The Master‘s Class, LifeChange Church Wichita

HOW TO PUT POWER IN YOUR PRAYER (Acts 4:23-33)

HOW TO PUT POWER IN YOUR PRAYER (Acts 4:23-33)

The progressives in our country have recently been disparaging prayer as weak and powerless to stop tragedies from happening.  For example, a recent incident occurred at a Catholic school while the children were praying in a sanctuary.  The progressive’s argument was what use was prayer, for it did not protect those innocent children.  It became a talking point for several members of congress castigating those who asked for prayer for the families that lost a child, and for our nation that is being consumed by evil.  

It is hard to believe that we, as a nation, have come to this point, but when you consider that these people do not believe that God exists, then it is logical that they do not believe in the power of prayer.  They miss the point that prayer is not a talisman to protect us, it is a direct communication with the Almighty God to provide strength to get through the tragedies, and evil, of this world.  Prayer is our fellowship with God who loves us, and whom we love.

More than ever, I am totally convinced that the need of the hour is power in prayer.  Not merely to pray, but to pray with power—to pray so as to get your prayers answered.  You see, prayer is not getting God to agree with you.  Prayer is getting you to agree with God about what He is going to do.  God is absolutely sovereign.  We do not change God’s mind about things that He has foreknown from the foundation of time.

Many of you know that my brother died a couple of weeks ago, and it was not because we did not pray with enough faith to heal him.  There were literally hundreds of people praying for him to be healed.  He died because it was God’s will that my brother would come home to be with Him.  And that was my prayer, that God’s will would be done in my brother’s life.  God, as our Creator, decides in His sovereign will, what will happen in this world, and nobody is going to name it, and claim it, to occur differently.  

I firmly believe that in order to get our prayers answered, we need to first find out what God’s will is, and then pray for that to occur.  Do I believe that we should pray for God to heal those who are sick?  Absolutely.  Do I believe that God heals people today?  Absolutely.  But when we pray for God’s will to be done, then we can rejoice and praise God just as loudly when He heals someone, as when He chooses to bring someone home.  And I did exactly that, I praised God’s name when God chose to take my brother home.

Click on the link below to hear a message on how prayer is a means of bringing the power of heaven into our lives.  

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

Amen.

THE SECRET TO HOLY BOLDNESS (Acts 4:1-20)

THE SECRET TO HOLY BOLDNESS (Acts 4:1-20)

Today, I want to talk about The Secret to Holy Boldness, or the secret to witnessing for Christ, even in the face of persecution.  I believe that we need an epidemic of Holy boldness from believers in our world today.  And, if you are one of those who wish that you had more courage to testify and witness for Jesus, then I want you to pay attention. I am convinced that many of us want to share our faith, and want to tell others about our Savior, but we have been intimidated by our lost friends and family, and society as a whole.  We are more concerned about their reaction to our witnessing for Christ, than we are about their eternal life and destiny.  And that makes us cowardly Christians.  And I believe that there are a lot of people who when they go out to testify for Jesus.  On the one hand, their loyalty makes them go, but on the other hand, their fear makes them slow, and they just are not the vibrant testimony for Jesus that they ought to be.

Listen to me, if there is one message that the Church needs to preach today, it is that Jesus is the only way of salvation. Now, if you think that is narrow-minded, then don’t argue with me, go argue with God, because that is what He says in His Word.  

If I cannot teach that Jesus Christ is the only way to Heaven, then I am not going to teach at all, because if Jesus Christ is not the only way to Heaven, then Jesus Christ is none of the ways to Heaven. 

If Jesus Christ is not the only way to Heaven, then the Apostle Peter is a liar. Peter said in Acts 4:12, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”  Amen?

If Jesus Christ is not the only way to Heaven, then Jesus Christ Himself is a fake, a fraud, and an imposter, for He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6). 

Holy boldness is saying, “Lord Jesus, If You are for me, then who can be against me? Lord Jesus, if You want to use me, then use me Lord. And I trust You to take care of me. And Lord, if You choose—if You choose to let me be put in jail—then I’ll rejoice that I am counted worthy to suffer shame for Your name. If you choose, Lord Jesus, that I suffer bodily harm, then Lord, nothing will come to me that will not come through You first. And Lord, You are my Commander-in-Chief, and Lord, I submit myself to you, and I will speak at Your command.”  

Click on the play button to hear a message on the secret to Holy Boldness.

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

Amen.

KEEPING YOUR SPIRITUAL FIRE BURNING PART II (Acts 2:1-4)

KEEPING YOUR SPIRITUAL FIRE BURNING, PART II (Acts 2:1-4)

If we are to live the victorious Christian life, then we must have the spiritual fire of God’s Holy Spirit burning brightly in our lives.  We are absolutely powerless to be in God’s will without the Holy Spirit.  

Fire is a symbol of the Holy Spirit:

It spreads: Fire begins small, but it can devour a forest or destroy a city. The convicting power of the Holy Spirit begins as small spark in the heart of a lost person, and then it spreads, from person to person as the new believer tells of his wonderful salvation.

It burns:  Everything fire touches is transformed into fire.  The fire of the Holy Spirit transforms your old sinful nature into one that is righteous before God.
 
It purges: Fire sterilizes and kills germs, disease, and all impurities.  The Holy Spirit convicts the lost person of the sin in their lives, baptizes them into the body of Christ, and purifies them with the blood of Christ.

It illuminates: We take for granted the light that comes from the flip of switch, yet for thousands of years, fire was man’s only source of artificial light.  It allowed men to work and walk in a dark world.  In the same manner, believers walk in a world dark with sin.  It is the Holy Spirit living in their hearts that speaks to them, provides discernment to them, and illuminates the mind of Christ for them.

It warms:  Fire provides heat and comfort in a world full of cold and ice.  Jesus promised the disciples a Comforter.  The Holy Spirit is the Comforter to the believer in a cold, hard, world that has no love for them or their faith.  He comforts us when we are in trials.  He empowers us when we need Him most.  He enables us to live the Christian life.

It smolders:  Men can resist and quench ordinary fire, but the fire of the Holy Spirit can never be put out.  Once the fire of the Holy Spirit is in your heart it will never leave you.  But, you can make it inoperative in your life.  If you allow unrepented sin in your life, it will smolder quietly in the heart of the believer, ignored, and then suddenly begin to spread again. 

Click on the play button to hear a message on the four things that you must do to keep the spiritual fire burning in your life.  

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

Amen.

WAITING FOR THE SPIRIT (Acts 1:12 to 2:1)

THE ASCENSION OF OUR LORD (Acts 1:9-11)

Today’s message does not have the great theological Bible truths of the last several weeks, but it does have some good Bible history.  Our message today is somewhat workman like in that it talks about what the disciples did while they waited on the comforter that Jesus had promised them.  Today, we talk about the characteristics of the disciples, and then we discover that Peter is still just as impulsive as he has always been as he tries to lead the group in choosing a replacement for Judas.  And then lastly, we will set the stage for our discussion next week on the events of Pentecost.  

The Bible tells us that the Old Testament Feast of Pentecost represents something—that is, it is the fulfillment of something.  The Feast of the Pentecost has been fulfilled in the birth of the church.  Pentecost was to depict the beginning and origin of the church. It spoke of the coming of the Holy Spirit in the very particular ministry of calling a people out of this world to form the body of Christ, which is the church. Five minutes before the Holy Spirit came on the Day of Pentecost there was no church. Five minutes after the Holy Spirit came on the Day of Pentecost there was a church. In other words, what Bethlehem was to the birth of Christ, Jerusalem, on the Day of Pentecost, was to the coming of the Holy Spirit. 

Click on the play button to hear a message on how it was at Pentecost that The Holy Spirit became incarnate. He began to baptize believers, which means that the Holy Spirit identified them with Christ as His body here on this earth. As believers, we are a part of that fulfillment today.  Our purpose on this earth today is to allow the Holy Spirit to work through us to gather all of the members of that great body of the church.  Jesus is coming again to gather that church up as His bride.  Our mission is to spread the gospel of Christ to the uttermost parts of the world.  

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

Amen.

THAT OLD-TIME RELIGION (Acts 1:1-9)

THAT OLD-TIME RELIGION (Acts 1:1-9)

The book of Acts is a wonderful, wonderful, book, and we are going to be looking at this book for quite a while. As a matter of fact, I got to thinking about a title for this particular study and I came up with “That Old-Time Religion.” Now, the reason that I want to call it “That Old-Time Religion” is that we need to take a look back, so that we might really face the future. And it is very important that we do this today, because it is the Old-Time Religion that needs to be the New-Time Religion.

The book of Acts tells a very impressive story of what happened in the first century when the church was created.  The book of Acts is the story of success. It is the story of a church triumphant. Really, it is the story of a small group of unlettered, uncultured people with meager resources, very little money, no prestige, no colleges, no seminaries, no radio or television, no internet, Google didn’t exist, there were no printing presses, and no magnificent buildings in which to draw people in.  All they had was a small group of people who went out to tell the story of a publicly executed Jew. 

They went out against great obstacles.  They faced the imperial might of Rome, the intellectual sophistication of Greece, the religious bigotry of that day, and they turned that world inside out, and upside down, for Jesus Christ. They did so much with so little.  Today, we do so little with so much.  Therefore, I believe we need to go back and see what they did, and how they did it. And for that reason, we are going to be studying the Book of Acts, which is the story of a church on fire with evangelism and growth, and I believe it can become our pattern for today. And I want God to burn the message into your heart.

Click on the play button to hear a message on what Jesus can accomplish through you, if you let Him.  Do you want this year to be a great year? Then recognize His presence in you, receive His promise to you, and respond to His program through you.

Our prayer, today, should be “Father, I pray, in the name of Jesus, that You would make me a greater soul winner. And Lord, help me to recognize that, in the truest sense, You are the one who draws those people to Yourself as You inhabit my humanity and display Your deity. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”

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

Amen.

CHRISTIAN SOLDIER (Ephesians 6:10-24)

CHRISTIAN SOLDIER (EPHESIANS 6:10-24)

In almost every century since the creation of man, people have been concerned about war.  In fact, if you were to go to Google, that bastion of “so-called” truth, and ask the question, has there ever been a time of total peace on the earth?  You get different answers, but the bottom line is, since man was thrown out of the Garden of Eden, there has been little or no times of complete peace on earth.  The Bible, the inerrant Word of God, tells us that in the end days, that we are living in today, there will be wars, and rumors of wars.  It also says that we will have to wait for the Millennial Kingdom of Christ for there to total peace on earth.  

So, with good reason, everybody today is worried about war. They’re asking, what is happening between Israel and Hamas? What does the Russian invasion of Ukraine mean to us? What about Iran getting a nuclear bomb?  What about the president’s efforts to stop these wars?  Does it mean that America will be forced to go to war?  

What many Americans do not realize is that we are already at war. It is an invisible war, an unseen war.  It is a continuing war between light and darkness, between good and evil, between heaven and hell, between Christ and Antichrist, between God and Satan, and between the church and the world. There is a war, an invisible war, and Satan is our adversary. And he, like a cornered animal that has been wounded and frightened, is letting loose with everything that he has in these last days. And you cannot afford to be ignorant of this war, for to be ignorant is to be unprepared. You cannot afford to try to be neutral, for those who do that, will suffer the most. 

Click on the play button to hear a message that is a call to arms. The church is not a showboat; it is a battleship. And we need to learn this morning some truths about being a Christian Soldier in the war against Satan’s darkness and evil.  

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

Amen.

TEACHING CHILDREN TO LOVE GOD (Ephesians 6:1-4)

TEACHING CHILDREN TO LOVE GOD (EPHESIANS 6:1-4)

Today’s message is going to be about how to raise children in way that they learn to love God. Now, there are many who would say that the principles of child raising that we find in the Bible, will seem old fashioned, and are not to be used in our so-called “enlightened day.”  But, in my humble opinion, what is wrong with our society today is that we have left the principles of raising children found in the Bible, and listened to the Dr. Spocks of the world.  The truths of the words found in the Bible are as relative, and as needed, in our day as never before.  

A nation is no stronger than its home; and when children refuse to obey their parents, they are fulfilling the prophecy that says the last days will be perilous times. And any nation is in grave peril whose children are disobedient to their parents; and, therefore, it is no wonder that America is certainly in bad shape.

Today, the Scriptures that we will cover will be speaking directly to the fathers.  But, let me tell you that most of these concepts that we will talk about today apply to the mother as well.  Both parents need to be in agreement in how they raise their children.  So dads, may I tell you that your most important task is being a husband and a father.  It is not being a church leader, not being a businessman, but your most important task is being a husband and a father.  The Bible says that every father owes to his children three things: He owes to his children devotion. He owes to his children discipline. And he owes to his children direction. 

May God help us so that we will take our children and give to them these things that we need to give them: number one, devotion—don’t provoke them to wrath; number two, discipline—bring them up in the nurture of the Lord; number three: admonition—teach them the Word of God.

Click on the play button to hear a message on what the Bible says about how to teach children to love God.

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

Amen.

HOW TO BE THANKFUL IN TOUGH TIMES (Ephesians 5:20)

HOW TO BE THANKFUL IN TOUGH TIMES (EPHESIANS 5:20)

In my opinion, today’s lesson is about the hardest commandment in all of the Bible to keep and to obey.  Yet, we are going to read about a commandment that if we do obey it, it will bring perhaps the biggest blessing of all. And here it is:

Eph 5:20
20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;
KJV

It would be relatively simple if that scripture said, “Giving thanks always,” because there is always something that we can be thankful for.  For example, breathing, or our heart beating, or the sun rising.  But it says, “Giving thanks always for all things.”  Notice the words, “all things.”  The hard part of this commandment is, what do you do when you don’t feel thankful?  How can you be thankful when you are faced with the tragedies and trials of life?

Basically, there are four levels of life when it comes to being thankful. First of all, there are some people who are not thankful for anything.  They are constantly complaining, constantly bickering, constantly griping, and we have all been around that kind of person.

A little bit higher than that are people who just simply are filled with ingratitude. They just don’t give thanks. They may not grumble all the time, but they are basically ungrateful people. They are like a hog under a tree eating acorns off the ground, never looking up to see where they came from. And many of us just consume the blessings of God without looking up to thank Him.

Next, there’s a third level. It’s a little higher than that, and these are the ones who are thankful for obvious blessings when they come. If it’s an obvious blessing for health, for prosperity, for friends, for family, for church, we thank God. And that is good; we ought to do that.

But the highest level of thanksgiving, and the one I want to talk about today, is giving thanks always, for all things, no matter what—continual, perpetual, thanksgiving unto God. Now, that is a wonderful principle, and I am saying that it will transform your life from monotonous to momentous.

Click on the play button to hear a message on how you can be thankful to God even in the tough times, even when the trials you are facing are terrible.  

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

Amen.

HOW TO HAVE A SPIRIT FILLED LIFE (Ephesians 5:18)

HOW TO HAVE A SPIRIT FILLED LIFE (EPHESIANS 5:18)

I want you to imagine a man who buys a car.  Now, this man has never owned a car before, and he doesn’t understand anything about a car. But finally, he gets enough money to buy a brand-new car. And so, he is very happy with this car. He shows it off to his friends. He shows them the beautiful paint job. He shows them the soft upholstery. He has them sit in the car and listen to the stereo music.  He shows them all of the amenities of this car. 

But there is one thing he doesn’t understand about it: he doesn’t understand that it has an engine in it.  And so, everywhere he goes, he has to push it. Now, every so often, he is going downhill so he can get in and coast, but that doesn’t thrill him too much because he knows he is going to have to push it up the next hill. And this car that is supposed to be a blessing to him has become a burden to him. And rather than it carrying him, he is pushing it. He is very proud of it, very grateful to have it—most of the time. But sometimes he wishes he didn’t have it at all.

And then, somebody says to him, “You know, there is something you don’t understand about this car,” and they show him a thing called the ignition button on the dash, and they say, “Push that button right there.” And he pushes it and hears this surge of power. He says, “What is that?” “Well, that is the engine. That is the motor. Now put it in drive, and push that pedal down there.” And when he does, it roars away in a surge of power. And he says, “Wow, this is wonderful! This is glorious! Why didn’t somebody tell me this sooner?”

You say, “Now, bro. Keith, really, that is kind of dumb. I mean, that is a stupid story. Nobody could be that dumb.” And you’re right, unless it is the Christian who does not understand the ministry of the Holy Spirit.  Now, when God saved you, God gave you a faith with an engine in it. And there are many people who are pushing their faith, rather than letting their faith carry them. And the faith—the salvation—that was meant to be a blessing, has almost become a burden to them. And they’re grateful they’re saved, but secretly, they think, “This being a Christian is such a difficult thing to do.”

Well, today, I want us to discover the ignition button to this thing called Christianity.

Click on the play button to hear a message on how the Bible teaches clearly that being filled with the Holy Spirit is a requirement for living a victorious Christian life.  

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

Amen.

THE OPPORTUNITY OF TIME (Ephesians 5:13-18)

THE OPPORTUNITY OF TIME (EPHESIANS 5:13-18)

The word “opportunity” implies there are things to lose or gain, and that is what our lesson is about today, “The Opportunity of Time.”

Paul writes, “Redeeming the time,” which speaks of the days, the hours, and the minutes.  But, more than that, it really speaks of the opportunities that we have.  Because, you need to see time, not just as something that is passing, but you need to see time as an incredible opportunity. And when you are redeeming time, what you are really redeeming is opportunity.

God has provided for you an opportunity. It is God who is the creator of time. God’s great gift to you, number one is Jesus, and number two is time. God has given you time to work, time to serve, time to love, time to laugh, time to labor. But, like any gift, how you use it, is really up to you. And we need to see every day, this day and every day, as a gift from God.  Time is something that God gave you today, and God will give you tomorrow. It is not something that you own. God is the creator, the possessor, of time.  Therefore, I am a steward of the time that God has given me. And one day I will have to answer to God for what I did with this day, and every day, that God has given me. Twenty-four hours in the day, 1,440 minutes in the day, 86,000 seconds in the day—and every one of them is a precious gift from God.  I want to show you from God’s Word how to take time, and use time, and maximize your time for God’s glory, as we face the road ahead. 

Click on the play button to hear a message on how to live in the eternal now. Cut yourself loose from yesterday. Last year, with its heartaches and its failures, is gone. Forget those things which are behind. Confess them to the Lord, and bury them in the grave of God’s forgetfulness. Tomorrow is a time nowhere but on the fool’s calendar. Stop saying, “If I had the time …” You do have the time; use it. And if you have not accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and Lord, the Bible says, “Behold, now is the day of salvation.” (2 Corinthians 6:2) Now is the time to be saved.

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

Amen.