Encounter Recovery Ministries

In part three of the series "Recovering the Whole Counsel of God" we continue to define and apply what is meant by this term: The whole counsel of God, and why it is so very important to your spiritual, mental, and relational health.

This is part two of a vital series on recovering the whole counsel of God, meaning the work of Christ and the ministry of the Spirit in appropriating that work in you. In this lesson we learn about renewing our fellowship with and relying upon the Holy Spirit, alone.

This lesson is a reminder that the finished work of Christ, and the work of the Spirit in appropriating that work, are inseparable. Now, this is important because most modern preaching does not include the good news of how the Spirit appropriates Christ into your life, and is therefore not gospel preaching.

Do you realize you are under a divine imperative to minister to your brothers and sisters in Christ? Christ has graced each member of His body with at least one spiritual gift. And this He has done so that you are a now vital contributor to the life and edification of the body of Christ. Don't let the clergy-driven system rob you of this high calling.

It goes without saying that the health of our church fellowship effects or own spiritual and mental health. On the other hand, most Christians are sick and spiritually anemic but refuse to recognize it is because of the sick church they attend. In order to recover, they must come out of that church, and churches like it.

The sermon emphasizes cultivating a prayer life modeled after Jesus, moving beyond lofty words to a genuine relationship with God as Father. It highlights the importance of communal prayer, recognizing that our connection with the divine is inextricably linked to our interpersonal relationships and mutual edification within the body of Christ. The Lord's Prayer serves as a guide, urging believers to prioritize God's name, kingdom, and will above personal requests, while also underscoring the necessity of forgiveness and release from resentment as essential components of a mature and intimate prayer life.

This sermon is a plea to view Christian wholeness and maturity as an imperative. The redemption that God has accomplished for us in Christ is to be worked out in our fellowship so that we become more and more like Jesus and walk as children of light. But we must first escape the traditions and doctrines of men that would keep us broken, confused, and immature.

The sermon emphasizes that a life defined by love for God manifests as joyful obedience to His will, mirroring the example of Jesus who delighted in fulfilling the Father's purpose. Drawing from passages like Psalm 40 and Hebrews, it highlights Jesus' sacrifice as the ultimate fulfillment of God's will and calls believers to align their lives with this model, seeking to know and pray for the power to fulfill God's desires. Ultimately, the message underscores that true Christian living involves a continual pursuit of God's will, motivated by love and resulting in a life dedicated to His glory, reflecting the intimate relationship between the Father and the Son.

Do you attend church weekly and yet find yourself struggling with addiction, broken relationships, spriitually immaturity, and confusion as to your church life? You are not alone, and in this brief exhortation we tell you why this is the case for you.

We continue now to examine how to pray like Jesus. In this lesson we consider praying for our enemies as foundational to Christlike prayer. We also consider Christ's model of how we are to pray for one another as found in John 17.

There is a lot of religious shame tied to prayer. People are told they do not pray long enough, often enough, or hard enough. In this exhortation, we seek to free you from this by reminding you that under the new covenant, you are the temple of God, and you are always in the presence of God; prayer therefore is a way of life and a constant state not an act or duty.

The worst spiritual condition is to no longer care to hear the voice of the Spirit. To be so entrenched in religious activities one becomes more devoted to those activities than to Christ Himself. In this brief exhortation, we consider the prevelance of this condition and call you to set aside anything, especially present religious practices that dull your hearing and rob you of spiritual maturity and discernment.

If you are in Christ you are most certainly in the Church, for you ARE the Church; but it is also entirely possible for you to be in what is called the Church and NOT be in Christ. How do you know you are "in Christ"? This is the vital question we answer in this brief series. Please, I beg you, join me.

Many a tender conscience has been tormented by the thought that those who "fall away" cannot be renewed and restored, based largely on a misinterpretation of Hebrews 6:4-6. In this lesson we examine the greater context of that passage and both set at liberty those so tormented, and also discover the true warning intended by that text.

This is a six-week series on learrning to pray like Jesus by hearing and embracing His teaching AND His example.

This part two of a six-week series on learning to pray like Jesus. Jesus taught us by word and by His living example how to pray, and it is the great privilege of every Christian to walk in his footsteps, and in His prayer life.

There is a gospel principle which is so vital that without it we have only half the gospel, and half a gospel does not create half a Christian, but no Christian at all. In this brief exhortation you are reminded of this vital principle.

The Christian disciple is a follower of a hated, rejected, and crucified Christ. We must therefore give up thinking that we can make the world like Jesus enough to avoid the world's hostility. Attempts to do so only result in creating a false Jesus. Let us instead walk in the Spirit and more closely follow the revelation of Jesus preserved for us in Scripture-- the crucified Messiah.

There is but one true Christ, the revelation of whom is preserved for us within Scripture alone and made real by the Holy Spirit, alone. But much of what calls itself Christianity preaches another Jesus, a different spirit, and gospel. Here is the infallible test to ensure you are actually following Jesus Christ.

In this teaching we are reminded of the propensity to forsake the living God --the fountain of living water--in favor of man-made, dead religiosity that only appears to be true. The remedy is also offered and questions from you are welcome.