BIBLE STUDY AUDIO
TEACHIINGS FOR YOUR EDIFICATION AND BRINGING YOU TO THE FULLNESS OF THE STATURE OF CHRIST
Our Bible Study audio messages can be accessed from here. These are teachings recorded in the course of our weekly serialised Bible Study meetings for your spiritual edification and development.
Besides the audio, the conclusion/summary of the message is also displayed. This notwithstanding, the full Bible Study outline can also be accessed from the link indicated at the end of the conclusion/summary.
We pray that the Holy Spirit will speak to you as you listen.
The Assessment of the Churches (11.2): The Church in Pergamos (The Challenges of Teaching Sound Doctrine (2))
Another set of hurdles that must be scaled in order that we eliminate syncretism and its practices in the church of God today, are the hurdles of gain and glory, of wanting to please men (rather than God), of enduring with people who just are not interested in doing the word of God, of remaining true to God’s instruction, and, of not teaching false doctrine. These hurdles have to do with our desires and affections. If our desires and affections are worldly, we cannot scale these hurdles, but if they are set on eternal life, through the mortification of the flesh (that is, a deadening of the flesh to the things that arouse it to sin; to deprive the flesh of power to have its way; to destroy the strength of the flesh), then we would be willing and able to scale these hurdles (Colossians 3:1-2, 5; Galatians 5:24-25).
May the Lord grant us grace to grow in our personal relationship with God and His Christ, and interact with them as a son with his father, and as a wife with her spouse.
Go to full Bible Study Outline
The Assessment of the Churches (11.3): The Church in Pergamos (The Challenges of Teaching Sound Doctrine (3))
The last two hurdles of spiritual immaturity and teaching only the word of God, bring us to the close of our discussions on “The Challenges of Teaching Sound Doctrineâ€. These last two hurdles require that you are growing spiritually in your personal relationship/walk with God. Being a Christian a long time, is not synonymous with growing in a personal relationship with God. Growing in a personal relationship with God is about you having a private/personal love-relationship with God, which itself requires that you are in constant fellowship with Him, implying that you are holy, humble, and, have submitted yourself to the discipline and direction of the Holy Spirit.
Putting it all together, to teach sound doctrine and not introduce syncretism into the church of God, you must become who God want you to be—in the image of Christ. This requires that you crucify the flesh and its passions (overcoming the urge for gain and glory, the urge to please men, the urge not to endure with ungodly men, the urge not to remain true to God’s instruction, and, the urge to teach false doctrine), and that your walk with God is fervent and effectual (spiritual maturity and teaching only the word of God).
The Lord’s message to the church today is that, anyone who overcomes the challenges of teaching sound doctrine; who has turned away from the temptation to teach false doctrines and bringing in heresy and syncretism into the church; and, who has returned to God in true repentance, shall be rewarded with the Bread of Life (the hidden manna—available only to those who are thus qualified) and shall never die. He shall also receive the insignia of purity and divine and acceptance, along with a new name known only to him. This is indeed a personal affair between you and God; and no one else!
Let us remember that many will say to the Lord on that day, “We taught in Your nameâ€, and He will say to them, “I never knew you!â€, meaning, “We were never intimate!†Hence, those who have no intimacy with God, had better steer clear of teaching Scripture, lest they fall into the temptation and condemnation of heresy and syncretism!
Go to full Bible Study Outline
The Assessment of the Churches (12): The Church in Pergamos (The Challenges of Holding on to Sound Doctrine)
The carnal man and the man who lacks understanding of spiritual things, very easily accommodate false doctrines, and therefore, susceptible to syncretic practices. Such people need to be taught the word of God and must be willing to learn and put to practice what they have been taught of the word of God. Those who are unwilling to endure truth, also have itching ears, and they usually want to hear what they want to hear. They also are unwilling to do the word of God and have the love for the world; but will gladly practice any other thing. Such individuals go in search of false doctrines and are usually harbingers (harbor, port) of syncretism. This group of people require divine intervention to be saved and delivered from syncretism!
Finally, those with a preference for ‘leaves’ over ‘fruit’, are easily misled by what they can see. They usually seek miracles from anywhere and will take any short-cuts. If such individuals are to overcome syncretism, they must seek ‘fruit’—the character of the minister—and ensure laying proper Christian foundational doctrine. Indeed, they must seek substance over shadows! Thus, eliminating syncretism from the hearer will require that people are focused on the doctrine of Christ and doing them!
Go to full Bible Study Outline
The Assessment of the Churches (13): The Church in Thyatira (Jezebel in the Church of God!)
The problem in the church in Thyatira began when the ‘angel of the church’ permitted a woman, whom the Lord referred to as Jezebel, to teach. The name “Jezebel†ordinarily means “chaste†but when looked at in the light of the person called Jezebel in the Old Testament, we see a contradiction in that name! The Jezebel in the bible was an ungodly, irreverent, and wicked woman, who persecuted and killed the prophets of God, but sustained and promoted false prophets, along with their idolatrous practices. She was a princess in her own rights and became a queen when she married Ahab. Ahab was an evil man by himself, but when he married Jezebel, he became worse, and served Baal! Jezebel is master manipulator and a seductress par excellence, who worked her daughter into the royal family of Judah!
The Jezebel in the church in Thyatira was a woman who pretended to be a prophetess (she called herself so) and was a fun-loving immoral individual whose teachings turned the ministers of God away from God and on to sexual immorality and idolatry. She was unrepentant and had daughters who were propagating her teachings in the church. In many ways the woman-teacher in the church in Thyatira and the Jezebel of Ahab had a lot in common, which was why she was called Jezebel.
“Jezebel in the Church of God†thus speaks of evil, wickedness, iniquity, cruelty, idolatry, and the like, in the church of God. But we know that the church of God is the pillar and ground of the truth (1 Timothy 3:15); it is therefore an aberration to have Jezebel in the church of God. It must never be become a den of thieves (Matthew 21:13), a house of prostitution (1 Kings 14:24); nor should iniquity, lies and falsehood be associated with it. Jezebel represents paganism in all its make-up and must never be allowed into the church; something the leader in the church in Thyatira did!
Go to full Bible Study Outline
The Assessment of the Churches (14.1): The Church in Thyatira (The Call to Repentance (1))
The call of God to men to repentance is not just to the overtly wicked and evil, like Jezebel, but it is to all men, for all have sinned. The sin of Adam brought sin and death unto all men (Romans 5:12-19) and sin begat more sin, so all sinned! But as one man brought sin into the world; through Christ, God has brought forgiveness for sin, and has translated us from death to life, from sinful living to godly living, etc. However, you need to appropriate the forgiveness of Christ, by requesting for it, after you have been convinced of your need for the salvation of God.
Hence, the gospel message which calls all men—regardless of gender, nationality, skin colour, religious beliefs, political affiliation, socio-economic status, etc.—is to be preached to all (Mark 16:15; Luke 24:46-47; John 20:30-31). God is also calling those who have heeded the first call to repentance (those in the church) but who have turned aside to return to Him (1 Corinthians 10:12).
Go to full Bible Study Outline
The Assessment of the Churches (14.2): The Church in Thyatira (The Call to Repentance (2))
1. God’s call to repentance can be directly to an individual or indirectly. He can speak to you in your heart or send preachers to you or to a group of individuals. He can tell you a parable and use that parable to make clear your sinfulness to you, and He can tell you the story of your life with a view to letting you see how you have sinned before Him. Whichever approach God takes, the goal is the same—to bring the sinner to repentance!
2. God’s call to repentance is not always heeded. For those who heed, there is their personal spiritual revival, and, a resumption or restoration of fellowship with God, and eternal life; and for those who refuse, eternal judgment and damnation in hell.
3. Heeding God’s call to men to repent is personal (even though it may be in a congregation)—it is whosoever hears and heeds!
4. Heeding God’s call to repentance or not makes all the difference on where you end up in eternity—in heaven for those who heed and turn away from sin onto God, but, unfortunately, in hell, for those who refuse to heed the call to repentance!
5. Three things must necessarily be evident in true repentance; and all three shall be evident before God if indeed, one is truly repentant—humility, mourning (godly sorrow for their sin), and, a change of heart (attitude, conduct, etc.) toward sin! (1 Corinthians 5:1-2; 1 Kings 21:17-29; 2 Chronicles 33:9-17).
6. Whether or not a person is forgiven and saved from eternal judgment depends on the state of the heart of the individual rather than on mere outward appearance (Jeremiah 17:9-10; 1 John 3:18-21).
7. Your act of repentance may not stop the consequence of your sin here on earth, even though, your sins, once forgiven are never taken account of in heaven (2 Samuel 12:15-23; Luke 23:39-43; Jeremiah 31:31-34).
Go to full Bible Study Outline
The Assessment of the Churches (15): The Church in Thyatira (Now to the Rest I Say …)
We have seen that when the Lord spoke to “the rest†in the church in Thyatira, He communicated three crucial things, and these in relation to the church today are:
1. There is no other demand on the church of God by the Lord besides those that He expressly tells us, as well as, that we love God with all our hearts, with all our souls, and all our being; and that we love all men, as we would, ourselves.
2. Anyone in the church who is not included in the call to repent of the abominable doctrine of Jezebel, must nonetheless continue to do good deeds for which we were born again, sanctified, and prepared to accomplish while here on the earth.
3. The church must continue to do good deeds despite the hostile environment we are in, until the Lord Jesus returns, or, until we return to Him.
Each man’s works shall be tested by fire. Where each man’s works endures the test, he shall be rewarded, but where it does not he shall have no reward, but he shall be saved—this is contingent on the premise that he had repented of sin and turned to God in faith—otherwise, he shall be damned in hell!
Thus, the Lord is speaking to the church at large to:
a) Focus on such as is required of you as an individual or as a local church.
b) Ensure that through the Holy Spirit, your love for God and for all men is sacrosanct.
c) Never give up on doing good deeds, and indeed all things that are well-pleasing to God for hereunto were you called.
d) Make sure that when you stand before Him in judgement, you would have rewards for the good deeds you have done on the earth.
Go to full Bible Study Outline
The Assessment of the Churches (16): The Church in Thyatira (Who Gets Rewarded)
The Lord Jesus Christ knows that in this world we would have tribulations, trials, and indeed, there will be temptations not to follow the Lord, so He has made provision for rewards for all those who are not deterred by the barrage of these challenges. Those who the Lord will thus honour, he clearly states as those who overcome these challenges; those who keep on doing His works regardless of these challenges; and those who keep at what they are doing right in the face of these challenges till the very end.
Breaking it all down, what the Lord is saying essentially, is as follows:
1. If you have not been overcome by Him through your voluntary surrender, you will be overcome by life’s challenges and Satan’s temptation, and you will not obtain His rewards.
2. If you have not conquered His heart you cannot overcome tribulations, trials, and temptations, because He it is who overcame; and you can only overcome when you have won Him over.
3. His reward is for those who keep on doing His works—what He has asked them to do—regardless of the opposition and challenges, until the very end.
4. What is needed to obtain His rewards in eternity is that you finish all that He requires of you.
a. Starting to do the Lord’s assignment may be good, but if you don’t finish it, then, your good start becomes futile—there is no reward for starting; only for finishing and finishing well!
b. You may start poorly, but if you finish strong, then you have truly overcome!
c. God’s interest is in those who finish well; not just those who start.
5. Rewards are given by Him, and you will not obtain any if you don’t ‘play’ by the rules. (Revelation 22:12, 14)
Go to full Bible Study Outline
The Assessment of the Churches (17): The Church in Sardis (Alive But Dead)
The Lord's assessment of the Church in Sardis, is His assessment of many of today's churches (that is, Christians who are gathered to worship God or who are scattered all around the world, engaging in one activity or the other). He sees a people who think that they are alive, vibrant, fervent, active, and effective for the Lord, yet they are dead! The Lord is saying that when He comes into our meetings, He finds that instead of light, He is in darkness; instead of the vibrancy of life, He is in a graveyard; instead of the fervency of the Spirit, He sees a place where vagabonds are in charge and everything is rowdy and disorderly; instead of truth being spoken, He finds lies and lying wonders on display with impunity; instead of the glory of God, He sees Satan being glorified. What an indictment!<br>
This is the state of the church today; where we cannot differentiate between a worldly gathering and a gathering of Christians (save a few smatterings of 'Jesus' now and again); where falsehood and iniquity abound among a people who name the name of the Lord (<strong>2 Timothy 2:19</strong>); where false prophecy and human predictions form the message rather than the word of life; where comedians are in the pulpit and entertainment is the order of the day, instead of sobriety and godly reverence; where the message of the gospel which should transform sinners into saints has been transformed into a message of false prosperity which breeds covetousness and greed; where placebo and lying wonders have taken the place of true miracles, holiness and righteousness; where the object of the meeting is what they can get (from God and anyone else), not God Himself; where the believers are doubters and have no personal relationship with the God and His Christ.<br>
When the things that were once dead and that should stay dead are now waking up (sin, iniquity, immorality, sensuality, hatred, pride, etc.); and the things that were alive and that should be alive and living are now dying and even dead (righteousness, holiness, humility, agape love, etc.), we know that we have a problem. We must turn and look to God to save us once again!
Go to full Bible Study Outline
The Assessment of the Churches (18): The Church in Sardis (There is Still Hope)
We have seen that as bad as things looked in the church in Sardis, and indeed, as bad as things look in the church today, there is still hope for the church of God; and it is a living/lively hope. There is hope because:
1. This is an assessment, not a pronouncement of judgment, which means that there is room for us to make amends;
2. In the midst of the dead and dying, God has preserved a remnant to let us know that He still wants the church to be restored;
3. Not all have died! Even those at the point of death still stand the chance of being revived through repentance and a return to the word of God; and,
4. Even those who are considered dead can be resurrected (quickened) by the Holy Spirit, and made alive again.
Let us therefore thank God for this living hope and cry to Him for revival and restoration of churches and lethargic Christians (<strong>Isaiah 42:22; Ezekiel 18:30-32</strong>).
Go to full Bible Study Outline
The Assessment of the Churches (19): The Church in Sardis (As a Thief in the Night)
Knowing all that we now know about the Coming of the Lord, both from an individual perspective and from a global perspective, what manner of people ought we, Christians, to be?
 Always be alert.
 Act like Nehemiah's men: building with one hands, and weapons in the other hand.
 Take your Sabbath rest; but don’t take a break from the Lord of the Sabbath.
 Focus on doing the Will of God at all times.
 Watch and pray daily: bible study/meditation, intercession, self-less praying by the Holy Spirit.
It is worth mentioning that Christianity is a personal walk, even though we are in a community of believers. Father will not answer for son, and vice versa! So, work out your salvation with fear and trembling!
Go to full Bible Study Outline
The Assessment of the Churches (20): The Church in Sardis (Undeserved Yet Deserving)
The few souls in Sardis who were worthy or deserving to be clothed in white and therefore qualified for eternal salvation, had not defiled their garments (the robe of righteousness, given at the initial salvation). Essentially, they valued the gift of the garment, and made every effort to keep it undefiled from the things that defile.<br>
If today's church is to walk with the Lord in white on the Last Day, they must avoid anything that defiles—within and without: impure and evil thoughts, vain babblings and foolish disputes, excesses manifesting in revelries, feastings and cares of this life (the 'good' life, acquisitions, activism, politics, etc.), murmuring and complaining (<strong>1 Corinthians 10:1-13</strong>). Today's church must endure persecution and tribulations with joy (<strong>Matthew 5:10-12</strong>), treasure the gift and the Giver of the gift, be holy in all manner of conversation, study and meditate on the word of God, be prayerful and be in the Spirit at all times, and, maintain constant fellowship with the Lord.
Go to full Bible Study Outline
The Assessment of the Churches (21): The Church in Sardis (Pursuing What Matters)
The Book of Life is a Book kept in heaven away from human corruption, and only those whose names are written therein will enter into heaven. Anyone whose name is not found in the Book of Life will go into the Lake of Fire, which is eternal death! Having your name written in the Book of Life is, therefore, a pursuit that should matter to everyone who is serious about eternal salvation!
For your name to be written in the Book of Life, repent of sin and proclaim Christ as your Lord and Saviour. Once your name is written in the Book of Life, Satan will make every effort to get your name blotted out by getting you to sin, so resist him steadfastly. So, the issue is keeping your name from being blotted out from the Book of Life. As long as you keep away from anything that defiles, your name will remain in the Book of Life. Also, your name will remain in the Book of Life if you don’t deny the name of the Lord, but proclaim Him, especially in life-threatening conditions; if you keep from sin and the world; and if after your initial salvation, you again return to a life of sin but heed the word of God, and turn away from your sinful lifestyle unto God.
If, however, after you have been born again you return to a habitual life of sin (we are not talking of momentary sins that are quickly repented of and repudiated), and you spurn God's call to repent, over and over again, your name would be blotted out from the Book of Life. But even at that, your name will only be blotted out if you would not turn away from sin, even at the point of death; then you would be considered 'reprobate', that is, irredeemable, and your name will be blotted out from the Book of Life!
It is, therefore, extremely crucial that a believer in Christ makes every effort to ensure that his name is not blotted out of the Book of Life. The Lord tells us that having your name in the Book of Life is more important than working of miracles and even casting out demons, among other things that we do in the service of God (<strong>1 Corinthians 9:27; Matthew 7:13-14, 21-23</strong>)!
Go to full Bible Study Outline
The Assessment of the Churches (22): The Church in Philadelphia (An Open Door)
Indeed, the One opening the door is the Lord Jesus Himself; for He alone can open a door and it stays open. Any other person who opens a door will not be able to keep it open!
The Lord opens doors to give access to resources, access into the kingdom of God, for deliverance so as to give access to salvation, faith, and freedom, to give access to revelation, and enable people to see the Lord. Also, the Lord opens doors to give force to the word of God so that men and women can be brought into the kingdom.
But why does the Lord give access to men? It is, so that people can be released from captivity (as in Moses and Cyrus), as well as to provide a means of escape to one group while setting a trap for the destruction of the other (as in the Red Sea crossing). The Lord opens doors to create fear in the heart of the enemy (as in the crossing of the Jordan in the full view of the people of Jericho, and the destruction of Jericho in relation to the other nation states in the land). Also, the Lord opens doors in response to prayer (as in Peter's deliverance), as well as for the preaching of the gospel (Paul and Barnabas), to mention a few.
Thus, an open door is not an invitation to act irresponsibly or become covetous or forget the door Opener. Rather, doors are open by the Lord Jesus Christ, so that we, the church today, can engage and work with Him to accomplish His purpose of bringing men and women to the saving grace of eternal salvation; be it an open door for enlargement, escape, enlightenment, engagement in the word, etc.
Therefore, our prayers for open doors must not be for selfish purposes, or as a slogan or church program, but it must be for effectively reaching people with the gospel Christ. (<strong>James 4:1-4</strong>)
Go to full Bible Study Outline
The Assessment of the Churches (23.1): The Church in Philadelphia (To Whom Shall the Lord Open a Door? (1))
To be of little strength means one who is lacking in physical strength, numerical strength, socio-economic ability and political ability. But more than these, being of little strength is an attitude of humility before God. It is recognizing that we are helpless, weak, small, and utterly unable to do anything without God's help. Thus, even though we may have resources or political connections, we recognize God as our source. It is this humility before God that makes Him open doors unto us!
To keep the word of God means that we tremble at His word, are obedient to the word of God out of love for God, and that we live out His word daily and under every circumstance. This simply means that we are living right or holy before God, which makes Him open doors unto us; for He does not open doors unto sinners and the obstinate, except to bring them to repentance and salvation!
Therefore, we conclude that the Lord will open doors to those who are humble and holy in every conversation. (<strong>1 Peter 5:5-6; Hebrews 12:14</strong>)
Go to full Bible Study Outline