Archive for the ‘Good News Celebration’ Category
“The Ultimate Goal of God’s Healing and Wholeness!”
Filed under: Bible, By Pastor Timothy, By Tim Brassell, By Timothy Brassell, Christian Living, Christianity, Church, Discipleship, Evangelism, Faith, GCI Windsor Mill, Maryland, God, God Father Son and Spirit, God the Trinity, God's love, good news, Good News Celebration, Gospel, Grace Communion Baltimore, Grace Communion International, identity in Christ, Inclusion, Jesus Christ, Love, Ministry, New Life Fellowship Of Baltimore Maryland, New Life Fellowship Of Windsor Mill, MD., On Mission with Christ, Participation with Christ, Participation with Jesus, Pentecost, Perichoresis, Prayer, relationship with God, Relationships, Resurrection, Sermons, The Church, The Dance and Dream of the Trinity, The Father, Son and Holy Spirit, The Gospel Project, The Holy Spirit, Timothy Brassell, Trinity, Uncategorized, union, Union In Christ, Union with Christ, Witness, Witnessing to God, Witnessing to Jesus, Worship, Worshiping God, Worshipping Jesus | Tags: Acts 3, Acts 4, Adoption, Basic Christian Doctrine, Being In God's Family, Christian Faith, Christian Living, Christianity, Church, Faith, GCI Baltimore, God's Faith, God's Grace, God's love, Gospel, Grace Communion International, Having The Peace Of God, healing, Healing And Wholeness, How God Reveals Himself, Humanity Revealed, Humanity Revealed In Jesus, Jesus, Knowing The Father's Love, Life's meaning and Significance, Love, New Life Fellowship Baltimore MD, New Life Fellowship Of Baltimore Maryland, Relationships, Revealing Your Life's Purpose, Sharing God More Accurately, Sharing In God's JOy, Sharing In God's Laughter, Sharing In The Divine Nature, The Basic Christian Belief, The God Who Is Love, the reason for your existence, Timothy Brassell of New Life Fellowship, Trinitarian Theology, Trinity, Understanding God, Understanding Human Beings, Understanding Life's Calling, Who Is God?, Who Is Jesus?
Leave a comment 
Audio Part A:
Audio Part B:
Full Audio Message:
Watch on Youtube:
Scripture: Acts 3. Acts 4:1-4 (CSB)
Summary:
What is the ultimate goal of God’s healing and wholeness? Is it simply that our bodies are healed, our circumstances improve, or our problems disappear? In this Gospel-centered message, Pastor Tim takes us deeper into Acts 3 and into Acts 4 to show us that, as wonderful as healing is, healing itself is not the ultimate goal. The ultimate goal of God’s healing and wholeness is restored relationship with God the Father through Jesus Christ in the Holy Spirit.
The man at the Beautiful Gate expected silver or gold, but God had something far greater in mind. Through Peter and John, the Father spoke a gracious “counter word” to the brokenness of this man’s life: “In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk!” His healing was real, physical, and astonishing but it was also pointing beyond itself to Jesus Christ, the One in Whom God is healing and restoring His creation.
Pastor Tim reminds us that this is the pattern of the apostolic Gospel. The Gospel is always “a word of God’s gracious healing in the name of Jesus Christ.” Every word spoken by sin and its consequences is confronted by the Father’s gracious word of healing and restoration in His Son. This is why Jesus must remain at the center of our witness. We do not ultimately point people to ourselves, our power, our goodness, or even merely to better circumstances. We point them to Jesus.
This matters because Pastor Tim reminds believers that we are successors of the apostles, not apostles in the unique sense of those original eyewitnesses who walked with Jesus, but successors in receiving and passing on their testimony. What they testified about Jesus Christ is now the testimony entrusted to us. The times may change. Cultures may change. The language we use may change, but the Gospel does not change. So what does that Gospel sound like?
It begins with grace. With what the Father has already accomplished for us in Jesus Christ, and in the light of Jesus, sin is exposed for what it truly is: not merely immoral behavior, but our rejection of God Himself, the very Source of our life. Yet sin never gets the final word. As Pastor Tim emphasizes, God’s grace is greater than our sin. Jesus has entered our broken humanity, borne our sin and its consequences, taken them into His death, and raised our humanity with Him in His resurrection toward the restoration of all things.
The early Church Father Athanasius beautifully captures this movement of God toward us in Jesus Christ: “the most holy Son of the Father, being the Image of the Father, came to our region to renew man once made in His likeness, and find him, as one lost, by the remission of sins”— St. Athanasius, On the Incarnation, §14
This is the gracious movement we see proclaimed in Acts. The Son comes from the Father not merely to repair something in us, but to renew and restore humanity in Himself. God’s healing is ultimately directed toward communion. Our participation, through the Holy Spirit, in the Son’s own relationship with His Father.
That grace calls for a response: “Repent and turn back.” Repentance is not an attempt to persuade a reluctant God to come near to us. The Lord is already present and acting graciously toward us. Rather, we are called to turn, receive, trust, and begin participating in the life that has already been given to us in Jesus Christ. Repentance means responding with our whole selves, body and soul, to Christ.
And here we arrive at the heart of the message: “The goal is not healing. Healing is not an end in itself.” Physical healing matters. Spiritual healing matters. The restoration of broken circumstances matters. But all of it ultimately serves the Father’s greater purpose of drawing us into communion with Himself through His Son and in His Spirit.
That is why Luke does not end this story with a healed man walking and leaping. The healing opens the way for the Gospel to be proclaimed and Acts 4 tells us that many who heard the message believed. The number of men alone grew to about 5,000. The miracle pointed beyond itself to Jesus, and through Jesus people were drawn into relationship and union with God.
The apostolic message also points forward. Jesus, Who is truly present with us now by the Holy Spirit, will return bodily in glory, and God is moving His creation toward “the restoration of all things.” The Gospel therefore carries both gracious invitation and urgency: turn to Christ, trust Him, receive what is already yours in Him, and participate now in the life of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Reflective Moment:
What if the healing you are asking God for is pointing toward something even deeper?
Bring the Father your need, your pain, and everything that longs to be made whole, but remember that His ultimate goal is more than changed circumstances. In Jesus Christ, through the Holy Spirit, He is drawing us into deeper communion with Himself.
As Pastor Tim concludes, “the ultimate goal of God’s healing and wholeness is a relationship restored to God the Father through Jesus Christ and in the Holy Spirit.”
We encourage you to watch the full message as Pastor Tim walks through the apostolic Gospel in Acts 3–4 and challenges us to consider not only what we believe about God’s healing, but what message we are passing on to others as witnesses of Jesus Christ.
“The Father Loves and Likes You: More Than an Event, It’s GOOD NEWS!”
Filed under: Bible, By Pastor Timothy, By Tim Brassell, By Timothy Brassell, Christian Living, Christianity, Church, Discipleship, Faith, GCI Windsor Mill, Maryland, God, God Father Son and Spirit, God the Trinity, God's love, good news, Good News Celebration, Gospel, Grace Communion Baltimore, Grace Communion International, identity in Christ, Inclusion, Jesus Christ, Love, Ministry, New Life Fellowship Of Baltimore Maryland, New Life Fellowship Of Windsor Mill, MD., On Mission with Christ, Participation with Christ, Participation with Jesus, Perichoresis, Prayer, relationship with God, Relationships, Sermons, The Church, The Dance and Dream of the Trinity, The Father Loves and Like You Celebration, The Father, Son and Holy Spirit, The Gospel Project, The Holy Spirit, The Plan of Adoption, Timothy Brassell, Trinity, Uncategorized, union, Union In Christ, Union with Christ, Witness, Witnessing to God, Witnessing to Jesus, Worship, Worshiping God, Worshipping Jesus | Tags: 1 John 4:9-10, Adoption, Basic Christian Doctrine, Being In God's Family, Christian Faith, Christian Living, Christianity, Church, Faith, GCI Baltimore, God's Faith, God's Grace, God's love, good news, Gospel, Grace Communion International, Having The Peace Of God, How God Reveals Himself, Humanity Revealed, Humanity Revealed In Jesus, Jesus, John 14: 9, Knowing The Father's Love, Life's meaning and Significance, Love, Matthew 3:17, New Life Fellowship Baltimore MD, New Life Fellowship Of Baltimore Maryland, Ocean City, Relationships, Revealing Your Life's Purpose, Sharing God More Accurately, Sharing In God's JOy, Sharing In God's Laughter, Sharing In The Divine Nature, The Basic Christian Belief, The father Loves and Likes You Celebration, The God Who Is Love, The Life Of The Trinity, the reason for your existence, Ther Father Loves and Likes You, Timothy Brassell of New Life Fellowship, torrance, Trinitarian Theology, Trinity, Understanding God, Understanding Human Beings, Understanding Life's Calling, Who Is God?, Who Is Jesus?
Comments (1) 
What do you believe God thinks about you?
Many of us have heard the words “God loves you” for most of our Christian lives. We know the verses. We sing the songs. We say the words. But somewhere beneath all of that, we may still wonder: Does God really like me? We can sometimes imagine God as distant or disappointed, or even think of Jesus as the One who came to convince an otherwise reluctant Father to love and accept us. But that is not the Father Jesus reveals.
Jesus tells us: “The one who has seen me has seen the Father.”— John 14:9 CSB
Jesus does not come to change the Father’s mind about us; He comes from the Father and reveals Him to us. The compassion, welcome, grace, and love we see in Jesus reveal what God is truly like.
Theologian Thomas F. Torrance expressed this beautifully: “There is thus no God behind the back of Jesus Christ, but only this God whose face we see in the face of the Lord Jesus.” — Thomas F. Torrance, The Christian Doctrine of God
That is profoundly Good News. The Father we meet in Jesus is the Father who has always loved us. The Son did not come to make the Father gracious; He came because the Father is gracious.
The Gospel Begins With God
The Gospel does not begin with humanity trying to find its way back to God. It begins with God coming to us. The Father sends the Son in the power of the Holy Spirit. The Son assumes our humanity and enters fully into our broken condition. Through His life, death, resurrection, and ascension, Jesus reconciles humanity to God, and by the Holy Spirit, we are invited to participate in the Son’s communion with His Father. Our relationship with God, then, does not begin with making ourselves lovable enough, faithful enough, religious enough, or good enough. It begins with who God is, and what He has done for us in Jesus Christ.
As Scripture tells us: “God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his one and only Son into the world so that we might live through him. Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.”— 1 John 4:9–10 CSB. God’s grace comes first. Our response comes afterward.
The Father Loves—and Likes—YOU!
That is why “The Father Loves and Likes You” is more than the title of an event. It points us toward the Good News revealed in Jesus Christ. The Father doesn’t love you reluctantly or merely tolerate you. In Jesus Christ, we discover that the Father truly loves and likes humanity and graciously desires our participation in His life. There is something wonderfully personal about the word ‘likes’. It is not meant as a sentimental claim about God, but to express the personal and relational character of His love which is, His gracious desire for us to share in His life and communion.
At Jesus’ baptism, the Father declares: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased.” — Matthew 3:17 CSB
Jesus is eternally the beloved Son of the Father. And through Jesus Christ and by the Holy Spirit, we are graciously adopted as God’s children and invited to participate in the Son’s communion with His Father. The Christian life, then, is not an anxious attempt to persuade God to accept us. It is learning to live in the reality of the grace that has already come to us in Jesus Christ. We worship and love because He first loved us. We serve because He first served us. We give because He first gave Himself to us. And we share the Gospel because this Good News is simply too good to keep to ourselves.
A Celebration of the Gospel
It is this Good News that is at the heart of The Father Loves and Likes You Celebration – A Gospel Celebration Weekend, hosted by New Life Fellowship, October 15–18, 2026, in Ocean City, Maryland.
This weekend is about more than attending another Christian event. It is an opportunity to gather around Jesus Christ and the Gospel. To worship, learn, ask questions, fellowship, celebrate, and grow together in our understanding of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Throughout the weekend, guest teachers and pastors will help us explore the Gospel and what it means to live in the reality of who God has revealed Himself to be in Jesus Christ. There will be teaching sessions, opportunities for questions and responses, worship and prayer, fellowship, Sunday worship, and even an evening to simply enjoy being together at The Great Dinner Dance.
The Gospel doesn’t merely give us something to study. It gives us Someone to know, a life to participate in, and something worth celebrating.
Reflective Moment
When you imagine God looking at you, what do you see on His face? Disappointment? Distance? Reluctant acceptance? Or are you learning to see the Father through Jesus?
Jesus tells us, “The one who has seen me has seen the Father.” Look at Jesus, welcoming sinners, touching the untouchable, giving Himself for the world, and rising victorious over sin and death. This is the Father, Jesus reveals. What might change if you truly believed that the Father does not merely tolerate you, but in Jesus Christ has graciously drawn you near? This is Good News to receive, a life to participate in, and a Gospel worth celebrating.
You’re Invited!
The Father Loves and Likes You Celebration – A Gospel Celebration Weekend, October 15–18, 2026 | Ocean City, Maryland
We would love for you to join us for this special weekend centered on Jesus Christ and the Good News of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, with Gospel teaching, worship, prayer, fellowship, questions and responses, and celebration.
Registration Is Currently FREE!
Early Registration is complimentary through September 15, 2026. Beginning September 16, registration will be $150, so we encourage you to register early and reserve your place for the Celebration.
REGISTER FOR THE CELEBRATION
https://www.newlifebaltimore.org/events
Explore the Celebration Booklet
Want to know more about the weekend? Our Celebration Booklet has everything you need to know in one place, including our speakers, teaching and worship, weekend highlights, The Great Dinner Dance, hotel information, things to do while you’re in Ocean City, and more.
VIEW THE CELEBRATION BOOKLET
https://tinyurl.com/FLLUC-Booklet
Reserve Your Hotel Room
The Celebration will be held at the Holiday Inn Oceanfront, 6600 Coastal Highway, Ocean City, Maryland 21842.
Please remember that hotel accommodations are not included with Celebration registration and must be reserved separately. A special group reservation link is available for Celebration attendees. Rooms are limited, so we encourage you to make your hotel reservation early.
RESERVE YOUR HOTEL ROOM
https://tinyurl.com/NLFHolidayInn
We hope you’ll join us in Ocean City as we gather around the Gospel, grow together in our understanding of who God has revealed Himself to be in Jesus Christ, and celebrate the Good News that the Father loves—and likes—you!
Hosted by New Life Fellowship
Centered on Jesus Christ • Participating in the Life of the Trinity
“The Weight Only God Can Bear!”
Filed under: Bible, By Karan Barthelmy-Harris, By Pastor Timothy, By Tim Brassell, By Timothy Brassell, Christian Living, Christianity, Church, Discipleship, Evangelism, Faith, GCI Windsor Mill, Maryland, God, God Father Son and Spirit, God the Trinity, God's love, good news, Good News Celebration, Gospel, Grace Communion Baltimore, Grace Communion International, identity in Christ, Inclusion, Jesus Christ, Love, Ministry, New Life Fellowship Of Baltimore Maryland, New Life Fellowship Of Windsor Mill, MD., On Mission with Christ, Participation with Christ, Participation with Jesus, Perichoresis, Prayer, relationship with God, Relationships, Sermons, The Church, The Dance and Dream of the Trinity, The Father, Son and Holy Spirit, The Gospel Project, The Holy Spirit, The Plan of Adoption, Timothy Brassell, Trinity, Uncategorized, union, Union In Christ, Union with Christ, Witness, Witnessing to God, Witnessing to Jesus, Worship, Worshiping God, Worshipping Jesus | Tags: Adoption, Basic Christian Doctrine, Being In God's Family, Christian Faith, Christian Living, Christianity, Church, Entrust Your Heart, Faith, GCI Baltimore, God's Faith, God's Grace, God's love, Gospel, Grace Communion International, Having The Peace Of God, How God Reveals Himself, Humanity Revealed, Humanity Revealed In Jesus, Jeremiah 17, Jesus, John 17, Knowing The Father's Love, Life's meaning and Significance, Love, New Life Fellowship Baltimore MD, New Life Fellowship Of Baltimore Maryland, Psalm 62, Relationships, Rest In Christ, Revealing Your Life's Purpose, Romans 38-39, Sharing God More Accurately, Sharing In God's JOy, Sharing In God's Laughter, Sharing In The Divine Nature, The Basic Christian Belief, The God Who Is Love, the reason for your existence, Timothy Brassell of New Life Fellowship, Trinitarian Theology, Trinity, Understanding God, Understanding Human Beings, Understanding Life's Calling, Who Is God?, Who Is Jesus?
Leave a comment 
“You have made us for Yourself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You.”— St. Augustine, Confessions, Book I, Chapter 1
Every heart is carrying a weight. Who or what is carrying yours?
There are moments in life that quietly reveal where we have placed our deepest trust. Sometimes they come through disappointment. Sometimes through loss. Sometimes through watching someone we dearly love slowly change before our eyes. In those moments, we often discover that the very things we were leaning upon cannot ultimately hold us. This is not because all of those things are bad. They can be gifts from God, given to be received with gratitude. But some gifts were never meant to become the foundation of our lives.
The truth is, we were created for something (or rather, Someone!) infinitely greater. Before there was ever a longing in the human heart, there was the eternal fellowship of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Before we ever searched for love, security, significance, or belonging, these realities already existed perfectly within the life of the Triune God. Jesus reveals that humanity was created to participate in the life and love of the Father, through the Son, and in the Holy Spirit. This is why every human heart longs for something more and ultimately Someone to eternally trust. We long to be fully known without fear of rejection, to be loved without condition, and to find a peace that remains even when life changes. These desires are not weaknesses to overcome; they are gifts that point us toward the One in whose image we were created.
Yet in a world fractured by sin, we often look for that life in places it was never meant to be found. We quietly place the weight of our hearts upon relationships, careers, achievements, financial security, ministries, possessions, or even our own abilities. None of these are necessarily evil. They can be gifts from God to be received with gratitude. The problem begins when we ask those gifts to become the foundation of our identity, our security, or our hope. Every disappointment we face becomes an invitation to ask a deeper question: Have I been asking creation to carry what only the Creator can bear? The prophet Jeremiah speaks directly into this struggle:
“This is what the LORD says: The person who trusts in mankind, who makes human flesh his strength and turns his heart from the LORD is cursed… Blessed is the person who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence indeed is the LORD.”— Jeremiah 17:5, 7 (CSB)
Jeremiah is not warning us against loving people. He is reminding us that ultimate confidence belongs to the Lord alone. Every created gift has its limits. Only the Creator can bear the full weight of the human heart.
Over the past several years, I have watched my father grow older. It has been one of the most painful experiences of my life. The man I admire so deeply, the one whose brilliant mind, loving heart, wisdom, humor, and conversations have shaped so much of who I am, is changing. We still talk every day, and I treasure those conversations more than ever. Yet some days are harder than others as I watch his memory slowly fade. There are moments when I realize that I am slowly saying goodbye to the father I have always known, even while he is still here.
I love him no less today than I ever have. If anything, I love him so much more. Yet through this journey, the Father has been gently teaching me something I never expected. As much as I cherish my earthly father, he was never meant to carry the weight of my ultimate security. He was, and always will be, a precious gift, but never the Giver Himself. The ache I feel is real, but it has become a reminder that every good gift in this life points beyond itself to the One who never changes.
Perhaps this is one of the Father’s greatest gifts hidden within our disappointments. Not because He delights in our pain, but because He lovingly exposes every place where we have sought life apart from Him. He does not shame us for leaning on fragile foundations; He gently invites us to stand upon the one foundation that can never be shaken. This is the astonishing beauty of the Gospel.
Jesus Christ did not simply come to improve our lives or offer better advice. The eternal Son became one with our humanity, entered our brokenness, bore our sin, conquered death, and reconciled us to the Father. In His incarnation, life, death, resurrection, and ascension, He has done far more than make forgiveness possible. He has brought humanity into His own communion with the Father through the Holy Spirit. On the night before His crucifixion, Jesus prayed words that reveal the very heart of the Gospel:
“May they all be one, as You, Father, are in Me and I am in You. May they also be in Us… I am in them and You are in Me… You have loved them as You have loved Me.”— John 17:21, 23 (CSB)
Pause and let those words sink in. Jesus does not merely pray that we would believe certain truths about God. He prays that we would participate in the very communion He has eternally shared with His Father. Even more astonishingly, He declares that the Father loves us as He loves His own Son. And yet there is something even more astonishing. Jesus prays, “I am in them…” While He is praying this prayer for us, He is at the same time praying it, as one of us! This means that solely by Grace our human nature is already, in and through Jesus, participating in His communion with His Father! He is both asking and answering His prayer for us, at one and the same time!
Jesus has not left us to discover the Father by searching through creation or by placing our hope in created things. He has revealed the Father in Himself and, through the Holy Spirit, brought us into His own relationship with the Father. This is not merely a truth to be understood, but a life entered into already by Jesus and therefore a life to be participated in by us with Jesus. As theologian John D. Zizioulas beautifully observes:
“Faith in the Holy Trinity is not simply a matter of accepting a theoretical proposition about God, but of relating one’s existence to this faith.”— John D. Zizioulas
The Christian life, therefore, is not primarily about trying harder to trust God. It is about participating in the life of Jesus Christ Himself. Because we are united to the Son, our identity is no longer something we must earn. Because we share in His relationship with the Father, our security no longer depends upon people or circumstances. Because the Holy Spirit unites us to Christ, our hope no longer rises and falls with the successes or failures of this world. This does not mean we are spared grief. We still experience loss, illness, disappointment, and the sorrow that accompanies life in a world awaiting its full renewal. But these things no longer possess the final word. Jesus Christ has entered every depth of our humanity, and there is no place we suffer where He is absent.
The Apostle Paul writes with unshakable confidence: “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life… nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”— Romans 8:38–39 (CSB)
Everything in creation changes. The love of God revealed in Jesus Christ does not. When we entrust the weight of our hearts to the Father, through the Son, and in the Holy Spirit, something beautiful happens. We no longer expect people to be what only God can be. We are free to love them deeply without asking them to be our savior. We no longer expect success to define us or possessions to secure us. We are free to enjoy the gifts of this life without expecting them to give us the life that only God can give. The gifts of creation become gifts once again because they are no longer carrying a burden they were never created to bear. Only the Father, Son and Holy Spirit God can bear the full weight of the human heart. The wonderful news of the Gospel is that He alone has, and always will bear the full weight of the human heart.
Reflective Moment:
As I watch my father grow older, I find myself grieving the changes that time so gently, yet relentlessly, brings. Yet beneath that grief is a deeper peace. The earthly father who first taught me so much has always been held by our heavenly Father, whose love never grows old, whose strength never fades, and whose embrace never weakens. My dad’s hands may one day no longer hold mine, but the hands that have always held both of us never will let us go.
Perhaps today the Father is asking each of us the same gentle question: Who or what is carrying the weight of your heart? David invites us to respond with simple trust: “Trust in Him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts before Him. God is our refuge” (Psalm 62:8, CSB). Even when we have entrusted our hearts to anything or anyone other than the Father, revealed in the Son and present with us through the Holy Spirit, His invitation remains one not of shame, but of rest.
Entrust your heart once again to the One who alone can bear its weight. There, in the eternal communion of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, we discover the peace we have been seeking all along.
“Jesus’ Resurrection Changes Everything!”
Filed under: Ascension, Ascension of Jesus, Bible, By Richard Andrews, Children's Ministry, Christian Living, Christianity, Church, Discipleship, Easter, Evangelism, Faith, GCI Windsor Mill, Maryland, God, God Father Son and Spirit, God the Trinity, God's love, good news, Good News Celebration, Gospel, Grace Communion Baltimore, Grace Communion International, identity in Christ, Inclusion, Jesus Christ, Love, Ministry, New Life Fellowship Of Baltimore Maryland, New Life Fellowship Of Windsor Mill, MD., On Mission with Christ, Participation with Christ, Participation with Jesus, Pentecost, Perichoresis, Prayer, relationship with God, Relationships, Resurrection, Sermons, The Church, The Dance and Dream of the Trinity, The Father Loves and Like You Celebration, The Father, Son and Holy Spirit, The Gospel Project, The Holy Spirit, The Plan of Adoption, Timothy Brassell, Trinity, Uncategorized, union, Union In Christ, Union with Christ, Witness, Witnessing to God, Witnessing to Jesus, Worship, Worshiping God, Worshipping Jesus | Tags: Adoption, Basic Christian Doctrine, Being In God's Family, Christ Revealed, Christian Faith, Christian Living, Christianity, Church, Faith, GCI Baltimore, God's Faith, God's Grace, God's love, Gospel, Grace Communion International, Having The Peace Of God, He walks with us, How God Reveals Himself, Humanity Revealed, Humanity Revealed In Jesus, Jesus, Knowing The Father's Love, Life's meaning and Significance, Living Hope, Love, Luke 24, Luke 24: 13-49, New Life Fellowship Baltimore MD, New Life Fellowship Of Baltimore Maryland, New Life in Christ, Relationships, Revealing Your Life's Purpose, sent with purpose, Sharing God More Accurately, Sharing In God's JOy, Sharing In God's Laughter, Sharing In The Divine Nature, The Basic Christian Belief, The God Who Is Love, the reason for your existence, Timothy Brassell of New Life Fellowship, Trinitarian Theology, Trinity, Understanding God, Understanding Human Beings, Understanding Life's Calling, Who Is God?, Who Is Jesus?
Leave a comment 
Part A:
Part B:
Full message:
Scripture: Luke 24:13-49
Summary:
In this deeply theological and pastorally rich proclamation by Pastor Richard Andrews, we are drawn into the living reality that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is not merely an event remembered, it is the decisive act of the Triune God that redefines all of reality and restores what it means to be truly human.
The Father, in His eternal love, sends the Son into our broken humanity, not as a distant observer, but as One who fully enters our suffering, bears our sin, and carries our death. The Son, Jesus Christ, in obedience to the Father and through the Spirit, walks the road of humiliation, crucifixion, and burial. Yet death could not hold Him. By the power of the Spirit, He is raised, vindicated, and enthroned over all creation.
As Karl Barth so powerfully declares: “The resurrection of Jesus Christ is God’s ‘Yes’ to the life of Jesus.” This divine “Yes” is the Father’s affirmation that the Son’s life, death, and sacrifice are fully accepted, fully sufficient, and eternally victorious. And as a faithful theological summary of Wolfhart Pannenberg reminds us: “The resurrection is the decisive act of God for the salvation of the world.”— Summarizing the theology of Wolfhart Pannenberg. This means the resurrection is not an isolated miracle, it is the turning point of history itself, where God acts once and for all to redeem, restore, and reconcile humanity to Himself.
Luke 24 brings this truth into the realm of human experience. The risen Christ draws near to discouraged disciples on the road to Emmaus. He walks with them in their confusion, speaks into their misunderstanding, and reveals Himself in the breaking of bread. Here we see the heart of the Triune God at work: The Father purposes, The Son reveals, The Spirit opens eyes and ignites hearts. This is not abstract theology, it is divine participation. The resurrection is where God’s life meets our humanity.
Through the resurrection, Jesus does not simply conquer death, He invites us into His life. Humanity is no longer bound to sin, fear, or striving, but is drawn into communion with the living Christ. In Him, we receive a living hope, are made right with God, are given eternal life, and are assured that even now He intercedes for us.
Jesus’ resurrection changes everything. It reshapes how we see, how we understand, who we are, and why we live. He is not distant, but present, meeting us in every circumstance. In Him, Scripture becomes a living word that forms and reveals truth. Our identity is no longer rooted in ourselves, but in Christ who has claimed us as His own. And our lives are no longer self-directed; we are sent into the world as participants in His mission.
So, we do not merely celebrate the resurrection, we are invited to live in it, to believe, walk, abide, and share in the life of Christ. Because the risen Jesus is not just alive, He is present, He reigns, and He is drawing all things into Himself.
Key Themes and Reflection Questions:
- The Risen Christ Draws Near
Theme: Jesus meets us in real life. In confusion, grief, and doubt, and walks with us even when we don’t recognize Him.
Discipleship Question: Where might Jesus already be present in your life that you have not yet recognized?
#HeWalksWithUs - Christ Revealed in Word & Table
Theme: The risen Jesus reveals Himself through Scripture and communion, turning confusion into clarity and encounter.
Discipleship Question: How is Christ revealing Himself to you through His Word right now?
#ChristRevealed - A Living Hope Secured in Christ
Theme: Through the resurrection, we are given hope, justification, and the promise of eternal life.
Discipleship Question: Are you living from the hope Christ has given you, or from the fears around you?
#LivingHope - Life No Longer Our Own
Theme: The resurrection reshapes our identity. We belong to Christ and live in union with Him.
Discipleship Question: What part of your life are you still holding onto instead of surrendering to Christ?
#NewLifeInChrist - Sent Into the World
Theme: The risen Christ sends us to proclaim Him, empowered by the Holy Spirit in everyday life.
Discipleship Question: Who is God calling you to share the message of Jesus with this week?
#SentWithPurpose
Reflective Moment:
Pause and sit with this truth: The same Jesus who walked the road to Emmaus is walking with you now.
In your confusion… He is present.
In your discouragement… He is speaking.
In your unanswered questions… He is revealing Himself.
You may not always recognize Him at first, but He is nearer than you think. So ask yourself:
Where in my life do I need my eyes opened to see the risen Christ?
Where am I living as if He is distant, when He is already present?
And who is He sending me to, to share this living hope?
Because the resurrection is not just something to remember, it is a reality to step into.
“Know The God Who Is Here And Is Coming!”
Filed under: Advent, Bible, By Pastor Timothy, By Tim Brassell, By Timothy Brassell, Christian Living, Christianity, Church, Discipleship, Evangelism, Faith, GCI Windsor Mill, Maryland, God, God Father Son and Spirit, God the Trinity, God's love, good news, Good News Celebration, Gospel, Grace Communion Baltimore, Grace Communion International, identity in Christ, Inclusion, Jesus Christ, Love, Ministry, New Life Fellowship Of Baltimore Maryland, New Life Fellowship Of Windsor Mill, MD., On Mission with Christ, Participation with Christ, Participation with Jesus, Perichoresis, Prayer, relationship with God, Relationships, Resurrection, Scripture Paraphrases, Sermons, The Church, The Dance and Dream of the Trinity, The Father, Son and Holy Spirit, The Gospel Project, The Holy Spirit, The Plan of Adoption, Timothy Brassell, Trinity, Uncategorized, union, Union In Christ, Union with Christ, Witness, Witnessing to God, Witnessing to Jesus, Worship, Worshiping God, Worshipping Jesus | Tags: Adoption, Advent, Basic Christian Doctrine, Being In God's Family, Choose Relationship, Christ Came, Christ comes now, Christ Is Coming, Christ will come, Christian Faith, Christian Living, Christianity, Church, Faith, GCI Baltimore, God who comes, God's Faith, God's Grace, God's love, Gospel, Grace Communion International, Having The Peace Of God, How God Reveals Himself, Humanity Revealed, Humanity Revealed In Jesus, Jesus, Knowing The Father's Love, Life's meaning and Significance, Love, New Life Fellowship Baltimore MD, New Life Fellowship Of Baltimore Maryland, Relationships, Revealing Your Life's Purpose, Revelation 4, Sharing God More Accurately, Sharing In God's JOy, Sharing In God's Laughter, Sharing In The Divine Nature, The Basic Christian Belief, The God Who Is Love, the reason for your existence, Timothy Brassell of New Life Fellowship, Trinitarian Theology, Trinity, Understanding God, Understanding Human Beings, Understanding Life's Calling, Wake up to Christ, Who Is God?, Who Is Jesus?
Leave a comment 
Part A:
Part B:
Full Message:
Scripture: Revelation 4
Summary:
This first Sunday of Advent invites us to awaken from spiritual sleep and lift our eyes to the God who is both here and is coming. In This powerful sermon, Pastor Tim reminded us that time is not a dull, repetitive cycle but a purposeful, forward-moving story shaped by God’s self-revealing love. As Karl Barth writes, “God’s revelation is His self-unveiling, in which He speaks for Himself and acts for Himself; in which He makes Himself known.” Advent is this unveiling. God showing Himself, not staying hidden, not remaining distant, but revealing His heart through Jesus Christ.
Using the imagery of a spiral staircase, the sermon teaches that we are all moving either upward toward Christ, or downward away from Him. There is no neutral place in discipleship. To face Jesus in trust is to ascend by grace; to turn away is to drift downward. This sober picture is intensified by the reality of human fragility, the certainty of death, and the nearness of Christ’s return. We are closer to His final appearing today than we were last year, last month, or even yesterday.
Advent also calls us to understand the one coming of Christ expressed in a three-fold way:
- Christ came in the Incarnation.
- Christ comes now in the Holy Spirit.
- Christ will come again in His final, glorious Advent.
This is not confusion or contradiction, it is God’s relational, dynamic way of revealing Himself. As T.F. Torrance beautifully puts it, “God does not remain at a distance but draws near to us in His incarnate Son, making Himself known within the fabric of our human existence.” This nearness is not metaphorical; it is the very heartbeat of Advent.
Pastor Tim also helped us understand biblical “separation from God” not as God’s absence but as our relational refusal. God is present everywhere, sustaining all existence, even in the depths. Hell itself is not the absence of God. Hell has to do with rejecting a relationship with the Father, Son, Holy Spirit God…And we know that separation from God is not something God chooses for people…Hell is the natural consequence of rejecting the relationship God continually offers.”
Advent calls us to reject our double-mindedness, embrace the God who is making Himself known, and respond with trust, repentance, and love.
As Advent begins, the message is clear:
Wake up. Lift your eyes. Receive the God who is here and coming. And invite others into this urgent, beautiful relationship while there is still time. Christ is coming soon and HIS PROMISE is our hope.
Key Themes and Reflection Questions:
- Wake Up to God’s Presence 👁️🔥
- Theme: Advent shakes us from spiritual sleep, reminding us that God is already near, closer than our breath, and calling us to renewed awareness.
- Discipleship Question: Where have you grown spiritually sleepy, and how is Jesus inviting you to wake up to His presence?
- #WakeUpToChrist
- Time Is Moving Toward Christ’s Return ⏳👑
- Theme: Time is not a repeating cycle but a God-directed story moving toward the glorious return of Jesus.
- Discipleship Question: How does remembering Christ’s soon return shape your priorities this week?
- #ChristIsComing
- The Spiral Staircase of Discipleship 🌀✝️
- Theme: We are always moving, either upward toward Jesus by grace or downward by neglect; there is no neutral ground.
- Discipleship Question: Are you facing Christ in trust, or drifting downward in self-reliance?
- #StepTowardJesus
- The One Coming of Christ in Threefold Advent 🌟🕊️✨
- Theme: Christ came in the Incarnation, comes now through the Spirit, and will come again in glory. One God revealing Himself in three relational ways.
- Discipleship Question: Which aspect of Christ’s Advent: past, present, or future, do you need to reflect on more deeply this season?
- #GodWhoComes
- Relationship, Not Distance, Defines Salvation ❤️🔥🤲
- Theme: Separation from God is never His absence but our refusal of relationship and Advent calls us back into His embrace.
- Discipleship Question: Who in your life needs the hope that God is always present and always pursuing?
- #ChooseRelationship
Reflective Moment:
Take a quiet moment and allow the truth of Advent to settle into your heart: the God who created you is nearer than your own breath, and yet He is also the One who comes, revealing Himself, drawing near, and inviting you into relationship. Let this season lift your eyes above routine and awaken your spirit to His presence. Hear His whisper: “I am here. I am coming. Stay awake to Me.” Trust His nearness, embrace His coming, and let hope rise in you again.
“An Idolatrous People Receive Judgement!”
Filed under: Bible, By Melvin McKee, Jr., Christian Living, Christianity, Church, Evangelism, Faith, GCI Windsor Mill, Maryland, God, God Father Son and Spirit, God the Trinity, God's love, good news, Good News Celebration, Gospel, Grace Communion Baltimore, Grace Communion International, identity in Christ, Inclusion, Jesus Christ, Love, Ministry, New Life Fellowship Of Baltimore Maryland, New Life Fellowship Of Windsor Mill, MD., On Mission with Christ, Participation with Christ, Participation with Jesus, Pentecost, Perichoresis, Prayer, relationship with God, Relationships, Scripture Paraphrases, Sermons, The Church, The Dance and Dream of the Trinity, The Father Loves and Like You Celebration, The Father, Son and Holy Spirit, The Gospel Project, The Holy Spirit, The Plan of Adoption, Timothy Brassell, Trinity, Uncategorized, union, Union In Christ, Union with Christ, Witness, Witnessing to God, Witnessing to Jesus, Worship, Worshiping God, Worshipping Jesus | Tags: 2 Kings 17, Adoption, Basic Christian Doctrine, Being In God's Family, Christian Faith, Christian Living, Christianity, Church, Faith, GCI Baltimore, God's Faith, God's Grace, God's love, Gospel, Grace Communion International, Grace That Warns, Guard your heart, Having The Peace Of God, Hebrews 12: 7-11, How God Reveals Himself, Humanity Revealed, Humanity Revealed In Jesus, Jesus, Jesus Our Hope, Knowing The Father's Love, Life's meaning and Significance, Love, Loving Discipline, New Life Fellowship Baltimore MD, New Life Fellowship Of Baltimore Maryland, Relationships, Revealing Your Life's Purpose, Sharing God More Accurately, Sharing In God's JOy, Sharing In God's Laughter, Sharing In The Divine Nature, The Basic Christian Belief, The God Who Is Love, the reason for your existence, Timothy Brassell of New Life Fellowship, Trinitarian Theology, Trinity, Understanding God, Understanding Human Beings, Understanding Life's Calling, Who Is God?, Who Is Jesus?, Whole Hearted Trust
Leave a comment 
Part A:
Part B:
Full Message:
Scripture: 2 Kings 17
Summary:
In 2 Kings 17, we witness the heartbreaking fall of Israel, a nation blessed by God yet ruined by idolatry, compromise, and divided trust. Though God warned His people repeatedly through prophets, they refused to listen, rejecting His commands and chasing the empty promises of other nations, false gods, and their own desires. Israel’s downfall wasn’t sudden, it was the result of a long, steady drift from wholehearted devotion to God.
This powerful sermon by Pastor Melvin McKee reminds us that idolatry doesn’t always look like carved statues; it can show up as cravings for approval, security, power, pleasure, identity, or anything we elevate above God. When we place our hope in anything else, we eventually experience brokenness because idols cannot satisfy and cannot save.
Yet even in judgment, God’s heart is steadfast love. Like a Father who disciplines His children so they can live, He calls us to turn from what destroys us and return to Jesus, the only One who perfectly obeyed God and bore our judgment. Through the Spirit, God invites us to walk in true life, moving from idolatry to intimacy, from self-reliance to surrender, from wandering to worship, from spiritual emptiness to joy.
Key Themes And Relective Questions:
- The Danger of Divided Trust ⚠️💔
- Theme: Israel tried to trust God while also relying on other nations and idols. Divided trust always leads to spiritual collapse.
- Key Takeaway: God doesn’t accept part of our hearts; life is found when He becomes our only security.
- Discipleship Question: Where are you tempted to divide your trust instead of resting fully in God?
- #WholeheartedTrust
- The Reality of Idolatry in Everyday Life 🗿➡️💭
- Theme: Idolatry isn’t just ancient, it shows up whenever we rely on anything more than God for identity, joy, or meaning.
- Key Takeaway: Idols promise satisfaction but deliver emptiness. Only God satisfies the human heart.
- Discipleship Question: What subtle idols compete for your attention, affection, or allegiance?
- #GuardYourHeart
- The Love That Warns ❤️📢
- Theme: God sent prophets to lovingly expose Israel’s sin and call them back. Warnings reveal divine patience, not punishment.
- Key Takeaway: Grace often comes as a warning. God exposes idols so we can return to Him and live.
- Discipleship Question: How have you seen God’s warnings function as acts of love in your life?
- #GraceThatWarns
- The Discipline That Restores 🛡️🔥
- Theme: God’s discipline is not destruction. It is deliverance. He corrects His children so they may share in His holiness (Hebrews 12:7–11).
- Key Takeaway: Though painful, discipline leads us back to life and deeper intimacy with God.
- Discipleship Question: Where might God be using discipline to shape you more deeply into Christ’s likeness?
- #LovingDiscipline
- Jesus: Our Deliverance from Idolatry ✝️🕊️
- Theme: Israel failed under the weight of idolatry, but Jesus perfectly obeyed and took our judgment upon Himself.
- Key Takeaway: Only Jesus can free our hearts from the idols we cling to and restore us to true worship.
- Discipleship Question: How does Jesus’ obedience on your behalf inspire you to pursue Him with a whole heart?
- #JesusOurHope
Reflective Moment:
When we look at Israel’s story, it becomes clear that idolatry is not just an ancient problem, it is a human problem. As Martin Luther reminds us, “That now, I say, upon which you set your heart and put your trust is properly your god.” Israel’s heart drifted, and if we’re honest, so do ours. We all reach for things that promise comfort, control, identity, or security, but none of them can carry the weight of our souls.
Yet the good news is this: God never stops coming after His people. His warnings are mercy. His discipline is love. His judgment is not the end of the story but an invitation back to life.
Today, take a quiet moment to ask: Where is God inviting me to return, to trust, and to let go of what cannot save? The One who calls you away from idols is the same One who welcomes you with open arms.
“Take It Personal And Be Relational With Father!”Pt3
Filed under: Bible, By Pastor Timothy, By Tim Brassell, By Timothy Brassell, Christian Living, Christianity, Church, Discipleship, Easter, Faith, GCI Windsor Mill, Maryland, God, God Father Son and Spirit, God the Trinity, God's love, good news, Good News Celebration, Gospel, Grace Communion Baltimore, Grace Communion International, identity in Christ, Inclusion, Jesus Christ, Love, Ministry, New Life Fellowship Of Baltimore Maryland, New Life Fellowship Of Windsor Mill, MD., On Mission with Christ, Participation with Christ, Participation with Jesus, Pentecost, Perichoresis, Prayer, relationship with God, Relationships, Scripture Paraphrases, Sermons, The Church, The Dance and Dream of the Trinity, The Father, Son and Holy Spirit, The Gospel Project, The Holy Spirit, The Plan of Adoption, Timothy Brassell, Trinity, Uncategorized, union, Union In Christ, Union with Christ, Witness, Witnessing to God, Witnessing to Jesus, Worship, Worshiping God, Worshipping Jesus | Tags: Acts 2, Acts 2: 29-41, Basic Christian Doctrine, Being In God's Family, Bible, By Pastor Timothy, By Tim Brassell, By Timothy Brassell, Choose Eternity Well, Christian Faith, Christian Living, Christianity, Church, Daily Repentance, Evangelism, Faith, Faith Not Performance, GCI Baltimore, GCI Windsor Mill, God, God Father Son and Spirit, God the Trinity, God's Faith, God's Grace, God's love, good news, Gospel, Grace Communion Baltimore, Grace Communion International, Having The Peace Of God, How God Reveals Himself, Humanity Revealed, Humanity Revealed In Jesus, identity in Christ, Inclusion, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Knowing The Father's Love, Life's meaning and Significance, Love, Maryland, MD., Ministry, New Life Fellowship Baltimore MD, New Life Fellowship Of Baltimore Maryland, New Life Fellowship Of Windsor Mill, Ongoing Salvation, Participation with Christ, Participation with Jesus, Relate To The Father, relationship with God, Relationships, Revealing Your Life's Purpose, Sermons, Sharing God More Accurately, Sharing In God's JOy, Sharing In God's Laughter, Sharing In The Divine Nature, Son and Holy Spirit, Spirit Led Life, The Basic Christian Belief, The Church, The Dance and Dream of the Trinity, The Father, The Father Loves and Like You Fest, The God Who Is Love, The Holy Spirit, The Plan of Adoption, the reason for your existence, Timothy Brassell of New Life Fellowship, Trinitarian Theology, Trinity, Uncategorized, Understanding God, Understanding Human Beings, Understanding Life's Calling, Union with Christ, Who Is God?, Who Is Jesus?, Worship, Worshipping Jesus Adoption
Leave a comment 
Part 3A:
Part 3B:
Full Message:
Scripture: Acts: 2: 29-41
Summary:
In this powerful and deeply personal message, Pastor Timothy Brassell invites us to reimagine what it truly means to walk with God not just as Lord, but as Father. Drawing from Acts 2:29–41 and the foundational truths of the gospel, he challenges us to stop keeping our faith at arm’s length and instead, take it personally.
Pastor Tim reminds us that the good news of Jesus Christ is not just an idea or a doctrine, it’s a relationship. Jesus didn’t come to earth only to forgive sins or model righteousness. He came to show us the Father, and to bring us into the same relational communion He enjoys with Him. Jesus, even in His divinity, continually looked to the Father for every word, every move, every moment. That’s the model for us. Not religious striving, but relational surrender.
Repentance, Pastor Tim explains, is more than a one-time act for sinners. It’s a continual lifestyle for every believer, a daily turning away from self-reliance and back toward the loving gaze of the Father. Many of us think of repentance as something tied to guilt or shame, but biblically, it is an invitation into freedom. It is how we stay connected and soft-hearted, participating in the life that Christ has already made possible.
The Holy Spirit, then, becomes our vital connection point, the one who empowers us to repent, believe, and live in the reality of our identity in Christ. Even Jesus, the Son of God, received the Holy Spirit to fulfill His mission. How much more do we, in our weakness, need the Spirit’s power to live, love, and serve well?
Another core truth echoed throughout the sermon is that our identity is found in Christ, not in our performance. Jesus didn’t just die for us; He took on our entire human nature, redeeming it from within. This means we don’t relate to God based on how well we behave, but on how deeply we trust in who He says we are: beloved, included, and renewed.
Pastor Tim is also careful to remind us that salvation is not a transaction but a relationship, an ongoing journey of knowing and being known. It is possible to “believe” in theory while remaining distant in practice. The call of this sermon is to close that gap. To not just know about God but to be with God. To participate in His love, His mission, and His joy.
In harmony with this message, theologian Dan Mohler beautifully articulates the same heart of relational intimacy with God:
“We’ve been called into intimacy in relationship with God. We’re not just called to live a life of faith. We’re not just called to serve the Lord — a doctrine. We’re called into intimacy in the fellowship of His Son. The greatest ability you possess in the grace of God is to be with Him, not heal the sick. What surpasses everything you’ll ever do in the Christian life is the ability to be with Him — the ability to be one with Him, to have your face unveiled, to know Him and to be known by Him. It’s the greatest blessing of your life. [It] isn’t to serve the Lord, it’s to know the Lord.”
— Dan Mohler
This quote echoes Pastor Tim’s emphasis that God is not looking for performance, He’s longing for participation. He’s not impressed by how “useful” we are for the kingdom but rather how near we are to His heart.
Toward the end of the message, Pastor Brassell quotes C.S. Lewis to emphasize the seriousness of our spiritual decisions. Lewis writes:
“Every time you make a choice you are turning the central part of you, the part of you that chooses, into something a little different from what it was before… you are slowly turning this central thing either into a heavenly creature or into a hellish creature.”
This quote reminds us that our choices, even the subtle ones, carry eternal weight. We are always in formation, becoming more like Christ or more detached from Him. The beauty of grace is that we are never too far to return, but return we must.
1. Relating to the Father Personally 🙏👨👧👦
- Theme: Jesus invites us to relate to God not only as Lord but as Father, personally, intimately, and dependently. This mirrors Jesus’ own ongoing relationship with the Father as a human.
- Discipleship Question: How are you cultivating personal intimacy with God as your Father this week?
- #RelateToTheFather
2. Repentance Is a Lifestyle 🔄🧎♀️
- Theme: Repentance isn’t just for new believers. It’s a daily turning from self to Christ, a humble, Spirit-led reorientation to God’s truth and love.
- Discipleship Question: What is one area where God is calling you to return to Him today?
- #DailyRepentance
3. The Power of the Holy Spirit 🕊️⚡
- Theme: Even Jesus received the Holy Spirit to fulfill His mission. We, too, must rely on the Spirit for faith, repentance, and holy living. No true relationship with God is possible without Him.
- Discipleship Question: Are you surrendering daily to the Spirit’s guidance and power?
- #SpiritLedLife
4. Your Identity Is in Christ 👑🧬
- Theme: Jesus took on human nature, not just one person’s story, but all humanity’s. Our truest identity is found in who He is, not in what we do.
- Discipleship Question: What would change if you truly believed your identity was rooted in Christ alone?
- #IdentityInChrist
5. Faith Is Participation, Not Performance 🤝🛐
- Theme: We don’t earn God’s love. Instead, we’re invited to participate in the faith of Jesus. Salvation is not just belief, it’s communion and shared life with Christ.
- Discipleship Question: Are you approaching God as a performer or as a participant in His grace?
- #FaithNotPerformance
6. Salvation as Ongoing Relationship 💞🔁
- Theme: Salvation isn’t a one-time event, it’s a lifelong relationship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Repentance, worship, and communion are part of an ongoing journey.
- Discipleship Question: Is your salvation more like a memory or a daily relationship with God?
- #OngoingSalvation
7. The Urgency of Eternal Choices ⏳🔥
- Theme: Every decision shapes us into a being of light or darkness, peace or rebellion. As C.S. Lewis said, every choice moves us closer to heaven or hell.
- Discipleship Question: What choices are you making today that are shaping your eternal direction?
- #ChooseEternityWell
🌿 Reflective Moment:
Pause for a moment and consider this:
Are you relating to God today as a person — a Father — or merely as an idea?
Are you performing your faith, or participating in Christ’s love?
Are you coasting in belief, or continually turning your heart toward Him?
Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal any distance in your relationship with the Father, not to condemn, but to draw you closer.
Jesus has already made the way. The invitation is open. Will you take it personally?
🕊️ “You belong to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit not because of what you’ve done, but because of who He is.”
Make space this week to be with Him. Speak. Listen. Rest. Repent.
Let your faith be relational not just informational.
“Made for Relationship: The Power of Authentic Connection!”
Filed under: Bible, By Karan Barthelmy-Harris, Christian Living, Christianity, Christmas, Church, Discipleship, Faith, GCI Windsor Mill, Maryland, God, God Father Son and Spirit, God the Trinity, God's love, good news, Good News Celebration, Gospel, Grace Communion Baltimore, Grace Communion International, Humor, identity in Christ, Inclusion, Jesus Christ, Love, Ministry, New Life Fellowship Of Baltimore Maryland, New Life Fellowship Of Windsor Mill, MD., On Mission with Christ, Participation with Christ, Participation with Jesus, Pentecost, Perichoresis, Prayer, relationship with God, Relationships, Sermons, The Church, The Dance and Dream of the Trinity, The Father, Son and Holy Spirit, The Gospel Project, The Holy Spirit, The Plan of Adoption, Timothy Brassell, Trinity, Uncategorized, union, Union In Christ, Union with Christ, Witness, Witnessing to God, Witnessing to Jesus, Worship, Worshiping God, Worshipping Jesus | Tags: 1 John 1:7, authentic connections, authenticity, Basic Christian Doctrine, Being In God's Family, belonging, Bible, By Pastor Timothy, By Tim Brassell, By Timothy Brassell, Christian Faith, Christian Living, Christianity, Church, connection, Evangelism, Faith, GCI Baltimore, GCI Windsor Mill, genuine connection, God, God Father Son and Spirit, God the Trinity, God's Faith, God's Grace, God's love, good news, Gospel, Grace Communion Baltimore, Grace Communion International, guarded, Having The Peace Of God, How God Reveals Himself, Humanity Revealed, Humanity Revealed In Jesus, identity in Christ, Inclusion, Intimacy, isolation, Jesus, Jesus Christ, John 17:21, Knowing The Father's Love, Life's meaning and Significance, Love, Made for Relationships, Maryland, MD., Ministry, New Life Fellowship Baltimore MD, New Life Fellowship Of Baltimore Maryland, New Life Fellowship Of Windsor Mill, one body, Participation with Christ, Participation with Jesus, relationship with God, Relationships, Revealing Your Life's Purpose, Romans 12:5, safe, Sermons, Sharing God More Accurately, Sharing In God's JOy, Sharing In God's Laughter, Sharing In The Divine Nature, Son and Holy Spirit, superficial connection, The Basic Christian Belief, The Church, The Dance and Dream of the Trinity, The Father, The Father Loves and Like You Fest, The God Who Is Love, The Holy Spirit, The Plan of Adoption, the reason for your existence, Timothy Brassell of New Life Fellowship, Trinitarian Theology, Trinity, Uncategorized, Understanding God, Understanding Human Beings, Understanding Life's Calling, Union with Christ, vulnerable, Who Is God?, Who Is Jesus?, Worship, Worshipping Jesus Adoption
Leave a comment 
Lately, I find myself pulling away from my relationships, becoming more guarded, and isolating. Thankfully, a good friend reminded me of the importance of staying connected, especially in today’s world.
As human beings, we are innately wired for relationships. From the moment we are born, we enter a network of connections that form the foundation of our lives. Romans12:5 speaks of God’s Church in this way, “So in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.” This verse highlights that we are made for community since the Church is Christ’s body, and we’re all to be conformed to Christ, sharing life’s joys and burdens together. True relationships involve belonging and mutual care, just as God the Father shares His relationship with us through Christ, by the Holy Spirit.
C.S. Lewis tells us, “In Christianity, God is not a static thing—not even a person—but a dynamic, pulsating activity, a life, almost a kind of drama. Almost, if you will not think me irreverent, a kind of dance. The union between the Father and the Son is such a live, concrete thing that this union itself is also a Person… What grows out of the joint life of the Father and the Son is a real Person, is in fact the Third of the three Persons who are God.”
C.S. Lewis captures the heart of divine relationship—a life-giving, vibrant union, where each Person in the Trinity fully knows and is fully known. This union is the perfect model of community and intimacy, it is the kind of relationship that God [Father-Son-Holy Spirit] desires to share with us. Through Jesus, we are invited to participate in this divine dance of love and connection, not only with Him but also with one another.
However, just as we may struggle to bring our true selves before God, we often experience similar challenges in our earthly relationships. It’s easy to keep up appearances, to offer a version of ourselves that we think will be more acceptable or likable. We regularly find ourselves skimming the surface of true connection, hiding our real selves behind walls of privacy and guardedness. We text instead of talk, scroll through social media instead of sharing our hearts. Likewise, we tend to show only the parts of ourselves that we feel safe exposing, frequently leaving the deeper, more vulnerable aspects hidden. While we may still be surrounded by family or friends, these relationships can feel hollow when we are not fully present, withholding the authenticity that fosters genuine connection.
Opening up in this way IS risky because the other person may not return our love. However, the thing that makes relationships risky is the only thing that allows us to be relationally safe! In hiding, we risk missing out on the depth and richness that comes from being unconditionally known and loved, flaws and all. It is only when we dare to be vulnerable, we create space for genuine connection. It is in this openness that we reflect the relationship God desires for us, and that we were made for by Him: one where love and trust flow freely.
Just as getting close to God requires openness, as Lewis writes, “If you want joy, power, peace, eternal life, you must get close to, or even into, the thing that has them.” This same principle applies to our relationships with others. If we want deep, meaningful bonds, we must draw near, remove our defenses, and allow ourselves to be truly seen.
The beauty of relationships is that they are not only about the joy of being loved but also the joy of loving others in their authenticity. When we embrace our real selves in Christ, we mirror the life-giving union of the Trinity, a union built on openness, intimacy, and love in our relationships. In this way, our relationships become not only a source of personal fulfillment, but also of fulfillment for the other; a reflection of God’s relationship with us, inviting us to live out the fullness of what it means to be MADE FOR RELATIONSHIPS in response back to God. To give as we have been given. 1 John 1:7 tells us “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another….” This verse emphasizes openness and authenticity, both with God and with others. Walking in the light implies living in truth and vulnerability, which leads to true fellowship and connection with one another.
In John 17:21, Christ says “That all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me, and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” This verse echoes being invited into the divine relationship through Christ and extending that union to our relationships with others. Dietrich Bonhoeffer in “Life Together” speaks to the importance of Christ in Relationships, especially when we feel the need to isolate: “The Christian needs another Christian who speaks God’s Word to him. He needs him again and again when he becomes uncertain and discouraged… The Christ in his own heart is weaker than the Christ in the word of his brother; his own heart is uncertain; his brother’s is sure.”
In a world that often encourages isolation and superficial connection, let us choose a different path—the path of authenticity. Let us step into the dance that God [Father-Son-Holy Spirit] has invited us to, bringing our full selves, and in turn, welcoming others to do the same. When we do, we will discover that the greatest joy of all is found not in hiding, but in being fully known and fully loved.
Photo Compliments:
1.) StockCake (EDITED)
The Father Loves and Likes You 2023 Workshops
Filed under: Ascension of Jesus, Bible, By Calvin Simon, by Cathy Deddo, by Dr. Gary Deddo, By Pastor Timothy, By Tim Brassell, By Timothy Brassell, Cathy Deddo, Christian Living, Christianity, Church, Discipleship, Dr. Gary Deddo, Evangelism, Faith, GCI Windsor Mill, Maryland, God, God Father Son and Spirit, God the Trinity, God's love, good news, Good News Celebration, Gospel, Grace Communion Baltimore, Grace Communion International, Humor, identity in Christ, Inclusion, Jesus Christ, Love, Ministry, New Life Fellowship Of Baltimore Maryland, New Life Fellowship Of Windsor Mill, MD., Participation with Christ, Participation with Jesus, Prayer, relationship with God, Relationships, Sermons, Spiritual Warfare, The Church, The Father Loves and Like You Celebration, The Father, Son and Holy Spirit, The Holy Spirit, The Plan of Adoption, Timothy Brassell, Trinity, Uncategorized, Union with Christ, Witnessing to God, Witnessing to Jesus, Worship, Worshiping God, Worshipping Jesus | Tags: Cathy Deddo, Christian Living, Christianity, Church, Dr. Gary Deddo, Forgiveness, God - Father-Son-and Holy Spirit, God's goodness, God's love, God's Providence, God's Truth, Gospel, Jesus, Jesus' Lordship, Jesus' Salvation, Lord of History, Lord of Time and Space, Ocean City, Our Christian Identity, Prayer, Relationships, Spiritual Struggles, Struggling with Evil, The Evil One, The Father Loves and Likes You 2023, The Father-Son-Holy Spirit-God, The Lord's Prayer, Trinitarian Theology, Trinity, Workshops
Leave a comment 
Discover how the Gospel of the Father-Son-Holy-Spirit-God can guide us through the trials and tribulations of today’s world in 5 insightful teaching sessions. 
[Special guests Gary and Cathy Deddo lead us on a transformative exploration of Who Jesus is and our identity in Him amidst the challenges we face as the Church. Don’t miss out on this enriching experience and check it out! 
]
#GospelConference
#FaithInChallengingTimes
#NewLifeBaltimoreGCI
“The Scope of Christ’s Lordship”
“The Scope Of Christ’s Salvation”
“The Lord’s Prayer”
“Living As Christian’s In This World”
It’s Time For Jesus To Renew Your Mind!
Filed under: Ascension, Ascension of Jesus, Bible, By Tim Brassell, Christian Living, Christianity, Church, Discipleship, Evangelism, Faith, GCI Windsor Mill, Maryland, God, God Father Son and Spirit, God the Trinity, God's love, good news, Good News Celebration, Gospel, Grace Communion Baltimore, Grace Communion International, identity in Christ, Inclusion, Jesus Christ, Liturgy, Love, Ministry, New Life Fellowship Of Baltimore Maryland, New Life Fellowship Of Windsor Mill, MD., On Mission with Christ, Participation with Christ, Participation with Jesus, Pentecost, Perichoresis, Prayer, relationship with God, Relationships, Scripture Paraphrases, Sermons, Song, The Church, The Dance and Dream of the Trinity, The Father, Son and Holy Spirit, The Gospel Project, The Holy Spirit, The Plan of Adoption, Timothy Brassell, Trinity, Uncategorized, union, Union In Christ, Union with Christ, Witness, Witnessing to God, Witnessing to Jesus, Worship, Worshiping God, Worshipping Jesus | Tags: Adoption, All Are Included In Christ, Baptism of Repentance, call to repentance, Christian Life, Christian Living, Discipleship, father, Fruit of God's Grace, GCI Baltimore, God Father Son and Spirit, God in Flesh, God Incarnate, God Likes You, God the Trinity, God's Faith, God's Faithfulness, God's Gift, God's Grace, God's Healing, God's Hope, God's Humility, God's love, God's Love And Life, God's Mercy, God's Mission, God's Patience, God's Power, God's Presence, God's Unconditional Love, Gospel, grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, Grace Communion International, Humanity Uplifted, Humility, Humility of God, Humility of Jesus, Incarnation, Included In Christ, Jesus is the way the truth and the life, Jesus Transforms, Jesus' Presence, Love, Outpouring Of The Holy Spirit, Participation with Jesus, Pastor Timothy Brassell of New Life Baltimore, Pentecost, Purpose, Relationship With Jesus, renew, Renewal of Mind, repentance, Resurrection, resurrection of Jesus, Romans, Romans 12: 1-2, Salvation, Salvation By Grace, Sin, Spiritual Maturity, Spirituality, The Father, The Father's Love, The Father-Son-and-Spirit-God, The Holy Spirit, The Holy Spirit Of Love, The Holy Spirit's Power, Transformed by Jesus, Trinitarian Theology, Trinity, Unconditional, Union and Communion, Union With Jesus, Wholeness in Christ, Worship
Comments (2) 
Part A:
Part B:
Full Message:
Bible Verse: Romans 12: 1-2
Introduction:
“There is no point in playing down the staggering significance of the incarnation and resurrection. God the Creator of the universe, transcendent over all time and space, has himself become a creature within time and space, the man Jesus Christ… within the measures and limits’ of our human historical existence, he is at work in immeasurable love defeating the forces of darkness, irrationality and evil within creaturely being where they are…entrenched. The eternal Word-and-Reason of God has become human flesh, personally penetrating into and participating in…our existence!!” – T.F. Torrance, “Space, Time and Resurrection”
It is better to think of this Christian life mainly as something that God will pull off by grace and not something that you will pull off by works. The Father, through The Son, by The Spirit, meets us in the world in which we live right now. In the middle of the mess. The Father and The Son have broken into our chaos, along with The Holy Spirit and every BREAK-IN by Jesus is a BREAK-WITH the something else that was creating the chaos and holding us hostage.
Theological Theme:
Father, Son and Spirit God IN GRACE has given HIMSELF AS GRACE to be among us and to lead us from wherever he is right now. You are the beloved child of God in Jesus Christ. The beloved child the Father always wanted. This is not possible to believe and receive part from receiving the Hoy Spirit and having Spiritual union with Jesus Christ. Our Father is not discouraged that you, personally, have not yet fully received this truth about yourself but, encouragingly, He has made provision in His Son, Jesus Christ, to receive all those things on your behalf and in your place, so that you can trust him and grow up into Him, increasingly, by His grace!
Christ Connection:
We are being called by Jesus to have our minds renewed. “We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the Champion who initiates and perfects our faith. This is possible because he has gone before us and “Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.” – Hebrews 12:2, and he sends us the holy Spirit.
There is not a year on this earth or a political situation anywhere where Jesus is not human now and king of the universe. There is not a minute of pandemic and panic-filled life that Jesus is not the Savior of the whole world. Jesus meets us first as The Word, as The ONE who speaks to us, who lovingly comes to us and embraces us, who speaks a word of grace and love and goodness and gospel to us about Who he is and also who we are in him.
Missional Application:
We have the Person of the Holy Spirit of God. The very Spirit of the Father and Son. The Holy Spirit is the way that God is. He is God’s exact characteristics being God of God himself. He shares with us the characteristics of Jesus The Son who is always giving Himself in self-sacrificing, self-giving love for the other for the sake of the Father. The Spirit is the answer to the questions: “What has Jesus done for us and done on our behalf?” “What is He doing for us now? “How will that reach us?” “How will we participate with Jesus and what He is doing to glorify His Father, to honor Him?”
The answer is: He is poured out on the human race and from Whom we are given grace and power from Jesus to receive him. All people everywhere are continually encouraged to turn from their sin, turn to Jesus and relate with him in the communion of the Holy Spirit, becoming the saved and adopted children of God.
Photo Compliments: https://dougaddison.com