The Living Truth Fellowship

Original Sin

Original Sin. It’s more correctly called, Adam’s Sin. The Humanist will call it, The Human Condition. Whatever the name, it describes the moral and spiritual degeneracy that afflicts all of humankind. So why is humanity, endowed with such intelligence and ability and created in the very Image of God, so depraved and destructive as a race? Is it a lack of philosophy or political acuity, as some would claim, or is it something deeper?
 
Study the scriptures with us as we delve into this interesting and vitally important topic.

The First Epistle of Peter

This letter was written to encourage the scattered Christians to maintain hope while suffering. The intended recipients of 1 Peter were facing significant hardships as a result of social and governmental opposition to their faith in Christ. In this Study of 1 Peter 1 and 2, Peter reminds these believers to stand fast, to endure persecution, to seek holiness and remember that it was through the precious blood of Christ that they are saved.

Matters of the Heart

Why is the heart important? Well, from a biological point of view, it sustains life. Without the heart pumping the life-giving blood, the body would quickly die.

The same is true spiritually. The heart is the well-spring of life. When it is allowed to become infirm with sin, a person’s spiritual life quickly deteriorates. This is why God, our concerned heavenly parent, tells us to guard our hearts with all our diligence, since he knows from it come the issuance of life.

Jon Touchstone teaches this timely message on the importance of the heart.

The Gospel of Christ

The word gospel literally means “good news” and is used 93 times in the New Testament. In Greek, it’s the word euaggelion, from which we get our English words evangelist, evangel, and evangelical. Specifically, the gospel is the good news of Christ’s salvation to the world:

1.) That God so loved the world that he gave his only son to die for our sin.

2.) That our salvation, eternal life and home in heaven are all guaranteed through Christ.

3.) That we simply cannot earn our salvation; that work of redemption and justification has already been completed on the cross.

4.) That we, former enemies of God, have been reconciled by the blood of Christ and adopted into the family of God.

5.) That “there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

Family of God

The Bible tells us that Jesus is the only-begotten Son of God. This fact is important for many reasons, not the least of which is that, as God’s son, Jesus is a member of God’s family. This is a spectacular truth to consider: God, creator of the heavens and the earth, has a family. And not only is Jesus a member of this family, but Romans 8 tells us that he is “the firstborn among many brethren.” Who are these brethren, you might ask? Well, they are you and me. In fact, anyone who is born-again of God’s spirit becomes a permanent member of this Household of God. What a humbling truth for the Christian – that this magnificent God is our Father, and this wonderful Lord and Savior is our big brother.
 
“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!” (1 John 3:1)

The Book of Titus

The Book of Titus is a letter Paul wrote in AD 63 to one of his faithful ministers, a man named Titus, a fellow-laborer who Paul left on the island of Crete in the Mediterranean to complete a work he had previously started.

This Pastoral Epistle tells of Titus’s assignment regarding this Church at Crete – to “set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city.” This task was more than just an administrative responsibility – it was spiritually significant. Titus was to find those among the Cretan Christian population who were uniquely qualified to become Elders within the Church, and who would preach the Gospel and stand against both the legalists, known as Judaizers, who sought to force this fledgling assembly to abandon Grace and following the Mosaic Law, as well as the decadent local cultural norms. This is a recurring theme throughout the epistles of Titus.

The Book of Titus deserves our attention as we look to the Bible for instruction on how to live a life pleasing to our Lord. We can learn what we should avoid as well as that which we are to strive to imitate. Paul suggests we seek to be pure as we avoid the things which will defile our minds and consciences. As Christians, we must examine ourselves to be sure our lives line up with our profession of faith in Christ (2 Corinthians 13:5).

The One Body

As Christians, individually, Christ is in each one of us – hence the name, Christian, meaning Christ-In. And we, both individually and as a Church, are in Christ, “In Christo.” This phrase signifies something dynamic, and not static; it signifies life and growth. Most importantly, it signifies union. We are in union with Christ. God provided this unchangeable reality of the new birth for each Christian. This union provides us, as scripture says, with God’s increase – righteousness, power, wisdom. It’s the very essence of what Christianity is.

You Love Righteousness and Hate Wickedness

Scripture states that Jesus “loved righteousness and hated wickedness.” That’s amazing. This phrase defines in a nutshell what it means to be a followers of the Lord Jesus. As he did, so are we as his followers to “love righteousness and hate wickedness.”

In this regard, complacency is our enemy. When we are complacent, the black and white precision of righteousness and wickedness fades to a murky gray. The fact is, clarity is only found through distinction.

Take some time to hear this teaching that’s so important to the spiritual contest of the Christ.

No Partiality

The early definition of the word “partiality” connotes something that is not whole or complete. The word later developed into an idea of one-sidedness, or, an unjust or unreasonable preference for a person or a group over against another, and this is its general meaning in scripture. In the Authorized Version, God testifies that He is not a “respecter of persons;” that His standards are applied the same to each who is judged. In addition, the bible admonishes us to keep ourselves free from partiality due to its distortive affects our perspective. In a world overwhelmed with contention and strife, the believer must keep free of partiality and, as John 7:24 says, “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.”

God‘s Peace

The Bible tells us that God is not the author of confusion but of peace. Peace and order are essential to one’s relationship with God. When we consider God’s still, small voice, peace is essential for our well being in our walk with God. We cannot remain emotionally and spiritually balanced without it.

That secret place in our hearts is where we go to meet with God. When we choose to live there and hide away under His shadow, staying in constant communion with Him, we can remain peaceful, even when circumstances may not be. When we learn to cry out to Him in times of trouble, we find that His peace really does pass all human understanding (Philippians 4:7).

God’s Faithfulness

John Lynn was not only the Founder and Head Minister of this ministry, The Living Truth Fellowship, but for many of us he was a friend. His love for God and Christ and his commitment to God’s people throughout the tenure of his fifty-year ministry provided for us a great example of what faithfulness looks like. John was truly a faithful minister, and he will be missed.

Our God is faithful, and His work continues. Other than our Lord, it was never dependent upon any one man. When Moses died, God’s work continued with Joshua. And so must it be with us. We are called to put forth our best effort to work from our hearts to bring glory to our God.

Long-Term Living

Although the whole world has been under the prevailing influence of the Evil One since Adam forfeited his God-given earthly dominion to him, the state of the world today certainly appears worse than anything any of us have seen during our lifetimes. What comes our way each day requires an overriding Hope that gives us a clear vision of a new world to come, with multi-variegated blessings beyond our imagination.

Most believers associate Hope primarily with Christ’s coming to raise all our loved ones who have fallen asleep, and rightly so. But besides spending forever with countless sterling saints in a glorious Paradise, there surely will be every good thing we enjoy now—magnified immensely. One of the most satisfying aspects of our forever future is JUSTICE, as meted out by Judge Jesus. Every human being—believer and non-believer—will get what he or she deserves, both good and bad. For Christians, the good includes REWARDS for how we have lived since being saved.

The Walk Of The Spirit

Jesus told the Jewish Leader Nicodemus, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the spirit is spirit.” In this famous verse, we learn that the two realms, flesh and the spirit, are separate and mutually exclusive. The book of Galatians further elaborate for us that “the flesh lusts against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh;” that these two are contrary, the one to the other, so that a person cannot do what he would.
 
In this teaching by Jon Touchstone we learn more about the two realities - the walk of the spirit versus the walk of the flesh. And though the born-again Christian is filled with holy spirit at the time he accepts Christ, scripture tells us that he must choose to live by that spirit. His choice will determine whether his life will manifest the Works of the Flesh or the Fruit of the Spirit.

The Pillar and Foundation of Truth

One of the refreshing qualities of the Word of God is its honesty about human nature. Just as we are burdened with our own sinfulness, so was the early church. The Corinthian Church at one time had been a growing and thriving Church, but it became mired in quarrellings and infighting. Leaders vied with one another and believers became followers of personalities rather following their spiritual head, Christ. As a result, the Church’s spiritual progress came to a grinding halt and Paul was forced to intervene and correct the situation. The fact is, this was his first order of business in 1 Corinthians.

Join us in this teaching to learn how, as told in 1 Timothy 3:15, the members of the Church should conduct themselves in God’s household, the pillar and foundation of TRUTH.

The Precious Conscience

It’s been said, “There is no pillow so soft as a clear conscience.” This is a true. The conscience is our inner witness. Each of us has one. It praises us when do right and chastises us when we don’t. it’s our most valuable commodity for our moral life. This is why we must guard our conscience with all our effort. A violated and corrupted conscience is not just burdensome. It affects our ability to see things clearly and make sound, godly judgments. Unfortunately, for any of us who has lived life for long, the conscience invariably gets bruised along the way. But this good news is this: Jesus saves to the uttermost. He is able to heal your conscience and set you back on the path of righteousness.

Proverbs: The Contrast of Wisdom and Foolishness

The Word of God tells us that Wisdom is the principal thing; so therefore, we are to get wisdom; and with all our getting, we’re to get understanding also. Wisdom is the right use of knowledge. To know is not to be wise. Many men know a great deal, and are all the greater fools for it. But to know how to use knowledge is to have wisdom.

God’s wisdom is not far from us. God proclaims it from the rooftops. Wisdom simply requires our pursuit. We must seek her with our whole heart, or not at all. When we do, she promises to “pour out her spirit unto us.”
 
Take some time today to pursue wisdom in this vital teaching by Jon Touchstone, you will be blessed you did.

What Do Jesus Christ and Paul Revere Have in Common?

Answer: A sermon on a mount. Paul Revere’s message (“The British are coming”) was considerably shorter than Jesus’ (“The kingdom is coming”). And, while Paul’s words were significant in regard to the future of our country, they can’t compare to the timeless truths that “King” Jesus (which is how Matthew’s gospel portrays him) spoke in his “Inaugural Address” to his people, Israel.
 
Matthew 5-6-7 contain a plethora of prime principles regarding many aspects of life and godliness, including murder, adultery, divorce, helping the needy, trusting God, prayer, judging, and much more, but these God-breathed words must be understood in an administrational context. This current “administration of the Secret” was “hidden in God,” and therefore Jesus had no clue about it. Thus, everything he said (prior to his Resurrection) related to Israel, past, present, future. Don’t miss this comprehensive exposition of the first “recorded” teaching Jesus ever did.

Pride and Meekness

As it is with the fallen angel Lucifer, pride is a primary constituent of man’s fallen nature. Psalm 10:4 says that in his pride the wicked does not seek God; in all his thoughts there is no room for Him. This is because the person of pride is consumed with thoughts of himself. As long as a person thinks he is right, he is going to be incomprehensibly proud and presumptuous. This is the opposite of the spirit of humility of Matthew 5:3: “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” The “poor in spirit” are those who recognize their utter spiritual bankruptcy, their dependence on God and their inability to come to Him aside from His divine grace.

How to Try the Spirits

1 Timothy 4:1 tells the Christian that in these latter days many will depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons. Because of this, he must be armed with understanding so that he can discern between the truth of God and the subtle errors of the wicked one. 

Yo Adam, Thanks for NOTHING!

The subtitle for this teaching is Yo Jesus, Thanks for EVERYTHING! As you probably know, the Bible is the story of two men. The first man bequeathed to us an irreparable SIN nature that plagues us daily—that’s the problem. The second man imbued us with a DIVINE nature that gives us the potential, and the authority, to think and trust God like he did, to speak as he spoke, and to do the works he did—that’s the solution to the problem. Think about the cavernous contrast between how good and how bad a human being can become, in all categories of life—physical, mental, spiritual.

I have come to the conclusion that most Christians have a much lower opinion of themselves than God and Christ do. Perhaps you are in that category, along with me. As the saying goes, each of us is definitely “a piece of work,” but we can learn how to be “strong in the grace of God” and overcome the nagging sin that dwells in us. That is what this teaching is about.