The Living Truth Fellowship

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”.

Rage Against God

Since his fall from grace through Adam, mankind has been separated from God. This is true for all except those who’ve been saved. This separation has been more than just a cool estrangement. The Bible tells us that it is a hostility. It tells us that a worldly person is at enmity with God; that he does not submit to God’s law, and neither can he. Why does this world vehemently reject God’s goodness and despise his son, Jesus Christ. Because light hates darkness. 

“This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.” (John 3:19)

Join us to understand this spiritual reality from scripture.

Jesus Messiah

Jesus Messiah. Jesus, God’s Anointed. Jesus Christ. Did you know that Christ is not Jesus’s last name? It’s not, yet for the majority of Christians, this is the unwitting assumption. The fact is, Christ, Christos in the Greek, means what Meshiac in the Hebrew means - ANOINTED. 

Jesus is God’s Anointed. He was sent to carry out God’s plan for salvation. As Paul said in 1 Timothy 1:15 - “The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.”

This is Jesus the Messiah. Savior of mankind. God’s only begotten Son.

Resurrection

As we look at the resurrection of God’s only begotten son and some of the following concepts: death, life, judgment, forgiveness, redemption. We look at the life of Jesus Christ and how God raised him from the dead by promise from the Old Testament. And just as God was faithful to fulfill his promise in Jesus, He will do so for us, his children. Our hope is assured!

Homosexuality & Transgenderism

Our culture has all but embraced homosexuality and transgenderism. Since God created man, God should have a say so in this discussion. Today we look at these two concepts and we look at God’s original creative intent behind mankind and behind his sexuality. This teaching will help in bringing a proper understanding to God’s intent.

Agency

In the ancient cultures of the Middle East, there was a concept we know as Agency. The central notion of agency is this: that one person would send another as a representative to carry out his bidding with all the authority of the sender. In this teaching we look at this concept in the relationship between God and his son Jesus Christ.

Biblical Servitude

In our contemporary world, the idea of Service often has a bad connotation. People tend to associate it with diminished value and a lack of self-worth. But from a scriptural perspective, a person simply will not go far with the Lord unless he or she learns first to be a servant. From the prophet delivering the Lord’s message, to the pastor trending the Lord’s sheep, the practical Christian walk is defined by Service. As Jesus said, “My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.” Service is the heartbeat of every disciple of Christ.

The Walk of Humility

The Bible teaches, “Pride goeth before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.” Pridefulness, also called self-righteousness, is the affliction of the natural man and carnal Christian alike going back to Adam’s rebellion. “Better to be lowly in spirit,” scripture continues, “and among the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud.” 

Pride’s only antidote to Pride is Humility. Humility to God. Humbleness is a quality shared by all godly men and women. It was said of Moses then he was more humble than any other man. Jesus never promoted himself but emptied himself of the l reputation and did the Father’s will. 

Enjoy this wonderful teaching on Humility that will surely bless you!