Have You Heard?

Ephesians 3:2. Have you heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to Paul for you? This is a strange sentence, isn’t it? What does this mean? Well, let me give my opinion on the matter so you can either accept or reject it.
I want to know if you’ve heard about some really good news. I want to know if anyone has ever told you something very important. I want to know if you listened to the person who tried to tell you. I want to know if you started hearing it, but you stopped because you thought that you knew what they were going to say. Maybe some preconceived notion stopped you from giving audience. Maybe someone told you something wrong and you rightfully stopped listening. I’d like for you to give me a chance to tell you something that you may never have heard of, something wonderful for you.
God gave Paul a story that is very easy to understand, and at the same time, very deep. Paul had been given the Gospel, and he dispensed it...

A White Piece Of Paper by Joe La Bianca

Romans 7:13 – 20
Did that which is good, then, become death to me? By no means! But in order that sin might be recognized as sin, it produced death in me through what was good, so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful. We know the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me.
I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do – this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

In order that sin might be...

Hebrews 9:1-10
Now the first covenant had regulations for worship and also an earthly sanctuary. A tabernacle was set up. In its first room were the lamp stand, the table and the consecrated bread; this was called the Holy Place. Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place, which had the golden altar of incense and the gold-covered ark of the covenant. This ark contained the gold jar of manna, Aaron’s rod that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant. Above the ark were the cherubim of the Glory, overshadowing the place of atonement. But we cannot discuss these things in detail now.
When everything had been arranged like this, the priests entered regularly into the outer room to carry on their ministry. But only the high priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance. The Holy Spirit was showing by this that the way into the...

The Measure of Faith by Joe La Bianca
Romans 12:3
For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.

Paul realizes that his teaching was given to him by grace. Grace is God’s unmerited love and acceptance through Jesus. Paul doesn’t approach us through legalism. Legalism is trying to earn heaven with human goodness. This cannot be done. Paul realizes that whatever he is, whatever he does, and whatever he teaches us, must be through the agency of grace. Grace is the only channel through which any godly thing is accomplished. Paul instructs us not by the forceful hand of legalism, but by the loving grace of God.
If we give God our lives, God will only be pleased by a cheerful giving, for God loves a cheerful giver. So if your walk with God is an unpleasant endeavor, you may as well quit. If your...

False Humility
by Joe La Bianca

Col. 2:18
Do not let anyone who delights in false humility
and the worship of angels disqualify you for the prize.
Such a person goes into great detail about
what he has seen, and his unspiritual
mind puffs him up with idle notions.

The legalist delights in himself. His humbleness is false because the self praise that must accompany his legal relationship with God precludes the possibility of humility. In other words, a person who points to himself and his supposed goodness is inherently puffed up and therefore void of true humility. How can anyone say, “Look how wonderful I am,” and at the same time claim true humility? How can such a one even admit his need for a Savior?
The truly humble person is he who admits his sin and trusts solely in the saving act of Christ on the cross. He rightfully gives God all the credit for his salvation and changed heart, though he does choose to believe. This, God will not...

The Actually Existing Jesus
by
Joe La Bianca

Col. 2:16
Therefore do not let anyone judge you
by what you eat or drink, or with regard
to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration
or a Sabbath day.
Let no man judge you. Firmly decide not to let their decisions about you matter. Someone may say that you are not doing “it” the way they want. They may punish you in their own mind by deciding that you must not be a Christian because of what you do or do not do. If you listen to them, then they will win. Instead, consider their conclusions to be utterly worthless. You will find that religious people are your biggest critics.
By religious, I mean any one who tries to earn salvation by works. You will find these people in many a religion and/or church, whether traditional or evangelical. Never be moved away from the happy conviction of freedom through faith in Jesus.
When a person calls your salvation into question, they are really placing...

Repentance by Joe La Bianca


We’ve been hearing false teaching about repentance for years. Now, so many are thinking that they must clean up their lives before Jesus will accept them. But tell me. How can someone clean up their life without the power of the Holy Spirit? Well, tell me! You cannot!! So why do people preach a legalistic form of repentance? Because to them, their performance is the thing that ingratiates them to God. WHAT HOGWASH!! WHAT A DENIAL OF THE WORK OF JESUS!!
If you could clean up your life before you come to God, then why would you need Jesus? And if you do not have the Holy Spirit before you are saved, how are you supposed to clean up your life before you come to Jesus? All someone needs to do to understand the true meaning of repentance is read the definition in a bible dictionary. Here is the definition of repentance : to be sorry, to rue, to return or turn back, to regret, to reconsider, ruefulness.
So we see that repentance means that...

The Mediator by Joe La Bianca

Hebrews 9:11-15
When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!
For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance - now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the...