The Master‘s Class, LifeChange Church Wichita

WHAT HAVE YOU DONE FOR JESUS, LATELY? (Mark 10:32-40)

What have you done for Jesus, lately?

For most of us, we work because we need a source of income.  We learn what our employer values, and what they are willing to reward us for, and then we go out and we do it.  If you work at a manufacturing facility making some type of part or piece of equipment, then you learn how your employer wants you to make it, and then you do it that way.  If your fail to do it in a way your employer wants it done, then they are unlikely to reward you, or to compensate you.

It is the same for the believer.  Jesus has a purpose and a plan to share the gospel message of Christ to the whole world.  The gift of eternal life in heaven is the free gift of God’s grace and He does not want you to miss it.  Those who call Jesus their Master and Savior are the tools that Jesus uses to fulfill this plan. 

Jesus, as our Lord and Master, wants His message shared in a way that He values, and He will reward those who will do so. 

Listen to this podcast to learn the things that Jesus values and the rewards of a believer.  Be ready to stand before Jesus as the Judge of the works you have done in His name and answer the question, What have you done for Jesus, lately?

ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE WITH GOD (Mark 10:23 to 31)

All things are possible with God. If it is not the strong, or the wealthy, or the sophisticated, or even the educated that can have eternal life in heaven with Jesus, then who possibly can? In our world these are the ones who are considered worthy of our admiration, our respect, even our worship, but Jesus says that it is easier for a camel to fit through the eye of a needle than it is for one of these to enter into the kingdom of God. If that is true, then it is impossible for man to save himself, or to earn his salvation from God. Listen to this podcast to hear how what is impossible for man to accomplish, is simple for the almighty Creator of all things.  Learn how all things are possible with God.  Learn how Jesus Christ has already completed all of the work for you salvation, all you have to do is accept His free gift of grace.

WHAT MUST I DO TO HAVE ETERNAL LIFE? (Mark 10:13-22)

What must I do to have eternal life?

Eternal life is an issue that each of us must decide how real it is, and if it is real, what we must do to have eternal life.

There are multiple religions, philosophies, and teachings, on what eternity looks like, and what a person must do to enter into it. 

Must you earn it?  Must you be a member of a certain religion? Is there any sin that will be unforgivable, or unpardonable, that would definitely keep you out of heaven?

Now, make no mistake about it, I firmly believe that the only true answer to this question is found in Jesus Christ.  It is found in Jesus Christ and Jesus alone.  There is no other way to eternal life in heaven, but through Jesus Christ. 

Listen to this podcast to learn what Jesus has done, is doing, and will do, to provide you with eternal life.  The answers you seek are in the Bible.  The Bible is the true, the inerrant, and the Holy Spirit inspired Word of God where Jesus tells us what we must do to find eternal life in heaven. 

IS IT OK TO GET A DIVORCE? (Mark 10:1-12)

Is it ok to get a divorce? The modern world that we live in would say, yes, when two people no longer want to be married, they should feel free to get a divorce.  Our religious establishments would say, no, the marriage relationship is permanent and should not be broken.  They go even farther and condemn those that do get a divorce and expel them from the church.  These churches treat those who have gotten a divorce as second-class citizens.  They forget that God is a gracious and forgiving God.  Our Creator, the almighty, living, God, created the institution of marriage to be between one man and one woman, and when that marriage is conducted in accordance with God’s will, it is the sweetest of experiences for that man and woman.  In fact, when two married believers have their eyes on God, that marriage is the closest thing to heaven that can be found on this earth. Unfortunately, man allows sin and hardness to enter into that relationship.  Once there, that sin and hardness creates a desire for the two people to separate what God has put together.  Listen to this podcast to learn what God says about marriage, divorce, and remarriage.  Listen to how the Bible answers the question of Is it ok to get a divorce?

WHAT ABOUT HELL? (Mark 9:41-50)

Is hell really real? The preacher says that it is. TV evangelists proclaim that hell is full of fire and brimstone. Is what they say true? The scientist says that it is not. Professors state that there is no empirical evidence to prove... the existence of hell, or heaven, or even life after death. Is what they say true? Somebody is right and somebody is wrong. If the scientist is right, then life is short and the grave is all there is. If the preacher is right, then eternity is a long time to spend burning in the fires of hell. Listen to this podcast to see how Jesus Christ describes the reality of hell and what our roles are in preventing ourselves, and others, from spending eternity in hell.  

CAN YOU UNDERSTAND JESUS? (Mark 9:30-40)

Do you understand Jesus when He speaks to you?  As believers we put many things in the way of our hearing what our Lord is trying to teach us. We bring the preconceived ideas of our religion to the Lord's classroom. We filter what the Lord says through those ideas, and it keeps us from hearing what the Lord is truly trying to teach us. We bring the world's values, measures, and standards to the Lord's classroom. We judge greatness, goodness, evil, and sin by the ever changing moral standards of the current social thinking. Using the world's standards prevents us from understanding what the Lord is truly trying to teach us. Listen to this podcast to learn that the keys to understanding Jesus do not include the rituals of religion, nor do they include the world's standards. Jesus says that you must first be reborn. You must be a believer to understand the words of Jesus. A person who does not have a relationship with Christ will never hear Him. Jesus says that you must also accept the role of servant of all. A proud man will never hear the words of Jesus. It is when we truly hear the words of Jesus that we find the purpose that He has for our lives.

TO HAVE MOUNTAIN MOVING FAITH (Mark 9:14-29)

Have you ever wanted the kind of faith where you could look at a mountain and say "Mountain, I want you to move over there," and the mountain would move? Now before you say that is impossible, understand that Jesus tells us as believers that If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. Jesus says nothing shall be impossible for us, not even moving mountains.  So, what does it take to have mountain moving faith? Must you have a mountain of faith? Must you believe really hard in something or someone? Must you follow the TV evangelist who cries out "I believe, I believe, now if you will send me your money I can make you believe too?" Listen to this podcast to learn that God does not ask you to have mountain sized faith, or to believe extra hard in any thing or any one.  God just wants you to have mustard seed sized faith in the things that He wants done, for you to be obedient to those things, and then let Him do the rest.  If you can do this, then nothing shall be impossible to you, not even moving the mountain that God tells you to move.

WHO IS JESUS TO YOU? (Mark 8:27-38)

Who is Jesus to you? This is a question that each of us must answer, even if choosing not to answer the question is your response.  From an academic perspective, the world has debated who Jesus is for two thousand years.  Is He an important religious figure?  Is He a prophet, or a teacher? But the question of Who is Jesus to you is about your personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  Listen to this podcast to learn how your decision to accept or reject a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, is the single most important question you will answer in your life.  It is more important than choosing a spouse, to have kids or to not have them, or even the career choice that you make. This single decision will determine how you will live beyond the grave.  It will determine how you will spend eternity.

ARE YOU WORRYING ABOUT THE RIGHT THINGS? (Mark 8:10-26)

How much of your time is spent worrying about things you cannot control? What is it that worrying is keeping you from doing? What are the top 10 things you worry about? Your job, finances, food, shelter, loneliness, or your health? What would it take to get you to stop worrying about these things? SomeOne you could trust to handle those problems for you. Listen to this podcast to understand how knowing Jesus makes a difference in what you worry about, how much time you spend worrying, and how much time you spend accomplishing the things that God wants you to do. Learn how Jesus is that SomeOne you can have faith in. Learn how to worry about the right things.

WHAT IS IN YOUR HEART? (Mark 7:14-30)

Every day the headlines declare the latest act of violence and evil that has occurred in our nation.    Every day we seek answers as to why these events are occurring more often than we remember in our past. Our politicians and the news media blame the tools of the violence while they ignore the source of the evil that drives these events. They choose to issue gun control and God control laws to handle the problem. These laws do nothing to solve the problem because it is the evil within the person's heart that drives the ability of man to commit these acts. Man's heart has a tremendous capacity for love, charity, and compassion for others. Man's heart also contains apathy, indifference, intolerance, and arrogance. Jesus tells us that there are also thirteen things within every man's heart that makes man the most vicious creation on the planet earth. Our country believes that a man must have freedom to do that which he desires. But for that freedom to be successful it must be constrained by man's absolute belief in the morals of right and wrong established by the living God. Instead of allowing our belief in the morals of God to constrain the evil that lies with the heart of man, our politicians have chosen to issue laws confining God's morals to the four walls of the church. They have mandated the abolishment of God's teachings from our schools. They have abolished the name of Jesus from our government buildings. They have banned God's commandments from our courtrooms. They have done this in the name of a new, socially, enlightened, morality. They have called good what God calls evil. In doing so, they have removed the constraints on the evil that lies within the heart of man. Instead of a new morality, we now have a lack of any morality, and they stand surprised at the violence that is the result. Listen to this podcast to learn that it is what comes from the heart of man that defiles our nation's soul, our people's spirit, and fills our headlines.