Dr. Jim Richards

Religion has led us to believe that God required offerings in the Old Testament, but that is not true. If that were the case, He would have been no different than the pagan gods. The Hebrew word translated as offerings actually means to draw near. The worshiper of Jehovah was not attempting to appease Him so He would come close to them. Their offerings were designed to influence their hearts, in order to facilitate them drawing near to Him. Join me this week in CyberChurch as we explore the positive side of offerings and how they affect our hearts as we draw near to God!

We were created to be intimately joined to God. In fact, we cannot be “normal” if that connection is lost. In this fast-paced world, filled with distractions, we often feel distant from God. But we know that can’t be real because we are with Him and in Him. But like any relationship, we often experience distance. God has provided clear instructions for how to close that gap and discover our connection. Join me this week in CyberChurch as we explore the biblical solution when we long for God!

Jesus said we are the light of the world. We make it possible for people to see God and discover His great goodness. Few people discover how easy it is to use their influence to help others. Join me this week in CyberChurch for “The Power of a Righteous Life,” and discover how you can eternally enrich and influence others.

Religion has led us into a codependent relationship with God, where our every involvement with Him is about trying to get what we need. We are taught to pray about our needs as if He doesn’t see them and needs to be coerced into providing for us! Jesus told us we didn’t need to pray about our needs. He assured us that God deeply desires to meet all our needs. Join me this week in CyberChurch as we explore “A More Excellent Way,” and discover how to walk in the path where God meets all our needs.

Righteousness is given to us through a promise. This promise was not given to us individually. It was given to the Lord Jesus Christ by God the Father. We are not recipients of personal righteousness; we are recipients of the righteousness of God, given to Jesus, as part of His inheritance. In fact, we don’t have a personal covenant with God. If we did, we would have to live a perfect life to maintain it. Jesus has a covenant with God. He has lived a perfect life, therefore His covenant can never be changed or taken away. Join me this week in CyberChurch as we explore the promise God made to Jesus and how we share in His inheritance.

When a debtor had worked off his debt, he was given a legal writ that explained that he had worked off his debt and was now a free man. All rights and privileges of citizenship were restored. On the cross, just before “giving up the spirit,” the KJV translates Jesus saying “It is finished.” The more accurate interpretation of what He said was, “The debt is paid!” This is the equivalent of God giving you a receipt saying, “Your debt of sin has been paid in full. You owe nothing!” Understanding this subtle but powerful truth opens the way to an entirely new depth of love, trust, and thankfulness for what God did for us in Jesus. Join me in CyberChurch this week for Paid in Full.

One of the most important questions we must answer is this: “Am I experiencing God, or am I experiencing my opinion of God?” Our opinion of others influences our experiences with them more than who they really are. Most angry, rebellious children aren’t rebelling against who their parents are; they are rebelling against the skewed, immature opinion of who they are. God wants you to know Him. He wants you to know what you can expect from Him. Fortunately, He has given clear, understandable ways to know Him. Plus, He has shown how we can know if what we are experiencing really is Him or our opinion of Him. Join me this week in CyberChurch as we answer the question, “Am I Experiencing God?”

The undermining issue destroying the world today is the victim’s mentality. The victim makes bad decisions in business, relationships, finances, and other areas of life, and when they face the consequences of those decisions, they feel they are being punished. From that point, they determine that life isn’t fair. Religion has made us believe that consequences are God’s punishment for doing bad things. Consequently, they think God is unfair in His “punishment.” The truth is that the consequences we experience as a result of our choices are not sent to us from God. Free yourself from the victim’s mentality while discovering the keys to being led by the Spirit of God. Join me this week in CyberChurch as we answer the question, “Is God Really Fair?”

Those of us who came out of the “Jesus Movement” were hungry for God. We didn’t want the empty formality of church. One of the famous sayings of the late 60s and early 70s was, “I don’t care about doctrine; I just want Jesus!” Too many Christians substitute a relationship with Jesus for a relationship with their doctrine. The truth is we all have doctrines. Doctrines are basically our beliefs. The beliefs of our heart determine how everything in our life functions. The Scripture warns that there is one doctrine that will affect your life and your walk with God more than any other. Join me this week in CyberChurch, and we’ll consider the belief that causes us to struggle more than any other, and how we can move into a place of absolute victory!

God created the human race to live in a physical, emotional, and spiritual environment that would provide life to its fullest. Everything He created was determined to be good, desirable, and beneficial. All creation was desirable and beneficial because it was in harmony with His intentions for mankind! Join me this week in CyberChurch as we explore the secret to harmonizing with God, and enjoying life to its fullest!

The Righteousness of God should be one of the most positive, uplifting subjects we could ever discuss. Instead, religion has made righteousness negative legalistic perfectionism. Believers seem to cringe with dread when the subject of righteousness comes up! But the Apostle Paul said the GOOD NEWS about Jesus should reveal the righteousness from first to last. Join me this week in CyberChurch as I launch a new study about Faith Righteousness: The Ultimate Revelation of God!

When we ask the wrong questions, we always get the wrong answers. A wrong answer doesn’t mean it is incorrect; it often means it is of no benefit. The Church has a voracious appetite to know a myriad of things about the tribulation that will be of little value as we approach the end times. It seems that everyone knows about the New World being established by the godless elite. But few know that it is merely a counterfeit. Jesus Himself is going to establish a New World Order in righteousness. For the first time in 6000 years, we will experience peace on earth. Join me this week in CyberChurch to discover the secrets of The New Righteous World Order.

As the political system becomes more and more corrupt, the world will become more unfair. There will be no justice. The elite will rule over the rest of the population while the people become desperate for justice. There is no force on earth that will be able to stand against the antichrist and his demonically-driven world domination. But our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, will personally overthrow the wicked. This is our only hope! Join me this week in CyberChurch for The Lamb on the Throne to learn the very explicit manner in which Jesus Himself will conquer evil and establish a kingdom of peace, love, and righteousness for us.

One purpose of prophecy is so we can know what’s coming, and trust God’s promises concerning that event. There are more prophecies about the days we are living in than any time in the Bible. We should not be taken by surprise. Therefore, we should be able to count the cost and be prepared. In this week’s CyberChurch message, Knowing What’s Coming, I will share some of the primary events that will happen before the second coming of Jesus, so we can know, prepare and help those we love to prepare for His return.

The “Earth Dwellers” are not simply people who live on Planet Earth. They are people whose thoughts, beliefs, hopes, and expectations are based on carnal solutions instead of God’s desires and plans. When Israel was delivered from Egypt there was a group that went with them, whose hearts were more invested in Egypt than following God. They were called the “mixed multitude.” These are the ones who complained, murmured, and caused division and discouragement among those who sought to follow God! The Earth Dwellers will include believers who see themselves as citizens of the world more than citizens of the Kingdom of God. They will be a major source of persecution and conflict for the Church as it seeks to follow God into protection, provision, and deliverance. Join me this week as we discuss the Fate of the Earth Dwellers and how you can guard your heart from their poisonous doubt and unbelief!

God manifested Himself through Jesus in His birth (the manger), the cross, and the throne. If we want to see God as He is, we must embrace His manifestation in each of these arenas. Instead, many believers choose the manifestation of God that best suits their preferences: The baby Jesus in the manger, who doesn’t require submission and loyalty, the cross, where He did everything for us, or the throne, when He rules the world. Sadly, in each of these areas, we twist them into our religious preferences. But if we want to know and perceive God as He is, we must accept Him in each of these areas. Join me this week in CyberChurch and expand your understanding of God as we explore the manger, the cross, and the throne!

There are hundreds of prophecies that foretell very specific aspects of Jesus’ life and ministry. Each of those prophecies is essential to helping us establish our faith in the absolute reliability of God’s Word! Accepting the validity of prophecy is one of the most significant proofs that God is who He says He is. There is no place where that is more important than in all the aspects of Jesus’ life, ministry, death, burial, and resurrection. Join me this week in CyberChurch for The Manger, The Cross, or The Throne and expand your confidence in God and His faithfulness to His Word!

Every year we get bombarded by legalists who would make us feel ungodly for celebrating Christmas. We all know December 25th is not the day Jesus was born; however, it’s not the day of the year or week that makes a day holy; it’s what’s in our hearts! You can turn every holiday into a holy day with what’s in your heart! You can turn Christmas into a day of blessing, joy, and celebration. Join me this week in CyberChurch for this short message and discover how to turn holidays into Holy Days!

Is it true that demons can control Geographic areas of the world? While it is true, the way it is being taught is not only unscriptural, it ignores and opposes the finished work of Jesus. Most of what the Church teaches about the devil is based more on occult philosophy than the Bible. The Morning After the Rapture, massive geographic areas of the world will come under the influence of demons, but not how you think. What’s important is what you can do now to prevent being swept up in the evil that will overtake the world! Join me this week in CyberChurch as we explore Geographic Demonization and the three choices you have that will determine how it affects you.

Can demons influence people? Yes, they can. Can they take control of people? Not unless the person allows it! Nearly nothing we believe about the devil or demonic activity is based on the Scripture. It is primarily based on occult literature. The Apostle Paul teaches that every person who is not born again is under the influence of the prince of the power of the air. The Morning After the Rapture, there will be worldwide demonization. But you don’t have to be swept up in this flood of evil. Join me this week in CyberChurch to discover how to avoid falling prey to the devil's wicked plans for your life!