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Christianity is not a religion, it's a relationship with Christ. And the authority to operate as an ambassador for Christ comes from our relationship with Christ, not from a set of rules or dogmas from a religion. When we talk about the Bible superseding man's authority, reason, church tradition, and experience, we mean that we allow nothing that opposes God's word to dictate our actions or control our thinking. We agree with the words sola scriptura. That's something I learned when I was back in seminary. I went to the seminary at the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary, a seminary that I highly recommend to you. Sola scriptura, it's Latin, it means scripture alone is our way of interpreting God's authority in our lives. Let's add to that concept of sola scriptura, scripture alone. Apply the Bible to your life. Simply stated, if you're gonna read the Bible and not apply the Bible to your life, why did you read it in the first place? If you're gonna read the Bible and it says do this or that, do this or that, simply because the authority of God is in those words. There's power in the words of the Bible. That's why when I spent many hours preparing this particular message for you, I put a lot of scripture that in here, and I hope that you're writing down the different scriptures as we offer them to you. Because what I say might be nice, but what the word of God said is powerful. It's important for you to realize that there's power in the word of God. When the Bible clearly reveals the truth, we should believe it with all of our hearts and apply the Bible to our life, actually put it in practice immediately. When the Bible commands us to do something, we must make sure that we just do it. No. If you know that God is leading you to act, to go, to come, to donate, just do them. Now, if you're not sure whether or not it's God's will for you to move from Poughkeepsie, New York to Wichita, Kansas, well then you wait. It's important for us not to be impulsive, even if we get, let's say, a job that pays more. Don't move for just a job that pays more. Move for a good job according to God's will where he needs you. It's important for us to follow his will, know it's his will, and know that it'll work out simply because he told you and you did it. Good for you. Another example of eternal truth in the Bible, Jesus is coming back again. There's a lot of talk about that on the radio and TV about Jesus coming back again soon. In John 14, 3, Jesus says, When everything is ready, I'll come and get you so you always be with me where I am. Now, since the Bible is our primary rule for our faith, we have no choice to believe that Jesus is returning someday, and perhaps someday soon. We just need to be ready every day. If this were the day that Jesus came for your eternal soul, would you be ready? Are you ready? If you're not, do something about that. Just say to yourself that I accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior. Invite him into your heart, or speak to your pastor, or speak to a Christian that you know is a good Christian. Now, one of the things that the world has said that Jesus hasn't come back in 2,000 years, so I don't think he's coming back. Well, this is a skeptical view of a worldly person. In my opinion, the main reason that God has waited 2,000 years to come back is to give more people the opportunity to accept Christ and go to heaven. There's a lot of people there. If he came today, they would be separated into the group that's going to hell as opposed to the group that's going to heaven. It's unfortunate. But God has put the church into the world to lead people to Christ, put you into the world to lead people to Christ by your life, by your example, by your words, speaking to people about heaven, so that we can invite as many people into the kingdom as is possible. You have the authority to do that. Also, the Bible commands us to flee from sexual immorality. That's 1 Corinthians 6 18. Since the Bible is our final authority for practice, we are bound to abstain for immorality as defined in the Bible. As ambassadors for Jesus, your authority in Christ, that's the title of what we're doing today, includes helping others repent of their sins, change from sin, and live according to the word of God. Sticking to Scripture keeps us from being tossed back and forth by the waves and blown here and there by every wind of teaching. That's Ephesians 4, 14. If you hang on to the word of God, if you stand on the word of the of God, the Bible, you'll have a solid life built on the rock, not a shifting sands life where your opinion changes and you go back and forth about this or that when it's regarding eternal truth from God. As Acts 17, 11 has taught us all doctrines are to be examined in light of the Bible, and only what conforms to biblical truth should be accepted. Following the authority of the Bible is also the most sensible position, because the Bible's truth is truth, one truth for all people, according to the Word of God. History is his story, and the law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy. So let's keep the main thing the main thing. The main thing today is your authority in Christ. Kevin Gallagher put together this seminar with uh five or six, I want to say six speakers, each speaking one hour at a time. So stay with the program all day and you'll learn so much about your authority in Christ. To know your authority in Christ, consider the following. Understand that authority is the basis of your relationship with Christ. Christianity is not a religion, it's a relationship with Christ. Be accountable by committing to a local church that's Bible-based and spirit-filled. Now, here's an important place where we need to lean on the Holy Spirit's leading. Listen for the Holy Spirit's leading. I shouldn't have touched my ear whenever I said listen, because you listen for the Holy Spirit's leading in your gut, in your heart, not your heart that pumps blood every day 24-7, but the spiritual heart is where you hear from God. And most people feel it in their chest. Whenever, for example, my uh my wife, Carmen, the day that I met her, the Lord in my heart, not in my ears, said, Son, that's how God speaks to me. But when it comes to being in a church, I wouldn't suggest you just go to the one that's the most convenient, the one that's the closest, the one that uh your family's gone to for years. Those are all okay, but the key is to be led by the Holy Spirit to the church that needs you. God will lead you to the church where He needs you to be. You've got certain gifts and talents, and you'll be led to a particular church that you may or may not think, well, this doesn't seem like the type of church I would choose. Well, if in your heart, in your spirit, you know that God sent you to that church, then stay there and find ways to work for the church, for the success of the church, for the outreach of the church, for the evangelism of the church. It's important that we need to allow the Holy Spirit to lead you where God needs you, especially when it comes to selecting a local church.

SPEAKER_00 8:40

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