The Master‘s Class, LifeChange Church Wichita

This is an important lesson for everyone.  The name Jesus is not a name to be cursed.  It is not a name to be used in jest.  It is not a name to be used casually.  It is not a name to be used to make a profit with, and it is not a name to be rejected.  

The name Jesus is a name to be worshipped.  It is the name of the Son of the Almighty God.  It is the name of my Lord and Savior.  It is the name that all men, all demons, and all powers, are subject to, and will bow down to.  There is power in the name of Jesus, soul saving, demon conquering, life transforming power, in the name of Jesus.

Yet, so many people reject Jesus as the Son of God, and all of the work that He has done to bring salvation to a dark world mired in sin.  It is important to see the significance of this failure to believe that Jesus is the Christ.  The Bible tells us that “he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” 

It is the rejection of Jesus Christ as your Savior that will determine where you spend eternity.  In heaven with Him, or in Hell without Him.  Not good works versus bad works, not how much money you give, not how eloquent you speech is.  None of that will decide your eternal fate.  The Bible says, “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord Jesus shall be saved.”

In our lesson today, Paul’s focus was to bring the people of the region to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.  The Holy Spirit would do mighty works through Paul, making this one of his most effective ministries.  Millions of people would hear the Word of God as the gospel message radiated out from Ephesus like the spokes of a wheel.  Churches would be founded in the region around Ephesus, and people would come to know the Lord Jesus as their personal Savior.  

Click on the link below to hear a message on how you can know Jesus, the Son of the Living God.  

This is a live recording of The Master’s Class Bible Study at LifeChange Church Wichita, KS.

Amen.

THE GOSPEL REACHES OUT BEYOND JERUSALEM (Acts 8:1-17)

With the death of Stephen, the intent, and purpose, of the religious leaders changes from keeping the church from being created, to destroying it and anyone who would dare to become a member. Saul of Tarsus was put in charge of this persecution.  It was religion without the Holy Spirit that blinded Saul’s eyes, as it has many others throughout history.  When you look back at the history of this world, a significant portion of the wars that have occurred were fought because of the blindness that religion without the Holy Spirit brings to people.  Religion without the Holy Spirit is one of the cruelest forces in the world.  

Click on the link below to hear a message that teaches us that being saved is much more than simply believing in Jesus.  Satan truly believes in Jesus, but he is not saved.  For a person to be saved they must Be convicted by the Holy Spirit.  It is the Holy Spirit that convicts the lost person of the sin of rejecting Jesus Christ.  It is not true that a sinner, in and of himself, repents and believes, and then God enters into the process in forgiveness.  God seeks the sinner. It is God that calls man unto salvation. 

Next, for a person to be saved, they must acknowledge and confess their sin before God.  Confession of sin on the part of the Christian is not a mere admission of that sin to God.  The act of confession includes the Christian coming into agreement with God in regard to his sin, of agreeing with God as to what He says about that sin, and what the Christian ought to do about it.  It requires the Christian to repent of that sin, meaning they have a change of heart about that sin.  It means stopping, turning around, and choosing to turn away from that sin and follow the will of the Holy Spirit in your life.

Confession of Christ means the public acknowledgment of Christ and all that He is and stands for. The act of confession implies that the one confessing, or professing, the Lord Jesus, has come to agree with the Bible's estimate of Jesus. To confess Him means much more than to make a statement with the lips. It also means to back up that statement with the life.  It is one thing to say, "Jesus Christ is Lord," and quite another thing to surrender to Him and obey His will. The walk and the talk must go together.

God desires that all men are to be saved, but that salvation requires all three elements, conviction, confession, and repentance.  And most of all it requires the cleansing power of the precious blood of Christ.   

This is a live recording of The Master’s Class Bible Study at LifeChange Church Wichita, KS.

Amen.

What kind of world do you think we live in?

Is it one of promise, and goodness, where evil is a rarity?The world is full of promise, but one look at the daily headlines tells us that evil is not a rarity. It happens every day. There is a constant struggle between darkness and light.

Knowing that evil exists, each of us tries to create a bubble of security around us. We try to shield our families from the darkness. Yet evil intrudes when a man walks into a school and shoots innocent children.

Listen to this podcast to learn the source of that evil, and find the only ONE with the absolute power to defeat it.