The Spirit Chapel Podcast

Continuing in the God’s Armor, we move to the “Breastplate of Righteousness.” You don’t have to be a Seminary Student to see the symbolism Paul is invoking here: The breastplate protects the most important part of the soldier — the heart. But how do we get the righteousness that protects? Is it just following a bunch of rules that they give us at church? The answer is — no, not even close. BIBLE REFERENCES: Ephesians 6:13-14; Romans 3:11-12; Revelation 22:11-12; Matthew 6:24; Romans 3:11-12; Matthew 15:8-9; John 12:42-43; Luke 9:23; Psalm 139:1-4, 23.

We finish up the discussion of the “Belt of Truth” with looking at the final purpose of God’s truth in our lives: God’s Truth comes to convict. This does not mean condemn. And the difference is important…BIBLE REFERENCES: Ephesians 6:13-14; John 16:13; John 16:6; Psalm 26:1-4; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18; James 5:13; Luke 11:2-5; 2 Corinthians 2:10; Hebrews 4:12; Habakkuk 2:1; John 4:23-24 2 Timothy 1:7; Matthew 6:14-15; Ephesians 2:10; James 4:6-8.

The Belt of Truth, as we learned in the previous sermon, is the center of everything. But it does far more than that for the Christian warrior. It also protects us from falsehood. Falsehood that attacks us has a special name: Deception. And we must guard against it because it can enter our lives in insidious ways.

 

We start looking into the passage in Ephesians discussing God's Armor, and we start where the Apostle Paul starts: With Truth. And to illustrate the point, Pastor Grice shares a very personal story from his past. You might need a kleenex for this one. "I'm not crying -- you're crying!"

60% of Christians don’t believe there is a Devil. That’s CHRISTIANS. Not Americans. That even holds true for many preachers. One megachurch preacher recently said in a sermon: “Don’t get too freaked out about the demon thing. Back in those days, everything was a demon. If a person sneezed, they thought he had a demon.” Is the Christian teaching of the Devil something that we need to adjust, now that we know about things like mental disorders and other medical science? Or is something else going on that we should know about?

“He is Risen!”
“He is Risen, Indeed!”
That is the classic greeting in churches on Easter morning. But, honestly, how many people would respond the same way a month after Easter has come and gone? Does the fact that Jesus rose from the grave mean anything to most people as they go about their daily lives? Isn’t the resurrection really something for later… when it’s time to die and be judged? Or are we missing something incredibly important about the Messiah?

What is Sin, really? Is it just some old concept that the church invented so it could control morality? Has the definition of Sin changed over the years? And if it is a horrible affliction that is destroying us and our world, why can’t we ever seem to get it out of our lives? Here’s an honest look at Sin, and why it never seems to go away.

Have you ever wondered what the point of Christianity is? You turn to Jesus at some point, but still struggle with the same sin that you did when you didn’t know Jesus? It’s like the same thing happening over and over again? Maybe we are finding it hard to live as a Christian because our approach to it is all wrong…

We finish the study of what other churches teach about the holy spirit, this time looking at the group that says the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit have all ceased. Since this comes from the largest protestant denomination in America, it must mean that they are right. Doesn’t it? Well, does McDonalds serving billions and billions mean that they have the best burgers? As always, we will follow the truth where it leads…

We move to the other side of the divide over the Holy Spirit -- The Spirit Deniers. These are the Christians who believe the Holy Spirit has moved into a background role, and no longer moves in miraculous ways. But if the Holy Spirit no longer moves or speaks in our lives, what do we use for guidance?