The Living Truth Fellowship

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.

Allow Jesus To Do His Job

CAUTION: This teaching is only for Christians who REALLY want to put off the old man and put on the new man.

What is Jesus' job? To save us—that's why he's called "The Savior." Save us from what? Sin and death. How did he save us from sin and death? By dying. To what did he die? His self-will ("Not my will, but yours…"). This shows us that although Jesus had no sin nature, which as we will see is our main problem, he did have to subjugate his will to that of his Father. Jesus did not want to go through the horror that lay ahead of him, but his love for God and mankind prompted him to will to do so.

Just as it required Jesus to be crucified for our sins, so he will now help us crucify our flesh, that is, die to our self-will. How did it feel to Jesus to be crucified? Agonizing. He remembers that. How does it feel to us to crucify our flesh? Agonizing. But how did RESURRECTION feel to Jesus? Ditto for us!

This teaching shows the difference between "guilt" and "shame," as well as identifying some of the internal idols to which we too often bow: looking good, feeling good, being right, being in control. And how does that work? It doesn't, because an idol just stays idle when you call—and we are left alone. But when we cleave unto THE MAN, we are never alone.

Experiencing Jesus

In this teaching, John Lynn looks at the unique personality of the most human being who ever lived. We know from 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 that Satan's goal is always to obscure or distort the Son of God, who perfectly showed us the heart of God. Throughout the centuries, religion has in large part removed Jesus Christ from our reach by grossly diminishing his humanity and his heroism on our behalf. If you want deeper intimacy with the Lord Jesus, check out this teaching.

The Ministry of Angels to Christians

In this WWF, John Lynn is reprising his extremely popular (and humorous) teaching from 1991.

Given that the Devil is the "god of this age," and that he has millions of demons working for him with the goal of destroying Christians, it is most comforting to know that the Lord Jesus has assigned twice as many good spirit beings to protect and direct us. There countless ways to die daily, and we need help in the massive unseen spiritual battle raging around us.

John will answer five questions: What angels are not? What are angels? Where did they come from? How many are there? What are they doing? In four scintillating scriptural accounts, we will see how angels act as agents of God to serve Christians. And you might be able to hug one.

I Would Do Anything For: (a) Love, (b) a Klondike Bar?

We know that God SO LOVED that He GAVE HIS SON, and that Jesus SO LOVED that he GAVE HIS LIFE. When your life is over, what will its storyline be? To what degree did your love for Jesus Christ motivate you to give your life for the one who died for you?

Living with PMS

John Lynn sets forth what we as Christians should be expecting from the Devil, and, in light of that, what we should correspondingly expect from our God and our Lord. Too many Christians are being deceived by a short-term "health and wealth" gospel (the "more abundant life") that is out of touch with reality. Many whose unrealistic hopes have been dashed by the cruel reality of "life" have turned away from the Lord. Some have blamed God for not keeping His promises; some have blamed themselves for not having enough faith.

Consider the record of Job. He was a stalwart believer, and he got hammered. What did his friends say? "Come on, bro, you must have done something wrong? What's your secret sin? Are you tithing? Are you going to church?" In response, Job accurately maintained his righteousness. Of course he thought it was God who was afflicting him, and he did bug God about it, saying that if only he could present his case to Him, surely He'd knock it off. And what happened? God honored Job's faithfulness and mightily turned his situation around—partly in his lifetime and partly in the life to come when his first batch of kids will be resurrected.

Because they knew that this world under Satan's domination is hostile to godliness, both Jesus and Paul prepared their followers for short-term suffering and hardship that would bring them long-term rewards. We too must be prepared to live with PMS (Persecuted Minority Syndrome). As we do, we can still enjoy the more abundant life, which is first in our relationship with God and the Lord, and then in our relationships with our brethren in Christ.

The Transformers Are Coming

In the 1980s, mechanical/robotic super heroes called The Transformers emerged in toys, comics, and movies. These fantasy heroes waged a never-ending war against evil. In this teaching, we’ll see that we Christians are the real Transformers, and that the battle we fight is real. It begins between our ears and plays out in our lives.

Because Jesus Christ went the distance for us—all the way through the Cross, and because God raised him from the dead, we are equipped with supernatural power. With our cooperation, the Lord will energize that power to transform us into his likeness so that we shine his light in this dark world. Our glorious hope, and our guarantee, is that he will one day totally transform us to be as he is.

We live between the grave and the glory. We are to be motivated BOTH by looking back to the finished work of Christ AND by looking forward to the Hope of his coming to rescue us from this present, evil age. NOW we are to live from the inside out, enduring short-term pain for long-term gain. Join us as we unpack many fabulous truths in the Church Epistles. You will be enlightened and encouraged.

Seeing Through the Eyes of Christ

One Day With The Creator is now available. It is a fabulous tool that will change the life of anyone who believes the Word it contains. But how can you connect with people to motivate them to take the time to watch it? What Greek word (that sounds like a bug hitting your windshield) indicates how Jesus’ compassion for people moved him to reach for their hearts with all he had? Tune in and find out how you too can deeply touch the hearts and lives of those in your world.

Be a Rock in a Hard Place

What is basically a simple word study of a few uses of “rock” and “stone” brilliantly displays the precision and cohesion of God’s wonderful Word and brings to light the central message of Jesus Christ, the main subject of Scripture. In the time of Old Testament Israel, God instructed the people to use rocks for a permanent memorial to an occasion of His deliverance, saying that the rocks would be a “witness” to them. But those rocks could not speak. Sad to say that as a nation called to be priests on earth, Israel did not speak for God. As Israel was hewn out of the rock of God Himself, so we Christians are hewn out of the Rock, Jesus Christ.

In this teaching, John Lynn will show the three biblical ways in which people can relate to Jesus Christ, who is “the stone the builders rejected,” but who is now “the chief cornerstone” of the Church. When all is said and done, what will be the legacy of your life? If you stand upon the Rock as a “living stone” and “cry out” about him, it can be a permanent witness to his love and goodness.

Stretching for the Lord

Who’da thunk that looking at a little word in the Bible like “stretch(ed)” would result in one of the simplest yet most powerful teachings you have ever heard? You don’t want to miss this one!

Biblically speaking, “faith” means trust, and the Word shows that the more faith we have, the more God and the Lord Jesus can do with, for, and in us. So how do we grow in faith?

In this electrifying teaching, John Lynn parallels growing in faith to stretching our muscles. If we do not stretch to the point of becoming uncomfortable, we will never expand our comfort zone. Ditto for increasing our faith; we must follow the examples of our Father and our Lord, each of whom stretched to the point of agony for our sake, and get out of our comfort zone for the sake of someone else.

Faith is the simplest thing God could require of man. It is how we access His power, and it is how we stand against the onslaught of the Enemy. Your faith can grow to the point that you do the works that Jesus Christ did. So get ready to stretch!

Tune In To God's Channel

Paul Knopf shares the Word, and the title of his teaching is "Tune In To God's Channel." Hearing the voice of our heavenly Father, who is Almighty God, is something we all greatly desire, and also often wonder about.

Paul addresses questions like: "Do you get static when you try to hear God's voice?" and "Do you know how to tune into God's channel?" This teaching shows you the characteristics of those in Scripture who listened well to God, and it will help you do the same.

A Mighty Fortress Is Our God

On the day after the USA’s national election, John Lynn’s teaching is titled, A Mighty Fortress Is Our God. We encourage you to join us and also invite your friends to watch and listen with you.

Of course, John’s teaching title comes from the name of the famous hymn written by Martin Luther, whose birthday will again be celebrated on November 10. It became known as “the Battle Hymn of the Reformation,” and he will read its inspiring words, which vividly reflect vital biblical truths.

No matter who wins any election, we know the Word of God says that all the systems of this world are under the influence of the Devil, and that he will eventually achieve his goal of a one-world government toward which he has been relentlessly striving since Genesis 10. But those working for him toward this end are fighting against OUR GOD, who is doing His best to buy us time to spread His Word.

Though we were born into a war zone and we live behind enemy lines, the GO(O)D NEWS is: WE HAVE THE VICTORY! And in the meantime, the Lord Jesus, our Commander-in-Chief has equipped us, and called us, to rescue as many people as possible, snatching them out of the fire. Let’s “redeem the time” God is giving us—together. This teaching magnifies both the finished work of our Savior, Jesus Christ, and the greatness of our God and Father.

Against All Odds

When you made Jesus Christ your Lord, your signed on to stand for Truth as he did, be persecuted as he was, and enjoy the rewards that he will enjoy. The extent to which you do the first of those is the extent to which each of the other two will also play out. Knowing the God he served was why Jesus totally trusted His Father all the way through the Cross. Knowing your God is the key to your faith touching His provision and allowing Him to be God for you.

The stirring account of a once-fearful man named Gideon leading God’s people to victory is filled with relevant insight as to how our Heavenly Father will work with us, patiently dealing with our weaknesses and fears. Knowing what each of us can do if we trust and obey Him, He has a vision for each of us that far surpasses how we see ourselves.

The record in Judges 6 & 7 shows us three steps to victory: 1) Get our spiritual priorities in order, 2) Stand together, heart-to-heart and shoulder-to-shoulder, 3) Fight the good fight. It also shows us how our courage can inspire those around us to “acquire the fire,” or re-kindle it.

The Biblical Motif: “This is War!”

Have you ever heard any of the following statements about God?

• He is in control of everything on earth.
• He either causes or allows all things.
• He can do whatever He wants.
• All things are part of His Master Plan.

If those statements are true, don’t you think that makes God hard to love?

Thank God that He has committed Himself to mankind in writing, telling us exactly what He will do and what He won’t do. He has also committed Himself to us in the person of Jesus Christ, the Living Word, who showed us what the will of God is in regard to evil and the human suffering it causes.

This teaching clearly shows that the theme and backdrop of Scripture is a cosmic war between God and the Devil, one that began long before Adam and Eve made the scene. It also shows why there is no specific reference to Satan in the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament). It shows what Jesus Christ said and did to reveal the Devil as the source of all evil, AND how he revolted against Satan’s sickening status quo on earth.

Let Us Pray: To Whom? What? Why? When? Where? How?

Other than knowing the Word of God, which defines every aspect of our spiritual lives, PRAYER is the “bottom line” of our walk with the Lord Jesus and our heavenly Father through this minefield known as “life.”

• But what is prayer and how do we pray?
• What is God’s goal for us in prayer?
• Why was Jesus Christ so committed to prayer?
• Why did the Apostle Paul say we should “pray without ceasing”?
• If God already knows what we need, why do we need to pray for things?
• Can we pray to both God and the Lord Jesus?
• Is there a best time or place to pray?
• What is the shortest and simplest prayer there is?

These are some of the questions this teaching answers from the Word of God. Prayer is really about comm-UNI-cating (becoming ONE with) God and the Lord Jesus Christ. It is a major key to intimacy with our Father and our Big Brother.