ARE YOU A DISCIPLE OF CHRIST?

~ James Fire

For the video teaching, go here!

THREE QUESTIONS:

1) How many of you want to live your life in such a way, that JESUS CHRIST uses you to touch the many lives surrounding you and make an impact in this world by the power of GOD, for the glory of GOD?

2) How many want to see souls saved, redeemed by the blood of the LAMB, rescued from sin, death, judgment, and hellfire and to see the kingdom of GOD expanded.

3) How many of you want to become more and more like our LORD Jesus Christ?

What needs to happen to bring all this about?

We need JESUS; without JESUS we can do nothing (JOHN 15:5).

The disciples of Christ are the ones GOD will use to accomplish His purposes in this world. No religion can do it, no political organization can do it, no grass-roots movement can do it; no philosophy or psychology of man can do it.

The hope of this world can be found only in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and we are the stewards of the Gospel. So, our purposes as Christ’s disciples are what?

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NUMBERS – From SINAI To The PROMISED LAND: Chapters 28

Contributing commentaries by pastors Sonny Islas, Albert Lopez, and James Fire

NUMBERS 28: WORSHIP GOD ALWAYS By Sonny Islas; check out the video teaching here!

INTRODUCTION: NUMBERS Ch. 28 serves as a reminder regarding the sacrificial system for the new generation of Israelites. Seeing that the older, unbelieving, ungrateful, and unfaithful generation has died off in the wilderness, the new generation needed a fresh reminder of The Sacrificial System – the worship of Yahweh. They needed both the reasons for the animal sacrifices and the times, dates, and ways in which they must be offered.

Seeing that this new generation of Yahweh worshippers were going to enter, conquer and inhabit the wicked land of Canaan (that became Israel), led by Joshua, they needed a fresh reminder of how the One true God wanted to be served, honored, obeyed, and worshipped – namely through animal sacrifices.

Christians have been doing the same thing since the death and resurrection of Jesus. Every generation starting with the Christians in the 1st Century, had a sacred duty to hand down the written Word of God, which contains the proper worship of the One true God, to their children – from one generation to the next.

Why? So that we don’t forget God! And so that Christ is preached, souls are saved, and Biblical Truth and worship is preserved.
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CROSSING The T’s STUDY in 2 TIMOTHY – Biblical Precepts and Principles for Pastoral ministry: CHAPTER TWO – PART 2 of 2

INTRODUCTION: We pick up where we left off in PART 1 in this second chapter of Paul’s epistle to his protégé and son in the faith, Timothy, pastor of the church at Ephesus.
In this second half, we’ll venture into Paul’s admonition to Timothy regarding the elders and church leadership, that he will “Remind them of these things, charging them before the Lord not to strive about words to no profit, to the ruin of the hearers.”

He encourages Timothy to be diligent in the study of the Word, to shun babblings that are born of and excite strife and contention among the church. The apostle addresses how the LORD will operate through those of His that are sanctified and usable and will refrain from those not sanctified.

He ends this section of his epistle with the manner and conduct of the servant of the LORD. So without any further delay, let’s get into these instructions and admonitions!

2 TIMOTHY 2:11-15
11 This is a faithful saying: For if we died with Him, We shall also live with Him. 12 If we endure, We shall also reign with Him*. If we deny Him, He also will deny us. 13 If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself. 14 Remind them of these things, charging them before the Lord not to strive about words to no profit, to the ruin of the hearers. 15 Be diligent in study to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

* For an article on reigning with Christ, check this out: ARE YOU READY FOR: The RAPTURE, REWARD and REIGN with CHRIST?

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CONSIDERING THE VALIDITY OF “The LAST DAYS”

by James Fire

“REPENT! For THE END is NEAR!”
Doesn’t this spark an image in your mind of a long haired, bearded, barefoot prophet striding along the streets of New York or L.A., with a placard hanging from his neck and these words painted in bold letters?

Critics of a wide variety have disparaged this notion with no small amount of skepticism, even ridicule. Interestingly enough, the Bible says that this would be the prevailing view in the last days prior to the Second Coming of the LORD Jesus Christ:

2 PETER 3:3-4
3 knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, 4 and saying,
"Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation."

They point out that Jesus said He would return quickly (REV 3:11; 22:7,12) and it’s been two thousand years already! What they fail to realize is that He was referring to the manner of His arrival, not a time duration.

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THE CALL TO DISCIPLESHIP - by Dave Hunt

Originally published on The Berean Call on November 1, 2000
Dave Hunt

Listen to the audio version of this article here.

When our Lord Jesus Christ was on earth He repeatedly said to those who would listen to His Word, “Come, follow me” (Matthew 19:21; Luke 18:22, etc.). Large numbers of the Jews, because they or a relative or friend had been healed or fed by Christ, followed Him wherever He went: “And there followed him great multitudes of people…and he healed them all…” (Matthew 5:1; 8:1; 12:15; 13:2, etc.). So large and eager were the crowds that He and His twelve disciples “could not so much as eat bread. And…his friends…said, He is beside himself” (Mark 3:20-21).

Christ’s call to follow Him is extended to all mankind. No hint that Jesus was not sincere in saying, “If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink” (John 7:37). What He still offers to all is the same “living water [of] everlasting life” which He offered to the woman at the well (John:4:10-14).

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