The Living Truth Fellowship

The Book of Lamentations

To lament is to express deep regret, grief, or sorrow. We can lament through words or actions. Lamenting is a common theme in the Bible. Which is why there is an Old Testament book named Lamentations. In it we see that God has given us an entire book of the Bible that teaches us how to navigate the valley of sorrow and loss.

The book of Lamentations is a house for sorrow and a school for compassion. Studying this book will help you better understand what it means to grieve and hope at the same time. It will help you be better equipped to live and serve in a suffering world, and it will encourage you to meet Christ on the path of sorrow.

The Two Natures Of The Believer

When the Christian is saved, he or she is filled with holy spirit. At that time, the person becomes a unique creation of God in Christ. No longer is he reliant on the external law but now has the inner witness of Christ within. But, while being God’s new child, the person at the same time retains the old fallen nature of Adam. This is the believer’s struggle; two natures - the old nature, the flesh, and the new nature, the spirit – both within the very same person. Join us as we explore in scripture this scriptural reality.

Freedom to Serve

Galatians 5 and 6 succinctly defines the walk of the spirit in love. The early church at Galatia was beset by the religionists of the day, the Judaizers. Perfecting the flesh – the strictures of a works-based religion – was their false doctrine. At it’s center was their creed – “You must DO to be approved.” Paul confronts this and says, “No, it’s faith which works by love.” It’s in the walk of faith, selflessly sowing to the spirit, seeking in faith-filled service to bless and to uplift, to bear burdens and being good to all, especially to the household of faith, that the believer finds the key. It’s only in the context of loving service that the Christian comes into his own. This is where the spiritual life flourishes. Walking as Christ walked.

Wholehearted Love

God doesn’t want much – He just wants all of you. It’s true. God wants your heart. Your whole heart. This isn’t selfishness on God’s part, since He is love. God wants our devotion, our commitment, our faithful loyalty, because God knows that when we enthrone him in our hearts, we are raised out of our mere human existence into the intimate relationship with him of love and light. Love God, and love him with all your heart, your soul, your mind and your strength. 

Listen... Do You Hear It?

Our wonderful Heavenly Father places a great opportunity before us continually; that of listening. We were created to hear His voice above all others and with the precious gift of holy spirit we are truly endowed with the ability to listen and hear his voice. Adam was the first to be given this opportunity to listen to the Creator, but sadly he chose not to. History is littered with those who have failed to listen to God’s merciful and gracious directions. But, the champions of faith are those who developed the skill of listening and following God’s leading voice.

The Poison Of Unforgiveness

One of the greatest types of giving is forgiving. When we think of the character of God, forgiveness is an extension of His mercy. He “forgives all our sins and heals all our diseases.” We simply cannot walk in intimate fellowship with Him without forgiveness. The fact is, unforgiveness arrests our spiritual development. It keeps us from being strong in grace and anchors us to our past. In this teaching we discuss both forgiveness and unforgiveness.

Strong in the Grace

God desires us to be strong in His Grace, which is something we need from Him every day. It’s not just a word to be used in our Christian circles. Grace is the lifeblood of the believer. Ephesians 1:8 tells us that God lavished the riches of this Grace upon us through his son, Jesus Christ. By God’s Grace, He began a good work in us, and He promises to perform it until Jesus’s return. That spirit he placed within teaches and admonishes us so that we may live out the holy calling He’s called us to.

The Real Christmas Story

The Christmas story is important because the birth of Christ is important. The traditional story of His birth contains many errors, and presents a cold, hard, and lonely picture about the circumstances of his birth. This expository teaching explores and reveals a deeper, more accurate understanding of the customs, time and place, and other details that truly make the birth of Christ an inspiring account of love, obedience, giving, and sacrifice.

This teaching deals with historic misunderstandings and mistranslations and shows how the birth of Christ was a considerably different event than what is normally taught.

Taming The Tongue

As Christians, we understand that we are involved in spiritual warfare. What we say takes on a significant role in how well we compete in this contest, for “life and death are in the power of the tongue.” In today’s teaching, we examine what scripture considers wholesome and honest communication, and what it considers destructive and misleading. We learn that, as much as we would like, no one is able just to tame the tongue. The matter lies deeper. What we habitually think about, that becomes our heart, and, as Matthew 12:34 says, it’s “out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks.”

Sanctification (Part 3)

This is part 3 of a series by Mike Tomberlin on Sanctification: Principles Of Walking In The Spirit – the hows of making a constant, conscious, and personal relationship with Jesus Christ a reality in your life.

We should be profoundly thankful we have holy spirit from God and can understand spiritual matters. God gave us new life through Jesus His son in the new birth (John 3:6), and we must continue to live, day by day, in that newness of life that dwells within us. Each Christian has God’s gift of holy spirit. Therefore, each Christian has spiritual “power” and should be exercising that power.

Enthroned at God’s Right Hand

God’s Word tells us of Jesus, who as a servant humbled himself to God’s will, was crucified, buried, resurrected and seated with God at his right hand, far above all principalities, power, mights and dominions. He was given a name which is above all names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, both in heaven and on earth and under the earth. In this study we look at Jesus, seated at the right hand of God and explore his heavenly ministry.

Live As Light

We live in a culture that is driven by discontent instead of thankfulness. Being thankful illuminates God’s blessings in our lives and allows us to be strong in the Lord. Just as the Lord did for the Apostle Paul during his conversion, our Lord Jesus Christ is opening our eyes and turning us from darkness into light, from the power of Satan to the power of God. As we embrace God, we are to put off the old (darkness) and put on the new (light), so that we can live with thankfulness in our hearts and shine as lights in this world.

Fruit

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.” (John 15:1-2)

It is God’s desire that we bear much fruit. In fact, our fruitful walk glorifies him. But to do this, we must recognize that, as a branch cannot bear fruit of itself when separated from the vine, neither can we. We must stay connected to Christ in our walks.

God’s Mercy and Compassion

“Mercy triumphs over judgment.” As Jesus said to the Pharisees, “Go, learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’” God’s judgment is tempered by his mercy, the withholding of merited judgment. This was especially exemplified in the life of Jesus. In a culture full of criticism and accusation, mercy is a quality that God cultivates in his people.

Jesus Our Sanctification

As the people of God, we are set apart by virtue of the holy spirit the Lord gave us. In this world of darkness, we are His shining lights. But along with this sanctification given to us, we are called to the sanctified walk. God is light, and we are instructed to walk in the light as He, God, is light.

Eternal life

One of the most wonderful promises that God makes in his Word for all for whom Christ is their savior is eternal life. The Book of Titus tells us that our very faith rests upon this hope which God, who does not lie, promises us. Such blessed assurance. Imagine - eternity with God, with our Lord and with our brethren. 2 Peter 3:11 then asks us, in light of this eternal life, “What kind of People ought we to be?”

Sanctification (Part 2)

Christianity is not a mere moral code, ethnic club, or cultural phenomenon; rather, at it's very core is the acceptance of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, as our personal Lord and Savior. This relationship that Christians have with Jesus can vary greatly from person to person. Just because a person becomes born again, doesn’t necessarily mean they have a deep and intimate relationship with Jesus.

Hebrews 2:11 (NASB)
“For both he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one Father; for this reason he is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters.

This verse tells us that it is the risen Lord Jesus who now sanctifies all those who believe in him. This sanctification occurs as a result of Jesus baptizing us with holy spirit, thus making us holy within, apart from our outward works. Like Jesus in his earthly ministry, we are in the world but not of the world, because we have been bought with a price.

Listen to this powerful teaching by Mike Tomberlin on Sanctification – the hows of making a constant, conscious, and personal relationship with Jesus Christ a reality in your life.

Sanctification (Part 1)

Sanctification: Principles Of Walking In The Spirit

A “walk” in the Bible is often a metaphor for practical daily living. The Christian life is a journey, and we are to walk it — we are to make consistent forward progress. The biblical norm for all believers is that they walk in the spirit: “If we live in the spirit, let us also walk in the spirit” (Galatians 5:25). In other words, God gave us new life through Jesus His son in the new birth (John 3:6), and we must continue to live, day by day, in that newness of life that dwells within us. Each Christian has God’s gift of holy spirit. Therefore, each Christian has spiritual “power” and should be exercising that power.

Walking with God

We are in an intense spiritual battle that required us to walk spiritually even though our sin nature is warring with the spirit of God that lives within us. God has given us many keys that will help us in this walk.

When we enter into an intimate heart relationship with God, He becomes our heart’s greatest desire. Knowing Him, hearing His voice, sharing our hearts with Him, and seeking to please Him become our all-consuming focus. He becomes everything to us. Meeting with Him is not an activity reserved for Sunday morning. We live to fellowship with Him.

This teaching covers an abundance of scriptures relating to walking with God. We trust it will be very helpful in your personal spiritual walk. Let’s continue to delight ourselves in God’s Word as we strive to have an intimate relationship with Him.

Standing In The Breach

In this teaching, we examine the important spiritual concept called Intercession. When confronted with God’s impending judgment, God allows for a person to Interpose on behalf of an offender in prayer. By doing so, the person is able to mitigate the consequences of the offender’s sin. This intercession is known as “Standing in the Breach”.