The New Testament Church was set up in a way so that everyone has a unique function, gift, or special anointing which is expressed through the guidance of the Holy Spirit. In Ephesians 4:11-13 we find a listing of five types of leadership functions, commonly called the Fivefold Ministry. This includes the Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor, and Teacher. These functions […]
AUTHOR and FINISHER…MESSIAH….Part Thirteen
A thread which begins in Genesis and carries through the entire Bible has to do with God’s intervention on behalf of the fallen human race through the blood sacrifice of the Messiah. The story line which begins in the very first chapter of the Holy Scriptures is continued to its completion in the very last chapter of the last book […]
AUTHOR and FINISHER…MESSIAH…Part Twelve
Polytheism will continue to be brought up by those who are uncomfortable with this subject, and the question is asked: Is the God we worship one God of many gods? Absolutely not—not in a polytheistic sense. One of the basic non-negotiable doctrines of true Christianity is that there is only one all-powerful, all-knowing, ever-present GOD. He is the Almighty, and […]
AUTHOR and FINISHER…MESSIAH…Part Eleven
The Worthy One…The Lamb of GOD As we continue our study, we look at a heavenly scene that is difficult for us as earthbound mortals to imagine—yet, God chose to give us a glimpse. Chapter 4 of the Book of Revelation describes a scene that John the Revelator was given with Almighty GOD sitting on His throne. Then, in Chapter […]
AUTHOR and FINISHER…MESSIAH….Part Ten
The Materialistic Worldly Church…. After taking note of what the Messiah had to say to the first six churches listed in Revelation 2-3, Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, and Philadelphia, we come to the very last letter to the churches, the Church of Laodicea. Each of these letters included instructions from the Messiah specific to the first century Church to […]
AUTHOR and FINISHER…MESSIAH… Part Nine
The Faithful Church Of the letters sent by Jesus to seven churches, only two received no criticism. The Church of Philadelphia was one of these. The name Philadelphia in the Greek means brotherly love or love of the brethren. The Church of Philadelphia has also been called The Missionary Church. There are many Scriptures about love. Let’s look at two […]
AUTHOR and FINISHER…MESSIAH Part Eight
The Dead Church Studies of the letters to the churches in Revelation 2-3 are fascinating, but I find the letter to the Church of Sardis of particular interest. The things Jesus had to say in describing this church are unique, and I believe you will find the same as we take an in-depth look at this passage of Scripture. Let’s […]
AUTHOR and FINISHER…MESSIAH Part Seven
The Corrupt Church I am reminded of Jesus’ statement to the disciple Nathaniel when he called him to become a disciple. On first meeting Nathaniel, Jesus said, “Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!” Guile is the word used in the Old King James Version of the Bible. In numerous translations it is translated “deceit.” I found the […]
AUTHOR and FINISHER…MESSIAH Part Six
The Compromising Church In this critical hour of history, one thing that is sadly missing in many churches today is a message of real spiritual substance. When we read back over church history, it is noteworthy that it was not some great ecclesiastical, theological finesse that brought about the great revivals. Rather, it was plain and simple preaching about […]
AUTHOR and FINISHER…MESSIAH Part Five
The Persecuted Church The second of the seven churches that the Messiah addressed in Revelation chapters 2 and 3, is the Church of Smyrna. As we continue through the comments Jesus made to these churches, it is important that we remember that all seven churches did exist in the first century. Each church however is also a representative of a […]