John is hitting hard against the false teachers and false doctrine that was permeating the church, making new believers in Christ confused, deceived, deflated, discouraged, and depressed. And so the same continues today. John (who knew Jesus and later experienced the power of the Holy Spirit) sets the record straight by driving home the point that your life, as a believer in Jesus Christ is about becoming new, not staying "old". You have an anointing. Don't deny Him. Remain in truth. Stay engaged with Him, abide with Him, because when you do, He will equip you, enable you, and encourage you to not only keep going, but to keep going STRONG. Obedience is key. Sure, our flesh nature will get in the way, but keeping strong is made possible by being filled with the Holy Spirit. Pastor Troy Billow explains and expounds on this dynamic and more.
In this passage, John explains to the church that this is the Last Hour. What exactly does that mean? For 2000 years, this phrase has got people looking for Christ's return and asking "where is he?" In this message, Pastor Troy Billow explains what this means in the context of God's timetable, and what that means for us today. Jesus always kept the news of His return imminent with a series of signs to show how close He is to return. At this point in time, there is not much left to look for other than what is playing out in front of our very eyes today (the season). Watch as we go into the details of this very important dynamic, and what it means in the grand scheme of things.
Everyone who penned the 66 books of the book we know today as "the Bible" knew God in a particularly unique way. That said, the inward experience that they had in their time, culture, and place transcended anything and everything that was once dominant in the world (power, culture, politics, rulers, etc.) As people came and went, God's Word remained true and still does to this day. That's one of the reasons why we read and learn from the scriptures today. In this passage, John talks about the world passing away. It was in his day, and it is even more so today. So what is John, a man who knew Jesus (walked with Him, traveled with Him, remained faithful to Him), telling the people of His day and today? Don't love the world. Readjust your priorities. Loving the world takes away time, love, focus, and so forth away from God, and God is the one who wants you to get closer to Him so that you can live a life of joy, meaning, and purpose that changes you and changes things around you. As Matthew once stated, "...seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." (Matthew 6:33 NIV). God will take care of you, but you have to care about what truly matters and not get entangled in the things of this world that pull you (and your focus on God) down.
In this passage, building on the experiences of Jesus, Paul, Peter, as well as himself, John reminds believers regarding the enemy they faced, and we face to this very day. Jesus overcame the evil one, and Paul, Peter, John, etc. had to learn to do this similarly in their own way, with Christ opening the way to do so. In this message, Pastor Troy Billow explains what is required for a believer to keep their focus, and follow through in action on this because spiritual warfare is a very real thing, and its intensity is most felt among those who are most engaged in the battle.
Paul's final work was his second letter to Timothy, his young protege that he was working to mold into an effective minister. Here in this letter, Paul links ministry in with being a soldier with a critical mission; to work for the Commanding Officer, Jesus Christ. Jesus calls people who are perplexing and unpredictable in their time, but rise to an unprecedented potential that is powerful and effective later on. Paul exhorts Timothy to join him in suffering like a good soldier for Christ, not to get entangled with the affairs of this life (like his former protege Demas did (2 Timothy 4:10), obey your commanding officer, and find reliable men who will join you in the greater effort, by doing the hard work. As Paul called Timothy to this important work, Pastor Troy Billow uses Father's Day to enable and embolden the men of the church to keep this very dynamic at the forefront.
Ret. U.S. Navy Seal Michael Imhof returns as our special guest speaker this week, speaking on the subject of utilizing one's authority in Christ. In this message, Michael challenges the church to use what Christ equipped us with when He rose from the dead IN VICTORY. Michael addresses some of the "dead wood" in the church today hindering the power that Christ equipped us with. And in this message, Michael shows us how to take this power seriously, utilize it, and see what tangible results come from it.
Jesus said that out of faith, hope, and love, love is the greatest of these. Why is that? Love is all of these things in action. Love is one of the most important things about us. Why? Because it shows what we are willing to give up of ourselves and help, comfort, or aide someone else. In this message, Pastor Troy Billow expounds on the power of love and what that entails for those who follow Christ.
As the world continues to sink into oblivion and consolidate into one central global power, Christ Himself will ultimately smash that power, and begin a new, physical Kingdom on earth. After all, as the world cries about the end of the world, Jesus has other plans in mind, and a powerful investment in its future. The Word of God is LOADED with specific details as to what is going to transpire after things get profusely ugly, and how things will look on the earth when Jesus does tangibly rule and reign. What is the Jesus Christ administration going to look like in the first thousand years? What will the olicy agenda of His administration look like in several key areas? How are His people going to govern with Him? Nuggets of details are peppered all throughout scripture, and LFCC's own Bible Teacher Rob Case will bring many of those details here in this message, to paint a picture as to how this will come to fruition, and how Christ's rule and reign will not only change the world, but will HEAL it once and for all.
Full Title: God's Love Can Be Made Complete In You (I John 2:3-6)
It is important to remember that John wrote this letter because the church was beginning to lose its identity. They were starting to be deceived and confused by false doctrine. That false doctrine tried to convince people that God had not come in the flesh, which is the power of the gospel. And if you lose that vital component, you can cause people to not walk in the truth of the lord, walk in the light of the Lord, and walk in the love of the Lord. The enemy works hard to get the church (today in the same way he did back then) to forget what makes believers in Jesus Christ powerful, effective, content, and joyful. The way to counter this is to focus on being a true disciple, a learner of the Master, and follow what He says. When you follow Christ, you go AGAINST the culture/society, and you prove, by action, that you love the Lord.
A Judge in a court has the power to free you or convict you when you commit offenses against the law and thus society. Your lawyer is your advocate to defend you on your behalf. Jesus Christ is the advocate of every believer to defend us in the court of God the Father. Find out what this important dynamic means as Pastor Troy Billow explains it from an experience standpoint.