Life in the Spirit

[Equip Class: Kingdom of God] Everything about Jesus’ teaching and ministry has to do with the Kingdom of God. He speaks about it in every kind of saying (parables, admonitions, apocalyptic, beatitudes), and whenever the gospel writers summarize the ministry of Jesus they do so in terms of the Kingdom of God (Mark 1:14-15; Matthew 4:23; Luke 4:43). Yet the Kingdom of God is one of the most misunderstood concepts in the teachings of Jesus. If we are to “seek first His Kingdom” (Matthew 6:33) then it is essential that we understand what His Kingdom is. Check out this audio message if you would like to learn more about the Kingdom of God, what it is, and what it meant to Jesus and the people living in His time:

People can argue with words, but they can’t argue with an encounter! This is why Paul reminds us throughout Scripture that the message of the gospel is truth accompanied by experienced reality, “My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power” (1 Corinthians 2:4-5; see also 1 Cor 4:19-20; 1 Thess 1:4-5, Rom 15:17-19). Although the Gospel came in word (proclaimed truth), it did not come in word alone: God verified its truthfulness by a display of His power through the ministry of the Holy Spirit. You see this throughout Scripture as Paul’s Spirit-empowered word was regularly accompanied by Spirit-empowered miracles as well (e.g., Romans 15:18-19). It is this difference between Paul and us that is so radical that it explains a lot about our present condition in the West. We need to get back to Biblical Christianity and live like Jesus called us to live by the power of the Holy Spirit! Check out this episode if you would like to learn more about the importance on the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

Is it God’s will to heal the sick? Is the ministry of healing for all believers? If so, how do we heal the sick? In the Gospels, Jesus’ pattern was to preach that “the Kingdom of God has come near” and then demonstrate the reality of the Kingdom by ministering healing. In fact, the ministry of healing is such an important aspect of the gospel of the Kingdom that Jesus mandated that all of His disciples follow His example by healing the sick (Matthew 10:8). As followers of Christ, we need to know and understand our authority in Christ to heal the sick so that we can fully proclaim the gospel of Christ (Romans 15:19). Check out this audio message if you would like to learn more about the Scriptural basis of divine healing and Scriptural principles about how to heal the sick

[Prayer Keys] “How did Jesus pray?” In Scripture, Jesus’ prayers were often short, in the imperative tense of the verb (a command). This was especially the case when He was confronting the enemy and demonstrating the Kingdom of God (e.g., healing the sick). Jesus delegated His power and authority over the devil to all believers on the earth (Luke 10:19). But just knowing this isn't enough. It's knowledge acted upon that brings results! So, how do we exercise our authority in Christ? In the same way Jesus did: through the prayer of command in His Name (Mark 11:23). Check out this audio message if you would like to learn more about the authority of the believer and a Scriptural basis for the importance and effectiveness of the prayer of command

[Prayer Keys] In one of His most extensive teachings on prayer, Jesus tells us that there are three crucial dimensions of prayer that are essential for getting answers. Check out this audio message to learn more about each of these three dimensions, and a Biblical basis for them that will revolutionize your prayer life if you implement them. You can hear the message by clicking the following link [This message was spoken at Oak Bluff Bible Church’s annual Camp Retreat at Camp Cedarwood and was part of a series called “Prayer Keys from the Teachings of Jesus”]

A big part of knowing who we are is to know where we have come from. We can learn a lot by looking at what God has done through past Spirit Movements/Revivals that led up to where we are today. This message provides a brief historical overview going back to the Jesus Movement in the 1960’s and 70’s that birthed the contemporary worship music and eventually formed into the Vineyard/Third Wave movement in the 80’s and 90’s. This overview is intended to provide a foundation to shed light on what the Spirit emphasized in these past movements to help understand where we are today corporately as a global church. Check out this audio teaching if you are interested in learning more about significant movements, renewals, and revivalists (such as Lonnie Frisbee and John Wimber) that God used to impact the global church in significant ways.

[Pride and Humility Series] From the moment Jesus began His work on earth, His ministry was highly offensive to people. His method and message was so offensive that it ultimately led to His death on a cross. Was the use of offense intentional on His part? This audio teaching provides Scriptural examples and illustrations from the ministry of Jesus to show how He intentionally used offense as a strategy to reveal people’s hearts. Check out this podcast if you are interested in learning more about why Jesus uses offense and how we can learn from it in order to stay on the path of life.

[Pride and Humility Series] Truth is a Person. Our faith is not mental assent to a set of propositions, it is relationship with God. Jesus’ own disciples did not have perfect theology by any means, but they were humble enough to receive Him when He came. This shows that Jesus did not base His relationship off of whether people were right or wrong, rather, but rather, whether they were humble of heart. The problem with seeking to be "right" is that it results in self-righteousness, and scripture says that “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (1 Peter 5:5, James 4:6). Humility is a posture of heart and it is a crucial virtue if we are to have a living relationship with Christ. Check out this audio message if you would like to learn more about the absolute importance of humility, what it looks like according to Scripture, and how crucial it is in our walk with God.