1 Peter (Program #1) – An Introductory Word

Of all the disciples called by the Lord Jesus in the gospels, probably the one we can most readily identify with is Peter. Simon Barjona as he was known before the Lord changed his name to Peter. In John chapter 1 was as impetuous as he was fervent and often found himself as the target of the Lord Jesus’ reprove.

Recall for example in Matthew chapter 16, Peter’s sympathetic suggestion to the Lord that He should keep Himself from the suffering of death that He knew awaited Him. “get behind Me, Satan” was the Lord’s reply. “You are a stumbling block to Me, for you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of men.” How could Peter possibly recovered from such a stinging rebuke?

And of course it was also Peter, who denied the Lord three times during the hour of trial preceding the actual crucifixion. Yet only days later it was this same Peter who stood on the day of Pentecost and usher thousands into the kingdom with his powerful and dynamic speaking.

And not only so, in his two epistles, Peter uses language and phrases so rich and full of high and profound meaning that we can’t help but marvel at the power of God’s full salvation. That this unlearned fisherman could write such thing. Listen to his word in 1 Peter,

1:18 “Knowing that it was not with corruptible things, with silver or gold, that you were redeemed from your vain manner of life handed down from your fathers,”

19 “But with precious blood, as of a Lamb without blemish and without spot, the blood of Christ;”

Welcome to our first life-study of the book of 1 Peter.

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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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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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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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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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James (Program #2) – Practical Virtues of Christian Perfection (2)

Perhaps the most important contribution that the Epistle of James makes to the New Testament is in the area of practical Christian perfection. Some people may not understand the usage of the word “perfection” in this context. James actually uses it in verse 4 of chapter 1. Let me read beginning at verse 2 to give it its proper context, “Count it all joy, my brothers, whenever you fall into various trials, knowing that the proving of your faith works out endurance. And let endurance have its perfect work that you may be perfect and entire, lacking in nothing.” What is it to let endurance have its perfect work that we may be perfect?

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Hebrews (Program #52) – Do Not Fall Away from Grace

No. Do not fall away from Grace. That is, don’t fall away from the enjoying of Christ in the New Covenant way. But rather, take grace, stand in grace, run the race, enjoying Christ every day.

Hebrews chapter 11 is a famous chapter in the Bible focusing on faith. It reveals marvelously that faith is the free gift of God, and further that it makes God real to us. But, there is a goal to the giving of this gift, and the goal is presented in chapter 12. The goal of faith is our topic today on the life study of the Bible.

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Hebrews (Program #49) – The Author and Perfecter of Faith

What is faith? Where does it come from? And how is it possible that God demands that we have it if we’re going to be saved and live the Christian life? Faith as a gift from God is one of the topics that we’ll look at today on the life study of the Bible.

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Hebrews (Program #47) – The Unique Way of Faith and Faith’s Definition

The bible says faith is the substance for the substantiating of the unseen things.  Faith is what makes God real to us, the way our eyes make light real to us.

Today we will spend most of our time looking at the unique way of faith and the Bible’s definition of faith.  And as a preface, we need to see that Hebrews opens the matter of faith to us only after the presentation of some serious warnings to Christians, to believers.  What is the general point of these warnings?

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Hebrews (Program #11) – The Sanctifier and the Sanctified

The history of the Christian faith shows us that the great truth of God’s eternal plan were first given to man in Scripture but then lost during centuries of darkness and then later recovered by God moving in His Body.  Such was the case with justification by faith and its recovery during the time of Martin Luther.  We will see another great item of recovery – sanctification, in today’s life study of the Bible.

We mentioned the matter of recovery.  We are going to hear Witness Lee refer to it today in our message several times.  For those listening that may not understand what we mean by this term in its historical context.  It might help if we could have a look at the meaning of the word “recovery”.

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