recently, are the blessings of the Gospel. Even among the more charismatic crowd, the blessings of the gospel are starting to be ignored because of the abuses which have been in the spotlight… and I don’t necessarily  think that’s accidental.  If there’s one thing that the devil hates and fears, it’s Christians that know what they have in Christ, and are willing to stand on those truths!

You see, the devil often can’t stop the flow of the gospel message, or the truths it contains; but his primary weapon is influencing people, to doubt what they hear.

But God tells us through the scriptures that He wants us to know what His blessings are, and stand firmly on them. His blessings are designed to strengthen us against the pressure of this world, and moreover they teach us our true spiritual identity in Christ.

Let’s check it out!

Did God Give You Promises or Facts?

If you’ve spent any time in the more charismatic sections of Christianity, you’ve likely heard about the promises of God. The promises are something that Christians often meditate on, recite, and think about. There are books and devotionals dedicated to the promises, and they can give a lot of comfort.

But what exactly is a promise in the biblical aspect? By asking this question, I’m aiming primarily at the time-frame in view. When we typically think of a promise, we envision something that is going to happen, but hasn’t happened yet. The time-frame may seem like a small detail, but it can have large implications.

Today we will explore what it means to have a biblical promise versus a biblical fact, and how a seemingly subtle difference can significantly influence our perspective of what we have in Christ.

The Blessings and Promises of God for You (#3): Receiving Your Blessings

Welcome to part 3 of our series on the blessings and promises of God. In the previous segments, we looked at the foundation for the blessings, and why you can have confidence in them. We then proceeded to look at what it means to “know” that you are blessed from a spiritual perspective.

Today we will explore how your blessings come, and how to receive them into your life. While this information is presented in scripture simply, it can be surprisingly challenging to implement for many believers in daily life.

The Blessings and Promises of God for You (#1): Certainty in Christ

The blessings and promises of God can be a touchy subject for some people. There are various ideas regarding God’s blessings ranging from saying they don’t exist at all today, to doctrines saying that God’s blessings are entirely ethereal, or claiming that extreme personal sacrifice and pain is necessary to attain them.

Amid the confusion, it’s easy to become lost and frustrated, and to want to simply give up on the entire topic of blessings. However, God is not the author of confusion, and the scriptures do not leave this topic clouded.

In this series we will be examining the blessings and promises of God available to us through Jesus Christ, how they are give, and how we receive them. 

Join me in this introductory segment today, as we explore the foundation of why blessings and promises available to us in Christ.

Living in Your Promise Land in Christ

We recently concluded a series on obtaining spiritual victory, and we’ve learned quite a bit about how to stand our spiritual ground, and not allow a defeated foe to trample us under foot. It is a crucial lesson to learn how to stand and fight when it comes to spiritual battle and victory. It is equally important, however, to learn how to experience, enjoy and truly possess the victory once it is obtained.

Today we will be exploring the vital topic of possessing your inheritance in victory, through Jesus Christ, because this is what the spiritual battle is truly about. Let’s get started!

Blessings in the Kingdom of God (part 2)

Welcome back to part 2 of our series on blessings in the Kingdom of God. Last week we saw how much God cares for us, which can be a sticking-point for people who see God as more of a judge than a loving Father.

We also saw how the Kingdom of God is not something that we strive toward or reach for, but in-fact the Kingdom comes to us, through Jesus Christ. If you haven’t yet watched the previous study, I would encourage you to see that study first as we will be continuing upon that foundation today.

In this study, we will be looking at blessings and how they come to us, and also in what measure they come to us – the reality is greater than what we often think.

Blessings in the Kingdom of God (part 1)

The definition of blessing is God’s favor and protection; a beneficial thing which God gives to His people. God’s favor and protection is what many of us want, and quite honestly, we need it. But how exactly do blessings come into our lives? By what channel do they flow?

This is an aspect of the works versus grace debate that often confuses people, because even among some grace circles you will hear people make the claim that we are saved by grace but blessed by our works. And this has the effect of shifting our focus off of Jesus and back onto ourselves and our own performance.

Want to be blessed? Well, you got to work for it! Maybe if you do well enough God will toss some scraps your way.

Of course they don’t say it like that, but that’s the idea that comes out of it.

So today we are going to discuss blessings in the New Covenant; do they come by works, or by grace? Let’s find out together!

Your Assurance of Success in Christ

Success, we all want it. With very few exceptions, each of us wants to succeed in whatever we do; nobody likes to fail. But what assurances do we have for success? Is success just a gamble? A roll of the dice? Fear of failure can be a strong deterrent to moving forward.

So what should our view be, as believers in Jesus Christ; as reborn new creations washed clean and redeemed by His sacrifice? Perhaps simply having the question spelled-out in this way just opened your perspective somewhat. And we’re going to continue today by having a discussion regarding how Jesus Christ has given you the assurance of success. Let’s get started!

Heaven is Open to You

Spend some time in the charismatic circles of Christianity, and you will probably hear the term “open heaven” used here and there. It’s a term meant to describe the resources and assistance of God and heaven being available and given to you.

There are a great number of believers today who are looking for an open heaven, and wondering how to get it. So today we are going to have a discussion about how this can be achieved, and how Heaven is actually open to you right now, today.