We must be perfectly clear on this: to become a Christian is to enter into a lifelong process where everything continues to be changed by God. The idea that we can be brought from the kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of God without there being substantial change is spiritually impossible. We move from death to life, and then from life to deeper, abundant life. Because of this, our relationships with others change dramatically. We move from living for self to living in Jesus who calls us to serve others. Ultimately, God brings us into His deepest commitments to His own Son. Like the cross, our faith interests at a vertical component and a horizontal component - we cannot truly know if we have experienced God’s design for one without the reality of the other. These verses from Philippians tell you what that will look like in your own life.
The Intersection of Your Faith
Philippians 3:1-11
December 19, 2023 • Jeff Lyle • Philippians 3:1–11
Battle Gear
April 30, 2024 • Jeff Lyle • Ephesians 6:10–18
Most people think about what they wear at the beginning of the day. We dress for school, work, the gym, or maybe a ballgame or job interview. When special occasions arise, we are more intentional about what we put on. A fancy dinner, a costume party, or a dance require us to be a little more thoughtful about our attire. The United States armed forces all have strict requirements for how military dress is displayed. Did you know that God’s word teaches us all how to dress for the occasion when it comes to spiritual war? God expects us to put on the proper battle gear so we can fight well and win. This familiar passage from Ephesians 6 calls us all to check our armor and discern if we have put on what it takes to win the battle against the intensifying forces of darkness coming against us. Armoring up in the Spirit is not a suggestion for a certain set of elite saints. It is a requirement for all Christians to withstand the assaults of the enemy and to put them in the place of defeat.
What Pressing On Looks Like
April 2, 2024 • Jeff Lyle • 2 Corinthians 4:7
When you commit your life as a follower of Jesus Christ, you are saying yes to a life of paradox. You will win, but only after battling. You will live in the Spirit, but only as you die to the flesh. You will experience God’s glory through your own groans. The Christian is called to a life of resurrection triumph, but the Christian only experiences that by first submitting to a crucifixion death. Jesus declared amazing victory, reward, and glory for those who endure unto the end. What then is it precisely that w must endure to receive the full reward? This episode of Truth Shots reminds you that though the life of the Christian is not easy, it is absolutely breathtaking when lived out by pressing on in the pose row the Spirit.
What True Love Looks Like
March 26, 2024 • Jeff Lyle • 1 Corinthians 13:4–8
The world you live in is so incredibly confused and complicated that it cannot even produce an agreed-upon definition of what Love is. In fact, most of which is promoted as love today has little to do with what God defines love as being. When we look into Scripture, we are both confronted and blessed by how God describes love. When we adopt His definition as our own, we are liberated on the inside to love others in a way that freely gives and does not selfishly demand anything in return. This episode of Truth Shots unpacks three short passages of Scripture to help all of us understand better what true love looks like.