Oxford Bible Church - Living in the Last Days (audio)

Наша хвала (1) БЛАГОСЛОВЛЯЕТ Бога, (2) ПРИНОСИТ ПОЛЬЗУ нам и (3) СВЯЗЫВАЕТ врага (Псалом 149). Жертва хвалы – это благодарность Богу прежде, чем мы увидим ответ. Мы видим три примера, которые показывают, как это подготавливает путь и открывает дверь в Духе для того, чтобы Бог мог высвободить Свою спасительную силу в нашу жизнь и ситуации.

Following Christ as Lord means we must accept the truth we belong to Him we don’t own ourselves. Once we embrace His absolute authority, then surrendering (our independence) to Him follows naturally, and obedience flows naturally from this surrender. This is liberating, as we can let go of trying to control everything ourselves. The essence of sin is not just rejecting God's authority, but also His ownership, as Adam and Eve did to be their own god, operating in independence from God. They coveted their own power to be in control and own things for themselves apart from God, which cut them off from the God, who is life. They did not experience freedom, but became slaves of sin and satan. By physical birth, this sin-nature in the flesh was transmitted to all of us (John 3:6). That’s why our flesh wants independence (self-ownership) and resists God’s authority. We were lost, but Jesus came to win us back to God. He paid the ransom price (His Blood) to purchase us for God, and set us free. He did not purchase us, for us to be independent from God, but to come under His loving ownership. So, God has a 2-fold claim of ownership on us, He (1) created us and (2) redeemed us, so if we accept that purchase, we are freed from sin to be slaves of God. God gave very Jew a piece of the Promised Land to possess, but if he got into debt (a picture of sin), (1) he could lose possession of his land, and (2) become a slave to pay his debts, until a kinsman-redeemer came, and pay the price to release him from slavery and purchase back the land, so he could enjoy it again, although the redeemer now owned it. The land is a picture of the earth and all the blessings, God gave to man to enjoy (Psalm 115:16). Although God owns the earth, (1) Adam surrendered man’s dominion over the world to satan, and we lost our possession of God’s blessing, and (2) became slaves to sin and satan. Jesus became a man to be our Kinsman Redeemer, and by His Blood, He purchased the earth and all who’ve lived on it. So He has the legal right to take possession of the earth from His enemies. He will start to enforce this right in the Tribulation judgments, that climax at the 2nd Coming, when He destroys all His enemies and establishes His Kingdom on earth. Believers in Heaven understand the glory, honour and power they receive from God belongs to Him; and they belong to Him, for He created them – the 1st basis for God’s ownership of us (Revelation 4:11). This is the basis for their total surrender to God. The 2nd basis is redemption, the theme of Revelation 5, where Jesus is revealed as the Redeemer, who purchased us with His Blood, so we belong to God (v9-10). Thus, God is our Owner and Christ our Redeemer, who possesses us through giving His Spirit to indwell us (1Corinthians 6:19,20). Knowing they belong to Christ and thus every blessing they have received also belongs to Him, in v12 they surrender it all back to God: “Worthy is the LAMB, who was slain, to receive (1) POWER (to do works, this power is to be surrendered back to God, so we stay submitted under His control and filled with His power. Our submission to God’s power flows out of acknowledging God is the Owner and Source of all our power), and (2) RICHES (wealth - we are not owners, just stewards of God’s resources, to use them for His purposes and glory), and (3) WISDOM (including knowledge and understanding - submit and release your thoughts back to God, so He has control), and (4) STRENGTH (including health, in our whole being), and (5) HONOUR (value, importance, authority, status, exaltation), and (6) GLORY (God’s manifested anointing, love, radiance, beauty shining through us), and (7) BLESSING (happiness, emotional well-being).” v13: “BLESSING, HONOUR, GLORY, and (8) DOMINION (ruling power, ability to reign) be to HIM who sits on the Throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever!” When you surrender what you have received from God back to God, He can give you more to enjoy and possess. We are to surrender our works to God, so we do them under His authority, trusting in His power and for His glory, to fulfil His purposes. Then they are not our works, but His works through us, and He gets the glory. God’s River must flow through us, so we have to (1) receive it by faith, then (2) give it back to God in love. If own (covet) nothing, then He can bless you with all things to possess: “Blessed are the poor, for theirs (to possess) is the Kingdom of God (all His riches, which are under His rule)” (Luke 6:20). If we try to hold onto and control His blessing, as if it were ours, we shut ourselves off from it. Our surrender is the basis for our holiness and happiness, as it allows Him to take possession of us by His Spirit, who carries the blessing, so we then possess His blessedness. Then He manifests His blessings through us in our life, as we walk with God and obey Him.

We are slaves of Christ, our Master and Owner. We belong to Him. He owns us and all we have (Rom 6:22, 1Cor 7:22). His Spirit within is the seal of His ownership (1Cor 6:19,20, 2Cor 1:22, Eph 1:13, 4:30). There’s a word for servant (diakonos), and another for slave (doulos), describing our relationship with God (Rom 1:1, Phil 1:1, Titus 1:1, Jas 1:1 2Pet 1:1, Jude 1:1, Rev 1:1). We miss the truth we are His slaves, because doulos is translated as servant, not slave, due to the stigma of human slavery. But this weakens its force. The difference is that although a servant works under his lord’s authority, he belongs to himself, but a slave is owned by His master. Human slavery is evil, but in relationship to God, it’s right, as He (1) created and (2) purchased us. If you accept His purchase of yourself, receiving Christ as your Lord and Saviour, you belong to Him. So, we must embrace the truth we are His slaves as well as sons, so every blessing He gives still belongs to Him. Then surrender and obedience becomes natural, setting us free from slavery to sin. When I say: “Jesus is my Lord (Kurios)” (Rom 10:9), it doesn’t just mean He has the right to tell me what to do (as His servant), but also, He has absolute authority over my being - He owns me! In the Hebrew Old Testament, 2 words are equivalent to Kurios (1) Yahweh, and (2) Adonai (master, owner). Both are names for God, that were translated into Greek as Kurios (Lord), so when we say: “Jesus is Lord” it means He is Yahweh and my Owner. He owns me and all my blessings, so has the right to define my identity and future. All I have is given by Him, but I own nothing, for I am owned by Him. Once we realise He purchased us for Himself, we know as His slave we own nothing, not even the blessings, He richly gives us to possess. A submissive heart to God rejoices in this truth. Sin’s essential nature is seen in man’s original sin (Gen 3), rejecting God's ownership, not just of the garden (the blessing), but also of himself (v4-6), to establish himself in independence from God, by trying to own (control) everything himself (covetousness). Before, man was spiritually alive, living by God's life, enjoying His blessing. But by claiming ownership, he cut himself off from God, who is life (Gen 2:17). When you reject slavery to God, you are not free, but are a slave of sin, under satan’s power. Instead of being a slave of a loving, gracious life-giving God, man put himself under the hand of an evil slave master, and suffers the curse (death). Jesus came to pay the price with His Blood to redeem us from slavery to sin and the hand of the enemy. When we receive Him as Lord and accept His Blood for us, He sets us free from that slavery, to become slaves of Christ - true liberty. We have a choice to be a slave of sin or God (Rom 6). To live a life of liberty, we must deny self-ownership. “If anyone desires to come (follow) after Me (Jesus), let him deny (ownership of) himself (his independent soul life), and take up His Cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save (own) his life will lose it (become a slave to sin), but whoever loses (surrenders control of) his life for My sake will find it (discover real life, under His grace). For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul (to sin)? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matt 16:24-26). For God’s life to flow freely in us, we must deny self-ownership, then we’ll be free to possess all He wants to give. He wants to bless us with all things, but not so we use them to be independent, for if we act as if we own His blessing & blessings, we cut ourselves off from the Source of life. If we embrace the fact we are poor slaves who own nothing, and submit to His control of us and His blessing, and then we qualify to possess all things. Knowing my poverty makes me totally depend on God and His continual supply of life. Although poor in myself, I’m rich, for in His love, He provides all I need. We need to know God as both (1) El Shaddai and (2) Adonai to receive and abide in His river of grace. (1) El Shaddai is the mighty God, who supplies all our need, who is strong when are weak. When we realize we need Him continually, being poor (owning nothing) and weak (having nothing in ourselves), we turn to Him as our Source, calling on and trusting Him to fill us. As He faithfully continually fills us with Himself, we stay ever thankful for His abundant grace. This is the 1st key to receiving and abiding in His grace. (2) Adonai means Owner and Lord. Knowing He owns us and all He gives us, we surrender ourselves and His grace back to Him, so He has final control, and we live unto Him in obedience. This is the 2nd key to living under grace. Rather than holding on to the safety of the bank, we let go and trust His Spirit to flow through us and carry us along, releasing final control to God. Then all things will be ours and His plan for us will be fulfilled.

“Your body is the Temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are NOT your OWN? For you were BOUGHT at a PRICE (His Blood); therefore, glorify God in your body and spirit, which are God’s (property)” (1Cor 6:19-20). We are OWNED by God, SLAVES of Christ, not just servants, so all we are and have belongs to Him. He has the right to define who we are and make us who He wants us to be, for He is our Creator and Redeemer. His Spirit within is God's seal, signifying we belong to Him (2Cor 1:22, Eph 1:13,4:30). As the Holy Spirit, He sets us apart to God by His indwelling Presence. The more we surrender, the greater His Presence within us. He manifests His ownership by possessing us with His Spirit, setting us apart to God and free from sin. A paradox: (1) we are OWNED by God (so own nothing), but (2) POSSESS all things in Christ, as He is a God of grace, giving us all things to enjoy (1Tim 6:17). The key is to know the difference between ownership and possession, for we can possess a thing without owning it (2Cor 6:10). So, we are (1) POOR, but also (2) RICH. If (1) we embrace the truth we own nothing, as God owns us, then (2) we qualify to receive the flow of His blessing, enabling us to possess all things (Matt 5:3, Lk 6:20). I am (1) WEAK in myself, as I don’t own my own strength, but (2) STRONG in the Lord, possessing His strength by grace (2Cor 12:10, Joel 3:10). God gave Israel her Promised Land to possess and enjoy by faith (a type of the land of blessings He has for us). Israel is a tenant possessor, not owner. Likewise, He promises us many good things, for us to possess, but keeps ownership. If we forget He is the Owner and try to own what He gives, to be independent from Him, acting as we want, that’s sin (covetousness). God warned her against pride - forgetting He was the Source of all her blessing; they only possessed it by His grace (Deut 8:17-18). She rejected His rule and was disqualified from enjoying her Land. Likewise, when we act as owners of the things of life, we cut ourselves off from His blessing. The essence of sin is claiming ownership of and for ourselves, so we can be in control. The root of the sin-nature in our flesh is self-rule (ownership) and independence from God. It does not want to submit to His control, so tries to take control, rather than trusting our Creator, embracing His will. To overcome, we must deny self, by surrender to God’s rule, and then His Spirit possesses our heart (setting it apart to God), and setting it apart (free) from sin (sanctification). To experience fullness of life, we must embrace God’s ownership of us, His blessing (grace), and blessings (gifts of grace) - the fundamental principle of being a creature (1st Beatitude). He gives us all things to enjoy, but we are not the owner, just a steward of His blessings. Our life must be governed by the truth Adonai is our Master and Owner of all things we possess. So, we must depend continually on His grace, provision and life. As slaves, we own nothing, but have a gracious Lord. He wants us to possess all blessings, but to do this, we must yield final control to Him. He will not allow us to own, for He wants us to depend on Him (live by faith). Coveting limits how much He can bless us, for when we try to own, His supply of grace diminishes. When we embrace the truth (of our poverty) we prosper, for His blessing can now be fully released in our life, enabling us to possess and enjoy all things in His Kingdom (Luke 6:20). Knowing God as Owner of all things, including us, changes our whole attitude to His grace and blessings, making us ever dependent on Him and grateful. God created Eden and gave possession of it to man, with every tree (blessing) to eat (enjoy). He asserted His ownership by commanding them not to eat from 1 tree. While they obeyed, they submitted to His authority. But by eating from that tree, they acted as if they owned themselves and the Garden, claiming the right to do as they please, rejecting His right to rule their life (rebellion). Dissatisfied with His provision, they wanted full control. Satan’s temptation was not just to reject God's ownership of things, but also to own themselves, be their own god, independent from God, having knowledge of good and evil in themselves, to decide what's right and wrong and do as they please. Thus, they disqualified themselves and cut themselves off from His life (blessing), and came under the curse. They died spiritually and were cast out of the Garden (blessing). Likewise, the key to living under grace, enjoying fullness of life, is embracing His ownership of our being and blessing, surrendering final control of all we receive back to Him, for He is worthy, having purchased both us and the blessing with His Blood (Rev 5:9-14). Clinging to something as an idol brings bondage. Surrender it back to God, looking instead to Him for our supply, security and satisfaction, trusting Him to provide for us in every way.

The essence of discipleship is a love relationship with the Lord - a true disciple loves Him and seeks to express that in his life. Discipleship begins with the Gospel - the message of God's awesome love for us (1John 4:19). We need a revelation of His love for us, to receive His love and then give our love to Him. Once our heart is converted to Christ, we become His disciple and our whole life becomes an expression of our love for Him (the motivation of a true disciple is love for Jesus). If we detach discipleship from love, it becomes a religion of laws and rules, with little value or joy. God is not calling us to legalism, but the obedience of love, a real love relationship with Him, where we do His commands, because we love Him (John 14:15). This starts by us receiving the Gospel, the Good News of His love for us. Our hearts are converted to fall in love with Jesus, when we see how much He loves us personally, and how much He suffered to save us from sin and hell to have our love forever (Hebrews 12:2). The essence of the Gospel is the revelation of God's love for us. Its purpose is to win our heart. Mary demonstrated what it is designed to achieve – the total conversion of our heart to Him, so we give Him our worship and love, fully and freely, surrendering our lives to Him (Mark 14:3-5,9). Once our heart is converted, we naturally move into discipleship - the outworking of this love-relationship with Christ in the details of our life. Thus, the Great Commission is in 2 parts: (1) preach the Gospel to convert the heart (Mark 16:15). Then, (2) discipleship (Matthew 28:19-20). The life of a disciple, following and obeying Christ, is all from love, to please and glorify Him. We want to be like Him, because we love Him. Without that love, flowing from a converted heart, it loses its meaning. The Gospel is all about God’s everlasting love in Christ, which (1) began in eternity past, when He chose us, and (2) was manifested in history through Christ, and (3) came to us personally, when He called us to Himself through the Gospel and saved us, and (4) is continually sanctifying us by His Spirit within us, and (5) will ultimately be consummated in us, when we are glorified. To fully comprehend God’s love for us, we must go back to eternity past. God, in His Omniscience, before the creation of the world, knew all possible worlds He could create, with free-will beings in His image, to be part of His forever family, who choose to trust and love Him. He knew all possible freewill beings that could exist, and their choices in all possible circumstances. Then He sovereignly chose to set His love on certain ones (from the infinite number who might possibly exist) that He wanted for Himself, and then brought forth this universe where these ones exist and are saved (this is election). If you exist and have received Jesus, you are part of His elect. He has chosen you for Himself, for He loved and chose you from eternity, and created this universe to bring you forth. That's how special you are to Him! (2Thessalonians 2:13-14, Ephesians 1:4). His election means He set His special love upon us (Deuteronomy 7:6-8), as a man chooses a woman, based on his love for her. Since He loves us, He chose us to exist and be saved and belong to Him forever. God’s ELECTION is also called FORE-KNOWLEDGE (1Peter 1:2), which means He chose to KNOW us from BEFORE creation. He chose to create and know Jeremiah before he was conceived (Jeremiah 1:5). Likewise, from eternity He chose to know us, set His love on us, and have a love-relationship with us (Jeremiah 31:3). Romans 8:28-39 is a declaration of God’s everlasting love for us. Romans 8:29-30 describe the 5 manifestations of God’s love from eternity past to eternity future: “(1) Whom God FOREKNEW (chose, set His love upon), (2) He also PREDESTINED to be conformed to the image of His Son (to be glorified).” He planned our salvation, and then carried out that plan by Christ’s life, death and resurrection): “Moreover, whom He PREDESTINED, these (3) He also (effectually) CALLED (to Himself through the Gospel), and whom He CALLED, these (4) He also JUSTIFIED (when we responded to His call and received Jesus, He demonstrated His love for us by forgiving us and declaring us righteous through His Blood, putting us into right relationship with Himself, qualifying us to receive every blessing), and whom He JUSTIFIED, these (5) He also GLORIFIED.” On the basis of our justification, His Holy Spirit came inside us to sanctify us (make us more like Jesus), transforming us from glory to glory, and that process will be completed at His Return, when we will be GLORIFIED. The fact these verses talk about God’s relentless LOVE for us, in the past, present and future (the heart of the Gospel), is confirmed by the next verses (v31-39). God chose you and will glorify you. He has wonderful plans for you for all eternity. This is the Gospel of His love!

Psalm 83 is a Prophetic Prayer describing by name a confederacy of nations, which surround her, who all want to destroy Israel in the end-times. Derek and Tim explain how this Prophecy has been fulfilled in detail in the wars that Israel has faced since her rebirth in 1948, including the present Israel war with Hamas. The Psalm is an inspired prayer that God would give Israel military victory, as in her ancient victories by Gideon and Deborah, with the help of God. God has answered this prayer again and again by giving Israel victory against her enemies, even when it was against all odds. This prayer also gives a blueprint for how we should pray in the present situation. The stated purpose of this victory is to glorify the Name of the true God, the God of the Bible, the God of Israel, so that Israel's enemies, who worship and trust in a false god, may repent and trust in the true God instead, and so be saved.

Psalm 83 is a Prophetic Prayer describing by name a confederacy of nations, which surround her, who all want to destroy Israel in the end-times. Derek and Tim explain how this Prophecy has been fulfilled in detail in the wars that Israel has faced since her rebirth in 1948, including the present Israel war with Hamas. The Psalm is an inspired prayer that God would give Israel military victory, as in her ancient victories by Gideon and Deborah, with the help of God. God has answered this prayer again and again by giving Israel victory against her enemies, even when it was against all odds. This prayer also gives a blueprint for how we should pray in the present situation. The stated purpose of this victory is to glorify the Name of the true God, the God of the Bible, the God of Israel, so that Israel's enemies, who worship and trust in a false god, may repent and trust in the true God instead, and so be saved.

The essence of discipleship is a love relationship with the Lord Jesus (Matt 22:37-38, Mark 12:30, Luke 10:27). A true disciple loves the Lord and seeks to express that in his life by pleasing and glorifying Him. This is not a legalism, but the obedience of love. The keeping of commandments is an expression of love (John 14:15). Without the motivation of love our Christian life just becomes outward performance, and loses its meaning and excitement, but when we live in an overflow of love, it is all joy. The motivation of a true disciple is loving the Lord, so the heart must first be converted to Christ through the Gospel. The purpose and effect of the Gospel is to win our hearts to Christ, bringing us into a love relationship with Him, in which we receive His love, causing us to give our love (heart) to Him (Rev 2:2-5). Mary demonstrated this love, manifested in worship, when she anointed Jesus (Mark 14:3-6, John 12:3-5). He connected her act of extravagant love with the preaching of the Gospel (Mark 14:9), as it demonstrated its purpose - the total conversion of our heart, so that we give Him our heart, love, devotion, worship, surrender, and life. God’s love for us is extravagant, excessive and uninhibited, so our only appropriate response is to return that same kind of love to Him, giving Him our whole heart. That is the response the Divine Lover desires from His Bride. His love for us is prodigal (over the top, excessive, plenty too much) - Luke 15:20. The joy to which Jesus looked forward, that sustained Him through the Cross, was to have our heart, so we would be united with Him forever (Hebrews 12:2). True discipleship (obedience to Christ and His Word) follows on and flows out from a converted heart of love for the Lord, the fruit of the Gospel. Its essence is loving the Lord. It is the outworking of our love relationship with Christ, in the details of our life. Once we love Him, we want to please Him, to be like Him and do what He says. A disciple is a dedicated follower of Christ and learner of His Word, which teaches us how to live a life that glorifies Him. All true believers are His disciples, which is why Christians were originally called Disciples. It is not an optional extra. You can’t receive Christ without your life changing and starting on the life of discipleship. If you are not a disciple, your heart is unconverted, and you are unsaved. Without true conversion, there can be no true life of discipleship. The 2 STAGES of (1) the personal conversion of our heart to Christ, through the Gospel, followed by (2) a lifestyle of discipleship correspond to the 2 PARTS of the Great Commission: (1) preaching the Gospel (the Good News of His love) unto salvation (Mark 16:15-16), and (2) making disciples by teaching His Word (Matthew 28:19-20). (1) The Gospel is designed to convert hearts to the Person of Jesus, not to a religion. Conversion is sealed by water baptism, the first ordained response of a convert, by which he publicly declares his faith, love and commitment to Christ. (2) This initial act of obedience also officially marks him out as one who has entered into a new life as a disciple, who follows Christ, learning and obeying His Word. The 2 parts of the Great Commission are connected by baptism. Part 1 results in baptism, and baptism is the initial official act of part 2. The heart of the Gospel is the declaration, revealing God’s amazing unconditional LOVE for us (John 3:16), designed to convert our heart to loving God: “We LOVE Him, because He first LOVED us” (1John 4:19, Rom 5:8). The more we realise how much He has forgiven us, the more we will love Him (Luke 7:47). Trusting in His saving love, results in us giving (surrendering) our hearts to Him, receiving Him as our Lord and committing our lives to Him. We are His beloved Bride (2Cor 11:2-3). This devotion is created by Christ declaring His wonderful saving love for us in the Gospel. When we believe in His love for us, it produces love in our hearts for Him, so that we want to be with Him, be like Him, serve Him, glorify Him, and be united with Him forever. FAITH in Christ begets LOVE for Him, both of which together produce HOPE, the vision of a glorious future with Him (1Cor 13:13, 1Thess 1:9-10). This love of God in Christ for us began in eternity past, when God chose (foreknew, set His love on us, Jer 31:3, John 15:16). He loved us from eternity and will love us forever. In His love, He predestined us to glory, and then effectually called us to Himself by the Gospel, so that when we received Christ, He justified us (forgave us, put us into right-standing with Himself, and declared us righteous, based on the imputed righteousness of Christ). Justification then put us on the path of sanctification, where His Spirit changes us to become more like Jesus, through His imparted righteousness and life, as we trust in Him and obey Him, which will result in our glorification, when we are fully united with God (Romans 8:29-30).

God has a mission for us to fulfil. He sends us to preach the Gospel and make disciples (Mark 16:15-20, Matt 28:18-20). His Purpose is to save as many as possible and we must play our part. We need His POWER to be effective in His work of being His witness (Acts 1:8). That’s what the BAPTISM in the SPIRIT is about. If you are saved, you have the Spirit WITHIN, but you also need to receive the anointing of His Spirit UPON, like Jesus (Acts 10:38). There are 2 impartations of the Spirit, WITHIN and UPON. In both cases, God only gives us the Spirit when we surrender to Him. First, by faith we surrender to His saving Love and Lordship, and are saved. There is also a 2nd specific surrender to God that needs to happen, when we say: “Lord, I am willing to do whatever you want me to do, but I need your power. So, I dedicate myself to you to be empowered to fulfil my ministry.” When you do that, you are in position to receive the fullness of the Spirit UPON you to accomplish the mission He has for you. Acts 1:8: “You shall receive POWER (dunamis, potential energy) when the HOLY SPIRIT has come UPON you; and you will be My WITNESSES.” So, we have His potential Power upon us, if baptised in the Spirit, but we must ignite it by speaking His words. Once we have His POWER UPON, we must RELEASE it by PRAYING in the Spirit and SPEAKING His words. In Acts 2:3-4 the Spirit filled them (v4) and came upon them (v3), manifesting as fire (v3), as they prayed in tongues (v4). When we speak under the inspiration of the Spirit, we SHINE His LIGHT (2Cor 4:3-6, Matt 5:14,16). As we preach the Gospel, testify, and pray in the Spirit, that fire is ignited. By yielding to the Spirit and speaking His words, they activated His Power upon them, and their light shined forth. The outward evidence of receiving the Spirit UPON is SPEAKING in TONGUES (Acts 2:4, 10:44-48). This is the BAPTISM in the SPIRIT (Acts 1:5, 11:15-17). A spiritual law is you can’t make an UNCLEAN thing HOLY. It must first be CLEANSED by BLOOD, and only then can it be made HOLY, by DEDICATING it to God, for the HOLY SPIRIT to possess it. The Presence of the Holy Spirit in us makes us holy. You can only be BAPTISED in the SPIRIT, if you have first been BORN AGAIN, for you must first be CLEANSED by the BLOOD, before you can be made HOLY by the SPIRIT within and upon. When you receive Christ (1) you are cleansed by His Blood, and born again, and only then does (2) the Spirit come WITHIN you. You must first (1) be BORN AGAIN by the application of OIL of the Spirit, before (2) your spirit can receive the NEW WINE of the Spirit within and upon you (Matthew 9:17). When God poured His Spirit UPON the Gentiles in Acts 10, Peter knew God had fully accepted them, like the Jews, on the basis of their faith in Christ. Acts 15:8-9: “God, (1) who knows the heart (that they were saved), (2) acknowledged them (outwardly, before the Jews), by giving them the Holy Spirit (upon), just as He did to us (the Jews, at Pentecost), and (in this way, proved to us that) He made no distinction between us (Jews) and them (Gentiles) - that (1) He had PURIFIED (cleansed) their hearts by faith.” When you dedicate to God to do His will, He sets you apart to His work, by anointing you with His Spirit UPON. First (1) you are SET APART to God (made HOLY), to belong to Him, by the Spirit WITHIN. Then (2) you are SET APART to do His work by the Spirit UPON (the BAPTISM in the SPIRIT). God had to do 2 things in Isaiah to prepare him to be a prophet: (1) CLEANSE him by BLOOD. Then (2) ANOINT him with the SPIRIT, so his heart and lips were on FIRE with His Spirit. When he saw God’s glory, he repented of his unclean heart and lips, and dedicated himself to God (Isaiah 6:5). Then a BURNING COAL from the Altar of Sacrifice was applied to the incense altar of his heart and lips. These COALS, burning from the FIRE of the Sacrifice, had the BLOOD on them, which had paid for his cleansing. They represent the SPIRIT, who communicates the value of the Sacrifice to us, (1) CLEANSING us by the BLOOD, and (2) IMPARTING His holy FIRE, causing the incense of prayer and worship to ascend to God from our burning heart (v6-7). They also represent the ANOINTINGS of God, purchased on the Cross, where Christ shed His Blood for us. So, a burning anointing of God came on Isaiah. His heart was on fire with God’s fire, and his lips were on fire, declaring God’s truth. This fire of God on him was his anointing to be a prophet. The burning anointing of the coal set his tongue on fire, giving him power to prophesy. Having received this power, he was sent to go forth and speak for God (v8). This is how we receive the Baptism in the Spirit. If born again, you qualify, but you need to dedicate yourself to God and ask Him to FILL you with His SPIRIT, and yield your tongue to His Spirit to speak His words (Acts 2:4). The POWER of the SPIRIT (1) filled their HEART from the inside, and (2) came on their LIPS, to speak His words.

One of the great judgements of the Bible is the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah along with the whole area of the Dead Sea. This book, filled with photographs from the region, demonstrates that the remains of these Cities are still there to be seen, perfectly confirming the Bible account of this dramatic Divine Intervention. Moreover, this book aims to expound the vital spiritual lessons God gave to the whole human race through this unique judgement. In particular, it provides a major revelation of the Final Judgement. This book is available on Amazon and from www.oxfordbiblechurch.co.uk (online shop).

In Acts, we see a consistent pattern when people came to faith in Christ: (1) They were born again and received the Spirit WITHIN. (2) Then later, they received the Spirit UPON, empowering them to fulfil the Great Commission. This separate experience is the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. Acts gives the PATTERN for the Church for the whole Church Age, including the 2-stage ministry of the Spirit. We see this 2-stage experience in the life of JESUS, and the APOSTLES: (1) the Spirit WITHIN (John 20:22) and (2) the BAPTISM in the SPIRIT (Acts 1:4,5,8, 2:1-4). The disciples needed special preparation before receiving this, because it requires a specific surrender to God. We must embrace His Mission (the Great Commission), and dedicate to do His will, asking His Spirit to come UPON us, to empower us to fulfil it. For our personal life with God, we need the Spirit within. But for our ministry (like Jesus), we need the anointing of the Spirit upon us, to be fully effective. The SAMARITANS had a 2-stage reception of the Spirit (Acts 8). They received the Gospel and were baptised (v5-6,12,14). At this point (1) they were SAVED with the Spirit WITHIN (Mark 16:16), but (2) they had not yet received the Spirit UPON (v14-16). So, Peter and John prayed for them to receive the Spirit, for He had not yet fallen UPON them. Then they received the Spirit (v14-17). The apostles knew the Spirit had fallen upon them, for there was outward evidence. Also, Simon SAW the SPIRIT was GIVEN through the laying on hands by the apostles (v18). This was speaking in tongues as in Acts 2:4 & 10:44-46. When Simon offered Peter money for this gift (v19), he replied: “You have neither part nor portion in this MATTER (‘logos’ = word or utterance)” (v21). PAUL was saved when Jesus appeared to him (Acts 9:5-6,15-17). Then 3 days later (9:9) Ananias came to him and laid his hands on him, to be FILLED with the SPIRIT (v17), as in Acts 2:4, which he confirmed later in 1Cor 14:18: “I thank my God SPEAKING in TONGUES more than you all.” Paul confirmed these 2 stages when he asked the EPHESIANS: “Did you RECEIVE the HOLY SPIRIT when you BELIEVED” (Acts 19:1-2). When it was clear they were not saved (v3), he preached the Gospel and baptised them (v4-5), so now they were saved, but had not yet received the Baptism in the Spirit, for it was only when he laid hands on them, that the Spirit came UPON them and they SPOKE with TONGUES” (v6). The Gentile Pentecost proves speaking in tongues is the initial evidence of receiving the Spirit UPON, just as it was at Pentecost (Acts 10:44-47, 2:4). The Baptism in the Spirit includes speaking in tongues, so you have not received the full experience until you have yielded your tongue to the Spirit - only then have you allowed Him to fully come upon you. Acts 11:15: “As I began to speak, the Holy SPIRIT fell UPON them, as UPON us at the Beginning (Pentecost).” This is called being BAPTISED in the HOLY SPIRIT (Acts 1:5, 11:16). Peter interpreted this event in Acts 15:7-9. “So, God (1) who knows the heart (that they were saved), (2) acknowledged them (outwardly, before the Jews), by giving them the Holy Spirit (upon as well as within), just as He did to us (Jews at Pentecost), and (demonstrated to us that) He made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts (salvation) by faith” (v8-9). Although in Acts 10 the Gentiles received the Spirit UPON at about the same time they were saved, Peter pointed out it was still a 2-stage experience, for (1) they first received the inner experience of being purified by faith, and then soon after (2) He gave them the Spirit upon, as an outward sign, proving that He had accepted them. There are 3 spiritual STATES: *(1) UNCLEAN (negative) because of sin. *(2) CLEAN (a neutral state - zero), also COMMON. *(3) HOLY (positive). Only BLOOD can cleanse the unclean. A CLEAN thing can only be made HOLY by the HOLY SPIRIT, symbolised by OIL. Thus, anointing with oil makes something holy. Only God’s Spirit in us makes us holy. The more we surrender to God, the more His Spirit possesses us, and the holier we become. You can’t make something HOLY unless it’s first been CLEANSED. (1) It has to be CLEANSED by BLOOD, and then (2) it can be anointed with the OIL of the SPIRIT, and so be made HOLY. (1) BLOOD was applied, cleansing the unclean thing and then (2) OIL sanctifies the common thing. (Ex 29:21, Lev 8:30, 14:17,28, Ezek 16:9). In Acts 15, Peter was saying the fact these Gentiles were anointed with the HOLY SPIRIT upon, was an OUTWARD PROOF that God had CLEANSED their HEARTS, when they put their faith in the BLOOD of Christ. (If they had only received the Spirit WITHIN, there would have been no outward evidence to the Jews that God had saved them). When we believe (1) we are cleansed by the Blood of Christ, and (2) set apart to God, by the Spirit within us, who is manifested outwardly, when He comes upon us. The fact they had the Spirit upon proved they were accepted by God.

God's WORDS are mighty WEAPONS with Divine Power to pull down enemy strongholds, including fear. Derek illustrates this through the Pirate Warfare of 2Corinthians 10:4-6, and the destruction of Joshua's Jericho through the WORD of FAITH, which was necessary for Israel to enter her Promised Land (likewise to enter our Promised Land we must pull down the strongholds that stand in the way). Jesus said, we can remove the mountains of enemy opposition to the will of God by declaring His WORD, and believing that what we say will come to pass, by the the power of God's Spirit released through our words (Mark 11:23, Zechariah 4:6-9).

This book is available from www.oxfordbiblechurch.co.uk, and it is also available on Amazon under the title: 'Keys to Long Life'. See also Derek's Youtube Series called 'Keys to Long Life.' Do you want to live a long and satisfying life? Did you know that God wants you to live long and strong? What does the Bible actually mean by a long life? God wants you to live a full and long life, with quality and quantity of days. Few people are aware that there are promises from God on the subject of living a long life. Although there is much teaching on divine healing, there is very little on living in divine health and youth renewal. In 'Live Long and Strong', Derek addresses this lack, providing an in-depth study of what the Bible has to say on living a long life. God's promise in Psalm 91:16 is: "With long life I will satisfy him and show him My salvation." Jesus said: "I have come that they may have life in abundance" (John 10:10). However, God also says: "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge" (Hosea 4:6). If you do not hear God s Word on a subject, you will not have faith to receive His promised provision in that area. 'Live Long and Strong' introduces you to the wealth of Scripture on long life and fully persuade you of God's will for your life in this area. This book will renew your mind and build your faith, so that you can receive God's promises for a long life, resulting in receiving His health, strength, and youth renewal. It will also impart the wisdom you need to see these promises come to pass. It will inspire you to receive God's grace for youth renewal, so that you live long and strong! It will lengthen your life! Your life will be lengthened and strengthened for God's glory!

One of the great miracles of the Bible is how the walls of Jericho came tumbling down, when all of Israel shouted together in faith. This book, filled with photographs from Jericho, demonstrates how the archaeology of Jericho perfectly confirms the Bible account. Moreover, it shows how God's destruction of Jericho is a type of God's future judgement of this world-system, as well as revealing the keys we need to successfully posses our Promised Land today. This book is available from Amazon and from www.oxfordbiblechurch.co.uk

Psalm 83 is a Prophetic Prayer describing by name a confederacy of nations, which surround her, who all want to destroy Israel in the end-times. Derek and Tim explain how this Prophecy has been fulfilled in detail in the wars that Israel has faced since her rebirth in 1948, including the present Israel war with Hamas. The Psalm is an inspired prayer that God would give Israel military victory, as in her ancient victories by Gideon and Deborah, with the help of God. God has answered this prayer again and again by giving Israel victory against her enemies, even when it was against all odds. This prayer also gives a blueprint for how we should pray in the present situation. The stated purpose of this victory is to glorify the Name of the true God, the God of the Bible, the God of Israel, so that Israel's enemies, who worship and trust in a false god, may repent and trust in the true God instead, and so be saved.

Do you want to grow up spiritually and become strong in spirit, in faith and love, or just stay a spiritual babe? God wants us to be spiritual giants not wimps, and He has provided all we need for our growth in God. This book will reveal God’s will and ways to gain a dynamic spiritual life and to promote a consistent growth in grace. Discover the keys that will activate and perpetuate your growth. The Chapters are: The Stages of Growth, The Milk - Rebound Techniques, The Love Walk, Our Spiritual Food, Our Baptism into Christ, The Tongue, Moving into Ministry, Growing in Grace, through the Means of Grace. This book is available from Amazon and from www.oxfordbiblechurch.co.uk

This book is available from www.oxfordbiblechurch.co.uk It is also available from Amazon under the title: 'How to Receive your Healing' You CAN RECEIVE your HEALING! “Therefore I say unto you, whatsoever things (including healing) you desire, when you pray, BELIEVE that you RECEIVE them (healing), and you will have them (healing)” (Mark 11:24). Did Jesus mean what He said here? Can we really come to God and receive our healing? By reading this book you will discover how to do this. This Book is designed to teach you how to BELIEVE you RECEIVE. It reveals how to get into POSITION, to BELIEVE you RECEIVE your HEALING from God when you pray. It will build your faith and lead you carefully, step by step, until you reach the position of being able to believe you receive your Healing when you pray. Mark 11:24 says that we will have what we ask for, if we believe that we receive it when we pray. Therefore we must attain the position of faith, where we can believe we receive the answer when we pray. There is diligent preparation required to reach this position of faith, which involves gaining some vital knowledge of God from studying His Word. This book is designed to help you in this preparation, by giving you the key truths you need to be in position to obey Mark 11:24, and believe that you receive your Healing when you pray. Step 1: Know God’s Will: He wants to heal us. Step 2: Know God’s Nature: He is a liberal Giver of Healing. Step 3: Know God’s Gift: He gives us Healing-Power when we ask Him for Healing. Step 4: Know God’s Method: How He gives us Healing.

The central events of history are the Death and Resurrection of Christ. This book, filled with diagrams and photographs from Jerusalem, reveals exactly where these momentous events took place. The Bible will come to life as you see in detail how the Drama of Redemption was acted out on Mount Moriah in perfect fulfilment of Prophecy. This book is available from www.oxfordbiblechurch.co.uk and from Amazons. See also Derek's Youtube Videos: 'Mount Moriah and Golgotha' and 'Golgotha and the Garden Tomb'

In this Christmas special, the Bible Study team explore the full meaning of the Christmas Story in Luke 2 and Matthew 2. They discuss these questions and more: *What is the significance of the sign of the swaddling clothes? (Luke 2:7,12). *What was the special ministry of the Bethlehem Shepherds and why were they chosen to receive the angelic announcement? *What is the connection between Christ's Birth in Bethlehem and His Death in Jerusalem, between Christmas and Easter? (1Corinthians 5:7). *Who were the Wise Men (Magi), and why were they expecting the birth of the King of the Jews at that time, and why were they looking for His Star? *What was the Star of Bethlehem? Was it a comet, a supernova, a conjunction of planets, or a manifestation of the Glory of God? *If the Star was the Glory of God, then what was its connection with the other manifestation of God's Glory that took place at the same time? *How did the Wise Men know that this Star was Messiah's Star; what was so special about it? *How did the Star of Bethlehem fulfil in perfect detail the Prophecy of Balaam in Numbers 24:17?

Mary, sister of Lazarus, gives us a wonderful example of someone who loves Jesus with all her heart. She sat Jesus feet to hear His words (Luke 10:38-42), and she anointed Jesus with costly perfumed oil shortly before His death to express her pure devotion to Him (Matthew 26:6-16, Mark 14:1-10, John 12:1-7). In John’s account, Mary took a pound of ointment of spikenard and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair, and the house was filled with the perfume of the ointment. Matthew and Mark tell us that Mary also poured this very costly ointment on Jesus’ head. The costly ointment represents the great value that she put upon Jesus (it was worth 300 denarii - about 1 year's wages, Mark 14:5). His disciples thought it was a waste pouring all this expensive oil over His head and feet, for they did not value Him as highly as Mary did. She had seen Jesus raise her beloved brother Lazarus from the dead (John 11:44), and her heart was overflowing with gratitude, love and worship. The outpouring of the oil upon Jesus was symbolic of the outpouring of her spirit to Him. The disciples were looking at the outside, but Jesus was looking at her heart (1Samuel 16:7). He saw her PURE and devoted LOVE for Him. Mary demonstrated how much she valued Jesus by pouring out all this precious oil upon Him. If we put the Gospel accounts together, she anointed His head and feet, which is why He said: “she has poured this perfume upon My BODY to prepare Me for BURIAL” (Matthew 26:12). What a contrast between the murmuring disciples and Mary’s extravagant outpouring of love and deep gratitude to Jesus! It is good for us to be passionate (generous) towards our Lord Jesus. She poured the whole of the contents of the vial (not just a drop) over Jesus (Mark 14:3). Despite all the criticism and opposition, she would not allow them to stop her pouring out her heart in this wonderful, extravagant action. She refused to be intimidated by them, but was determined to pour out her whole soul before the Lord and to give Him all of her love. In His death, Jesus was about to POUR OUT His life and His blood for their sakes, and they were criticising her about the waste of this perfume POURED OUT on Him! He explained the significance of what she had done: “She has poured this ointment on My body for my BURIAL” (Matthew 26:12). It was appropriate that He received this selfless act of worship in view of the fact He was about to give up His body for death and burial, for our sake. Someone with a deep love and devotion to the Lord (like Mary) will know and perceive spiritual things that others who have less love for Him would miss. God showed her that it was needful for her to perform this act, for when He died the women wanted to anoint His body, but they could not because the Sabbath was about to start, and they had to wait until it was over. Then when they came to the tomb, Jesus had already risen from the dead, so it was important Mary anointed Him for burial in advance. We see from Jesus’ response to Mary’s act that He highly esteems and values PURE LOVE that is poured out upon Him. Her heart was so full of love and gratitude to Jesus that nothing was too much of a SACRIFICE. She wanted to show Jesus her deep, heartfelt, passionate LOVE by a GIFT and a DEED, and not just by WORDS.