LHIM Weekly Bible Teaching

“In Christ” reveals the covenant relationship we have with him. The spirit doesn’t change who we are but empowers us to live in the covenant relationship with Christ, freely submitting to his lordship. God’s everlasting love is declared in Romans 8. 1 Corinthians 11:23-27 we are in a covenant relationship with Christ and God. A biblical covenant is a binding, relational agreement that God establis...

Reading through Luke 2:1-38, we see both God’s provision as well as his restraint in the events surrounding the birth of the Messiah. Instead of cluing in the elite and powerful, he worked through shepherds and the elderly to confirm Jesus’s destiny to Joseph and Mary. God delights to work with the ordinary to do the extraordinary! Luke 2:1-5 Mary had learned that her child would not be an ordinar...

Isaiah 9:1-2 The land of Zebulun and Naphtali had suffered greatly when the Assyrian king, Tiglath-Pileser, invaded. Though Isaiah lived through the growth of the Assyrian threat from paying taxes (2 Kgs 15:19-20) to outright invasion (2 Kgs 15:29), he prophesied about a light that would dawn on this dark situation. Isaiah 9:3-5 Isaiah prophesied a great military victory when their yoke would be b...

God has graciously provided us with a diverse community of faith. Rather than judging or worrying about our differences, let’s strive to love one another. When issues come up, we can work them out rather than dividing. Romans 12:3-8 God just loves diversity. We see this so clearly by looking at how many kinds of fish, or dogs, or flowers he made. Within the church too, we find lots of diversity wi...

Your identity in Christ is received, not achieved. You belong because of God’s grace, you are adopted into His family, and your identity is grounded in what Christ has already done. Romans 6 teaches that your old self died with Christ: “Your old self was crucified with Him.” Your former identity isn’t improved — it’s executed. The old lies—“Only what you see is real,” “Your choices don’t matter,”...

When we first believe and repent, we receive God’s spirit, which adopts us into his family. Like Octavius whom Julius Caesar posthumously adopted, we must accept our adoption and live it out. When we do, we will suffer. Thankfully, our inheritance as God’s children far outweighs any suffering we must face today. Romans 8:11 The spirit of God is the primary activating agent for resurrection on the...

Science Assumes Intelligent Design cannot be challenged.  Christianity has assumed that Jesus is God and the debate is over. The Gospel the Apostles Preached After forty days of instruction, the apostles proclaimed: God sent, raised, and exalted Jesus. (Acts 2:22–36; 3:13; 5:30–31) Their gospel: what God did through a man, not what God became in a man. Acts 10:38 – “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth…...

Bible version: NRSVUE (New Revised Standard Version Updated) The common view is that God is three persons in one being or substance. Each of the persons is fully God, but the Father is not the Son, the Son is not the Spirit, and the Spirit is not the Father. Problem 1: Believing that God is three persons contradicts scriptures that speak of God as a singular individual—as a one, not a plurality (D...

Bible version: NASB-95 (New American Standard Bible-95) The devil disguises evil in sweetness and fun during Halloween, using candy and costumes to draw children toward practices that Yahweh calls detestable. There is nothing sweet or fun about the darkness of the occult or the celebration of death. Witches and sorcerers are evil and are destined for the lake of fire. Revelation 12:9; 20:2-3; Ephe...

Bible version: REV (Revised English Version) True faith is a matter of the heart and is “trust” and “allegiance” to Jesus, which fundamentally changes how a person lives. This is contrary to the popular idea that “faith alone is all you need.” While salvation is granted solely by grace through faith, and not by works, the Bible teaches that genuine faith is neve...

Bible version: NRSVUE (New Revised Standard Version Updated) The common view is that the saved go to heaven at death to be with Jesus and their loved ones. Although it’s not clear what we’ll do there, we know that we will enjoy eternal bliss. Problem 1: Going to heaven contradicts scriptures that speak of the righteous living on earth, including the land promise God made to Abraham and his descend...

Bible version: NRSVUE (New Revised Standard Version Updated) The common view of hell is that it is a place of separation from God where the unrighteous suffer eternal conscious torment (ECT) in a fire with no relief and no hope of escape. Problem 1: ECT contradicts scriptures that speak of the destruction of the wicked, including Gen 3:19-23; Ps 1:6; 37:9-11, 20-22, 28-29, 34, 37-38; 92:7; 145:20;...

Bible version: NASB-95 (New American Standard Bible-95) We can evaluate God and His actions rightly based upon the parameters He has given in the Scriptures about Himself. When someone says “God did this” or “God did that” we must see if it fits with what we know about God. Romans 11:33-36; Genesis 1:1-5 God is much bigger than we can know, a thimble compared to an ocean. H...

Bible version: NET (New English Translation) Like the ancient texts in The Mummy, God’s “backwards” truths become the key to real victory and transformation. 1. The Bible is not Boring — It’s a Living Adventure The Bible is alive and powerful: “For the word of God is living and active…” (Hebrews 4:12). Features real stories of adventure and faith, such as David vs. Goliath, Paul’s shipwreck, and t...

Psalm 34:8 O taste and see that the LORD is good; Happy are those who take refuge in him. The lost are those who have yet to take refuge in God. They haven’t tasted and seen that Yahweh is good. These are the people we are called to reach. Luke 19:1-2 Zaccheus was a bad man, engaged in a despicable profession that betrayed and exploited his own people. Luke 19:3-6 Jesus noticed Zaccheus. He wasn’t...

Phase 1: The Garden of Eden ( Gen 1:26; 2:17 ) God’s policies were minimal and simple: ( 1 ) have children, ( 2 ) rule the world, and ( 3 ) don’t eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Phase 2: The Old World ( Gen 4:26; 5:22 ) People invoked the name of God. Enoch walked with God, but over time, wickedness and violence spread like a plague resulting in the great reset of Noah’s flood...

Fail forward and don’t expect things to work out the first or 20th time. Find your superpower and put it to work in the church. We need your light and the gifts that God placed in you! 1 Corinthians 12:12-27 A Family Forged in Crisis Romans 12:4-5 You have to be ready for crisis by belonging and participating in the community of God. Isaiah 41:10 Revelation 21:3-4 Facing Cosmic Fear Together Stayi...

The works that the man Jesus did, we can do also—because like him, we have been given the spirit and the Word to empower us. Anything God asks of us, He makes possible. His power works in us to carry it out. John 14:12. Truly, truly – “Pay close attention—what I’m about to say is absolutely certain.” Jesus wants us to be convinced, without doubt, that his works could be continued and even ex...

Love Isn’t Always Easy. Love Costs Something. Love Sees Beyond the External. Love Isn’t Always Easy Loving someone can be risky and difficult. It takes vulnerability and can be hard. 1 Cor 13:4-7. Loving someone is easy when people are nice but can be quite a challenge when there is tension, disagreement, or pride involved. Luke 19:1-10. Jesus’ was judged for his association with people that other...

The Karate Kid movies and shows have resonated with people for more than four decades. One aspect that draws us to watching them is the desire we all have for a mentor or a student. Jesus was the ultimate Myagi, teaching and training his disciples throughout his ministry. Before departing, he told us that we too should make disciples of all nations. Mark 6:7-13. After Jesus had spent a little time...

His name is far more than a label—it represents the power, presence, and authority of Jesus Himself. When Peter explained the healing of the lame man, he was essentially saying, ‘It was the very person and power of Jesus, alive and active, that made this man whole.’ John 16:23-27. We pray to God in the name of Jesus Christ. Acts 3:1ff. In the name of Jesus Christ, the lame man walked....

What is the “good news of the kingdom of God” that Jesus preached? Put simply, it’s everything wrong with the world made right. The perfect world God originally intended has been damaged by humanity’s sinful actions, but God hasn’t given up on the earth. His plan of redemption has already been set in motion. We have a real hope that solves real problems in the real wo...

The conclusion of the Ephesians’ series focuses on spiritual warfare and how to combat the evil we are faced with. As we put on the whole armor of God, we can stand against the wiles of the devil. 2 Corinthians 4:4   Spiritual warfare Matthew 13:19 – The wicked one; Mark 4:15 – Satan; Luke 8:12 – The devil 1 Peter 5:8 – Adversary; 1 Thessalonians 3:4 – Tempter; Revelation 12:10 –...

How should you carry yourself at home and at work? In Ephesians 6:1-9, we learn that parents should actively teach their children obedience and honor, guiding them with love and fairness rather than harshness, to foster healthy development. We also learn that we should work heartily unto the Lord rather than for people. Ephesians 6:1 Parents must teach their children to obey. Left to their own dev...

Ephesians 5:22-24 Not everyone should get married. If you prize your freedom and want independence, stay single for Christ (1 Cor 7:32-35). However, if a woman wants to have a biblical marriage, she should recognize her husband’s headship (Col 3:18-19; Titus 2:3-5; 1 Pet 3:1-2). She should model the Church in relation to Christ. Of course, a wife can and should break submission if her husband asks...