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Sign of the Times - Christian Yoga in the Church

by Steve Wittmann

Apostasy & Christian Yoga in the Church

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Rev 3:15 'I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot.
Rev 3:16 'So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.

While no one wants to say their church is lukewarm, the fact remains that many are. Lukewarm churches aim to please man instead of God.

Apostasy – The Great Rebellion

2 Th 2:3
(NASB) Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction,

(NLT) Don't be fooled by what they say. For that day will not come until there is a great rebellion against God and the man of lawlessness is revealed—the one who brings destruction.

But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons. Apostasy is a progressive conditioning and it’s happening all around us.

CoExist

Before the man of lawlessness is revealed, the world must be prepared or progressively conditioned to accept the idea of a single world religion. The likelihood is a one-world religion will be introduced alongside ideas of tolerance and coexistence.

Harry Potter’s Lightning Bolt

How does progressive conditioning work? Coming from a prophecy-aware background, should someone propose wearing a mark on my forehead, the alarm bells would be ringing. However, at the opening of the final Potter movie in Sydney, AU, fans arrived wearing Potter garb including lightning bolts painted onto their foreheads to honor Potter’s forehead scar that represents a killing curse. Other Potter scars include a marking on the back of Potter’s right hand.

While it’s easy to dismiss these occurrences as fan enthusiasm, progressive conditioning says it’s okay to wear a symbol of an organization you support on your forehead or hand. Such a person is conditioned and is more likely to be receptive to the idea of wearing a mark on their forehead or hand.

Is Apostasy Here?

Has the prophetic time of apostasy arrived? As we saw in 2Th 2:3, the great rebellion is a time foretold in prophecy in which the nations will fall away in the faith and turn to the lawlessness of the world. Has that time arrived?

Timothy describes the world’s turning to lawlessness in 2Ti 3:1-5.

2Ti 3:1 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come.
2Ti 3:2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy,
2Ti 3:3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good,
2Ti 3:4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
2Ti 3:5 holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power;

The Barna Group Survey

The baseline of their study was something they called a “biblical world-view.” a “biblical worldview” was defined as believing that absolute moral truth exists; the Bible is totally accurate in all of the principles it teaches; Satan is considered to be a real being or force, not merely symbolic; a person cannot earn their way into Heaven by trying to be good or do good works; Jesus Christ lived a sinless life on earth; and God is the all-knowing, all-powerful creator of the world who still rules the universe today. In the research, anyone who held all of those beliefs was said to have a biblical worldview.

66% of all adults do not believe in an absolute moral truth that is not affected by one’s circumstances
54% of born-again Christians do not believe in an absolute moral truth
50% of all adults do not believe the Bible is accurate in all the principles it teaches.
75% of all adults do not believe Satan is a real force. 60% of born-again Christians do not believe Satan is a real force.
75% of all adults believe you can earn your way to heaven through good behavior. 53% of born-again Christians believe good works earns their way to heaven.
60% of American adults do not believe Jesus Christ led a sinless life while He was on Earth. 38% of born-again Christians do not believe Jesus Christ’s live on Earth was sinless.
70% of adults say God is the all-powerful, all-knowing creator of the universe who still rules it today. 93% of born-again Christians support this belief.

Doctrines of Demons - Contemplative Prayer

The objective of contemplative prayer is to contemplate the presence of God or Jesus in order to “experience” Him.

Well known Bible teachers have mistakenly taught contemplative prayer giving it credibility in the church.
Contemplative prayer uses visualization combined with meditation.
The practice of visualization meditation is a Yoga technique purposed with awakening the serpent spirit Kundalini.

Doctrines of Demons - Breath Prayer

"Let everything that has breath praise the Lord." (Psalm 150:6)

"Pray without ceasing." (1 Thessalonians 5:17)

A "Breath Prayer" is a primarily a short prayer (lit. a prayer phrase) that captures our deep yearning for intimacy, wholeness and a sense of peace with God. When spoken out-loud, a breath prayer has a rhythm allowing us to be increasingly conscious of our breathing - inhaling as we pray a short phrase, and then exhaling as we pray a short phrase. This increased consciousness of our breathing is a reminder of our physical and spiritual dependence on God.
A breath prayer is prayed slowly using our natural rhythm of breathing to set the pace of our prayer, often as a way of entering into silence and solitude. As a centering prayer, a breath-prayer can bring our mind back to a God-focus when it wanders, help focus our full attention on God. And a frequently used breath prayer can become an unconsciously prayed prayer throughout our day.
So a breath prayer actually has multiple purposes: it slows us down; it reminds us of our dependence (we become conscious of our need for breath); it focuses us on God (and keeps us focused on God); it leads us into deeper prayer (praise, confession, lament, petition, intercession, listening, etc.); and it is, itself, a genuine prayer.
The best-known "Breath Prayer" is the "Jesus Prayer:" "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner. So, as you consciously inhale, pray, "Lord Jesus Christ." As you exhale, pray "Son of God." As you inhale again, pray, "Have mercy on me." And as you exhale, conclude the prayer with "A sinner." The full version of the Jesus prayer: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner" covers two breath cycles. A shorter version, "Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me" covers one breath cycle. (http://www2.crcna.org/pages/crhm_breath_prayer.cfm)

This breathing-prayer technique is known as a mantra and is a spiritual energy centering technique found in Prana Yoga which teaches breath control and regulation. Also called a centering prayer, its purpose is a meditative focus of the mind on the inner self – or “centering” on your inner god. This is Eastern mysticism in its purest form.

Holy Yoga & ChrisToga

Another example of the doctrine of demons in the church is something called Christian Yoga. One example is Christian Yoga called “ChrisToga” and another is “Holy Yoga” which is nothing more than the worship of false gods repackaged with Christian names – again Satan’s time-tested technique of concealing truth.

Monotheism vs. Polytheism

Before we can understand Yoga or even Christian Yoga, we must first understand the fundamental theology it is built upon. We must understand the difference between monotheism and polytheism.

Mono = One
Poly = More Than One
Theism’s root is “Theos” from the Greek word for “god”
Mono + Theo = One God
Poly + Theo = More than One God

God is Not a God of Confusion

Quote: “You lose your individuality. You merge out into everything-ness, and everything-ness is nothing-ness, so you become nothing, but you’re everything. And you lose your identity but you become god. Sounds very confusing. That is the god of Hinduism – confusion.” – Caryl Matriciana describes the essence of Hinduism.

1Co 14:33 for God is not a God of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.

A Theology Absent of Sin

Another aspect of this theology is the absence of sin. You see, if god is everywhere and god is everything, and god is the nothingness before creation as well as all parts of creation, then all good and all evil are god because everything is god. Good and evil are thought of as two side of the same coin often represented as Ying-Yang . This is why Eastern theologies have both good gods and evil gods. Since an evil god is seen as a different perspective of god, then both good and evil are divine and without sin. Therefore Eastern theologies do not even recognize the existence of sin. Without sin, there is no need for salvation. Without the need for salvation there is no need of a savior. At its heart, Eastern theologies stand in rebellion and denial of Jesus’ completed work on the cross.

Yoga in Western Culture

Yoga first became popular in West during the 1970s as “TM” or Transcendental Meditation.
In the 1980s it was at the heart of the New Age Movement claiming its roots in science.
Now, Yoga has been repackaged again. This time bearing Christian names like Holy Yoga and ChrisToga.
Yoga cannot become holy simply because someone declares it so.
Yoga cannot be separated from its spiritual roots just as communion cannot be separated from its spiritual meaning.
What is Communion? Define it. Now, apart from that definition, what does it mean? Yoga is the same way – apart from being yoked with the Hindu gods like Brahma, Shiva, via Kundilini it means nothing.

What is Yoga?

Yoga literally means “to be yoked” or joined in union, but yoked with what? This theology teaches you were born ignorant of your own divinity, so to be yoked with your own divinity is to be yoked with universal divinity.

Mat 11:29 "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS."
Mat 11:30 "For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

Yoga teaches, “Yoga is the state of union with the Divine or the experience of oneness with the great Reality”

Yoga’s Origin

Yoga originated in the Hindu holy scripture Bhagavad Gita. It teaches, all are ignorant of our own divinity. That through Yoga discipline, the serpent spirit Kundalini is awakened to bring wisdom, power, and knowledge through enlightenment.

Yoga’s Philosophy

Yoga is the discipline that prepares one for the circle of life. That is, from life, to death, back to life as one is enlightened and embraces their own divinity – to realize all is god. Yoga teaches that we will not die. Yoga also teaches that we, ourselves, are gods. Now where have we heard that before?

The Great Lie

Gen 3:4 The serpent said to the woman, "You surely will not die!" Gen 3:5 "For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."

Cobra Asana (Pose)

One of the most common Yoga poses is the Cobra pose. This asana resembles a serpent with its hood raised. Each Yoga pose represents a Hindu god. Assuming the pose is worship to the god of its likeness.

The Serpent Spirit Kundalini

Yoga discipline is designed to awaken the power of the serpent spirit Kundalini.

Yoga movements open your chakras, to the power of Kundalini.

When the Serpent wakes up and uncoils along the vertebral column and crosses every chakra to enlighten it, awake it and release all its powers, it (the spirit of the serpent) becomes your base, your stability on which you can establish your power of little budding god.

Closing Quote

From her blog, Yoga expert Caryl Matrisciana writes on the Christian willingness to embrace Yoga and martial arts.

Caryl writes, “It is a tragic mistake to abuse God's Grace by thinking we are free to do whatever displeases God because we are now saved through the precious blood of Jesus Christ. He paid a priceless value which comprehending Christians shouldn't even consider cheapening. Our purchased freedom from sin, release from the kingdom of darkness and the bondage of lying spirits, is not for the purpose of falling into (new) seductions and being deceived by lying spirits, … through different rationalization. The Bible tells us to take every thought captive to the obedience of the mind of Christ for the pulling down of strongholds and lofty imaginations that set themselves up against the knowledge of God. (2 Cor. 10: 4-5)”

“Dismissing the existence of evil and downplaying the danger of spiritual delusion is within the very fabric of satanic ideology. It is not only a naive absurdity for Christians to embrace this lie but a massive deception Satan is happy to have disseminated by Christians. Of course Satan will convincingly dismiss the idea that his fallen legion of angelic spirits indwells pagan practices and rituals such as yoga and martial arts. He wants participation in those disciplines and doesn't care what the practitioner thinks! Through participation his spirits take a hold of the naive practitioner, whether they want it or not - whether they believe it or not.”

Key Point Summary

Apostasy is a falling away of faith
The Co-Exist movement teaches there are many paths to god – Jesus says He is the only way.
Through progressive conditioning society gradually accepts new ideas like wearing a mark on one’s forehead.
Contemplative prayer teaches one to visualize Jesus in order to “experience” Him.
Breath prayers are Prana Yoga breathing and meditation techniques dressed up in Christian names.
Monotheism is the theology of one God. Polytheism is the theology of more than one god.
Yoga cannot be separated from its spiritual roots just as communion cannot be separated from its spiritual meaning.
Yoga literally means “to be yoked” or joined in union.
Yoga teaches you’re ignorant of your own divinity. That through Yoga discipline, the serpent spirit Kundalini is awakened to bring wisdom, power, and knowledge through enlightenment.
Yoga poses or asanas are worship to each poses’ respective god.

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The Holy Spirit - Lesson 01

by Dr. Ray Self

The Trinity From the Beginning

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The Trinity from the Beginning

The Holy Spirit as a member of the trinity has been involved with the earth from the beginning. As a matter of fact the entire trinity was involved in creation. The Hebrew word for God "Elohim" is a uni-plural word indication more than one personality, which helps us to understand why God can be three persons. The Holy Spirit as the third person of the trinity, has been involved with world from the beginning. The Holy Spirit is active in every work that God is involved in. Some say He did not come into the world until the day of Pentecost. That is not true. The Spirit of God has been active since the beginning of time. Genesis 1:2 confirms this: "And the earth was without form, and void and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters." Some say that the Holy Spirit is the action arm of God; that God commands and the Spirit acts.

When speaking about the trinity, let’s start with Jesus. Actually, everything always starts with Jesus. Without Jesus nothing else matters including this school. Without Christ there is no access to God, no relationship, revelation, or power. Let’s look at some key scriptures that prove that our Savior was a part of creation:

- Hebrews 1:2 - (God) "Hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, whom He hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also He made the worlds."

- John 1:3 – "All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made."

And of course we understand that God our Father was deeply involved in creation. The following scriptures prove this point:

- Genesis 1:1 – "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth."

- Genesis 1:7 – "And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so."

Now let’s take a scriptural look at the Holy Spirit in the work of creation:

- Psalms 104:30 – "Thou sendest forth Thy Spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth."

- Job 33:4 – "The Spirit of God hath made, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life."

The Holy Spirit was involved in the creation of the earth, the animals, and mankind. For your understanding look up these scriptural proofs:

- The Holy Spirit was involved in the creation of the earth (see Genesis 1:2, Job 26:13; Psalms. 33:6).

- The Holy Spirit was involved in the creation of animals (Psalms 104:11-12, 14, 17-18, 20-21, 25-26).

- The Holy Spirit was involved in the creation of human life (Job.33:4).

The Holy Spirit works with humanity as a whole. One of the main manifestations of the Spirit is that He tells us and witnesses to us about God’s plan for salvation. It is important to always remember that the Holy Spirit is constantly pointing to and glorifying Christ as our savior. You could say that He is our own personal witness of the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ.

"The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. Him hath God exalted with His right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. And we are His witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey Him" (Acts 5:30-32).

The Holy Spirit convicts mankind of sin, righteousness and judgment. "And when He is come, He will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment" (John 16:8). Every one has a sense of right and wrong and our conscience warns us of things, but a godly conviction of right and wrong is a different matter. No man can produce godly conviction; it is a work of the Holy Spirit. Jesus says in John 16:9 that the Holy Spirit will convict the world "of sin, because they believe not on Me." In this scripture we see that it is not the sin of behavior, but the sin of unbelief that He is convicting us of. Unbelief in Jesus is a very serious sin because it brings all of the condemnation of one’s every sin upon the one who fails to be saved by faith in Christ. Saint Augustine, a founding church father, said, "Unbelief while remaining allows all sins to be retained and when it departs all sins are remitted".

The Holy Spirit convicts mankind of the righteousness of Christ. This is not a self-made righteousness or right standing but a godly righteousness that only Jesus can impart. Jesus tells us the Holy Spirit will convict the world "of righteousness, because I go to My Father, and ye see Me no more" (John 10:16). In Christ is found the lost righteousness that the world needs. This righteousness is imputed by faith. II Corinthians 5:21 reveals, "For He (God) hath made Him (Jesus) to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him". This is such an amazing fact that many do not get this. Jesus is offering us a free gift of right standing with God. As a matter of fact the only way to get this righteousness is to accept it freely. It seems too good to be true and our fleshly nature often fights this truth. Everything that we are taught to believe points to the necessity of earning our way or proving ourselves. The world system says that we have to work for all that we get. This is not God’s way! The Holy Spirit will convict our hearts of God’s way.

There is a logical explanation for God’s demand for righteousness and His provision for it. What God demands from us is something that we can never achieve on our own. We need to understand that God is perfect. Because of His perfect nature God cannot tolerate or relate to sin. All of us have some sin. To have a relationship and be in right standing with God we must also be perfect. That is why we need a savior. God has a plan for our salvation and it is imparted to us by the Holy Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit revealing and teaching us we will never fully understand His plan for salvation which gives us right standing with God. The plan that the Holy Spirit is disclosing to us includes righteousness which is imparted to us by Christ. He is actually giving us His standing with God. All of this comes by faith in the finished work of Christ. This is why the Gospel is called "Good News!" The Holy Spirit gives us the revelation of this "Good News."

The Holy Spirit convicts of judgment. Jesus tells us in speaking of the Holy Spirit that He will convict the world "of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged" (John 16:11). The world stands guilty for refusing to believe in Christ. If the prince of the world (Satan) is judged then all who follow him are also judged. It is a sad note that many do not believe in Christ. Therefore they are under serious judgment. This should put urgency in our hearts for evangelism. Sometimes a conviction of the punishment coming is all that is needed to quickly bring a soul to salvation.

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Unchained & Under Cover - Lesson 02

by Dr. Steve Wittmann

Empowerment Under Authority

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Operating Under Authority

The Three Demands of Spiritual Protection

Respect for Christ’s Authority operating in and through each Local Church
- Col 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God,
- 2Ti 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, according to the promise of life in Christ Jesus,
- 1Ti 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus according to the commandment of God our Savior, and of Christ Jesus, who is our hope,
- Eph 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,
Unqualified Forgiveness for all who have wronged or harmed us
- Mar 11:25 "Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions."
An attitude of submissiveness toward all our fellow Christians
- Eph 5:21 and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.

The Roman Centurion

Luke 7:2-9 "For I also am a man placed under authority…"

The Greek word "kai" is a conjunction that links the likeness of two conditions.


        καί

kai
Thayer Dictionary Definition:
1) and, also, even, indeed, but
Part of Speech: conjunction

Like Jesus, Centurion is "under" authority

Use or Abuse of Authority

God’s Armor & spiritual covering are empowered while under His authority.

Like we saw with the seven sons of Sciva from Acts 19 in Lesson 1, if we operate outside of the authority Jesus has given to the church, we are not under His spiritual protection.

The Danger of the 3-R’s

There’s no room for Renegades, Rebels, and Rambos in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Notice in Eph 1:3-12, Paul never addresses the individual. Instead he addresses the church collectively, writing in the plural.
Eph 1:3-12 – God has blessed us...He chose us...He predestined us...He made us accepted...we have redemption...He has made known to us the mystery of His will...we have obtained an inheritance...we should be to the praise of His glory.

Now notice in Ephesians 6, the description of spiritual warfare is also plural.

Eph 6:12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
We are the church. We are many – there’s no room for lone rangers, Renegades, Rebels, or Rambos.

The Authority Chain - Link 1

Mat 28:18 – Jesus drew near and said to them, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth.”

The Authority Chain - Link 2

Eph 1:22 – God put all things under Christ’s feet and gave Him to the church as supreme Lord over all things.

The Authority Chain - Link 3

1 Co 11:3 – But I want you to understand that Christ is supreme (head) over every man, the husband is supreme over his wife, and God is supreme over Christ.


        κεφαλή
        

        kephalē

Thayer Definition: 1) the head, both of men and often of animals. Since the loss of the head destroys life, this word is used in the phrases relating to capital and extreme punishment.
2) metaphorically anything supreme, chief, prominent
2a) of persons, master lord: of a husband in relation to his wife
2b) of Christ: the Lord of the husband and of the Church
2c) of things: the corner stone

The Chain of Authority in the Church

God’s Spirit flows to the church through Jesus and the chain of authority. The pastor, church elders, and church leaders are links in the chain.

Church Leaders are Targets

If the church leadership is disabled through spiritual attack, the flow of God’s Spirit is choked and the body starves.

Church leaders are targets just like officers are targets on the battlefield.

Leaders must be strong in faith and be under a spiritual covering. Leaders must be protected from spiritual attack through spiritual armor, authority, and the protective covering of God’s Spirit.

When a leader comes under attack – the whole body can starve, can dry up, because the flow of God’s Spirit is cut off – the chain is broken.

Authority over Serpents & Scorpions

Through the church, Christ gives His authority to the body of Christ. Mission leaders must be careful to operate under the authority of each local church.

Luke 10:19 – Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

Empowerment of Authority

In Groups of Three

Triune:

Latin "tri" = "three"
Latin "unus" = "one"
English = "three in one"

The Holy Trinity is Triune

God the Father
God the Son
God the Holy Spirit

God Created Man Triune Like Himself

Man is Triune – made in God’s likeness and image.
- 1 Thess 5:23 "…may your spirit, soul, and body be preserved complete…"
Spirit
Soul
Body

Man’s Soul is Triune in Nature

Will – "I Want"
Emotions – "I Feel"
Intellect – "I Think"

Man’s Spirit

Man’s spirit exists in the spiritual realm.
Through Christ, man’s spirit is reunited with Spirit of God.

Man’s Physical Body

Man’s physical body exists in the physical world. It is separated from the spiritual realm.
To release the power of God’s Spirit into the natural realm, God’s Spirit must flow from man’s spirit to man’s body in the physical world.

Man’s Soul is the Connector

Man’s soul spans both spiritual and physical realms connecting man’s spirit to his body.
Man’s soul must receive God’s truth from man’s spirit and through free-will pass it to man’s body in the physical world.

Release the Power of God’s Spirit

James 2:17 – "Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself."

James 2:20 – "Faith without works is useless."

Faith and works must work together – the soul has God’s truth but the body must act upon it before it becomes real in the physical world!

Rhema – The spoken word of God is the empowered Sword of the Spirit!

It is acting upon God’s word in faith that allows His power to flow through us. Some common ways we allow God’s Spirit to flow include:

Proclaiming God’s Word
Speaking a prophetic utterance
Laying on hands to impart God’s Spirit
Speaking knowledge of spiritual truths

When you speak God’s truth aloud, what happens? Your lungs exhale air molecules that vibrate your vocal chords creating sound waves of God’s truth. Your speaking has converted God’s truth, received from His Spirit in the spiritual realm into something physical in the natural world – sound waves moving air molecules – real, tangible, and physical in the natural world.

Satan has no defense against the spoken word of God. This is key to your spiritual authority.

Key Point Review

The 3 Demands of Spiritual Protection are:
1. Respect - Respect for Christ’s Authority operating in and through each Local Church
2. Forgiveness - Unqualified Forgiveness for all who have wronged or harmed us
3. Submission – An attitude of submissiveness toward all our fellow Christians
There is no place for renegades, rebels, and Rambo’s in the Kingdom of God.
The chain of authority in the Kingdom of God flows from God the Father to Jesus, to the church and the body of Christ, to church leaders, to heads of families, to each family member.
A church leader may come under spiritual attack to choke God’s Spirit from flowing to the members of the body of Christ.
God created man in His likeness – as triune beings of spirit, soul, and body.
As a triune being, man exists in both the spiritual realm and the natural realm.
Through belief, choice, and faith, man’s soul allows God’s Spirit to flow from man’s spirit to his body in the natural realm.
Faith without works is useless. It is by acting in faith through works that the power of God’s Spirit is released into the natural world.
The spoken word of God is the Sword of the Spirit and makes God’s word physical in the natural world.
Satan has no defense against the spoken word of God.

What's Next?

If you enjoyed this lesson, we encourage you to consider studying the full 6-lesson course via digital download or by enrolling in a degree program at the International College of Ministry.

You may be closer to a degree than you realize. Find out now how you can recieve your degree from ICM College. Request your FREE evaluation today.

Get Your Free Evaluation Here

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Essential Christian Doctrines - Lesson 1

by Dr. Ray Self

Man's Sinfulness, God's Holiness

Click Play in the video player window and follow along on the class notes below.

The Need for a Mediator and the Plan

Job. 9:32-33. For he is not a man, as I am, that I should answer him, and we should come together in judgment. Neither is there any daysman (mediator) betwixt us, that might lay his hand upon us both.
1. Because Of God’s righteous nature as a perfect judge the only way for man to approach God is through a mediator
2. In order for Jesus to be a mediator for God He must be God
3. In order to be a mediator for man He must be man
4. The situation called for a plan a divine plan
5. 1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

The penalty for the sins of mankind must be done away with if man is to have a relationship with God

The penalty for sin is death.

The importance of the death of Christ - Old Testament
1. Genesis 3:21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them.
2. Genesis 4:4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering:
3. The offering of Isaac (Gen 22)
4. The Passover lamb (Ex.12)
5. The Levitical Sacrificial system (Lv. 1-7)
6. The Brazen Serpent (Nm. 21; Jn. 3:14)
7. Isaiah 53:7 he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.

Since God cannot die because He is a spirit, there must be a body.
1. John 1:14 - And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
2. Hebrews 2:14 - Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same nature, that through death he might destroy him who has the power of death, that is, the devil,
3. In the plan of salvation the righteous judgment of God had to be satisfied.
4. The law of God requires justice, that justice requires death for sin.
5. A body had to be given for sin, but not just any body, a perfect man was the only way to pay such a heavy price.

The incarnation was not an end in itself but a means to an end, and that end is the redemption of the lost through His death on the cross.

Christ partook of flesh and blood in order that he may die.

The Gospel is the good news of salvation through the death burial and resurrection of Christ

Christ death was absolutely necessary
1. John 3:14 - And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
2. Matthew - 16:21 From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.
3. Luke 17:25 - But first must he suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation.
4. Luke 24:7 - Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.
5. Acts 17:3 - Opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ.

The only basis by which a Holy God can forgive sin is by His son bearing the penalty of the sinner’s guilt.

God cannot forgive sin based on the grounds of repentance alone.

God does not forgive sins just because He loves.

His love caused Him to give His only begotten son to be a ransom for sin, that is why the sinner is forgiven.

Why was the cross needed if God is love?
1. God is the moral ruler and judge of the universe.
2. A father forgives His children freely if the child is repentant, but a father who also is a judge cannot simply forgive a criminal even though the criminal is His child.
3. The judge has a righteous duty to uphold the law.
4. If a judge allowed lawlessness to go unpunished then he would be a corrupt judge.
5. A moral, just judge can only forgive a crime if the penalty for that crime has been paid.

How can God forgive and at the same time be the "judge of all the earth"?
1. Psalms 89:14 - Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne: mercy and truth shall go before thy face.
2. A problem worthy of God - how to cancel sin and treat it as if it were not and yet maintain and vindicate His righteousness?
3. Any divine pardon that belittles or disregarded the moral law would make the world a horrible place.
4. Psalms 85:10 - Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.

What's Next?

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You may be closer to a degree than you realize. Find out now how you can recieve your degree from ICM College. Request your FREE evaluation today.

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School of the Prophets - Lesson 01

by Dr. Ray Self

School of the Prophets

Click Play in the video player window and follow along on the class notes below.

1 Corinthians 14:1 Follow after love; yet desire earnestly spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy. -- American Standard

Course Purpose

This course is designed to teach on various aspects of prophetic ministry. We will look at the comprehensive work of prophetic ministry by covering different methods of prophetic ministry as well as the revelation needed to minister affectively with the gift of prophecy. We are commanded by Scripture to desire and covet this gift. There is nothing more important than hearing what God has to say and then being obedient by speaking and doing what He commands. Ministering in the prophetic requires standing in the counsel of God and receiving His instructions and then following them by proclaiming His truth and powerful and faithful ways. The purpose of this course is to give the student greater understanding of the prophetic gift and teach them how to flow with the Holy Spirit and use this gift correctly in the ministry of Jesus Christ.

The Basics

The Three Categories of Gifts:

The Five-Fold Ministry Gifts - Ephesians 4:11 - And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

Given by Jesus
Offices, not Gifting
Church Leadership
Only Approx 5% of the Body of Christ
Probably called to the office out of the womb, but answering, equipping and maturing comes later.

The Manifestation Gifts - 1 Cor. 12: 7-10 - But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:

Manifestation means “to give evidence of.”
Given by the Holy Spirit
They are for the good of the body of Christ
They are to be earnestly desired by all believers
Not owned individually
Satan will try to counterfeit them
They can be stirred up - 2 Timothy 1:6 - Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.
They are not to be neglected – 1 Timothy 4:14 - Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery

The Motivational Gifts - Romans 12:4-8 - For as in one body we have many members, and all the members do not have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; he who teaches, in his teaching; he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who contributes, in liberality; he who gives aid, with zeal; he who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.

Given by the Father
These are natural characteristic that can be seen even in childhood
Everyone has one primary gift and other gifts not as strong
These gifts are owned by us because they are our God-give nature

This course will focus on the manifestation gift of prophecy.

What the gift of prophecy is:

It is to be desired and coveted by all Christians
It is the voice of God
It can be dreams
It can be visions
It can be impressions
It can be exact words
It is very powerful when used correctly
It can change lives and have creative power
It always glorifies Jesus Christ and builds His kingdom
It edifies comforts and exhorts believers
It can convict an unbeliever
It can be imparted and activated
It can be learned and stirred
It is for the common good
It is to be operated in love

What it is not:

It is not psychic powers
It is not fortune-telling
It is not for manipulation or control
It is not for personal gain
It is not to bring attention to the minister
It is not to be weird or flaky
It is not judgmental or condemning
It is not critical or suspicious
It is not rebellious or Lone Ranger gift
It is not the same as preaching
It is not the same as exhortation

The gift of prophecy has been misunderstood or ignored and ridiculed. It is very sad because it is such a vital part of Scripture and should be a vital part of every Christians witness and walked. One of the major schemes of Satan has been to keep this gift hidden from the body of Christ. It is time for believers to step up and make a decision to believe what the word of God says and then do what the word of God says. The Bible is very clear on the importance of this gift for every believer.

What's Next?

If you enjoyed this lesson, we encourage you to consider studying the full 6-lesson course via digital download or by enrolling in a degree program at the International College of Ministry.

You may be closer to a degree than you realize. Find out now how you can recieve your degree from ICM College. Request your FREE evaluation today.

Get Your Free Evaluation Here

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