TICF Sermons

Bart Byl on 3 John.

Series: Discipleship on the Edge

In his third letter, the apostle John commends Gaius for his faithfulness and hospitality towards traveling missionaries. However, he also condemns Diotrephes for his selfish ambition, gossiping, and refusal to welcome fellow believers. These contrasting examples of moral behaviour prompt us to ask ourselves: are we ambitious for ourselves, or for the glory of the Name?

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Tbilisi International Christian Fellowship is a Christ-centred family of believers in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Bart Byl on 2 John.

Series: Discipleship on the Edge

As soon as a fledgling church begins to sprout, Satan sends false teachers to draw it away from Christ. Because he knows that when we abandon or neglect Christ, we’ve lost touch with life itself.

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Tbilisi International Christian Fellowship is a Christ-centred family of believers in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Marcus Figueiredo on Luke 7:11-17.

Series: Snapshots of Jesus: Taken by Luke

In this moving story, Jesus Christ stands as a beacon of compassion and power. Jesus not only reveals His ability to conquer death but also showcases His deep empathy for the suffering. As we reflect on this miraculous encounter, we are invited to place our trust in the One who holds power over life and death, offering hope and renewal to all who believe.

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Tbilisi International Christian Fellowship is a Christ-centred family of believers in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Bart Byl on Philemon.

Series: Discipleship on the Edge

Paul's letter to Philemon addresses a delicate situation involving Onesimus, a slave who had left his master and then becomes a Christian under Paul's guidance. Paul urges Philemon, Onesimus's master, to welcome him back not just as a slave but as a brother in Christ, encouraging him to forgive and welcome him. The letter highlights the transformative power of the gospel, challenging societal norms and creating new relationships of love within the Christian community.

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Tbilisi International Christian Fellowship is a Christ-centred family of believers in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Tbilisi International Christian Fellowship is a Christ-centred family of believers in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Bart Byl on 1 Timothy 4:1-5.

Series: Discipleship on the Edge

In the last days, the Spirits warns, deceitful teachers will appear in the church teaching the doctrine of demons: forbidding marriage and forcing people to abstain from certain foods. Paul urges us to resist this distortion of Christian asceticism by practicing gratitude and enjoyment of God's creation as acts of worship. The best defense against the Enemy’s hatred of creation is a childlike simplicity of heart that finds joy in God's gifts. In doing so, believers fulfill their priestly role in unifying the spiritual and material, highlighting the ultimate goal of all creation being offered back to God in Christ.

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Tbilisi International Christian Fellowship is a Christ-centred family of believers in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Jeff Hendrix on Luke 5:17-26.

Series: Snapshots of Jesus: Taken by Luke

A paralyzed man’s friends, desperate to bring him to Jesus for healing, lower him through a roof to the rabbi’s feet. Jesus, seeing their faith, first forgives the man's sins. Then, demonstrating his authority to both forgive sins and heal infirmities, commands him to rise from his cot. The miracle offers a profound demonstration of the inseparable connection between physical healing and spiritual forgiveness.

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Tbilisi International Christian Fellowship is a Christ-centred family of believers in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Bart Byl on 2 Thessalonians 1.

Series: Discipleship on the Edge

Despite enduring heavy persecution, the believers in Thessalonica are following Christ with joy. Paul encourages them with the hope of Christ’s return, when he will not only publicly vindicate God’s children, but share God’s glory with them.

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Tbilisi International Christian Fellowship is a Christ-centred family of believers in Tbilisi, Georgia.t

Bart Byl on 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11.

Series: Discipleship on the Edge

How do we grieve with hope and live alertly in anticipation of Christ's return? Paul offers the Thessalonians guidance on mourning with the assurance of victory, urging them to live in alert readiness for the Lord's imminent coming. In present grief and toil, we must hold onto the joyful expectation of eternal life, remind ourselves and each other that those in Christ will share in His triumphant return and everlasting kingdom.

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Tbilisi International Christian Fellowship is a Christ-centred family of believers in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Eli Moyer on Luke 4:1-15.

Series: Snapshots of Jesus: Taken by Luke

Jesus and Satan do single combat in the wilderness. It’s an epic showdown for the fate of humanity. Jesus' responses to temptation—rooted in Scripture and faith—provide timeless lessons for facing our daily struggles. Jesus' victory underscores the power of relying on God's Word to navigate life's challenges, offering strength and hope through Christ's example.

Series: Snapshots of Jesus: Meditations in Luke

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Tbilisi International Christian Fellowship is a Christ-centred family of believers in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Tony Hanmer on Luke 3:1-22; 4:1-30, 31-44.

Series: Snapshots of Jesus: Taken by Luke

John the Baptist had one mission: to prepare the way for Jesus. His role in connecting the Old and New Testaments, his unique ministry, confrontational preaching, and the ultimate sacrifice he made make him one of the most memorable characters in the Bible. His story invites reflection on how our spiritual paths have been shaped by those before us and how we influence those who follow. Tony Hanmer brings insights into John the Baptist's significant impact on the gospel story and our own callings.

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Tbilisi International Christian Fellowship is a Christ-centred family of believers in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Bart Byl on Malachi 3:1-4, 4:1-6.

Series: Christ in the Old Testament

In the closing book of the Old Testament, God promises to send His Messenger before him, whose arrival will mean God Himself has come to His temple. And so this book closes with breath held, leaning forward, waiting for the Saviour whose name has been whispered in every book of the Old Testament.

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Tbilisi International Christian Fellowship is a Christ-centred family of believers in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Bart Byl on Zechariah 9:9-17.

Series: Christ in the Old Testament

Amid the strange visions and oracles against the nation in the book of Zechariah are a collection of prophecies about an unusual figure. A future king is coming who will come in triumph, yet lowly and riding on a donkey. Valued at the paltry sum of thirty pieces of silver, the shepherd will be rejected and pierced. Yet somehow his death will open a fountain of cleansing for God's people.

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Tbilisi International Christian Fellowship is a Christ-centred family of believers in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Bart Byl on Haggai 2:1-9.

Series: Christ in the Old Testament

The remnant who have returned to the land have grown discouraged and abandoned the rebuilding of the temple. God sends Haggai to stir them up to the work, because nothing is more important to God than dwelling in the midst of his people.

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Tbilisi International Christian Fellowship is a Christ-centred family of believers in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Marcus Figueiredo on Luke 1:26-38.

Series: Snapshots of Jesus: Taken by Luke

The angel Gabriel appears to the Virgin Mary with an unsettling announcement: she is going to conceive a child who is not only going to be the Saviour of Israel but the Son of God.

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Tbilisi International Christian Fellowship is a Christ-centred family of believers in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Bart Byl on Zephaniah 3.

Zephaniah was called to speak God's word in a time of spiritual crisis and opportunity. Through his prophet God warns of creation itself being reversed in judgment, but holds the door of mercy open until the last repentant sinner squeezes through. For the Lord longs to bring all his lost children home, so he can sing over them in delight.

Series: Christ in the Old Testament

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Tbilisi International Christian Fellowship is a Christ-centred family of believers in Tbilisi, Georgia.

David Frerichs on John 4:24-45.

Guest preacher David Frerichs invites us to consider the story of Jesus and the woman at the well. Christ extends his invitation to all to come to him and drink of the water of eternal life—and then to go into the world and share his invitation.

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Tbilisi International Christian Fellowship is a Christ-centred family of believers in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Bart Byl on Habakkuk 3.

Series: Christ in the Old Testament

Habakkuk is a conversation between the prophet and God, in which Habakkuk wrestles with the judgements of God in history. In the end, what gives us the ability to wait for him to act is the whole-hearted allegiance to God which we call faith: the enduring fidelity which Christ himself demonstrated for us in going to the cross.

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Tbilisi International Christian Fellowship is a Christ-centred family of believers in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Bart Byl on Nahum 1.

Series: Christ in the Old Testament

Welcome to the least-preached book of the Bible. Nahum's message of God's wrath against Nineveh makes for uncomfortable reading. But for those suffering under oppression, God's destruction of evil is good news indeed. Make no mistake: Christ came to bind the strong man and plunder his house.

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Tbilisi International Christian Fellowship is a Christ-centred family of believers in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Tony Hanmer on 1 John 5:13-21.

Series: 1 John—Life in God’s Love

Our final message in our 1 John series.

"I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.

If you see any brother or sister commit a sin that does not lead to death, you should pray and God will give them life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that you should pray about that. All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death.

We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the One who was born of God keeps them safe, and the evil one cannot harm them. We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one. We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true by being in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.

Dear children, keep yourselves from idols."

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Tbilisi International Christian Fellowship is a Christ-centred family of believers in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Bart Byl on Micah 4:1-8, 5:2-4.

Series: Christ in the Old Testament

Micah is a prophecy, alternatively, of warning and promise. Stern judgment on the sin of Israel and Judah is suddenly following by the most stunning visions of future peace and glory. Because God is determined that his grace through the coming Messiah will get the last word.

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Tbilisi International Christian Fellowship is a Christ-centred family of believers in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Bart Byl on ⁠Jonah 3-4⁠.

Series: Christ in the Old Testament

The Assyrians were the cruel and bloodthirsty empire of the ancient world. Yet God sends the prophet Jonah on a mission to Nineveh, the capital of this terrorist state. Jonah is angry when God responds mercifully to their repentance. But there's a wideness in God's mercy, and he shows inexplicable compassion to his whole creation — ourselves included.

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⁠Tbilisi International Christian Fellowship⁠ is a Christ-centred family of believers in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Bart Byl on ⁠Obadiah 1-21⁠.

Series: Christ in the Old Testament

When Jerusalem fell to the Babylonians, the Edomites had gloated over Israel's downfall. Now God warns their own judgement is coming—and reminds the exiled Jews he has seen and will respond to their affliction. "Vengeance is mine," God declares, and it's our trust in him as the only one who can bring justice that allows us to drop the sword from our own hands.

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⁠Tbilisi International Christian Fellowship⁠ is a Christ-centred family of believers in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Anand Mahadevan on Genesis 16.

Anand Mahadevan is a founding council member of The Gospel Coalition India and an author, pastor and business journalist. He planted and leads New City Church in Mumbai. His book Grace of God and Flaws of Men was published by Lifeway in 2018.

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Tbilisi International Christian Fellowship is a Christ-centred family of believers in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Bart Byl on Amos 5:4-24.

Series: Christ in the Old Testament

Through Amos, God denounces the social injustice that supports the decadent lifestyles of the upper class in the the northern kingdom of Israel. God wants his people to hate evil and love good, because they're meant to be a scale model of what his reign looks like. It's the kingdom of righteousness and justice Christ came to inaugurate on earth.

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Tbilisi International Christian Fellowship is a Christ-centred family of believers in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Bart Byl on Joel 2:1-2, 10-11, 18-19, 25-32.

Series: Christ in the Old Testament

The 'day of the Lord' is the climax of wrath and judgment that will end history. And since judgement begins with the household of God, this day calls all of us to search our hearts and repent and return to God. For those who have pure hearts before God realize that God's judgement means salvation.

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Tbilisi International Christian Fellowship is a Christ-centred family of believers in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Jeff Hendrix on 1 John 5:6-12.

Series: 1 John—Life in God’s Love

God has given us eternal life in his Son, and offered solid testimony to believe in his name: Christ's baptism in water, his blood shed on the cross, and the witness of the indwelling Holy Spirit.

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Tbilisi International Christian Fellowship is a Christ-centred family of believers in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Bart Byl on Hosea 1.

Series: Christ in the Old Testament

God tells the prophet Hosea to marry a promiscuous woman, as a visible enactment of God's tempestuous relationship with faithless Israel. And when Gomer runs off to live with another man, God sends Hosea to find her, pay off her debts, forgive her betrayal, and renew his vows to her. The prophet's marriage (and all of our own marriages) point to the lengths Christ is willing to go to redeem and purify his bride, the church.

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Tbilisi International Christian Fellowship is a Christ-centred family of believers in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Bart Byl on Daniel 2.

Series: Christ in the Old Testament

The seer Daniel pulls back the curtain on the cosmic battlefield to show us the supernatural forces of darkness and light battling over the fate of humanity. Empire succeeds empire, all different manifestations of the beast — but in the end every human kingdom will fall and Christ alone will reign in love and justice.

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Tbilisi International Christian Fellowship is a Christ-centred family of believers in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Bart Byl on Ezekiel 47:1-12.

Series: Christ in the Old Testament

No prophet acted more strangely or received more psychedelic visions of God than Ezekiel. In the aftermath of the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem, Ezekiel is shown the glorious future Israel's God has planned for her — a new temple, and from underneath the temple, a river that flows toward the dead places and turns everything lush with life.

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Tbilisi International Christian Fellowship is a Christ-centred family of believers in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Tbilisi International Christian Fellowship is a Christ-centred family of believers in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Bart Byl on Jeremiah 37-38:13a,28.

Series: Christ in the Old Testament

More than any of the OT prophets, Jeremiah gives us a sense of the agony of the prophetic call. He was called to experience the suffering love of God for his sinful people—but also to fully share the suffering of Israel under judgement. Jeremiah is thus a powerful Old Testament witness to the Incarnation of Christ.

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Tbilisi International Christian Fellowship is a Christ-centred family of believers in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Bart Byl on Isaiah 52:13-53:12.

Series: Christ in the Old Testament

The prophet Isaiah penned a soaring vision of God's transcendent majesty and the restoration of Israel — and through her, the redemption of the nations and the renewal of all creation. But at the heart of his prophecy is the announcement of the Suffering Servant who will bear the sins of his people and open the floodgates of divine salvation.

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Tbilisi International Christian Fellowship is a Christ-centred family of believers in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Eli Moyer on 1 John 5:1-5.

Series: 1 John—Life in God’s Love

All who are born of God face a triple threat against our souls: the world, the flesh, and the devil. How can we stand against such powerful enemies? John reminds us that victory comes through our faith in Christ, who has conquered.

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Tbilisi International Christian Fellowship is a Christ-centred family of believers in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Bart Byl on Song of Songs 2:3-13, 8:6-7.

Series: Christ in the Old Testament

At the most obvious level, this poem is a celebration of erotic love between a man and a woman. Their desire is physical and sensual; it is not merely sexual but involves the burning desire of one person for complete union with another. It's a celebration of God's gift of embodied, marital sexuality. And married love at its best points us toward "the flame of the Lord"—the divine Eros that is the love of Christ for his Bride.

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Tbilisi International Christian Fellowship is a Christ-centred family of believers in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Bart Byl on Ecclesiastes 1.

Series: Christ in the Old Testament

Someone observed that if you’re depressed you should read Ecclesiastes. You’ll still be depressed, but now you’ll be depressed biblically. The author of Ecclesiastes tears away the pretensions and illusions that shield us from facing the absurdity of life. His one great certainty is that we’re all going to die — this little vapour of life, this wisp of air, is going to dissipate. We Christians are not exempted from experience of futility, frustration, and death — but we are children of the Resurrection.

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Tbilisi International Christian Fellowship is a Christ-centred family of believers in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Tbilisi International Christian Fellowship is a Christ-centred family of believers in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Bart Byl on John 14:15-27.

In the days before his arrest, Jesus takes his disciples aside to teach them and give them the encouragement they will soon sorely need. He emphasizes that when he returns to the Father, he will not leave them as orphans: he will send his promised Holy Spirit. For the church ever since then, the Holy Spirit's presence has infused us with new life and great confidence in all the riches we have in Christ Jesus.

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Tbilisi International Christian Fellowship is a Christ-centred family of believers in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Bart Byl on Psalm 40.

Series: Christ in the Old Testament

For thousands of years, the Psalms have shaped the worship of the people of God. These ancient prayers give us the words to lament the brokenness of the world, to cry out to God from the terrible pit, and to praise him for his mighty acts of deliverance. But our reading of this book is transformed when we remember these 150 psalms are the prayer journal of Jesus himself.

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Tbilisi International Christian Fellowship is a Christ-centred family of believers in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Jeff Hendrix on 1 John 4:7-21.

Series: 1 John—Life in God’s Love

The essence of God is a mystery, but he has shown us that he is love. How could we doubt it after the gift of his Son? God not only wants us to live without fear as we anticipate the final judgment, we wants to perfect his love in us as we learn to love one another.

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Tbilisi International Christian Fellowship is a Christ-centred family of believers in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Tbilisi International Christian Fellowship is a Christ-centred family of believers in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Eli Moyer on 1 John 4:1-6.

Series: 1 John—Life in God’s Love

The spirits of darkness constantly probe the church’s defenses, seeking to lure her away from life in God. And there’s one doctrine they are focussed on undermining: the glorious truth that Jesus is God come in the flesh. Healthy Christian communities exercise discernment together, keeping close to the Good Shepherd.

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Tbilisi International Christian Fellowship is a Christ-centred family of believers in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Bart Byl on Esther 3:1-6, 13-4:5, 12-16.

Series: Christ in the Old Testament

A young Jewish woman, Esther, rises through the harem to become Queen of Persia. Five years later, her fellow Jews are in deadly peril of being wiped out by the vengeful Prime Minister. When Esther hesitates to risk her own position, her cousin Mordecai reminds her that God may well have raised her up for such a time as this.

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Tbilisi International Christian Fellowship is a Christ-centred family of believers in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Tbilisi International Christian Fellowship is a Christ-centred family of believers in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Bart Byl on Luke 24:1-12.

If Jesus really has been raised from the dead, that would change everything. It would mean victory over death and a future filled with hope. But why should we trust the witness of the women and the disciples? What if they’re liars, or deluded?

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Tbilisi International Christian Fellowship is a Christ-centred family of believers in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Bart Byl on John 12:20-33.

Jesus has been welcomed to Jerusalem by the cheering crowds. But when a group of God-fearing Greeks ask to see Jesus, he announces his time has come: his time to fall into the ground like a seed and die for the world.

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Tbilisi International Christian Fellowship is a Christ-centred family of believers in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Jeff Hendrix on 1 John 3:11-24.

Series: 1 John—Life in God’s Love

Jesus calls his disciples to live a life of love, and his death on the cross for us provides the highest example. But how do we love our brothers and sisters who are often so difficult — let alone people in the world who inflict horrible pain on others?

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Tbilisi International Christian Fellowship is a Christ-centred family of believers in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Bart Byl on Nehemiah 2.

Series: Christ in the Old Testament

December, 446 BC, in the Persian capital city Susa. Nehemiah, King Artaxerxes’s cupbearer, is devastated to hear of the broken-down condition of his native Jerusalem. With the king’s blessing, he heads to Jerusalem to rebuild the wall: a project that is delayed by malevolent neighbours and community corruption. It’s a story in miniature of God’s renovation of this fallen world, and our own broken-down lives.

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Tbilisi International Christian Fellowship is a Christ-centred family of believers in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Bart Byl on Ezra 7:1-16, 25-28.

Series: Christ in the Old Testament

In 538 BC, the Persian King Cyrus the Great gave the exiled Jews permission to return to their homeland. Zerubbabel led a first wave of 42,360 returnees back to rebuild the temple. Then, sixty years later, sent Ezra the priest-scribe to Jerusalem to instruct the people in the law of God. But there’s only so much even a gifted and godly teacher can do, because the people are still sinful. For God’s people (and the whole world) to return from their more ancient exile from Eden, we need more than a great teacher: we need a second Adam to lead us past the flaming sword and into God’s presence.

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Tbilisi International Christian Fellowship is a Christ-centred family of believers in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Conrad Henney on 1 John 3:4-10.

Series: 1 John—Life in God’s Love

When we really have grasped the grace of God, it changes our lives. By the power of the Holy Spirit, we put our old sin and lawlessness behind us and become more and more like Christ. It’s all about abiding in Christ. As we make him our home, his transforming power makes us truly righteous.

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Tbilisi International Christian Fellowship is a Christ-centred family of believers in Tbilisi, Georgia.