In Isaiah 40:6-8, God tells Isaiah that all people are like grass. Grass withers, but God's Word lives forever. What does that mean? A long life on this earth is nothing in the economy of God's measure of time. So how are we managing our time? The children of Israel were living life going their own way and going through religious rituals and motions, but not sincerely loving God.The outcome of that led to judgment, invasion by the Assyrians, and exile. In Deuteronomy 8, God told the people of Israel centuries before what would happen if they forgot Him, and what was said became their reality. This is why renewal is so important today. Spiritual renewal begins with not forsaking the Lord, reading His Word, and applying it in our lives. The genuine sincerity in doing that will in turn bring revitalization, not only to your soul and spirit, but also to your environment.
In Isaiah's time, when the Assyrians took over the northern Kingdom of Israel, they would take captives to Assyria and would have to make their way back home upon release. They would have to navigate their way, find food, and tread through the mountains and valleys, and it was not guaranteed that they could make their way back successfully. When Jesus came to be baptized by John the Baptist 700 years later, John the Baptist was reiterating the words from Isaiah 40:3-5. In so doing John the Baptist was calling for sincerity and for people to repent. God is looking for a sincere heart. He hates fake worship. So how does one maintain a repentant heart? In this message, Pastor Troy will explain how.
What is a "revival"? Revival begins where a repentant heart is pulled out from having a selfish, hard heart. In ancient times, just like today, people are "stiff-necked", meaning that they are hard hearted, rebellious, and do not care about turning back...unless the Holy Spirit does the work. But sometimes we have to experience misery and harsh adversity before we come to the realization that at some point we in our hardened state, come to an end to ourselves. God cares more about our character than He cares about your superficiality, selfishness, and comfort. In misery, God gets your attention. Misery causes us to "look up". And as Pastor Troy mentions in this message, "you can walk 10.000 steps away from the Lord, but it takes one step to come back." Revitalization is a want to live in God's presence, and in this message, Pastor Troy Billow will explain what that all means.
LFCC's own Bible Teacher Rob Case speaks this week on the controversial, theologically thick and heavy topic of the rapture of the Church. This topic is one that is completely supernatural in nature, and it is to precede the coming Day of the Lord, which is in turn linked to the judgments and prophecies addressed by prophets such as Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Isaiah, and many others. How does the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit play such a vital role in understanding the background dynamics at work behind such a concept? Find out this and much more as Rob Case explains "This Business Called The Rapture".
When you look around you, you see that the world is broken by sin and death. Everywhere you look there are bad things happening, damage being done by people, turmoil everywhere, and every time you turn on the news, it is always LOADED with bad news. With Christ, God brought good news in a world filled with bad news. The purpose of Jesus is to bring love, purpose, and meaning to life, bringing joy to a person's life. Jesus is also the only source to being redeemed to God through him. The name Jesus means "God is salvation". God brings salvation, and it is by the many eyewitness accounts who were there (this is a historical account) that we have this event to celebrate, as the mission God had in mind was all for you, in grace and in mercy, to being something new and something that would generate life, joy, and peace, in a world sick and afflicted with bad news.
What's in a name? Every name has a meaning behind it. When the Angel appeared before Mary, and shared with her the role God had in store for her, he said that she was to give her child the name "Jesus". The name Jesus means salvation. Even Jesus changed the name of Simon to Peter. Why is that? Because he wanted to change Peter's purpose. In this message, Pastor Troy Billow shares the significance of the name Jesus, and also shares what his name means as well.
When light is shown, darkness cannot overcome it. Jesus not only dispels spiritual darkness, but He dispels fears as well. Christ is a supernatural light that works on your heart, life, and soul. Jesus wants to come into your heart and life to change you, and the only way that He can change you is if you are born of God. In this message, Pastor Troy Billow not only explains how Jesus is the light of the world (John 8:2), but how that light gets brighter the longer you walk with Him.
In the final part of Paul's letter to the Galatians, Paul addresses addresses religious people who do good works to put on a show.There is a difference between putting on a show and doing what Christ enables people to do. Paul says the only thing worthy of boasting about is the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ, which we are justified by (if we put our faith in Him). In response, our "good works" become an expression of genuine gratitude and thankfulness. That thankfulness translates into loyalty, and out of that loyalty, we are motivated to serve.
Continuing on the battle between the spirit and the flesh, Paul challenges people to acknowledge that "God is not mocked." In other words, He can't just be "blown off". What you sow, you will also reap. If you sow to the Spirit you will reap the fruits of the Spirit. If you sow to the flesh, you will reap corruption. In this message, Pastor Troy Billow challenges you to ask yourself where you are in light of this dynamic. What are you planting in your own field?