Title: A Woman Who Fears the Lord Shall Be Praised (Proverbs 31:25-31)
In this special Mother's Day service, Pastor Troy zeroes in on some sage advice offered by King Lamuel's mother, a godly woman who brought up her son as a godly man. The result was that he turned out to be a wise King. What's interesting about this is that these truths are hearty, alive, and potent today if they are applied, and work strongly in those whose lives they are applied to. Good mothers are also sacrificial, caring, and take on a lot of responsibility, and in this service, we honor them in a special way.
Paul's letter gets bolder and more dramatic as he rigorously upholds the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and in so doing, he upholds the grace of God. Paul was the one who planted the churches, including this one in Galatia. Jews were troubling the souls of the early Christians by convincing them to believe that there was more to it than just grace. The message and the purpose of Christ is simple; Christ died for you while you were enemies of God & were already dead in your trespasses. Christ chose us, made us alive through Him, if we choose to receive him, and is the only one who can make us holy if we abide in Him. Paul is saying not to add anything to what Christ already did for us. In other words, don't pervert the Gospel. Paul even takes it a step further by saying that if anyone preaches another gospel, may he be accursed, which means may they be damned and doomed to hell. This strong display of emotion, backed by truth, shows definitively how serious God's Grace is, and how only through Christ, it is sufficient on its own. It is not reliant on anything we can do. When we work for the Kingdom, it is because we want to share the grace of God, not be bogged down with obligation because "we have to". Grace is all we need.
In the first of a series on the letter to the Galatians, Pastor Troy Billow explains the historic backstory that led to Paul's need for writing the letter to them. Paul visited Galatia in Acts chapters 13-16, and established a church. The problem was that Jews in the Synagogues were influencing new Christians of a Jewish and gentile background, convincing them that they need more than just place their faith in Jesus. They told them that they needed the Law of Moses too. The Jews began slandering Paul too as if he was misleading converts by omitting the whole story, and convinced them that they needed to do more stuff. This letter's purpose is to set the record straight, and act as a chance for Paul to defend himself and the integrity of the Gospel message. The truth of the matter is; are we unworthy? Yes. Do we need to do more stuff to make us more worthy? No. It is Christ who makes us worthy, and He has a history of making people who are messes (like Peter) or self-righteous brainiacs (like Paul) worthy by making them humble, teachable, and in turn, powerfully effective.
In all of the anxieties, tragedies, battles, and trying circumstances that we are unprepared for, God has a very simple message for us in all of these things. That message is "be still and know that I am God." What does that mean? Why can it feel so difficult to do? How can we apply it? In this message, Living Faith's own Thom Espinos explains what is lacking, what we need to understand, and how to apply it, so that it is clear to us how to rest assured in the security of the power of God that is our mighty fortress and a rock unfailing.
There have been five major events in world history that established the world, changed it, and paved a path for a new direction. Those events are creation, the birth of Jesus Christ, the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and the forthcoming return of Jesus Christ when He comes to rule and reign on the throne of David in Jerusalem. The depth and seriousness of Christ, His resurrection, His impact, and influence is revealed in the prophecies of the ancient prophets, in Jesus's life, attitude, and conduct, and that power is reflected in the lives of everyone who chooses to receive Him into their hearts, abides by Him, and actively applies His example. When you look at how amazing and precise the prophets, Jesus, and His intervention and power in people's lives are, more than enough is provided to convince people to believe. These are the types of people unbelievers do not believe. Who do unbelievers believe? Unbelievers in Christ believe people who do not have that kind of power, influence, and impact. They constantly gravitate towards ridiculous and strange things that aren't factual, however something as significant as the resurrection is something that indeed happened, and is fact, despite what these types of people think. In this special Resurrection Day message, Pastor Troy Billow explains this "fact to belief/disbelief" dynamic, and why it is important for us to consider today.
When Jesus came, people were excited because the scriptures spoke of a promised King who would rise up and rule from Jerusalem. In the first century A.D. many expected Jesus to crush the Mighty Roman Empire to its foundations and rule from there. That's why the crowds shouted "Hosanna!" Hosanna is Hebrew for "save us", "save us now!" But when Jesus came, He did something unexpected. He rode in on a baby donkey instead of a mighty horse. In this, Jesus was making a statement, a statement to come as a servant to save souls, which would attune people's hearts to, through Christ, get right with God. At a later time (a time which is approaching), Jesus would rule and reign forever on earth, with death and sin no longer a problem. What is Palm Sunday all about? This very dynamic, as Pastor Troy Billow explains.
Join us as Living Faith Community Church presents for you the moments that led to the ultimate moment where God's love and evil & sin clashed. It is a telling of the story that changed the world, both in word and song.
Note: Due to restrictions on YouTube, a couple of alternative media hosts were chosen to present this program to you. To access this special presentation, please click HERE. Odysee is available on Roku (named "Odyssey Unofficial"), Google Play, and on the regular website (https://odysee.com/@LFCC:6/Tenebrae-2023:3). If you happen to have any issues on that video hosting site, another option has been provided and is available HERE. Thank you, and God bless!
Title: Revive Me According To Your Word (Part 4) (Psalm 119:25-32)
When the author of Psalm 119 wrote "I have declared my ways", it was his way of saying "I stink". In other words, he is saying he is sinful, weak, and in pursuit of the things that make him miserable. Today the same truth applies to all of humanity. However, the God who answers and teaches His statues offers the same help that this writer experienced today. Today, far too many people think that they are a "good person". The problem with this is that if you think you're a good person, then you don't feel like you need to connect with God. It's an "out" that we rationalize in order to justify our disinterest in connecting with God. The hardcore reality is; you can't help you. As scripture says, "we are dust of the earth", and as dust, we need something other than ourselves to live, and that is a connection with the one who gave us life to begin with. The power of revival is "I need something other than me". And you know? God solves big problems. In this message Pastor Troy Billow shares recent examples of this truth in motion and why its so important to stay connected with God, especially now, as the world continues to down spiral towards its inevitable fall.
Title:Your Testimonies Are My Counselors (Part 3) (Psalm 119:17-24)
The world today is loaded with anxiety, and so many people struggle with it. With all that we have as a human race, we are weak and pitiful. What's interesting about this, is that in the first century, the environment, the culture, and the living conditions were far worse, but Jesus stabilized those who trusted in Him. In fact to Jesus, the Word of God is more important than food, as he effectively demonstrated when he was tremendously stressed (Matthew ch. 4). As Paul endured an abundance of hardship (far above anything we call hardship today), he prays that the people will be given the spirit of wisdom, knowledge, and revelation (Ephesians 1:17-18). What does all this mean for you? These examples stress a call, a call for you not to miss your "counseling session" (i.e. your time alone with God and His word). If you don't attend your counseling session, you get messed up quick. You become unkind, unforgiving, miserable, grumpy, and seeking of sin to satisfy you. In other words, when you ignore the Holy Spirit who helps stabilize you when you apply your counsel, the world is gonna get you because the world breeds and incubates anxiety, fear, misery, despair, etc.
Title:Let Me Not Wander From Your Commandments (Part 2) (Psalm 119:9-16)
Why did God consider David to be a man after His own heart? The answer; David was vulnerable, he understood his weakness, and he was desperate. That is the greatest place to be in your relationship with God; desperate. When you are desperate, you are in a state where you are most humble, most teachable, and most serious about doing what needs to be done to overcome trials, adversities, obstacles, temptations, and in turn seek help from God. How do we walk humbly with God? According to His counsel and according to His word, which is God's voice on pages. That said, when you take His word seriously, God's work will cultivate its fruit in your heart, build you up, and get you through. The more you do this, the more you will overcome matters that ail you and grow in maturity, which will change how you act when other challenges come at you.
