Dr. Jim Richards

We have been told that Jesus’ parables are nothing more than allegories, but that’s not what He said. He said the parables are the mysteries of the Kingdom presented in ways that only those who have a heart for it can grasp them! The parables are the most revealing teaching in the Scripture about how people who are following Jesus will live. In the parables, He reveals one of the primary reasons people get off track and lose their passion for God. Join me this week in CyberChurch as we answer the question, “Is the Master Coming?” and how the answer to that question has more to do with your level of passion than almost any other factor!

Why do so many believers lose their passion for the things of God? I am forever seeing people’s social media posts blaming the Church for this pervasive “spiritual affliction.” But, rather than finding the people we will blame, I want to find the solution. Who cares why we cool off? I care about how we can reignite the fire that once burned brightly in our hearts or help those who have never had a burning passion for all the things of God! Join me this week in CyberChurch as we discover the secrets to maintaining a burning passion for God.

We know everything in the Old Testament was written for the benefit of New Covenant believers. Everything we want to know about Jesus and the New Covenant is revealed in the Old Testament. This is where the Apostle Paul received his incredible revelation of what we have in Christ! The Old Testament temple is a type of the New Covenant believer: spirit, soul, and body. Knowing how the temple was sanctified in preparation for God and man to come together in intimate fellowship shows us what needs to happen in our hearts to be prepared to meet intimately with God. Join me this week for a deep dive into how to prepare your temple to be a meeting place between you and God!

No one has ever become happy by finding happiness. The happiest people on earth are those who are grateful. Gratitude is a choice. We become grateful when we choose to notice the good things in our lives. Unless we express gratitude to others, it never accomplishes in us or others what we desire. Join me this week as I share tips and tools about how to step into another realm of life where all you see are the good things, as we discuss A Life of Gratitude!

Jesus extended every believer the invitation to be more than servants. This doesn’t mean we cease to be servants; it means we become more than servants. As children, heirs, disciples, and ambassadors, we will always be servants. But as friends, we get to enjoy a level of personal interaction unheard of by mere slaves. One of the key promises to those who become friends is the opportunity for God to share what He is doing both in our personal lives and in the world! Join me this week as we explore the intricacies of being Divine Friends with a Holy God!

God showed His ways to Moses. Why? Because Moses wanted to know Him. He wanted to know His character. He wanted to know what to expect! He wanted to know that He was actually following God instead of some religious perversion based on the pagan influences of his childhood. Psalm 103:7, says, He made known His ways to Moses. The word “ways” implies that God would show Him things that He does in a way that would cause Moses to perceive His inward character! In other words, God would reveal Himself fully to Moses. God wants you to meet Him in the Holy of Holies so He can reveal His character and nature. Join me this week and discover the secret of effortless transformation as we discover God’s ways!

The Bible tells us that we are the temple of God, and the Holy Spirit dwells within us. The word “dwell” is more than simply being present. It means to take up an abode, to occupy or live as in a home! The Old Testament temple was a type of the true temple, which is our inner man. We can enter the secret place and meet personally with God. Join me this week as we explore the process of entering into the true Holy of Holies to experience the life, power, and presence of God!

God has such incredible things prepared for those who believe on Jesus that it can’t be put into words. The Apostle Paul said, "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him." Any attempt to intellectually describe what God has in mind for us requires us to reduce that which is indescribable to the limits of our finite thinking. But God made a better way, “God has revealed them to us through His Spirit.” (1 Corinthians 2:10) God desires to connect with us “heart to heart” so He can communicate with us on a level that exceeds anything the natural mind can grasp. Join me this week as we explore what it’s like to connect with God heart to heart, and discover the riches of His glory preserved for the believer!

Jesus did pray for the sick; He spoke to them and healed them. He didn’t pray for demons to come out. He spoke to them, and they obeyed. When He raised the dead, He didn’t ask God to do anything; He simply called them forth. In John 14:12, He said we could do everything He did and even greater things! Maybe we don't live that scripture because we want to do the things He did but not the way He taught us to do them. Join me this week in CyberChurch as we explore the way Jesus prayed and why that is the way we must minister if we want the same results!

When many of us came to Jesus, we expected to find the Jesus of the Bible, who has never changed. We want to know this supernatural God through whom all things were possible. Sadly, our family, friends, and even our church did all they could to lessen our expectations to protect us from disappointment. But I am telling you the God of the Bible can be found; He seeks to make Himself known. When we allow God to be who He really is, we can be who we really are. Join me this week in CyberChurch as we explore what it would be like to find the God of the Bible and allow Him to minister through you to your family.

God wants to be the protector and guide for you and your family. All He needs is a person who is willing and ready to step into the Family Priesthood. It can be the dad, the mom, or even the children. God will use the one who sets themselves apart unto Him! In fact, God will use everyone in the family to be the Watchman, to hear and share His wisdom and direction with the family. Join me this week in CyberChurch as we dive into the scriptural concept of the Family Priesthood!

Throughout Scripture, we see situations where God protected entire families because of His relationship with one family member. In the Book of Acts, God saves the lives of an entire boat full of people just because the Apostle Paul is onboard. Then, in Corinthians, He tells us of a supernatural effect we can have on the life of an unbelieving spouse. Join me this week in CyberChurch as we explore the supernatural way we can stand in the gap for our family members.

A breach is a break in our fortification. It is a place where we are vulnerable. There are few situations that make us more vulnerable than our relationship with our family. And there are few places where we have as deep of an emotional need for loving connection as our family. God has called us to be the repairer of the breach. Join me for this week's CyberChurch message, Heal the Breach in Your Family, and discover the biblical insights into how to supernaturally influence our families in ways we never imagined!

What does it mean when we say the law is fulfilled? It seems everyone has their own definition of that word! But if we say our dreams have been fulfilled, we understand it means they have finally arrived, we are enjoying them to the fullest. God had a dream when He gave the law. It wasn’t to enslave us to bondage and legalism. It was to set us free from the destructive power of sin and death and usher us into the greatest life imaginable. That’s what happens when the law is fulfilled. Join me this week in CyberChurch for great insight into how God used the law to bring us to Christ and to begin to live in the fullness of His love!

We all know the letter kills, but the Spirit is life. We talk about being in the Spirit. Jesus even stated that His Words were Spirit and life. We all have some vague idea of what that means, but I don’t know if I’ve ever heard anything that made that terminology meaningful to my life. One thing we do know is; if the law is just the letter, it kills, but if the law is of the Spirit, it gives. But the law itself doesn’t change. Understanding this subtle difference between letter and Spirit will make a substantial difference in our ability to hear the voice of the Spirit and follow His direction. Join me this week as we explore The Spirit of the Law and what that means to our lives!

God provided a testimony of His Son, the Messiah. Some of it was through types and shadows, some were written in detail, and of course, there were prophecies that gave graphic details of things He would do. He has gone to incredible lengths to make Himself known to us, prepare us to recognize Jesus when He comes the first and second time, and understand how we should live if we want to have the best life possible. Join me this week in CyberChurch as we seek to open our eyes to see Jesus on every page of the Bible as I share God’s Testimony!

God has very specific goals for everything He has ever said or done. Those goals never change. They were established before the foundations of the world! When we align ourselves with His goals, life becomes effortless. This is what Jesus described as “taking His yoke.” Paul described it as getting in step with the Holy Spirit. Join me this week to discover God’s Goal for Your Life and how He has made it possible through His power!

Since we know the law is good unless we use it unlawfully, maybe before we declare our opinion about it, we should discover what God says is “unlawful use!” When we use the law unlawfully, we exalt our works above the works of the Lord Jesus. We reject what He did for what we can do. This may well be one of the most blasphemous actions well-meaning Christians ignorantly engage in! Once we understand what it means to use the law unlawfully, we take one of the most significant steps into a faith for God that makes our entire journey exactly as Jesus described it: easy and light. Join me this week in CyberChurch for Unlawful Use of the Law!

There is one final source to whom we must go to evaluate all our beliefs, doctrines, and personal opinions: the Lord Jesus Christ! He is the only person qualified to help us understand God’s true intentions. When He becomes our source, confusion evaporates; the veil is removed from our minds. We see clearly! Join me this week in CyberChurch as we consider the final authority on all things. This will give us a new way to understand the purpose of the law and how it has been misinterpreted, misused, and misapplied since Moses brought Israel out of Egypt. I want to take you directly to the only source!

No one looks at anything and sees it exactly as it is. We don’t actually see with our eyes; we see with our brain. It might be better said, our brain interprets what we see, hear, and experience. Jesus actually identified this very issue as one of the few things that could make the Word of God completely powerless in our lives. Join me this week in CyberChurch as we discover how our views concerning the Old Testament can distort how we understand the New Testament. More importantly, we will discover the biblical prescription for how to move past all the limitations and Look Past the Veil.