The Living Truth Fellowship

Living in the Eye of the Storm

 

The subtitles for this teaching are Peace In Earth (that earth would be you) and Sleeping Through The Storm and “Oh, well…” or “Oh, hell!” You do not need to hear this teaching unless you are a human Christian living on the earth. If you do fall into this category, you can’t afford to miss it.

John Lynn is doing this teaching primarily because he needs to hear it. This most practical exposition of the Word opens with 1 Peter 4:1-2 as it is poignantly translated in The Message. John defines “stress” in both engineering and physiological terms, and goes into the Word to see how Jesus, David, and Paul dealt with great stress, and how we can do likewise.

God’s Word proposes worship as an antidote to worry and stress, and new brain imaging techniques show evidence of worship having a positive effect on the brain and therefore on the rest of the body. We can learn how to “faith the facts.” Some keys to doing so: Being consumed with Jesus Christ, both his love for you and your love for him. Being giddy with thanksgiving to God. Reveling in the challenge of trusting God, knowing His fervent desire to bring you His best.

Who Ya Gonna Follow?

Please join us on this April Fool’s Day, a significant 28th anniversary for John Lynn, who will first share a few minutes about his life, which he never expected to be one of Christian service. The bulk of this dynamic teaching is about Christian leadership, both good and bad, and how it relates to you.

Christianity is a “team sport.” If you are committed to the Lord Jesus and the cause of spreading the true Word of God, you MUST align yourself with other human Christians, and you MUST follow someone. By what criteria do you decide Who Ya Gonna Follow? Hint: You want to follow those who are, by both teaching and example, following Jesus and leading you to him and his lordship.

God desperately needs genuine leaders in the Body of Christ. The foundation of genuine leadership is WORSHIP and SERVICE, that is, one who loves God and loves his neighbor. Self-promotion, desire for self-gain, power, or prestige disqualify one as a leader worth following. God has much to say about this in His wonderful Word.

“As they went, they were healed”

 

The subtitle for this teaching is: Going, Going, Gone! It is appropriate that it takes place on the only day of the year that is a command: “MARCH FORTH!” The title comes from the record in Luke 17 when Jesus ministered to ten lepers, and “as they went, they were healed.”

This teaching is about being DOERS of the Word and not hearers only. It is about acting on the Word—in football, running the right pattern as a receiver—so as to be in the right place at the right time so that our quarterback, the Lord Jesus, can “hit us” with the ball, i.e., give us whatever it is we need at the time.

Sometimes in an emergency someone says: “Don’t just stand there; DO SOMETHING!” Well, each moment of each day is an emergency for anyone who does not the living Christ. So let us not just sit there; let’s do something. The question is what? And the answer is found in the Word.

The teaching contains insight as to how we can maintain our spiritual intensity and walk in the steps of our Lord Jesus so as to do the works that he did. See you on “March Forth!”

Be A Christian Wage Earner

We are still in the beginning of a new year, and such notable progressions of time should give us pause to “examine ourselves” as per 2 Corinthians 13:5. YOU are the ONLY YOU God has. Satan knows who you are IN CHRIST, and relentlessly tries to minimize your vision of your life. Conversely, the Lord Jesus has a personal curriculum of growth for you, and all he needs is for you to give him your whole heart and let him cherish it, which he will.

When we read the words of Paul, we clearly see his constant focus on the Hope of Christ’s appearing, and the REWARDS Jesus would give him. Always remember that our Hope is not only everlasting life in Paradise, but also the REWARDS we will receive for how we lived after we were born again. This teaching exposits some key verses about REWARDS, and shows what we first need to do between our ears in order to earn them.

To be the kind of people we should be (2 Pet. 2:11), we must first THINK the thoughts of God, which of course come from His Word. Why? Because “thoughts are the seeds of our words and deeds.” To help us THINK ABOUT WHAT WE’RE THINKING ABOUT, we’ll unpack some verses about the battle of the mind, as well as others that give us motivation to live today for the Lord Jesus with a long-term vision of how he will reward us for so doing.

The Time of Your Life

Biblically speaking, the overarching entity of TIME is chronos, while the moments that make it up are kairos (“the right measure and relation, especially concerning time and place”). 2015 will be The Time (kairos) of Your Life (chronos). Each kairos moment represents a “Photo Op!” that is, an opportunity for you to say or do something that will show up in The Book of Your Life when the Lord appears. A KAIROS moment is better than a KODAK moment.

As we learn in the ODWTC segment, “God’s Foreknowledge and Man’s Free Will,” God relates to us in a linear manner, and each day we are literally “walking into life” as it comes at us moment-by-moment, opportunity by opportunity. God and the Lord Jesus are flanking you on your path of righteousness, and their peripheral vision greatly exceeds yours.

Kind of like Jimmy Stewart, aka George Bailey, was able to do in A Wonderful Life, it is always beneficial to step back and take a look at your life in the overall perspective of His-Story. From His Word we see that our Father is constantly working in situations we yet know nothing about—either to bring us good or to stop evil from harming us. Our responsibility is to seek Him first, so that we are ready to step up in faith when the time comes, “ready to give an answer to everyone who asks you for the reason of the hope you have.”

This dynamic teaching examines some enlightening uses of the word kairos, and shows how you can be at the right place at the right time to say or do the right thing for the right person.

What Child Is This?

You may never have heard “the Christmas story” set forth like John will do it in this exciting exposition of the birth of Christ, one of The Top Five events thus far in His-story.

Do you have a child? If so, you can certainly remember when you found out you were going to be a dad. Then you had nine months of anticipation and preparation. The closer the time came, the more excited you were. Finally you heard your newborn child’s first cry, and your heart leapt with unspeakable joy. And when you first held that child in your arms, your heart overflowed with indescribable love for him. What about God and the birth of His Son? Rather than nine months, He had to wait 4000 years after He announced the upcoming birth of His Son. How excited do you think God was when He could finally send Gabriel to Mary? How excited was He during those last nine months? How did God feel on that September night when he heard the first cry of His only begotten Son?

When you first looked into the eyes of your child, what were your hopes, dreams, and goals for him? This baby was the Creator’s only opportunity to save His shattered dream of Paradise on earth. How much was He hoping that His namesake would decide to carry out the magnificent mission set before him? And yet how painful was it for God to anticipate what His Son would have to endure to accomplish that mission?

In chronological order, John will unpack the thrilling verses in Matthew 1 & 2 and Luke 1 & 2 regarding the birth of our Savior. This teaching is guaranteed to touch your heart. Please join us this coming Wednesday evening.

The Prescription for Truth Decay: “It Is Written”

From the title of this teaching, you no doubt recognized those three words as the “motto,” if you will, of the only human being who ever walked with God in perfect obedience—in thought, word, and deed. Jesus said it about 30 times. Why was he a fanatic about “every jot and tittle” in the Word of God? Because he knew that the second we deviate from using the words God uses the way He uses them, we are on a slippery slope to oblivion.

The bottom line of life is simple: Either there is, or there is not, a God, a Creator, who has communicated to us in His written Word, which is what it claims to be—THE TRUTH, which we can understand, and which is the standard by which every human should live his life. Satan knows there is, and he is ratcheting up his assault on the Word of God and on Christians.

What is “Postmodernism,” and how has it infiltrated Christianity and ruined many people’s faith? Why is there rampant confusion among Christians about the basic doctrines of the faith? How would Jesus have measured up to today’s definitions of “tolerance,” “bigotry,” and “respect”? How can you stop truth decay in your life? We will cover all this and much, much more. Seriously, you do not want to miss this teaching.

Light Up Your World

Don’t miss this very practical presentation, which could be sub-titled, Daily Opportunities to Shine or Not-so-Secret Agents for the Lord. In it John exposits many scintillating scriptures.

Jesus said that his followers were to be “the salt of the earth” and “the light of the world.” He said that the key to manifesting his life in the world is to “abide in him.” As the means by which he is diversifying himself all over the world, we are to exercise his power and authority to bring deliverance to people just like he did. The key to doing so is to maintain an intimate relationship with our Lord.

The more we realize God’s love for us (in Jesus), the more we will extravagantly love others. All he asks of you is that you DO WHAT YOU CAN. Like the woman who anointed his head with precious oil, your reaching out to someone could have far more ramifications than you might expect. Although you and I may also seem to be anonymous in terms of how many people in the world know about our acts of love toward the Lord, there is coming a day when all will know what it meant to him. Whatever we do unto one of the least of mankind, we do unto him.

Should Women Be Allowed To Teach In The Church?

Does the Bible say that women should keep silent in the Church? Ha! Ha! Ha! Are you serious? Have you ever tried to keep a woman quiet? Don’t you think God knows that is impossible?

Just kidding, ladies. The truth is that Jesus Christ was the greatest emancipator of women who has ever lived, and that the apostle Paul followed in his footsteps. Both of them had to buck the cultural system that had in large part stifled women for centuries. Even today, there is cultural inequality of men and women around the world, especially in the Muslim culture. Christendom, however, is still too rife with its own sexual inequality.

In this teaching, John Lynn explores the roots of the erroneous notions that men are spiritually superior to women and that women should not teach or lead in the Church. These stem primarily from theologians mishandling some key verses in Genesis 1, 2, and 3, failing to recognize that 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 sticks out like a sore thumb, and grossly misunderstanding 1 Timothy 2:11-15.

Ladies, don’t miss this one! And men, if you have a wife or know anyone who does, be sure to tune in to this enlightening exposition.

Think About What You're Thanking About

“Thank GOD!” Perhaps you have exulted that oft-used exclamation in a moment of ecstasy about something that happened to you—or didn’t happen. When you did, weren’t you rather consumed by a good feeling? And at that moment you were not thinking about whatever problems are in your life, were you?

Giving thanks to God and the Lord Jesus focuses you on them: their greatness, goodness, what they’ve already done for you, what they’re doing, and will do. Sometimes we have to drag our mind, kicking and screaming, to the place of thanksgiving, in order to replace some “stinkin’ thinkin.” And it is well worth the effort. Thanking is a great way to re-direct your thinking.

In this simple yet powerful teaching we will see the role that giving thanks played in the lives of certain biblical giants, including Jesus Christ, and how it was a key to their seeing the power of God in manifestation.

Shoulder-To-Shoulder With Your Lord Jesus

Does the Bible say that God has “absolute” foreknowledge? Is the future fixed? Is everything going to happen just as God already sees it, or do we actually have freedom to choose for ourselves what we will think, say, and do, and thus play a vital role in determining the future? Can we as human beings limit God Almighty, or is He in control?

How does speaking in tongues perfectly illustrate the reciprocal relationship God and Christ desire to have with each Christian? What did Jesus mean when he said we should be “yoked with him”? What does Scripture mean when it says that each Christian is a “fellow worker” with God and Christ? What rewards do we get for such work? Why is a Kairos moment better than a Kodak moment?

John Lynn will answer all these questions and more in the July 9 WWF. We must understand that the future is comprised of: (1) God’s planned events—made possible by the free will choices of Jesus, (2) Our free will choices, (3) His responses to our choices to involve Him in our lives. Don’t miss this stimulating presentation about being should-to-shoulder with Jesus Christ in the trenches of life.

Godly Selfishness

 

What??? If that title seems self-contradictory, join us Wednesday evening and find out what it means. If we as Christians are to best serve others, we must first “take heed unto ourselves,” that is, honestly take stock of our own spirituality.

As the Head of the Body, our Lord Jesus has a very personal learning curriculum for each member in particular. He is constantly trying to draw us closer to him, teach us how to better represent him, and help us grow up in him. Developing intimacy with the Lord Jesus is paramount to our growth.

Like sunlight illumines every particle of dust in the air, so his loving Sonlight shines into every nook and cranny of our lives—if we invite him to do so. That includes both the deceitful nuances of our sin nature and the kaleidoscope of talent and ability each of us has. I AM the ONLY ME God has. Ditto for you. So let’s get serious about becoming like Christ.

The stirring comparison between Ezra 7:10 and 1 Timothy 4:16 shows us four principles of spiritual growth. You’ll love it!

God Jr., A Chip Off the Old Block

Subtitle: The Magnitude of Being IN CHRIST

The relationship between God Almighty and His only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, is absolutely vital to understand, and that is why for 2K years Satan has made it his #1 doctrinal target to distort and obscure. The Devil knows that if we correctly understand who God is and who His Son is, and how they love one another and relate to one another, it will enhance our own relationship with each of them and empower us to live for them.

One of the main goals in this teaching is to amplify WHO YOU ARE IN CHRIST. The more we see the magnitude of who we are and what we have IN CHRIST, the more our faith will appropriate the riches of His glory.

The covenant contract, like a marriage, God made with Moses, the mediator between God and Israel, was thus extended to Israel, the Bride of Christ. We’ll see in 1 Corinthians that the Israelites were “baptized into Moses.” A covenant requires two parties, and apparently God wanted Moses to know with whom he was entering into this contract. Jesus is the Bridegroom to Israel, as the Hebrew Scriptures show. But he has no “covenant” with us, the Church. Instead, we are his Body, and thus ONE WITH and IN CHRIST. What we have is far beyond a covenant agreement.

As a member in particular of that One Body, you are permanently IN HIM and have the same rights and privileges that he earned by his obedience all the way to the Cross. IN JESUS, you are also named after your heavenly Father, and filled with His divine nature.

Resurrection Revolution!

Statement of Mankind's Biggest Problem: DEATH. Solution: LIFE. Life begins with BIRTH. Birth begins with SEED. Jesus Christ is the Promised Seed. He is The Friend who came to deliver us from our mortal Enemy, DEATH.

By his free will choice to trust His Father all the way to the Cross, Jesus made it possible for God to raise him from the dead. Thus he became the first (and last—so far—there will be many more) man to conquer death. Jesus reversed the age-old pattern of life unto death. He started the "Resurrection Revolution," and he is recruiting other revolutionaries who want to follow in his steps.

Don't miss this "Christianity 101" teaching that explains why Jesus Christ had to die, and highlights the glory of what God did in breathing new life into his dead Son. The Word of God in this teaching will amplify your Hope of seeing your Lord face to face and being forever united with all those who have ever believed in him as their Lord.

Defeating the Enemy Within

The sub-title for this powerful and practical teaching is, "Whoa is Me!" If you plan to hear it, fasten your seat belt, because it may be a rough ride. We'll be going into the blackened hills of the human heart, which, in its old nature, is "deceitful above all things." Not to worry, however, because our Guide and Trail Boss is none other than the Savior from sin, Jesus Christ.

Statement of problem: Something's wrong with me, and that something is SIN. The Lord Jesus has freed us from the penalty of sin, but not from its power. Recognizing the sin that dwells in me, facing it, and going through it by dying to self, is the only way to more abundant life.

Like the Bible, each Christian is "the story of two Adams." If I don't face the first Adam, I won't recognize my daily need for the Last Adam. Each of us must desire to get in touch with the nuances of sin that hide within us, and that can begin with the humble prayer, "Search me…"

Here are two poignant quotes we will examine:

"Rooted deep within us is an inherent antagonism to a redemption accomplished by deep humility rather than by power and glory."

"Apart from sin, we have nothing to be ashamed of."

Hope you'll come along for the ride.

Love Never Fails

The title of this teaching is probably decoupaged or needlepointed on the wall of many homes, and for good reason. It is what our Lord Jesus Christ showed us by his sterling example of self-sacrifice.

This teaching could be sub-titled The Power of Love, because godly love is the greatest force there is to bring to pass the will of God on earth. We focus on the Greek word agape and center this teaching primarily in the fabulous epistle of 1 John.

Each of us is called to love as Jesus loved, and he is ready to teach us how to do that, if we are willing to walk the path of love he blazed for us. The more we do, the more our hearts sing with his joy and his peace.

Striving Together for the Faith of the Gospel

Paul’s priceless epistles to Christians in the ancient world were often born out of his having visited their city and spent time pouring out his life to them. As such, there is a rich connection between the historical account of his previous visit and the letter he wrote by revelation. Such is the case with the Acts 16 record of his first visit to Philippi and the epistle he later wrote to them. In this teaching, John Lynn exposits Acts 16 and the first chapter of Philippians, from which the title for this teaching is taken.

Acts 16 is Hollywood blockbuster movie material, loaded with one poignant and powerful incident after another. Reading it shows how Paul and the fledgling believers there built such a heartfelt bond between them.

Paul’s Christ-inspired epistle to the Philippians was to guide them back to the doctrine in Ephesians after their behavioral deviation from how they should act based upon who they are in Christ. He encourages them to pursue the lofty goal of working out their salvation by pursuing the kind of maturity that is available to all Christians but attained by relatively few.

Despite the fact that Paul wrote from a jail cell in Rome not long before his death, the subject of joy runs through this epistle like a golden thread. You will be greatly uplifted by this exciting teaching.

Jesus Christ: God’s Promise/Keeper

The One True God is the God of PROMISE, and His Word is filled with "exceeding great and precious promises." Jesus Christ is God's greatest promise, and he alone would determine whether any of God's other promises to Israel would come true.

The future fulfillment of all those promises of God in the Hebrew Scriptures was riding upon the Son of Man's free will obedience to the blueprint for his life that God laid out for him from Genesis to Malachi. Every prophecy about what the Messiah would do, first as the Lamb of God and later as the Lion of Judah, was dependent upon Jesus choosing to obey God's "Master Plan" step by step.

And unbeknownst to Jesus, God's then-hidden-and-now revealed promises to the Christian Church also hinged on his willingness to walk the full length of the valley of decision. This teaching magnifies the unparalleled heroism of The Man who was The Plan because The First Man ran, and it will enhance your love for the Lord and your desire to be like him.

The School of Sorrow

Since God destroyed the Tower of Babel and scattered the people of earth into different languages to confound their attempt to establish a godless one-world government, there has been no universal language, at least in terms of words. But there is a universal language, that is, something via which every human being who is remotely in touch with reality can connect with and identify with in everyone else, and that is SORROW.

To the extent that we recognize that our new birth enrolled us in The School of Sorrow, and determine to learn the lessons available therein, we can and will progressively move forward to new grades of intimacy with our Lord Jesus, the Man of Sorrows, who speaks that language better than any of us.

Are you currently going through a challenging, difficult, horrible, or excruciating time in your life? Actually, you can't really answer that now, because the pivotal preposition in that question is through. You may currently be in the wilderness, tunnel, crucible, or hurricane, but it is yet to be determined whether you will go through it. Many people don't—they give up and fall apart en route.

Contrary to much teaching among Christians, it is vital to understand that trials and tribulations do not automatically produce fruit in our lives. The key is how we respond to those trials. We must meet the trials of life with aggressive trust in our great big, wonderful Father and our loving Lord Jesus. This teaching will help every Christian learn to do exactly that.

The Only Irish Rabbi Jesus Ever Met

Countless evangelists have preached on John 3:1–10, exhorting the unsaved to get "born again" as Jesus encouraged Nick O'Demus to do. But how could Nick be born again before Jesus had even died to pay the price for his sins? This misunderstanding is another example of Christians not understanding which parts of the Bible are written about them and which parts are written about Israel, past or future. What was Jesus really saying to Nick O'Demus, and how could he expect Nick to know about something that is absent from the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament)? Join us for a line-by-line, crystal clear explanation that will magnify the wonderful precision of God's matchless Word.