The Church at Greenville

12/27/2025

Does a Christian Have Two Natures?

In regard to sin struggles, I often hear believers say things like, “Well, that’s the two natures within me battling” or “That’s the old man rising up.” But are these statements Biblical? Although it is true that the spirit and the flesh are opposed to one another (Galatians 5:17), the flesh is not our nature. We are spirit beings that reside in a body. We are not bodies that happen to have a spirit. It is actually the spirit within us that defines who we are. The spirit that was in us before we were born into the family of God is what the Bible refers to as the “Old Man.” The “Old Man” through the lineage of Adam had a nuture of sin. Thankfully, the “Old Man” has been put to death in believers. Romans 6:6 says, “Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin.” Similarly, Galatians 2:20 tells us that when Christ was crucified on the cross our “Old Man” was crucified there with Him. “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loves me and gave Himself for me.” II Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” So, not only was the “Old Man” crucified with Christ; the “New Man” was given life through His resurrection. Where as the “Old Man” had the nature (SIN) of the first Adam, the “New Man” has the nature (RIGHTEOUSNESS) of the last Adam. II Corinthians 5:21 says, “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” Is it possible to be both the “Righteousness of God in Christ Jesus” and a sinner? No, it isn’t! The Bible refers to a sinner as someone with a sin nature. We as born-again (literally born from above) believers do not have two natures. Our nature is righteousness – not sin. Actually, nobody has two natures. The obvious nature of a sinner is sin. Is it possible to be the “Righteousness of God in Christ Jesus” and still struggle with sin? Yes, it is possible, but it doesn’t mean we have a conflicting nature. It means we have not fully grasped who we are in Him – “The righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.” If we sin, we walk according to the flesh rather than according to the spirit. The remedy of this sin issue is a deeper understanding that we are righteous through our new birth in Christ. I Corinthians 15:34 says, “Awake to righteousness, and do not sin ...” If the sin nature in us were not put to death it would be unfair for God to expect us to walk uprightly because what is he with a sin nature to do but to sin? Such is not the case for us who believe, however. Romans 6:2 says, “… How shall we who have died to sin live any longer in it?” Finally, Romans 6:11 says, “Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” The word reckon is an accounting term related to reconciling a check book ledger. When a checkbook is reconciled the balance noted in the ledger is indeed accurate – matching the legitimate balance in the account. God is saying to us that we are certainly dead to sin and that we should believe it and act accordingly.

01/22/2025

Challenging! This is so incredibly similar to what I heard Alan Vincent say. Alan said we look at our bank accounts to decide what we can give. We should pray about what to give and what to give to, and when God answers, we can begin to declare that provision in faith. F. F. Bosworth said, "Faith begins where the will of God is known." When I was recently reading the book of Exodus, I couldn't help but notice that when the Egyptians pursued the Israelites through the Red Sea which had parted, they had 600 chariots. Six is the number of man, so the Egyptians were obviously pursuing in their own strength. Unfortunately, most of us which are self-declared "of the FAITH" often serve and give through the flesh (our natural strength).

God says, "Do not plan with that which is in your pocket, but with that which is in my pocket."

08/26/2024

Outpouring Services with Dan Slade from Catch the Fire

Friday 7pm. August 30
Saturday 7pm. August 31
Sunday 10:30am September 1

We love having Dan Slade! Dan is a leader in Catch the Fire World and have been serving the Lord over 40 years in the Ukraine and the former Soviet Union

05/30/2024

What is the proper Biblical response to sickness? Although there are several things we can and should do, one of the clearest in scripture is to "call upon the elders." Contrary to what James 5:14 tells us to do, most of the church has insubordinately changed the passage to "Is anyone among you sick, then he must go to the doctor" thus magnifying the power of the pharmakeia spirit. Scripture doesn't forbid doctor visits, but they are commonplace in our culture while "calling upon the elders" is incredibly rare and even unheard of in most American churches. My personal experience is that even within the church few "call upon the elders" before all else seems to have failed. The root of sickness is usually spiritual, and doctors are not trained to deal with spiritual issues. Lord Jesus - lead us to the truth, Your Word! Deliver us from evil spirits and evil patterns we and our ancestors have always followed.

04/27/2024

"Planting a living church in a demonized city is not good enough for God. He wants the city." Alan Vincent

01/31/2024

For years I have been fascinated with the topic of supernatural healing. I fully believe in the role of faith and the declaration of healing. However, over the past months I have become more aware that our churches are greatly afflicted with the sicknesses that the LORD promises (in Deuteronomy 28) to not put on us if we obey Him. We are under a better covenant with better promises than when Deuteronomy 28 was written. So, my belief is that some sickness will not leave without repentance. Scripture speaks continuously about the link between sin and sickness.

David says regarding God in Psalm 103:3 "Who pardons all your guilt, Who heals all your diseases." God does these two things, but are they linked? Sure they are. James concurs. James 5:14-16 says, "14 Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; 15 and the prayer of faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him. 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. A prayer of a righteous person, when it is brought about, can accomplish much." David understood this. Psalm 32:3 states, "When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away
through my groaning all day long." There are other passages confirming this point.

So, it seems the prayer of faith has to be more than a persuasion that God generally wants to heal. I believe God wants everyone healed, yet, I don't believe that general persuasion is enough to see everyone get healed. Genuine faith can only be for what Jesus has said. Anything else is presumption. If we are going to see more people get healed, we are going to have to become more in tune to what Jesus is saying. I am personally persuaded some of what He is saying is regarding repentance. If anything I have said provokes you, I would highly recommend the book, "Exposing the Spiritual Roots of Disease" by Dr. Henry Wright.

Blessings,

Jeff Moore

07/02/2023

"Faith begins where the will of God is known." F. F. Bosworth

06/24/2023

Tomorrow we will be looking at the topic "Decreeing" and particularly as it relates to the passage in Luke 22:36 where Jesus says that anyone who does not have a sword should buy one even if they have to sell their cloak to get the money to purchase it. This passage is about gaining the insight of what heaven is saying to declare in the earth much more than the right to own a rifle or handgun. Revelation 1:16 tells us that a sharp two-edged sword came from the mouth of Jesus. Hebrews 4:12 tells us that the word of God is like a two-edged sword with the power to divide. Job 22:28 tells us that if we decree a thing it will be established. Interestingly, the Hebrew word translated decree in that passage is "gazar" which means to cut, cut down, divide, or decree. As ambassadors of heaven, prayer is always key to know what to decree in the earth. We don't speak on our own accord, but as a representative of our homeland.

05/27/2023

“God has tied Himself irrevocably to human cooperation in the ex*****on of divine purposes. He has made man’s faith a determining factor in the work of redemption.”
Dr. Lilian B. Yeomans

05/22/2023

"Joy is the serious business of heaven."
C. S. Lewis

08/20/2022

SIGN UP AGAIN
My sense is that some have pulled back from radical commitments they made to the Lord in previous years. Some said they would be “forerunners” or “nazarties” who would live holy lives, fast & pray, and lay their lives down as living sacrifices for Jesus. Some had specific convictions around things they should do or not do, and they have slowly slipped back into a more “normal” American Christianity.
I feel like this morning God is saying… SIGN UP AGAIN.
You don’t have to use terms like “forerunner” or “nazarite”, but the Holy Spirit is inviting us as Christians to walk in purity, be wholehearted in our devotion to God, be extravagant in our worship and prepare the earth for the return of Jesus. If the Holy Spirit is leading us and convicting us, we must stay sensitive to that leading. And when we start to slip away from what He’s saying, we need to repent and give God a “yes” again.
Some of us felt called to live “fasted lifestyles”, and it’s more than just regular days of not eating. It was saying no to legitimate pleasures of this world in order to taste more deeply of the superior pleasures of the presence and kingdom of God. It’s not about getting God to love us, saving ourselves or earning our righteousness. But it is about obeying God and doing whatever it takes to cultivate an intimate relationship with Him. It’s not about being a “super Christian” but it’s about letting the One who designed us lead us into a unique lifestyle that’s best for us.
‘“I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial.’ I Corinthians 10:23
We don’t want people’s personal convictions to put a legalistic pressure on us. Someone may not use certain words, or engage in certain media, or participate in certain activities, or eat certain foods, and that’s ok.
At the same time, don’t let someone’s freedom cause you to abandon your convictions and compromise what the Holy Spirit is leading you to do or not do (John 16:8). From my perspective, the church in America does not lean towards legalistic avoidance of activities but towards compromise and worldliness. At one point in American culture (not long ago) a Christian might be judged for drinking alcohol. Nowadays, you’re more likely to be judged as “legalistic” or “religious” if you will not drink alcohol. America is no longer culturally Christian. It’s no longer taboo to use dirty language, be sexually immoral, watch perverted films and live blatantly sinful lifestyles.
We must welcome the conviction of the Lord in regards to the media and art that we consume, the activities in which we participate, the way we use our time and the relationships in which we engage. If God is saying don’t do it, then we don’t do it. Even if it seems weird or excessive or legalistic or overly sensitive. Who cares?! Obey the voice of the Lord.
If we’re doing things, watching things or listening to things that fuel fear, anxiety, anger, lust and pride, we need to abandon those things. If we don’t have peace about something, it’s ok to say no. Even if it’s “not bad” it may not be good for us. It’s not just about avoiding things that are bad for our souls, it’s about leaning into that which is virtuous and makes us more like Jesus.
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Philippians 4:8
And it’s not just what we don't do, it’s what we do. How is God leading us in spiritual disciplines like worship, prayer, fasting, evangelizing, giving offerings and discipleship? We have been called and consecrated by God. Consecrated means “set apart.” But we are not just set apart FROM sin, but we are set apart TO God.
The boundaries God puts in our lives are to propel us into deeper satisfaction, joy, meaning and fulfillment in Him. To know Him, love Him and walk in sync with His Spirit is what we were created to do. The boundary lines may create a narrow road for our lives, but they are the path of true life. Let’s sign up again. And again. And again. It’s worth it. He’s worth it.
“How far will you let me go? How abandoned will you let me be?” - Misty Edwards