The Free Gift From God Podcast: Recent Episodes
John Lemmon
Christianity does not have to be complex. It is meant to be understood by anyone seeking Christ. Find out more here.
This is the second part of a session where we look at receiving the Holy Spirit.
In this session we look at how a person can know without a shadow of a doubt that they have received the Holy Spirit.
There are many Christians in the world who believe they have received the Holy Spirit, but the Bible and the Lord are quite clear that there is one undeniable proof that someone has received the Holy Spirit. Listen now to learn more.
Receiving the Holy Spirit is a most important subject, especially today as it is so poorly understood by many Christians.
This podcast is the first in a series and looks at how we might receive the Holy Spirit. And it is necessary that we do receive the Holy Spirit for many reasons.
So listen now to learn more.
One of the best known, yet often misunderstood sections of scripture has to do with the Great Commission. Jesus commissioned His disciples to carry on His work after He died, and these words were some of the last that He spoke to the disciples.
But too often, only part of the Great Commission is taught and/or followed. There are actually three key parts to the Great Commission, and these are discussed in this podcast.
Listen now to find out more.
We are taught in the Bible that Jesus came to take away the sins of the world. But it is an interesting study to understand where are our sins now?
Your sins have been removed by the grace of God and He has put them so far away that they cannot be retrieved. He also forgets and will not remember our sins, so why do we condemn ourselves as sinners when God does not?
Listen now to find out more.
God sent Jesus to die to set man free from sin, if they would choose to believe and follow Him. But to get rid of sin completely, He had to deal with future sin as well as past sin. Sin is breaking the law, so God removed the law. This session looks at why this is necessary and how it works.
The primary reason that Jesus came was to deal with sin. He came so that we could be set free from sin and the works of the devil. This session looks at the reasons for being set free from sin, and how this process works.
We know that Jesus came to set us free from our sins. This is common knowledge among all Christians.
But many Christians do not understand why sin must be removed.
Certainly there is a desire for sin to be removed because all Christians will acknowledge the pain brought about through sin. But the reasons why sin must be removed go far deeper than that.
Sin is the one thing that stands between man and God. God wants His people to be perfect the way they were originally created, until Adam and Eve sinned. But perfection cannot be achieved while we continue to believe we are sinners and living under the power of sin.
Listen now to find out more.
One of the key things we must understand about the Gospel of Salvation is how Christ sets us free.
Freedom is the basis of the Gospel as we are saved from sin and through the Gospel of Jesus we are able to be transformed into the image of Jesus Christ.
But how does this take place? What are the things we need to understand to receive this freedom in Christ?
Listen now to find out more.
What is freedom in Christ Jesus? When Jesus sets us free, He frees us from everything that is or can be a bondage that keeps humanity enslaved. It is a powerful teaching this freedom in Christ.
The power of the freedom we have in Christ, which was provided through faith in God as He raised Christ from the dead, is that we are set free from sin, the laws of Moses, and receive the Holy Spirit to release us from the bondages and afflictions of the flesh.
Listen now to learn more.
Righteousness by faith is one of the key messages of the New Covenant and the gospel of Jesus Christ. You cannot buy, earn, work for, or do anything for it but accept it. It is a free gift from God.
Faith is the key to receiving all of the gifts of God and it is by faith that God chose to declare people righteous. Those who believe that Jesus is Lord and believe that God raised Jesus from the dead are reckoned righteous. It is a surprisingly simple concept, and it had to be that way so that it is accessible to all people in whatever state they are in.
Listen now to learn more.
Why did Jesus come to the world and interact with man? What were the reasons for His first coming?
There were quite a number of reasons for Him coming, and some of them may come as a surprise. It is a worthwhile study to understand why did Jesus come and this episode provides a good starting place.
Listen now to understand more.
The truth is one of the great keys to the kingdom of God. Without the truth, you have only lies. The pursuit of God's truth should be at the heart of all churches, and especially the house church because house churches have typically left the mainstream churches because they could not find the truth.
There are a few fundamentals. Jesus is the truth. The truth will set you free. The Bible is God's word of truth given so we may learn. And the Spirit will use the truth as a sword, when we arm him with it.
Listen now to find out more.
If you asked anyone in the world, Christian or not, what the symbol of Christianity is, to a person they would say: the cross. But should the cross be a symbol of the Church?
Entry into the kingdom of God requires a very specific set of things to occur. These things are important if we are to be transformed into the image of Christ, so we must learn and do them.
Jesus became angry and drove out the people from the Temple who had turned it into a common market. Is the church today guilty of turning the church place into a market too? Find out more here.
The first miracle Jesus performed was to turn water into wine. There are many things to learn from this miracle, including how we as common water become wine by listening to Christ.
The very first thing that Jesus said to His disciples was to, "Follow me." There is a depth to these words that is not commonly understood. Listen now to find out more.
Who was Jesus that we should listen to Him? In this episode we look at who Jesus was before He came to earth to be the Saviour and learn why He deserves our ears.
If we search for the truth and we find the truth, then we need to guard the truth. There are an array of opposing forces seeking to disguise and take away the truth. We need to stand fast against those forces and guard the truth for the treasure it is.
Listen now to find out more.
Part of the armour of God is the truth of the word of God. We are at war in the Spirit and we need the weapons of warfare and the armour given by God to wage this war. Truth is a major piece of His armour.
Listen now to find out more.
It is essential to receive the Holy Spirit if you are to find the fullness of the truth. The Holy Spirit IS the Spirit of truth, so without His help you will never find the truth as Jesus meant it.
Listen now to find out more.
There are many impediments that can prevent us finding the truth such as false doctrines, false teachers, and so on. But there are others Christians may be unaware of and in this session we look at one you may have overlooked.
Listen now to find out more.
There are many things that are called the truth that are not. There is only one way and one place to find the truth and that is in the words of Jesus Christ.
Listen now to find out more.
There are many warnings for those who reject the truth. To reject the truth leads only to death and the rejection of the Lord. So do not reject the truth but seek truth diligently.
Listen now to find out more.
One of the best known scriptures in the Bible says that the truth will make you free. But how well understood is this verse?
We will see that the freedom offered is freedom from sin, but anyone who is a sinner is not free.
This podcast examines this part of the freedom offered by Christ, but there is much more. If you want to find out more about this freedom, go to this link and download my FREE eBook that explains in much more detail the freedoms we have in Jesus Christ, why they are important, and how to gain this freedom.
As we study the truth, we find that Jesus is the truth and the truth that leads to life is in Him.
Without Christ there is no truth, or at least none that will lead to the Kingdom of God and eternal life.
This podcast will begin to open up these things and provide insights into the importance of centering on Jesus as the only source of our truth.
What is truth?
It is an important question that will be answered in this series of podcasts commencing today.
It is important to know the truth as it will lead to eternal life for those who find and follow the truth.
Listen now to find out more, and subscribe to get each of the episodes as they are posted.
Over the past several months we have looked at some of the attributes from scripture that the true church of God should exhibit. We have also shown from scripture the falseness of some doctrines in the church. This episode is a summary of those things.
Listen now to find out more.
How is the true church of God supposed to be financed?
In previous episodes we have seen the falseness of tithing in the Christian Church. This episode shows that the correct method is by freewill giving.
Listen now to find out more.
What is the truth about tithing in the modern Christian Church? Is it a practice that should be part of Christianity or not? And is the way tithing is practiced correct or are those preachers following carefully practiced lies?
Listen now to find out more.
Scripture warns us not to listen to those who preach a different gospel to that taught by Jesus and the Apostles.
There is only one true gospel of Jesus Christ. But prosperity gospel is a different gospel that has no basis in truth, and should be rejected.
Listen now to find out more.
How do the prosperity gospel preachers justify what they teach?
There are a number of scriptures they use to justify this ministry, but they take those scriptures out of context and twist them to suit their own ends.
They take random verses and apply a false logic and meaning to them that is not the truth of the gospel. In the end it is a ministry of lies.
Listen now to find out more.
Will money commend you to God? In this second part looking at the Prosperity Gospel, we see from the teachings of Jesus that in fact prosperity is more likely to separate you from Christ.
We see today from scripture the dangers of seeking wealth and how they can lead to all manner of destructive pursuits.
Listen now to find out more.
Prosperity gospel is one of the great false doctrines of the Church in modern times.
This podcast, the first of four, provides an introduction to understand the falseness of this doctrine and how it works against the truth of the Gospel. This false teaching leads people to follow paths of greed and pushes others into self-condemnation, neither of which is part of the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Listen now to find out more about the prosperity gospel.
In this second part of this series looking at the cross as a symbol of Christianity, we look at the worship of the cross.
We try to identify what this form of worship is really all about and who or what is being worshiped. And we need to consider whether the cross should be worshiped at all and the implications of worshiping the cross.
Listen now to find out more.
If you were looking for one symbol that says "Christian" it would be the cross.
But is the cross really a symbol of Christianity, or is it something else?There is a fascinating history on how the cross came to be a symbol of Christianity, and we need to question it's use.
If you want to know the truth, listen to this first podcast in a two part series that looks at this.
This is the second session looking at the doctrine of Trinity in the modern church, and in this podcast we consider the role of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is considered by the Church to be the third face or part of the Trinity. But who is the Holy Spirit and should it be considered to be a "God" or not?
There are many myths surrounding this doctrine so listen now to bust a few and learn something new.
Is the trinity really a Christian idea or does it come from elsewhere?
This episode and the next look at this doctrine, which is a centre-piece of modern Christianity and busts some myths about trinity. This part looks at the Father and the Son as the first two faces of the Trinity and whether there should even be a trinity doctrine in the church.
Listen now to find out more.
The established church has had a long history of canonising saints and worship of saints is strong in some places.
But what really is a saint? The truth may astound you!
Listen now to find out more.
There are many Holy Days (or holidays) on the Christian calendar, the main two being Christmas and Easter. But are these holidays really of Christian origin or do they come from somewhere else?
To find out the truth of these, listen now.
For centuries people have constructed churches of wood, stone and metal.
But what should the true church of God be like? Is it a building of wood and stone, or is it something else altogether? And what is the truth of these buildings?
Find out more here.
It is common in some churches to use prayer books. It is also common in many places to recite formula prayers over and over again.
But is this what the Lord wants from His people?
Listen now to find out the truth about these things.
The ministers of many churches today are decked out with all kinds of religious garments, they carry items that are supposed to have some religious significance. But are they necessary? Listen now to find out more.
Many churches today have an altar as the centerpiece and focal point of the church. But should the modern Christian Church have an altar?
Listen now to find out more.
False doctrine appears in many churches because those churches ordain ministers in their Bible schools and colleges, perpetrating what is false.
No student of those colleges dares speak up if they find error in the teaching or they will fail the course and not receive their ordination.
But the scripture tells us that pastors, teachers, evangelists and so on should be appointed by God as a gift from Him.
Much of the modern church has a clergy and a laity.The Bible has quite a deal of teaching about this subject indicating that setting up such structures in the church should not occur.
This first part of this subject looks at what the Bible says regarding this situation and why it should not be so.
Listen now to find out more.
There are many practices, doctrines, items and paraphernalia that form the processes of worship in the modern Christian Church. Many of them have no basis in scripture and should be rejected. Listen now to find out more.
When the Church comes together in meetings there is a defined format laid down in the scriptures that must take place. Some churches do some of these things and some do not. Listen now to find out more.
The six foundation teachings of Christianity are crucial to establishing God's people solidly on the Rock of Jesus Christ. This episode looks at the last two foundations: Resurrection and Eternal Judgement.
Listen now to find out more.
The six foundation teachings of Christianity are crucial to establishing God's people solidly on the Rock of Jesus Christ. This episode looks at the fourth of the foundations: Laying on Hands.
Like Baptism, this is often overlooked or ignored in many churches today. But there are critical and essential reasons why the laying on of hands should be used in the church.
Listen now to find out more.
The six foundation teachings of Christianity are crucial to establishing God's people solidly on the Rock of Jesus Christ. This episode looks at the third foundation: Baptism in Water. This is one of the most critical aspects of the Christian walk, and it is poorly understood and executed by many churches.
Listen now to find out more.
The six foundation teachings of Christianity are crucial to establishing God's people solidly on the Rock of Jesus Christ. This episode looks at the first two foundations: Repentance and Faith towards God.
Listen now to find out more.
There is no other foundation that can be laid to receive salvation than Jesus Christ. He is the foundation of our faith and the rock upon which we stand to stabilise us against the storms of this life.
As we walk with Him, grounded in His teachings, they become a solid and stable foundation for our lives.
Listen now to find out more.
Arguments abound in the church about the role of women in ministry. But these issues did not seem to be a problem in the early church. Women can and should perform any ministry a man can do as in Christ, there is neither male nor female.
Listen now to hear what the Bible says about this matter.
In addition to the five ministry gifts to the church, there are many other gifts given to ensure the church is managed and run in an orderly fashion. These may be thought to be "lesser gifts" but they are not as they are essential to running the church. Without them the church could not run effectively and efficiently.
Listen now to find out more.
Jesus is the only true teacher, but the role of teachers in the church is to bring the deeper teachings of Christ to the church and to discuss and explain them so they understand and grow.
Teachers have an important function, and the scripture says that they will be judged with greater strictness than others in the church. They need to get it right!
Listen now to find out more.
Pastors are shepherds. They are charged with shepherding the flock of the Lord and protecting them as they grow to maturity in Jesus Christ.
The term "pastor" is badly overused and misused in the modern church. And the things required of the modern pastor are far beyond what was required in the scriptures.
Listen now to find out more.
The role of the evangelist is to take the basic gospel message to the world. They are the ones that go out into the world to bring people to the Lord and to make a start in the walk of the new converts. They then hand the converts to teachers and pastors who guide them deeper into the truth to bring them to maturity in Jesus Christ.
Listen now to find out more.
The work of prophets is to encourage and build up the church. It is an internally focussed ministry for the members of the church. Prophets provide insights from the Lord so His people know and understand what is happening or about to happen.
This is an important ministry given by God to the church.
Listen now to find out more.
The first of the gifts God gave to the Church was when Jesus appointed the twelve and called them Apostles.
Apostles are people who are sent out as ambassadors of Christ to preach, teach and establish the Church.
Listen now to find out more about the gift of Apostles.
God gave gifts of ministry to the church for the purpose of bringing the church to maturity in Jesus Christ. It is important to know that these gifts are given and appointed by God. Men cannot take them because they are gifts from God.
Some churches have men and women with the titles of Apostle, prophet, evangelists, and so on. But unless these appointments are made by God, such titles are meaningless.
Listen now to find out more about the ministry gifts given by God to the church.
The Bible says there is an Antichrist coming. But antichrists have been around for the past two thousand years.
What is most concerning is that when these antichrists take control of churches they wreak havoc. They introduce all kinds of false teachings that tear down the congregations of the church.
When the church goes astray and places a man, or a man takes his place at the head of the church, an antichrist structure is created. There are ways to overcome this for it is a dangerous place for both the leader and the congregation.
Listen now to find out more.
In Christ, all are equal. No-one is greater or lesser than another in Christ, whether they have walked with him for fifty years or just a few days. All are equal and live as brothers and sisters in Christ.
This is important in understanding the roles of people and the nature of the True Church of God.
Listen now to find out more.
Deacons are a role that is sometimes needed in a Church. The role is determined on the basis of needs and growth in the Church.
The primary function of the Deacon is to assist the Elders. Typically this will be with administrative and operation concerns, but not always. The aim of this role is to share the work of the church so that no one person is overly burdened.
Listen now to find out more.
The Lord has appointed the role of Elders in the church to ensure good governance and right doctrine in the church. Sadly, many churches do not appoint Elders but have a single man at the head of the church. Such a practice is fraught with danger for the individuals concerned and the church as a whole.
Here we will look at why a group of co-equal Elders is important in all churches, as well as how they are to be appointed.
Listen now to find out more.
Jesus and Him alone is the head of the church.
No man has the right to assume a position at the head of the church for they usurp the role of Christ when they do. As the scripture says, "For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church" (Ephesians 5:23)
Listen now to find out more and to see how some churches today deviate from this truth that Christ is the head of the church.
The Church is the Bride of Christ and belongs to no man but Christ alone. “Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.” - (Revelation 21:9). But what does the Bride of Christ look like? Listen to this podcast now to find out more.
What is the church? It is not a building but is the coming together of the people of God to praise and worship the Lord Jesus Christ. As the scripture says, "For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them." (Matthew 18:19)
Listen now to begin to understand what a church really is and is not.
This podcast considers the two ways God deals with His people. This is taken from the first chapter of the free eBook, "The True Church of God" which is freely available from my website freegiftfromgod.com
God deals with His people both as individuals and as a collective in the Church. It is important that we understand both of these and participate in both of these if we are to understand the fullness of what God offers His people.
Listen now to find out more.
What does the true church of God look like? This is a question often asked in Christian forums. Here, I will begin a series of podcasts reading from the eBook, "The True Church of God" on my website freegiftfromgod.com, to try and address this issue.
Listen now to find out more.
When we trust in the Lord for all things, there will be times we will have to suffer. And in those times we will have to trust Him even more. He is always with us and if we have to suffer, it is for our strengthening or some other purpose that is aligned with God's will.
Listen now to find out more.
One of the challenges of this world is that we too often trust in ourselves rather than relying wholly on the Lord. As Christians, we must learn to trust Him totally.
A lack of trust is often an indicator of pride or arrogance, and the Lord's servant cannot be proud. We trust through putting all matters no matter how great or small into His hands.
Listen now to find out more.
If we are the Lord's we need to be trustworthy in the things He has given us and use them in His service. Not for personal power or gain, but to build up the body of Christ. Whatever your gift, use it to help others and lift them up.
Listen now to find out more about being a trustworthy steward of Jesus Christ.
We have been called to Christ to live with Him. And to do that we need to trust in God that He has a plan for us and that His plan will be achieved.
Faith and trust go together. In fact, you really can't have one without the other.
Listen now to find out more.
There is great power in trusting in God. It has led many to deliverance from the direst situations and it will lead to salvation.
Trust and faith go together. In this episode, we will look at the examples of some who trusted God under the direst circumstances and came through without their faith wavering. They knew God had a plan and His plans would prevail.
Listen now to find out more.
To endure means to never, ever give up. We need to see our walk with Christ through, enduring to the very end.
And when we do endure to the end, there are many great promises God has made for those who do so. The troubles of this life are truly just a momentary affliction in comparison to the promises of God that will stretch into eternity.
Listen now to find out more.
Times are getting harder and there has never been a greater need for endurance than right now. As we walk with Christ we will suffer many difficulties and opposition in this world. But this is what we must do. And as we walk with endurance we win the approval of God.
Now is not the time to waver and doubt the ways of the Lord. We need to learn and grow strong as we endure.
I will also look today at what happens when Christians fall and simply do not want to endure. Listen now to find out more.
Let us look at the source of endurance for all Christians. We can see this by looking at the strength of endurance of Jesus Christ Himself, as well as the early disciples of the church as they put up with many struggles and opposition in the formation of the early church.
Listen now to find out more.
These unprecedented times are testing the patience and the sanity of many. People are struggling with the pandemic and the lockdowns that are occurring as we collectively try to endure this time. And as Christians, endurance was never more necessary than it is today.
Listen now to learn about the need for patient endurance as we walk through these dark times with Jesus Christ.
The importance of listening to the words of Jesus and applying them in your life is so that you can have a solid foundation built on the Rock of Jesus.
By immersing yourself in God's word, you are giving a most powerful weapon to the Holy Spirit within you to fight on your behalf as we wage war in the spiritual realms against the hosts of wickedness. And this word cannot be defeated for it is eternal and abides forever.
When God the Father tells us to "Listen to Jesus", then we should heed His advice.
There is great power and authority in the words of God and this was recognised by the crowds who heard Jesus preach.
In the bible, we have authority and power to overcome and be victorious against temptation and be able to stand in Christ.
If we are to honour Christ Jesus and if we are to become the children of God, then we must read and study the words of God.
The words of God are words of life. Reading the Bible transforms lives and changes people in ways that will lead to life. And in these words that are the divinely inspired words of God Himself, we find life.
Find out more by listening now.
The final place we are seeking to get to is to walk as Christ walked. We must learn how to walk in love.
The process of maturity in Jesus Christ will lead us to this place when we follow His words and example exactly.
Listen now to find out more about walking in love as Christ walked in the image of the Father, who is Love.
The process to maturity leads us to hope. Jesus Christ is our hope of salvation and in Him we find hope to carry forward until His salvation is received.
Listen now to find out more about this hope we have and hold fast in Jesus Christ.
Character is about being and becoming a person of worth who is humble and trustworthy. A person of character is one who is worthy of the name of Jesus Christ and who shows their character in the things they do.
Character is essential if we are to enter the Lord's kingdom. We must strive to learn how to be upbuilt in character.
Listen now to find out more.
One of the key reasons we must learn to endure is for the sake of discipline. As we learn discipline we become stronger and more able to stand in the face of opposition.
And discipline is not about punishment. Discipline is meant to teach and train us to be stronger Christians. This is all part of the process of moving towards maturity in Jesus Christ.
Listen to this podcast now to learn more about this link between endurance and discipline in Jesus Christ.
One of the things we know as Christians is that we will suffer for our faith. There will be trials, tribulations, and persecutions as we walk with Christ until through faith we have the victory.
But until we receive the victory and the crown of life we must learn to endure. This is part of growing into maturity in Jesus Christ.
You can find out more by listening to this podcast and this subject will also continue in the next podcast.
To be mature in Jesus Christ means that you will go through suffering. Christ suffered in the flesh and those who choose to follow Him will also suffer for their faith.
This is to be expected as those in Christ stand opposed to all of the evil and the evil one who rules this world.
But we must learn how to go through suffering and what the point of it is. We need to learn to rejoice in our sufferings as Christians and so receive the promises and blessings of God.
Listen now to find out more about this first step in maturing as a Christian in Jesus Christ.
We are called as Christians to walk with Christ and to grow into maturity in Him. Growing to maturity in Jesus Christ is a process, and I will be over-viewing that process in this session as a lead-in to looking at the steps of the process.
The Lord has provided all of the things we need to become mature Christians, but we need to seek out those things and use them in our lives if we are to be mature in Christ.
Listen to this episode now to find out more.
Just because man is weak and has weaknesses does not mean we have to remain in that state.
God has power over the weaknesses of man and He has given us the power to overcome all of our weaknesses in Jesus Christ. In Christ and by the working of the Holy Spirit we can overcome.
Listen to this podcast now to find out more about God's power to overcome weakness in Jesus Christ.
Humans suffer from all manner of weaknesses. We are weak by nature, and it is because we are weak that we need the help of God to overcome our weaknesses.
It is our human weaknesses that lead to temptation and when we succumb, to sin. But God has the power over sin and He has given us this power to be able to overcome through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit.
We may be weak, but we do not have to accept that we will always be or stay weak. In Jesus Christ, we can win strength out of weakness.
Listen to this podcast episode now to find out more.
God is a God of Hope. In Him, we have a hope that transcends the issues and problems of this world and all of the things that are happening at this time.
He has all things under control and the hope of salvation in Jesus Christ is just one aspect of the hope we as Christians hold in Him.
Listen to this podcast episode now to find out more.
Hope is focused on the future. It focuses on what will be or what could be, rather than what is. Hope looks past the issues, worries, troubles, and trials of today, to seek a better place tomorrow.
You can't see what you are hoping for, except in your mind's eye. But it is what you see there that drives you forward.
So let us consider some of the things the scripture has to say about the future focus of hope and how it is relevant in our lives today and our walk with Christ.
Listen now to find out more.
Hope is powerful. Hope is what drives people to find a better life, a better future, and a better way. Hope is what keeps people focused on the things of God.
In this episode, we look at the power of hope to sustain us and keep us on the straight and narrow track as we await the salvation of the Lord.
Listen now to find out more.
There are great promises in Hope and in this episode we look at those promises. Hope does not disappoint us but gives us a reason to live.
The great promise of hope is in the salvation of Jesus Christ that we have been given by faith, through the grace of God.
Listen now to find out more about the promise of hope.
God is a God of hope. It was always His hope that we find Him and receive His blessings.
The whole of the Creation is futile and was made that way in the hope we would seek the permanence only God offers. And His offer of hope is in and through Jesus Christ.
Listen now to find out more.
The prime hope that we have in Jesus Christ is the hope of and for salvation. And whether it is salvation to eternal life in Him, or whether it is to be saved from a disaster or crisis in this world, Jesus is the Saviour.
He has promised to be our help in times of need and so He is our hope in all things, so today we will look at how He helps us in our hope.
Listen now to learn more about the help we receive from the Lord in hope.
All of God's blessings are linked because they all come from the same source...God.
Hope is an integral part of the blessings we receive from God as it is in Hope that we await the salvation offered in Jesus Christ.
Listen now to learn how these things link together in this podcast.
We receive support from the Lord in hope. Hope is future-oriented and through the help of the Lord hope builds us up. We can grow strong in our hope and we know that we can trust the words of the Lord and so strengthen our hope.
In this fourth and final episode on Encouragement, we look at the source of ALL encouragement. All Encouragement comes from God and we can be encouraged knowing that He will never let His people down.
Listen now to found out more about the encouragement that comes from God.
In this third episode on Encouragement, I will look briefly at how you can be encouraged and how to help others likewise be encouraged. It is important we look for Encouragement in the right places so that we are lifted up, not by flattery or the like, but by all that is good and right and true.
So check out this short episode as it may help you to be encouraged yourself, or to find out where you can receive encouragement, PLUS how to be an encourager to others.
This second podcast in this Encouragement series looks at the Power of Encouragement. And encouragement is a powerful thing.
It has the power to lift people up, make them strong when they feel weak and carry them on to better things.
So check this podcast out now to find out a little more about the power of Encouragement and how it might help you,
In the present time with the challenges facing the world, I felt led to do a short series on Encouragement. These will be short in terms of the running time (5-10 minutes) so won't need a big investment of time to listen to.
Now is not the time for Christians to fear, but rather to look up and focus on the Lord. Nothing happens on earth without His knowledge and control, and this Coronavirus is no exception.
So listen to this podcast now to find out ways to be encouraged AND to help encourage others. The Lord is with you and will keep you.
The last of the fruits of the Spirit is self-control. The purpose of the work of the Holy Spirit and walking in the Spirit is to bring us to a place where we are in control of ourselves.
Humanity often falls prey to the passions, lusts, desires, and emotions of the flesh, and these things lead to sinfulness.
But when we have self-control we can overcome and have victory over the flesh through the power of the Spirit.
Listen to this podcast now to learn more about how to find self-control through the working of the Holy Spirit in your life.
God is faithful. And because Christians are being transformed into the image of God and Jesus Christ, we too must be faithful.
Faithfulness is an important part of the Christian walk.
So listen now to find out more about faithfulness.
Goodness is one of the fruits we develop as we learn to walk in the Spirit and are transformed into the image of Jesus Christ.
God is good, and so we too must learn what it means to be good as we are being transformed into the image of God.
This episode examines some of the aspects of this fruit of the Spirit so that we can learn what it means to be good.
Listen now to learn more.
Kindness is one of the fruits of the Spirit that we develop as we continue our walk in Jesus Christ.
Kindness is one of the aspects of God's love for us, and in this episode, we see how it is closely linked with both the love of God and His grace.
Kindness is something we receive from God and we need to return to those around us.
Listen now to find out more.
Coronavirus or COVID-19 is causing fear and panic around the world.
But what should the Christian response be to this? And what does the Bible have to say about both the pestilence and how we as Christians should react to it?
This podcast looks at these questions to provide a path forward for Christians to encourage them so that they need not fear as the rest of the world does.
Listen now to find out more.
As Christians, we are called to a place of patient endurance. We are not of this world but are children of the kingdom of God, but we do not yet see it. Until we do we must endure the trials, tribulations, and persecutions of this life because we are different from the people of this world.
Patience is the key. As a farmer patiently waits for a crop to come to maturity, ready for the market, so too we must learn patience as we await the coming of the Lord and His kingdom.
Listen now to learn more about the need for patience and how we might become more patient as we await the coming of God's kingdom.
Peace is the third of the fruits of the Spirit that grow as we mature and learn to walk in the Spirit.
In this world, there is no peace, and the short times of peace that may occur are always broken as the passions of human nature take over and people fight, argue and rebel.
Bu the more important peace is that which we receive from Jesus Christ and in Him. This is the peace that lasts into eternity.
Listen now to find out more about what this peace is and how to grow the fruit of peace in your life.
Joy is the second of the nine fruits of the Spirit and it is different from the joy of people in this world.
The joy of the Lord that comes through the transforming power of the Holy Spirit never fades or fails. It is permanent and eternal because God is eternal.
Listen now to find out more about this fruit of the Holy Spirit.
This podcast looks at the first of the nine fruits of the Spirit, which is love.
Specifically, this looks at God's love and how we are to learn to understand what God's love is and how to walk in His love.
The love of God is about actions and behaviours, not feelings and emotions. When we understand this it becomes much easier to apply God's love, especially in those situations where we are told: "Love your enemies."
Listen to this podcast now to find out more.
When we are called as Christians, we are called to walk with Him and to grow into His image. Part of that process is to develop the fruits of the Spirit, which will come as we walk with Him.
This podcast is an introduction to the fruits of the Spirit looking at what they are, how they are developed and also how they can be taken away if we do not follow the correct path.
Listen now to find out more about this important subject.
The final piece of the armour of God is discussed in this podcast, which is the Sword of the Spirit.
The Sword of the Spirit is the word of God. It is by understanding and using the word of God that we can defeat the attacks of Satan at every turn. This is why we must first receive the Holy Spirit, and second, immerse ourselves in the scriptures so that we can arm the Holy Spirit with the word of God as our sword.
Listen now to find out more about the Sword of the Spirit.
The helmet is worn by a soldier to protect their head. In the same way, a Christian protects their "head" with the knowledge of salvation.
If a soldier is injured in most other parts of their body, they can survive. But if they are shot or stabbed in the head, survival is unlikely. And in the same way, a Christian needs to protect their salvation by faith and knowledge so that they are not lost.
Listen to this podcast now to find out more.
The first line of defense for a soldier is the shield. They hold this out in front of them as they advance and they stand behind it when the enemy attacks.
So too the shield of faith is the first line of defense for a Christian in the spiritual war against the devil. All of the spiritual attacks of the devil can be warded off and defended against when we hold fast our faith.
Listen to this podcast now to find out more about the shield of faith.
The third piece of spiritual armour we must take is to have our feet shod with the equipment of the gospel of peace.
The analogy to shoes is a good one as we are called in Christ to walk in peace with Him as we work out our salvation.
Listen to this podcast now to find out more about the equipment of the gospel of peace.
The second item of spiritual armour to wage war in the Spirit is to take the breastplate of righteousness.
The breastplate worn by a soldier protects their vital organs so that they do not suffer potentially life-threatening injuries.
So too the breastplate of righteousness will protect us from the attacks of the devil designed to destroy our faith in Christ Jesus.
Listen to this podcast now to find out more.