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.
To commemorate The National Day of Prayer, Living Faith Community Church presents a special Prayer and Praise Service, observing key foundations of our faith; such as Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication. Join us as we re-calibrate our sense of these foundations in scripture, prayer, and song.
The Word of God is truth, and when the truth gets through you, and convicts you, you need to confess your sins. This is a benefit that the Holy Spirit carries out to keep us right with God. Just as we need to take a bath/shower regularly to get rid of unappealing odors, grease, and oils, we need to have our sins washed away every day. Confession is going to God, in humility, for help, and laying out everything in front of Him, so that He can administer what needs to be taken away, what needs to be renewed, and what needs to be brand new. If we confess, God is faithful and just to forgive us from all our sin, and will cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Confession to the Lord directly should be a daily regiment in your relationship with Him.
When a concept is repeated throughout God's Word, God wants you to remember it. As the Lord was David's rock, fortress, and strength, as well as a multitude of many other leaders God raised up in the Bible, so God is our refuge, fortress, and strength today whenever we trust and rely on Him. In this message, LFCC's very own Thom Espinos will explain how Jesus is our offense, defense, protector, and strength, and how that dynamic works.
John shares his personal experience with Jesus to remind the churches about the truth of the real, physical Jesus Christ, whom he personally encountered, walked with, talked with, and saw after His resurrection, before he experienced the inaugural effect of the Holy Spirit himself, as well as the other disciples, 40 days after Christ's resurrection. That said, John's message is very deep, spirit filled, and loaded with energy. In this portion of his letter to the churches, John encourages fellowship with one another. He confronts false doctrine (in the form of what is known as the Gnostic gospels-completely taking away the godly qualities of Jesus Christ). And in this portion, John exhorts believers to walk in the light of Christ and to, in that light, walk with each other.
In the first message in a new series on the book of I John, Pastor Troy Billow lays the historical foundation and theological basis that John is addressing. Many false teachers known as Gnostics, are exerting false doctrine, and it is infiltrating the church. John is bringing the points up in this book to confront that false doctrine and holding the hand of the churches that need help and instruction. Then, like today, the church needs help and instruction to confront and combat false doctrine in its many forms, to make God's impact on one's mind, heart, and soul, clear, concise, powerful, and effective.
When Jesus said to His disciples that He would be killed by the Romans and rise again on the third day, they not only didn't understand, but when the reality played out, they were scared and ran. When Jesus's body was gone after His resurrection, even though Jesus told his disciples what was going to happen, logic and reason, anchored in what was only natural by the dictates of this world, led them to believe that Jesus's body was taken by someone or stolen. However the supernatural intervention by God in human history tells a different story; one that transcends human logic, reason, and comprehension. That said, in raising Jesus from the dead, the "grip" of what seems natural or logical was loosened, and left an imprint and impression that could only give glory to God. However, what people said about Jesus back then, still try to say the same things today about Him. And the people Jesus showed himself first to, were considered the "lowest" in society, because He could start with a fresh slate, one that didn't involve the religious hierarchy, who were hostile to Jesus and would not accept Him as their Messiah. What Jesus taught was what God commanded Him and many of the prophets before Him to speak, and one of those things was the marvel that was the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. And why? Because Jesus came to conquer something greater than people's convenience, comfort, and safety, and that greater thing is what enables, empowers & inspires us today.
In observance of Passover/Good Friday, Rock of Israel Ministries hosted a special Seder Ceremonial Service. This service observes both Passover, when God used the blood from a lamb to save those who trusted Him from the angel of death, and freed the Jews from Egypt, and incorporates Jesus Christ, the lamb of God, whose blood frees us from the power of death, the power of sin, and hell. The similarities are striking, however some unfortunately don't make the connection. So join us as we present the Seder Service in its entirety.
On Palm Sunday, many people saw Jesus as a bringer of political peace, economic freedom, and were looking to Him to be the one that released them from the dominance of the Roman Empire. They waved palm branches at him which signified peace, and victory. What they couldn't understand was that Jesus needed to free them from bigger political enemies, economic hardships, personal hardships, etc. He needed to free people from Satan, demonic influence (i.e. the principalities and powers of this dark world), the influence of evil, and inner personal sin. Jesus needed to free them from the Kingdom of Darkness. In so doing, Christ set in motion the powers that would lead Him to the cross one week later.