Jesus said to His disciplines in Matthew 28:18, “all authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth …” We are going to consider the Authority of Christ over all things and particularly His authority over the Church.
The Church Jesus founded and brought into being. Jesus called two entities into being and then made them one, Jew and Gentile. Down through the Millennia the Church has always faced opposition, how is the church built up and you as a believer to be able to stand strong in the face of opposition.
It’s the Church that Jesus calls His own and not the Church which we have manufactured or altered. The Church which Jesus builds will be able to withstand the pressures, the strains and the temptations of the last dark days of humanity, the days prior to His returning. In 2 Thessalonians 2:1-8 Paul admonishes fellow believers not to be deceived nor troubled or confused.
In this episode we look at a very interesting comparison between the call of God on Israel and the Church. In Deuteronomy 7:6 the call of Israel is defined, He also has a calling on the Church which is made up of both Jewish and Gentile believers. The calling of Israel and the Church is to "... proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvellous light ... " 1 Peter 2:9-10
Having defined the Church and also looked at what defiles the Church so that it is weaken in testimony and effectiveness, in this episode we look at the designated task of the Church. Paul said … we preach Christ and Him crucified. In Ephesians 5:22-29 Paul uses the illustration of the love between a man and his wife to show the relationship between Christ and His Church.
Last episode we saw in the Bible that the Church belongs to Christ, it does not belong to any one denomination nor to any person. Christ is the Head of the Church and we are subject to Him. In this episode we talk about how the Church can become defiled, last episode we defined the Church. Are we as Christians living a life according to the Scriptures or have we become satisfied with a lesser standard?
Part1. (The Church) In this first episode of a new subject, we will be highlighting the profound words of Jesus when he foreshadowed something that we have become too familiar with but the disciples were not familiar with it at all. He used a remarkable word when He said in Matthew’s gospel chapter 16 these words, “ I say to you, that I will build My Church and the gates of hades shall not prevail against it …” What is the Church?
Deeper Life InQuest … this the first episode of monthly interviews, asking people about their Quest for God and in God. We hope to provide keys in these interviews that will unlock depth and understanding of the moving of God in individual hearts. We talk with Abilio about the events that lead to his encounter with Jesus Christ.
Truly in Christ we have been set free from the prison of ‘Sin’ and we are no longer under the dominion of the jailer, Satan. Our place in Christ is one of rest, reliance, confidence and faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ, we are seated in Heavenly place with Him. This episode concludes our talk in Ephesians.
Introduction to the next Bible theme: In the next coming weeks we are looking at The Bible and The Church. The Bible has much to say about The Church and many people have an idea of what the Church is, to some it’s a building for others it’s ritual and so on. But we will search the Bible definition. Jesus said that He will build His Church. Many times down through history the Church has got out of line and even up to the present era. Sometimes Mother Church has become ‘smother church’ binding an...
In the letter to the Ephesians, Paul the Apostle highlights the point that salvation for Jews and Gentiles is found in Christ alone. There is no superiority in being a Jew and no disadvantage to being a Gentile in. Christ. The call to salvation is to “ the who so ever …” Paul re-enforces the together-ness of salvation in Christ.
Ephesians 1:3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ …” what an amazing truth in this verse of Scripture. David was a man who lived in this blessedness of God. Let’s explore the vastness of the blessings which Almighty God has bestowed on those who have received Redemption in Christ.
There are many rivers and water courses mentioned in the Bible, they are all very descriptive because they were vital to the life of the cities build by. Psalm 46 verse 4 mentions a “River” … the River of God. Jesus spoke in John 7:37 of “rivers of living water” Let’s look at this theme in Ephesians how in Christ the stream of Israel and the stream of believing gentiles (The Church) come together in God’s River of divine purpose.
Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians found in chapter 1, verse 18 for spiritual sight for the believers. Having understanding and being enlightened should give us an appetite for the things of God rather than the things of this world. Unity among Christians from all backgrounds is also a result of spiritual sight.
In this episode we delve into some historical events of Ephesus and how Paul came to be there. We will spend time defining a key verse (chapter 1, verse 9) “ … the mystery of His will … “
The book to the Ephesians written by Paul the Apostle. In this short epistle of six chapters, Paul packs so much of the plan, mind and will of God. To get an insight into this book we contrast it to the other epistles penned by Paul to understand the purpose of the Ephesian letter. Resource of Watchman Nee’s book can be found on the following link . https://bibleandbookcenter.com/read/sit-walk-stand/
The Bible talks a lot about the gains that come after tremendous losses. We can take comfort from the Scripture that God will not forsake us and leave us in darkness, yes there is a "going through the valley of the shadow of death" and He will bring us through. (Psalm 124)
In this episode we continue to delve into how to recover from loss according to the Scriptures. But some losses are not retrievable, the Apostle Paul talks about this kind of loss.
In the last episode we were looking at the life of Naomi and Ruth and asking the question "can you recover or how do you recover from the loss of all things. In this episode we look at practical steps and confessions to take towards recovery.
In this episode we revisit Naomi in the Book of Ruth. We delve into how we can avoid bitterness through the resulting negative attitudes which we must wrestle, even though loss is inevitable in life. (Psalm 37 emphasis on not being fretful being a significant key)
We continue the theme "loss of all things" Now switching from the life of Paul the Apostle to the life of Naomi in the Book of Ruth. Loss can seem to be permanent and there seems no way of recovery from that loss ... But what seems unlikely can be marvellously restored in ways that are unimaginable.
In this episode we look into what Paul the apostle spoke of in Philippians 3:8 "the loss of all things" and also delving into Ephesians which gives the key to the redemption of God.
This bonus episode was recored in Kyiv, Ukraine on Tuesday 15 August 2023. Tony and I (Abilio) revisit the events in Kyiv in the mid 80's through to the 90's. To find out more about what is happening in Ukraine contact us by email at info@townsvilleworshipcentre.com.au or send a friend request to Tony Hallo on FaceBook.
We have all heard at one time the saying "ignorance is bliss" ... But really it isn't! ... In fact it's dangerous, how many times have we been spared by being aware of a catastrophe ahead. It's a wonderful thing to have knowledge and especially the Knowledge of God. In this episode we unveil the mystery of God, so we may know what He wants us to know, so we can be fore warned and fore armed and ready for anything.
This bonus episode was recored in Ukraine on Sunday 13 August 2023. Tony and I (Abilio) talk about why we are here in Ukraine. To find out more about what is happening in Ukraine contact us by email at info@townsvilleworshipcentre.com.au or send a friend request to Tony Hallo on FaceBook
In this episode we continue to look at the mysteries of God that were foretold in the Old Testament and are fulfilled and explained in the New. Not all prophecies have been fulfilled yet, but we have understanding and expectation which is a key to peace about these mysteries of God.
Mystery! Everyone likes a good mystery movie or novel. They are great entertainment. But the mysteries that are revealed in the Bible are wonderful. We are going to talk about some of them; the mystery of His coming, the mystery of the Church, the mystery of lawlessness and iniquity, the mystery of the great resurrection and much more.
In this episode we are going to look at some points of the Return of Christ that may stir some controversy, which is not a bad thing if it provokes us to think and scratch deeper than the surface so that we become conscientious believers.
In this episode we continue the theme; He is coming for His people. We look at aspects of His return in the letter to the Ephesians, the Father, Christ and the Spirit's motivation for His (Jesus) return to Earth.
In this episode we continue to talk about the Coming of the Lord and in particular the mysteries that really trouble people. We look at the two different aspects of His coming.
