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The Hope of the Church of the One Body - Part 5. If you were to ask the average Christian, what his or her hope would be, they might speak of the return of Christ.
Then they may take you to this passage in the Matthew 25:31-34 (KJV) “When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with
him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from
another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the
King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:”
This passage in Matthew 25 ties in with the verses in Revelation 19:11-16. However, all of the passages that deal with these timeframes have Jesus
in the context of King because his Kingdom will be established here on Earth. The gentiles have nothing to do with this calling or inheritance. All
these scriptures are directed to Israel. There are three prophetic periods that Jesus talked about in the Gospels. This lesson covers these periods
but when reviewing all the scriptures, it is important to keep them in context since none of these passages applies to the church of the one
body. You see the context in these three passages: Matthew 15:24 “But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Matthew 10:5-6 “These twelve Jesus sent forth, and
commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” The lesson on September 2, 2007 continues the audio series on the hope of the church.   Click here
to listen now. You may also want to review all of the audio lessons in this series.  There was a lesson review made available as well.
 The Hope of the Church of the One Body - Part 6. Christianity teaches today that the
rapture is the next thing in God’s plan. This is pre-millennial in scope which is a relatively new approach in the church. At the end of the
Second World War, and pre-millennialism came into view and post-millennialism lost its
popularity because of two reasons: 1) It advocated that the gospel would be preached to all
nations and they would respond to it and 2) this response would usher in the Kingdom of
Heaven. Modern Pre-Millennial Christianity today is looking for the rapture, the tribulation, and
then the Millennium Kingdom. Now, where does the church fit into that line of thought since all of the scriptures that teach
on these subjects belong to Israel? There are those Christian circles that teach the gospel of wealth and they claim they
have been given Kingdom authority to get whatever they need. Kingdom authority not only applies to healing but also in
gathering money and that’s how they end up spending their time. Do we have the gospel of cash, Cadillac, and comfort or
do we have the gospel of the kingdom? The answer is No to both! Kingdom doctrine doesn’t apply to us. This is why it’s
important to know the proper doctrine since doctrine always lays the groundwork for the way you behave. When
Christians begin to mix up doctrine from different dispensations, it becomes very confusing and their walk suffers. The
lesson on September 9, 2007 is the sixth lesson in the audio series “ the Hope of the Church of the One Body” and addresses the phrase found in scripture “foundation of the world”. It reviews the seven passages that say “from or
since” as well as the three that say “before” the foundation of the world. You will see a great distinction in the
demarcation that this establishes in the different callings in scripture. Click here to listen now. There
was a lesson review prepared for you as well. Be sure and download for reading while you listen.
 The Love of Christ in Heavenly Places -
In the study on “The Hope of the Church of the One Body” we looked at the phrase “foundation of the world”. In doing so we discovered that this
phrase occurs ten times in scripture. Seven of them are used with the words “from or since the
foundation of the world”. We found that all seven of these references pertain to Israel and the
calling they have in Abraham. There are three occurrences where these words appear together
with a different time emphasis when it says “before the foundation of the world”. In these three
passages we learn about the love of Christ in heavenly places. In John 17:22-24 we find the Lord
praying in the Garden of Gethsemane to God and Jesus speaks of the love the God had for him
before the foundation of the world. Next, in 1 Peter 1:18-20 we find a description of Jesus and his
blood being foreordained before the foundation of the world as a lamb without blemish or spot. And
finally, in Ephesians 1:3-4 we see that he has chosen us (that “us” applies to the church of the one
body) before the foundation of the world. Further, we see in Ephesians 2:4-10 we receive the same love that Christ
receives and are holy and without blame (being the same words that were used to describe the precious blood of Christ
being a lamb with blemish or spot). Then in Ephesians 3:9-21 we learn about the eternal purpose of God that was
accomplished in Christ Jesus. No wonder Paul tells us to walk in love (Ephesians 5:1-2). The love we have from Christ is
in Heavenly Places and we are there with him right now! Isn’t it nice to know you are loved (Eph 3:17-19)! The lesson on
September 16, 2007 teaches on the Love of Christ in Heavenly Places. Click here to listen now. You may also want to download the handout to review while you listen.
 A Good Foundation - Many lessons from history show that at any time, any where,
calamity can strike… and tragedy occurs. Whether it be acts of war, acts of terrorism, or
even personal calamity… there will be casualties for those who are not ready in the face
of the enemy. As a Christian soldier, you must ask yourself is your foundation on rock or
sand? In the face of life’s challenges, are you ready to stand? God has provided us with
the way to build a foundation that is sure… one that is built on Christ Jesus. It’s up to the
Christian to prepare for good and bad times… as Paul said in Philippians 4:11-13 “Not that I
speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be
content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to
be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”
How are you to spiritually build your foundation so you may stand sure no matter what happens in your journey through
life? Is it your Wisdom, Might, or Money? Jeremiah 9:23-24 (KJV) says “Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory
in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that
glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness,
judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.” Paul tells us in 1 Timothy 6:17-19 that we to “Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the
living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute,
willing to communicate; Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.” The lesson on September 23, 2007 teaches us that the love we have from Christ is in Heavenly
Places and we are there with him right now! Isn’t it nice to know you are loved! (Ephesians 3:17-19)! As a Christian, your
foundation is in Christ and He sits in the heavenlies far above all and serves as the one mediator between God and man. Click here to listen now. You may also want to download the handout to review while
you listen.
 The Hope of the Church of the One Body - Part 7 The close relationship we have with Christ that was
established before the foundation of the world. The three scriptural references (John 17:22-24, 1 Peter 1:18-20, Ephesians 1:3-4) that pertain to before the foundation of
the world involve two that establishes the love that God had with his Son, Jesus Christ, the third talks about us! What an amazing relationship we have with God. Every
calling has a hope and every hope has a promise and every promise has a unique relationship with the Lord and his glory. The calling always determines the hope that the
believer has. Most of Christianity today thinks that Christ only has one return or advent which is here on the earth. But
when the common thinking today involves the rapture, tribulation, and millennial reign that should happen in that order, it
appears this would involve at least two advents of the Lord. There is some fault with this thinking. The first advent would
be when they meet Him in the air (rapture) which is discussed in the Acts period, and the second would be when he
comes back to the earth to set up his kingdom which is discussed in the Gospels and in Revelation (this is the Lords
“Parousia”). Christianity doesn’t recognize the third advent of Christ which is the “Epiphany” where he appears in glory
and we appear there with Him (that is the hope of the church of the one body). When it comes down to it, the calling and
hope that we have in the Church of the One Body, is what Paul is explaining in Philippians 3:11 and Colossians 3:4 which
involves the “out-resurrection”. This is not the same as the resurrection that was expressed called the “rapture” which is
Jewish. The lesson on September 30, 2007 continues the audio series on the Hope of the Church with part 7. Click here to listen now. You may also want to download the handout to review while you listen to
the audio. Be sure and review all of the lessons in this series.
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Audio Lessons for this Month
