The Church of Philadelphia is doing something right. In other words, it receives no criticism from the Lord Jesus Christ. However, that does not mean that things can change, so Jesus instructs them to hold fast until the day He returns. Jesus encourages them by infusing within them a very important truth; He holds the keys to the Kingdom, the Keys of David referenced in the days of the Old Testament. What He opens, no one can close, and what He closes, no one can open again. The world will try and knock your faith out of your hands and pull you away from God. Jesus warns them against the wiles of the Synagogue of Satan, which are comprised of the Pharisees, trying to undo the faith of Jews who have come to Christ, sowing doubts in their head and trying to re-incorporate works that Christ freed them from at the cross. Jesus is the ONLY provision from God, and He will dwell on earth with men for eternity.
Jesus exerts His authority as King and Lord, and gets tough with the Church of Sardis. Sardis is spiritually dead. It is unregenerate, void of the Holy Spirit, not prayerful, fails to accept nourishment from the Word of God, and a host of other big issues that God is seeking. In other words, they are way too tangled up with the world. Jesus brings these things to their attention, and mentions to them that if they do not repent, and they continue in this fashion, He will come again and they will not know what hit them. The word of warning that this sends to us today is that Jesus is NOT ONLY a loving savior and friend, He is the Lord of the earth, favored by God the Father and should have authority and dominion in your life and in the life of the church.
Our Special Guest Speaker this week, Bryan Revor, delivers a distinctly unique message regarding the Messianic nature of Jesus Christ's roots embedded in the Old Testament. Some things that have obscure meanings in the Old Testament are revealed in the New Testament. Chaplain Revor explains how the articles within the Ark of the Covenant were symbols of sin, why they were placed in the Ark to begin with and what that means. In this message, we also learn how, drawing from Hebrews chapter 9, Jesus Christ fulfills all of the dynamics of the old order of worship (going back to the order of Melchizedek recorded in Genesis chapter 14), and how He is the mediator of a new and different covenant, a covenant that continues to reach out to us this very day.
Former U.S. Navy Seal Michael Imhof returns to LFCC as special guest speaker, delivering a message on the Lordship of Jesus Christ. All too often, the very phrasing of saying "My Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ" becomes so used in the Christian community, that it turns into just a mere slogan, or worse, falls into the danger of becoming a cliche. If you trust Christ to save you from your sins and through Him, reconcile yourself with God, then Jesus Christ is your Savior. However, Lordship has a very different meaning, one that is serious, larger than life, and important, so much so, that we as believers need to get this right if we are going to have a healthy faith, have dominion in our lives and surroundings, and have power over the enemy. This message serves as a great reference on the subject for anyone interested in digging deeper into it, as it is jam packed with scripture to form its overall point.
Special note: For more about Michael Imhof and his ministry, available resources, and mission, visit: https://michaelimhofministries.org/
When Jesus appeared to John, He had eyes like the flame of fire, hair white like wool, and feet like fine brass (as if brass was burning in a furnace). In other words, Jesus came to John with power, authority, and majesty. Dressed as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, John sends messages to seven major churches of which characteristics in today's church resonates. In the church of Thyatira, the church lost sight of what is important. You see, when Jesus addresses us, He sees the end result that He has designed for us. In other words, Christ sees our future, ruling and reigning with Him. The fundamental question is; are you thinking about that now? How you answer that question will reflect the state of your faith and your behavior in regards to that fact. Satan will always work to take our sins down to a deeper level, but Christ watches and observes how we handle that aspect (do we resist or give in) and how we depend on Him to help us overcome, as He is the only one with the adequate power to overcome. Jesus warns that He will make this church's life a living hell unless it repents (i.e. "cast into a sickbed"), and this truth remains relevant to many individuals in His church today. as Pastor Troy Billow explains in this message.
In the letter to the Church of Pergamos, Jesus is seeking His assembly to have love for Him. The problem in this church is that the place where they are has a history of demonic influence (i.e. Pergamos being the place of the throne of Satan). In addition to that, certain pagan sinful behaviors have crept into this church, and Jesus addresses them. Jesus lets you know the reality you face. Do you compromise in the heat of the evil that surrounds you, or do you put on the helmet of salvation (Ephesians 6:17) by knowing your place before the Throne of God, and hold on to your faithfulness when things get tough? This message is ever the bolder today, as it was a serious matter to this church in its day.
Pastor Joel Gilbert from Redeemer Church in Indiana speaks to our Sunday congregation at LFCC. Pastor Joel addresses the reality and challenge about holding fast in a godless culture. Today, it is nor hard to find wickedness so entrenched in our culture that it is mainstream to believe that good is evil and evil is good. And yet for those anchored in the truth, there is a fundamental challenge that faces them; how do you hold fast, strong, and engaged when everything around you is anchored in lies, feelings, emotions, cavalier attitudes, and political pressure? Pastor Joel will explain the importance of confession, why it is critical not to waver, and what it means to be faithful (as He is more faithful to us than we can ever be to Him) in this potent "meat and potatoes" message.
Timothy came from a mixed family. His father was Greek (which was predominantly pagan), and his Mother and Grandmother were Messianic Jews. Timothy was influenced by the faith of his Mother and Grandmother, so much so, that Timothy became a Godly man and a right hand man to the Apostle Paul. What we learn from Timothy's life is an effective blueprint that we need to apply today. In this special message honoring mothers, we learn how and why it is critically important to pass on one's faith to the next generation, to one's children and grandchildren. Discipleship instituted by Mothers is a special blessing, and Pastor Troy, in this message, will reveal why, and what he learned first hand by having a Godly mother.
To commemorate the National Day of Prayer, Pastor Troy Billow brings a dynamic and intriguing message on the importance of prayer in your walk with Christ. We are in a war. We have an enemy that wants to destroy us, and in so doing emits evil, misery, disease, death and despair. Sometimes the "squeeze" of the evil in this world, or the other things mentioned, seems too overwhelming and overbearing to overcome. However, when you pray, you loosen the tight grip evil has on you, and where there may be fear, uncertainty,, and feelings of hopelessness, God lifts you up and does incredible things to combat those forces. This unique message is not like anything you have heard on the subject of prayer. Prayer is a powerful weapon against anything that the Devil, the world, and our weak fleshly nature throws at us, and in these dark days, it is more important than ever to stay in prayer. After all, prayer is your contact to God, and as such, it truly changes things.
Living Faith's own Thom Espinos serves as our Guest Speaker this week, laying out the progress of Peter from flesh-centered thinking to a life of faithfulness. Even in the presence of Jesus, Peter struggled with lack of faith, doubt, confusion, and fear. After Peter encountered Christ after He rose from the dead, and experienced the Holy Spirit, Peter became a bold and dynamic titan whose faith stabilized, strengthened, enabled, and motivated him. Every believer in Jesus Christ has that very same Holy Spirit within him. The question is; are you experiencing the same flow of progress in your life?