James (Program #11) – A Life Not Fully According to and for God’s New Testament Economy (2)

The book of James has many wonderful expressions and utterances that many Christians love to quote.  His exhortation on bridling an evil tongue for example, and on other various Christian virtues are the stuff of many good Sunday school lessons.  In chapter 4, we have another admirable example of the practical Christian perfection that James espoused.   He says in verse 13 “Come now, you who say, Today or tomorrow we will go into this or that city and spend a year there and do business and make a profit; Whereas you do not know the matter of tomorrow, what your life will be; for you are a vapor, which appears for a little while and then disappears. Instead you ought to say, If the Lord wills, we will both live and do this or that. ”  Who could argue or take issue that such an expression “if the Lord wills”?  But by comparison we must consider another angle, another perspective. It’s the perspective of the dominant New Testament writer, the apostle Paul, who did not exhort the believers simply to follow God’s will in an objective outward way, but rather to be those that live moment by moment under the influence and direction of the indwelling Spirit, the Spirit of Jesus Christ. Romans 8:14, “or as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.“

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Daniel (Program #16) – The Visions of the Overcoming Daniel (6)

Anyone who has ever studied history realizes that throughout the ages Israel has been a land of wars and destruction.  Yet it survives and even today after so much turmoil but once again it is the center of the world’s attention and occupies so much space in our newspapers and newscasts.

Daniel saw prophetically that Israel will be such a land of distress.  He also saw how God’s purpose and His people will ultimately prevail as Christ Himself will come to that very place to rule and reign on this earth for a thousand years.

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James (Program #10) – A Life Not Fully According to and for God’s New Testament Economy (1)

In Acts chapter 2, the apostle Peter spoke boldly to his Jewish kinsman, “be saved from this crooked generation.”   Some time later, the apostle  Paul reminded the Jewish believers that God had rescued them out of the present evil age.  The context of both passages makes it clear that these strong words, “the crooked generation” and “the present evil age” both refer to the religious system that had become modern Judaism at the time when God was ushering the New Testament economy.

Peter and Paul made it very clear God was calling people out of that religious system.  Yet in other New Testament passages, it is equally clear that the apostle  James was not only comfortable receiving the Jews into the fellowship of believers, he was even willing to accommodate the major practices of Judaism into the church.  Well what lessons can we glean from this confused situation today?

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Daniel (Program #15) – The Visions of the Overcoming Daniel (5)

Throughout the ages great kingdoms and great nations have battled and men have fought and died.  This kingdoms would come and go and new kings would appear on the scene.  This kind of earthly activity was specially prevalent during the time of Daniel in the Old Testament.  Much of Daniel’s time was occupied by his concern and prayer for Israel.  In chapter 10, the Lord Himself appeared to Daniel as a man and He gave Daniel a look into the unseen spiritual activity going on behind the scenes while all these things were taking place on earth in the physical realm.  We also get a  glimpse into the unseen, spiritual realm on today’s life-study of the Bible from the book of Daniel.

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James (Program #9) – Practical Virtues of Christian Perfection (9)

Most Christians today view the Lord’s coming in an altogether objective way. In a way that has nothing to do with our spiritual condition or our spiritual growth. Their expectation is that one day the Lord will suddenly come and that His coming will have nothing to do with their maturity. It may be that the concepts many Christians hold regarding Lord’s coming back are actually causing Him to delay His coming.

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Daniel (Program #14) – The Visions of the Overcoming Daniel (4)

The prophet Daniel is often held up as an example of what a godly person should be like.  He was faithful, obedient, diligent and steadfast and he also prayed much. Surely this was one of the giants of the Old Testament.  But not only so, he received visions from God about future events and experienced dramatic miracles.  It is easy to esteem and envy such a one. But of all his attributes, it is his prayer life that serves as the top example.  Because Daniel knew the secret of how to approach the righteous and holy God. He knew never to approach God on the basis of his righteousness and good deeds.  But rather according to God’s compassion and mercy.  Whereas most people take their own need and desires as the focus of their prayer. Daniel prayed always according to God’s Word and God’s need rather than his own. How did God answer such meaningful and effective prayer.  Well, the answer comes from Daniel chapter 9 in the vision of the seventy weeks.

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James (Program #8) – Practical Virtues of Christian Perfection (8)

This is actually the 8th radio program we’ve done in the life study of James and is covering printed message number 10. We have seen a lot so far,  life study of James is a little bit different than other life studies because James was not fully clear about God’s New Testament economy.

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Daniel (Program #13) – Human Government Fighting Against God and Being Crushed by Christ in His Coming With His Bride

Have you ever wondered why God doesn’t just snuff out His enemy Satan and all of His evil and corrupt followers with just the tip of His finger?  Of course as the all powerful and all mighty One, He could do it this way.  But in His infinite wisdom and eternal plan, God has chosen another way.  A way that involves His redeemed and chosen elect, in other words – us.  We will examine this marvelous mystery in today’s life-study of Daniel.

A mysterious and marvelous romance is revealed throughout the Bible.  To understand this mystery we have to know that the whole Bible is a divine romance.  In the beginning of the Bible,  you have a marriage between Adam and his wife Eve and in the end of the Bible we see the same thing.  Christ marries His Bride and this Bride consummates in the New Jerusalem who is the wife of the Lamb.  And Christ and His wife lives a married life for eternity.  That is the way the Bible ends.  We can see from the beginning to the end the whole Bible is a romance and this romance is developed from Genesis through Revelation…

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James (Program #7) – Practical Virtues of Christian Perfection (7)

The Apostle James was a man of tremendous Christian character and virtue. He was genuinely pious and godly, and he obviously possessed great human wisdom. His epistle was perhaps the most practical in the New Testament in terms of Christian perfection. But as we have seen repeatedly in this current life-study of the book of James, when we compared his writing with that of the other New Testament writers, it becomes quite clear that for all his virtue and piety, James lacked a clear view of God’s goal and God’s way. A goal and a way that Paul described as God’s economy. All we need to do is consider how each of these two important figures in the New Testament present the matter of wisdom. In James 1:5 he said, “But if any one of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and does not reproach, and it will be given to him“.

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Daniel (Program #12) – God’s Economy in the Book of Daniel

Though the book of Daniel in the Old Testament is a short book.  It has many points with  many events and many persons each with their own spiritual lesson and significance. But we should always be mindful that the real focus of this book as it is in every book of the Bible is Christ.  And in Daniel specifically the Christ of God’s economy. To bring us all into this view of Daniel and of Christ is the goal of this ministry. Because it truly is a view that can not only change or deepen our understanding of the Bible, it can affect our whole life as well as a believer.

The very first message in the life-study of Daniel shows us that this book gives us 5 main points concerning Christ.  This is somewhat a review program today of this 5 items in the book of Daniel.

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