The Master‘s Class, LifeChange Church Wichita

ISRAEL'S MISSION (Acts 13:14-25)

ISRAEL’S MISSION (Acts 13:14-25)

Today’s lesson is about Paul beginning his first missionary journey. It is when we know the will of God, and we are obedient to it, that there is no challenge too great, no danger too hard to face, the key is seeking and finding the will of God. The question becomes how do you decide when and where to move in the work of Lord? Certainly, for most believers, the most difficult part is separating the desire of our own heart from the desires of the Lord. Sometimes they coincide, and sometimes they don’t.

Seeking the Lord’s will is something each Christian should be doing on a daily basis. Finding the Lord’s will is the result of quiet, careful, meditation on the Word of God with a surrendered heart, and an open ear. So how do you know which way is right? Ask these questions:

1) Is your heart in a condition that can even hear the will of God? In other words, are you speaking from a surrendered heart that is fully obedient to God?  

2) Have you prayed and asked God to reveal the sin that is in your heart, and then confessed and repented of it? If there is unconfessed and unrepented sin in your life, that sin will keep you from hearing God’s will.

3) Have you searched God’s Word for the answer to your question of God’s will for your life? The answer to most of life’s questions can be found in the Scriptures that God has given us.  

4) Have you prayed about the question and then listened for God’s response, or have you simply told God the answer you want to hear?  

5) Is what you want meeting the purpose of Christ for this church being here, or for you still being on this earth? For example, Will it bring lost people to know Him?  

6) Are you willing to accept God’s answer, whatever it may be?  

Click on the link below to hear a message on how Finding the Lord’s will is the result of quiet, careful, meditation on the Word of God with a surrendered heart, and prayer with an open ear.

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

Amen.

THE HOLY SPIRIT KNOCKS (Acts 12:16 to 13:13)

Let me ask you a question, how long has the Holy Spirit of God stood outside the door of your heart, knocking, asking that you let Him in?  You can just imagine His thoughts while He waits on you to respond, “I know he is in there, I know he has needs, if he would just open the door I could answer all of his prayers, but he has to open the door first.”  The Holy Spirit will never overpower us, even though He easily could.  The Holy Spirit will patiently wait for our response.  

2 Peter 3:9 says, “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

God’s desire is that you will accept His offer of forgiveness of your sins and eternal life.  He is patient as He waits for you to choose to open the door of your heart to allow the Holy Spirit of God to become the president of your life.  

Yet, God also tells us in His Word, that those who refuse to answer the knock of the Holy Spirit, those who reject the light that is Jesus Christ, will face an eternity in the fires of hell, separated from God, and all that is Holy.  The only unforgivable sin is rejecting Jesus Christ as your Savior.  

But, the Holy Spirit not only stands outside the heart of the lost person knocking, He also knocks within the hearts of believers.  The Holy Spirit is always present within the heart of the believer, and when He wants to fill another area of the life of the believer, or when He has some task for the believer to fulfill.  It is then that the Holy Spirit knocks and the believer must choose whether to respond or not. 

Let me ask, is the Holy Spirit knocking on your heart, either from the outside for the unbeliever, or from the inside of the heart of a believer?  If so, respond, open the door and let the blessings of a gracious God fill your life.  

Click on the link below to hear a message on how the Holy Spirit knocks on your heart.

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

Amen.

VICTORY THROUGH PRAYER (Acts 12:1-11)

Today, I want to talk to you about prayer, not just “now-I-lay-me-down-to-sleep” kind of prayer, but victorious prayer. As you read the Book of Acts, there is the shout of victory, the ring of victory, and the shout of triumph on every page in the Book of Acts. These people learned how to pray, and they saturated their lives with prayer. And, God gave the victory.

Compare that with the average Christian today. Compare that with the average church today. We are failing in our battle against the world, the flesh, and the devil. And, the reason that we fail, is that, primarily and fundamentally, we do not know how to pray.  

Now, this next statement that I am going to make is one of the most important Bible truths that every Christian needs to understand all the way down into their heart of hearts.  And without a doubt, it is most staggering thought that you could ever have in your life.  When I really stop to consider the impact of this truth on my life, I cannot describe in words the weight of that thought as it settles on me.  I am going to tell you what it is, and when I tell you what it is, you are going to say, “Well, everybody knows that.” And so do I, but yet, I cannot tell you how important this truth is. Are you ready for it? 

Here it is: “God answers prayer.”  Ask yourself “Is that really true?  That the One who made the universe, the God of all eternities, will hear me, and I can have influence in His court? Me—He will hear me! I can pray, and He will hear me and answer me.”  

God said, 

Jer 33:3
3 Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.
KJV

What a thought!  That we can have the privilege to pray to Almighty God! Now, if that is true—and it is true—then we had better learn how to pray.  We can have an audience with the King of kings.

Click on the link below to hear a message on how you can have victory through prayer.

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

Amen.

TO PRAY EXPECTANTLY (Acts 12:1-15)

Prayer is to be a central part of our Christian life.  The Bible tells us to pray unceasingly, for prayer is the vital breath of the Christian.  God communicates with us through our prayer life. We also bring our needs before God during our prayer life.  And the main theme of our lesson today will be how we pray expectantly for God to provide answers to our prayers.  

If you want God to give you the things you pray for, the very first thing you must do is to find out what the will of God is for the matter that you are praying about.  

“The prayer that is answered is the prayer that begins in heaven.”  

This means figure out what God wants for your life, pray for it, and then receive it.  To even think that God is going to give you things that are not in His will for your life, is naive at best, and arrogant at worst.  If you as a parent will not give your children things you know are not good for them, then why would you think that your Heavenly Father would do so.  The prayers that we bring before the Almighty, Sovereign, God of the universe, must come from a surrendered heart.  This is not a heart that commits to God for a couple of days a week.  This is a heart that has fully, and totally, surrendered its will to the will of God. It is this surrender, this faith in the desire of God to give us all things that are for our good, the faith that God will do as He has promised in His word, that allows us to pray expectantly that God will answer our prayers.  

There is not a failure in your life except that which is really a prayer failure.  

There is not a sin in your life that proper prayer would not have avoided. 

There is not a need in your life that could not be met if you learned to pray with power, praise, and with an earnest expectation.

Click on the link below to hear a message on how to pray expectantly.  If you do not have power in your prayer life, then come to the Lord today and say “Lord, teach me to pray.”  God will answer that prayer.

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

Amen.

TO BE CALLED A CHRISTIAN (Acts 11:1-30)

Today, we are going to study about what a Christian is and how you go about becoming one.  When you look up the word Christian in the dictionary you will find several meanings of the word, from a believer in Jesus Christ as Savior, to having something to do with a Christian organization, a church, or a nation.  

Although it is not true today, for much of our nation’s history, the world’s image of the U.S. was that of a Christian nation and anybody coming from it must be a Christian, just like anybody coming from an Islamic nation must be a Muslim.  This was something we treasured and took great honor in.  However, this view has not always been favorable in the eyes of the rest of the world, and there are many in our society who have succeeded in changing this image away from our Christian heritage.  The true meaning of the word Christian is quite different from that of the world’s definition.  In fact, Satan has been working hard to make the definition to be something generic, to be something that has no real special meaning or power behind it.  

So, what is a Christian?  The disciples were called Christians by God.  God gave this name to those who had received the Word of God in their hearts.  They received the gospel and were, therefore, born again through the power of the risen Christ in heaven.  They were Christians not because they lived in America, or attended a specific church, they were Christians because they belonged to Christ.  

In Cantonese, the word for Christian is “Yasu-yan.”  Yasu is their word for Jesus, and yan is the word for man.  A Christian is a Jesus-man in their language.  I like that name.  Jesus-man, because it means that we belong to Jesus.  We are made Christians by Christ.  As Christians we are given the light that is Jesus Christ to live within us.

Click on the link below to hear a message on what it means to be a Christian.

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

Amen.

LEARNING TO SHARE YOUR FAITH (Acts 10:34-48)

LEARNING TO SHARE YOUR FAITH (Acts 10:34-48)

Let me tell you something very important, the door to salvation and eternal life in heaven with God is very wide.  The Bible tells us that, “There is no respect of persons,” and best of all it says in Revelation 22:17: “Whosoever will may come.”  The Bible also says that if anyone will believe on Him, that person will “receive remission of sins.”  

So, I want you to say to yourself this morning, “I can be saved if I want to be saved.” God did not say that only some people can be saved, and other people cannot be saved, that some are in a select group. No, “there is no respect of persons with God,” none whatsoever. If you go to hell, a brokenhearted God will watch you drop into hell. It is not God’s plan that you die and go to hell. “The Lord is … not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”(2 Peter 3:9) 

But, the second thing is, if you are going to be saved, then you are going to be saved by Jesus, or you are not going to be saved at all. Jesus is not a good way to go to heaven. Jesus is not the best way to go to heaven. Jesus is the only way to go to heaven. And, if Jesus is not the only way, then He is none of the ways. He is not just one of the ways; He is either the only way or none of the ways. 

John 14:6 
6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
KJV

Now, that is either true or false.  If it is true, then He is the only way. If it is false, then He is a liar and He is not any of the ways. So, you can’t just kind of tip your hat to Jesus; you have to bow your knee to Jesus.

And so, the door is very wide, but the way is very narrow.  Anybody can come through the door to Jesus, but the only way that you can come to God the Father is through the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Click on the link below to hear a message on how to share your faith and lead someone to that wide open door.

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

Amen.

HEARING AND DOING THE WILL OF GOD (Acts 9:1-27)

HEARING AND DOING THE WILL OF GOD (Acts 9:1-27)

I want to talk today about Hearing and Doing the Will of God.  Scripture tells us that we are all called to be missionaries.  However, not everyone is called to be a fulltime vocational missionary.  But, whether it is across the street, or around the world, we are all called to carry the light of Jesus Christ.  And I know that if you are a child of God, and understand the Bible, then you believe that.  

If I were to ask you, who is the world’s greatest missionary that has ever lived, I think we would all say that his name was Paul, a missionary named Paul. Without a doubt, without equivocation or contradiction, I believe that we would have to say that the Apostle Paul was the world’s greatest missionary, and what I want us to do today is to hear how God laid the missionary call on the heart of the Apostle Paul. Now, as we do that, it is going to speak to us because we are going to find some principles as to how God works and how God speaks.

Certainly, an important question that people have, who are sincere in their desire to serve God, is “How can I know the will of God for my life?” And, that is an excellent question, and there is a Biblical answer.  This question is important because, as servants of God, we must know the will of God for our lives. Success in life is not necessarily making a lot of money or being famous, but it is the progressive realization of the will of God for your life. That is success. And, who doesn’t want to be successful?

Click on the link below to hear a message on Hearing and Doing the Will of God in your life.

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

Amen.

THE MARKS OF A MAN MADE NEW (Acts 9:17-22)

THE MARKS OF A MAN MADE NEW (Acts 9:17-22)

When we make Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, we become a new creation.  We are made new.  A great preacher once said, “Nature forms us. Sin deforms us. School informs us. Prison reforms us. But, only Christ transforms us.” 

In Christ, we become new. A Christian is not just somebody who has become nice; he has become new. He doesn’t just turn over a new leaf; he receives a new life. A Christian is not like a tadpole that has become a frog, which has gone through a series of changes, but basically, it is the same creature. No, a Christian is more like a frog that has received the kiss of grace and has become a prince.  That is what we are. We are changed radically and dramatically.  We are a new creature.

When Saul of Tarsus met the Lord Jesus on that road to Damascus, Saul asked the two greatest questions that anybody in this world could ever ask: “Who art thou, Lord?” and “Lord, what [would you] have me to do?”  Somebody has said that the Apostle Paul spent the rest of his life finding the answer to those two questions: “Who art thou, Lord?” and “Lord, what [would you] have me to do?”  They truly are wonderful questions! I would to God that everyone in the whole wide world would sincerely ask those questions: Who is Jesus, and what does Jesus want me to do?  

As you study the Bible, you will see that the Bible doesn’t put the emphasis upon receiving Christ as Savior.  The Bible puts the emphasis upon making Jesus Lord. And, when you make Jesus Christ Lord, He is, therefore, your Savior. Now, I’m not saying that He doesn’t save.  Indeed, He does save.  But, while the Bible mentions Him as Savior 24 times, it mentions Him as Lord 433 times. When they spoke of the Lord Jesus, they called Him “the Lord Jesus.” Nobody is saved, who has not made Jesus Lord.  Listen, you cannot have what He gives—salvation—unless you receive what He is—and that is Lord.

Click on the link below to hear a message on the marks of a man made new in Christ.

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

Amen.

FINDING SALVATION AT THE FEET OF THE SAVIOR (Acts 8;30-9:8)

FINDING SALVATION AT THE FEET OF THE SAVIOR (Acts 8:30-9:8)

For it is at the feet of the Savior, Jesus Christ, that everyone’s salvation takes place.  It is by no other name in heaven above, or on the earth, or below the earth, that salvation can occur.  It is only by the blood of Jesus Christ that our salvation can be purchased. 

In today’s message we will see that in every conversion there are three ingredients that are brought to bear to create that conversion.

First, there is the work of the Holy Spirit: The Spirit of God goes ahead to prepare the heart of the lost person, and also to prepare the messenger.  This leading of the Spirit of God is absolutely essential.  Unfortunately, in many cases, we get ahead of the Holy Spirit and barge forward before He has set the stage for us.  We ought to make it a matter of definite prayer before we talk to anyone. We should talk to the Lord about that person, before, we talk to them about the Lord. It is not simply that we need the Holy Spirit to lead us. What we need is for the Spirit of God to go ahead of us and prepare the way, then to call us up to where He is. 

The second ingredient that is brought to bear is The Word of God:  The Word of God is absolutely essential. The Holy Spirit will take the things of Christ and will reveal them to an individual. It is the Spirit of God, using the Word of God, that brings the knowledge of God, and the faith in God.  For it is in the Word of God that the very basis of our faith is found.  Without the promises of the Word of God, our faith is empty and without merit.  

The third ingredient is the man of God:  When God gets ready to save somebody, He uses human instrumentality. God doesn’t reach out of Heaven and simply convict, convert, and save a person without human instrumentality being involved someway. That is the plan of God.  The ministry of the Holy Spirit of God is primarily a ministry of cooperation. He will not do it without you, and you cannot do it without Him.  Now, it doesn’t have to be a preacher, or a missionary, it could simply be a friend or a stranger, that brings to that person the Word of God.  It could be by how they live their lives that causes them to ask questions, or by direct witness.  I believe that the Spirit of God, uses the man of God, who delivers the Word of God, to produce a son of God, one who is born again. 

Click on the link below to hear a message on how salvation can be found at the feet of the Savior, Jesus Christ.

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

Amen.

BELIEVERS BAPTISM (Acts 8:35-39)

BELIEVER’S BAPTISM (Acts 8:35-39)

In today’s message I want to show you what the Bible has to say about Believer’s Baptism. I want you to understand the importance of the ordinance of Believer’s Baptism, because we dare not minimize it. Baptism has a message in it, and it speaks primarily of three things.  

First, it speaks of our past redemption. What I mean by that is, baptism is a portrayal of the gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  

Second, it pictures my present regeneration. Because, I have died to the old way, and I have been raised to walk in a new life. I died with Him. I was buried with Him. I rose with Him. I am now living in the power of His resurrection.

Third, it pictures my prospective resurrection.  One day I will die, and they’ll carry my dead, empty, body out to some cemetery, and they will put me beneath the ground.  And one of these days, our Lord Jesus is going to “[come] in the glory of [the] Father with the holy angels.” (Mark 8:38) And, there will come “the voice of the archangel, and … the trump of God: and the dead in Christ [will] rise first.” (1 Thessalonians 4:16) And, just as I came up out of that water when I was baptized, I am going to come up out of this ground. I am going to be raised with the Lord Jesus in a glorified body, and that glorified body is going to meet up with my spirit and soul to be with Jesus forever and ever. That is what baptism is all about.

Baptism pictures the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Baptism is a liquid tomb. And, when a person is baptized and he is put beneath the water, that symbolizes a burial. When he comes up out of the water, that symbolizes a resurrection. Now, it symbolizes primarily the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  And every time a person is baptized, he is preaching that he believes what literally happened is that Jesus died, that Jesus was buried, and that Jesus rose again.

And, while baptism does not bring salvation, it is an answer of obedience to our Lord. And, when you obey our Lord, that is when the joy begins. If you are having trouble, difficulty, in your Christian life and you are not growing—you are saying, “What’s wrong with me?”—then why don’t you go back and do a check up—not just with the command to be baptized, but any command in the Word of God. And when you begin to obey, God begins to manifest Himself to you.

Click on the link below to hear a message on the meaning of Believer’s Baptism and why it is important to you.

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

Amen.