Life Lessons with Dr. Steve Schell

1 - The Road To Freedom

The book of Exodus is a model of the Christian life. It starts with people being set free from slavery (salvation). Next, we see God put them in situations where they will learn to grow in faith (Ex 13:17). Then, once their faith reaches the point where they have the courage to follow God, He leads them to possess the blessings He has promised. Becoming free is a process, not an event, because real freedom is an attitude of the heart. It wasn’t enough for God to physically release the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. He also had to work on their attitudes until they had the courage to possess the promised land. He trained them until they thought and acted like free people, not escaped-slaves.

 

The world is full of forces that attempt to put us in bondage, but God’s plan for each of us is to be free—truly free—free to serve Him and fulfill our purpose in life. Yet, this kind of freedom doesn’t come cheaply. It requires miracles from God and our learning to walk in faith. Exodus lets us watch as God transforms a crowd of slaves into a nation of warriors. It gives us hope that we too can step out of bondage and possess our promises. After all, it was God’s faithful leadership that turned the people of the Exodus into victorious conquerors, not their own spiritual maturity. And it is still God’s faithful leadership that will free us as well. Today, let’s look more deeply at the new birth and how God sets us free from slavery to the devil:

4 - Speaking In Tongues and the Gifts of the Spirit

 

What is the relationship between speaking in tongues and the baptism with the Holy Spirit?

When we observe people being baptized with the Holy Spirit in the Book of Acts the gifts often mentioned as immediately accompanying this experience are speaking in tongues and prophecy (Ac 2:4; 10:46; 19:6). When these early Christians encountered the power of the Spirit they burst out in inspired speech giving praise and thanks to God. Furthermore, the Apostle Paul clearly expected those who had received this “baptism” to be able to pray in tongues (1Co 14:5, 18, 23, 26) and for that matter to be able to prophesy (1Co 14:1

3 - Receiving the Baptism of the Holly Spirit

 

The Baptism with the Holy Spirit is a blessing from God which causes ordinary people to become extraordinarily effective as witnesses for Jesus Christ (Ac 1:5, 8). By it God equips believers today with the same power we read about in the New Testament. Since the Day of Pentecost (Ac 2) God’s plan has been to supernaturally equip every believer so that the ministry of Jesus Christ may continue through us (Jn 14:12). His ascension into heaven (Ac 1:9) did not mean that Jesus’ ministry on earth stopped, but rather it was an essential step which released even more of His ministry. As the Head of His Church He now directs growing multitudes of Spirit-empowered men and women to carry His Gospel around the world (Lk 24:45–49). The Baptism with the Holy Spirit is the impartation of this necessary power so that God’s servants can carry out their calling. In effect, it is the moment when God “ordains” them. In the Old Testament prophets, priests and kings were ordained by having oil poured on their heads (1Ki 19:16; Ex 40:15; Ps 133:2; 1Sa 16:12, 13). When this symbolic action was performed God’s Spirit came upon them. From that moment on they ministered with new power. Today, following His resurrection, Jesus Christ pours out an even greater “anointing” on those who enlist into His service.

2 - Why Jesus Commanded Us to Be Baptised

Why be baptized?

The most important reason for a believer to be baptized in water is because Jesus commanded it. In His “Great Commission” Jesus instructed that all who became His disciples are to be baptized (Mt 28:19). Since every true believer chooses to obey Jesus as “Lord” no better reason can be given. If He wants me to be baptized then I will gladly be baptized.

 

1 - How To Be Born Again

1 - How to be Born-Again

A Step-by-Step Guide for Leading a Person to Salvation

 

Being born-again is more than simply chang-ing one’s attitude toward God. A person may have positive feelings toward God, His Son Jesus, and the Bible, and may even attend church regularly but have never received the inner miracle called the “new birth.” This is because it only occurs when the Spirit of God comes inside us to join Himself to our human spirit. And this union cannot take place until we first repent of our rebellion against God and place our full faith in the payment His Son made for our sins on the cross. Once we understand the truths of the Gospel and respond wholeheartedly to them, the barrier of sin which separated us from God is removed. We immediately become “holy temples” where God Himself chooses to dwell.

8 - Dealing with Loss

The death of a relationship can bring on depression. Times when friendships and families are broken or loved ones die seriously  affects us. Pastor Steve discusses this type of depression and teaches how to go to the Lord for comfort.

7 - Steps to Take

Pastor Steve offers practical steps to help depression like worshipping often, watching nutrition and sleep, and quitting the masking of symptoms with caffeine, sugar and pain relievers. 

6 - Soul Ties

A lot of healing from depression comes from healing in the soul. Pastor Steve discusses soul ties, a term that describes an inappropriate bond to another person at the emotional, psychological level. 

5 - Caring For Yourself

There is a complexity to someone being healed of depression. And all the problems with depression are not spiritually based. Since a person is made up of body, soul and spirit, the solution can be a lot of different things. Pastor Steve explains some different ways the Lord has directed people to deal with depression and gives some very practical ways to help their depression lift.

3 - Expectations

Until the soul is healed, until the issues are attended to, a depressed person is still prone to depression. Pastor Steve shares his own experience with depression and how God healed him, and explains that God can indeed heal a person of depression.