Archive for the ‘Humor’ Category
“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
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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.
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1.) StockCake (EDITED)
“God Hears His People!”
Filed under: Bible, by Tony Marra, 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, Gospel, Grace Communion Baltimore, Grace Communion International, Humor, 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, 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 7: 23-25, Basic Christian Doctrine, Being In God's Family, Bible, By Pastor Timothy, By Tim Brassell, By Timothy Brassell, Christian Faith, Christian Living, Christianity, Church, Deliverance, deliverer, Evangelism, Exodus 3: 2-15, Exodus 4: 1-5, Faith, GCI Baltimore, GCI Windsor Mill, God, God Father Son and Spirit, God the Trinity, God's Compassion, God's Faith, God's Faithfulness, God's Grace, God's love, good news, Gospel, Grace Communion Baltimore, Grace Communion International, Having The Peace Of God, Hebrews 11: 24-26, How God Reveals Himself, Humanity Revealed, Humanity Revealed In Jesus, I Am, 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, Participation with Christ, Participation with Jesus, 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, 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, Triust God's promises, Uncategorized, Understanding God, Understanding Human Beings, Understanding Life's Calling, Union with Christ, Who Is God?, Who Is Jesus?, Worship, Worshipping Jesus Adoption
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Audio – Part A:
Audio – Part B:
Audio – Full Message:
Scripture:
Acts 7: 23-25 Hebrews 11: 24-26 Exodus 3: 2-15 Exodus 4: 1-5
Summary:
In this sermon, Pastor Tony Marra delivers a powerful message centered on God’s attentiveness to the cries of His people and His faithfulness to deliver them. Drawing from the biblical narrative in Exodus, the sermon explores Moses’ journey from being a prince in Egypt to becoming God’s chosen deliverer for the Israelites. Pastor Marra emphasizes God’s compassion, sovereignty, and the personal relationship He desires with His people, reinforcing that God responds to oppression and suffering.
Through the story of Moses and the burning bush, Pastor Marra highlights the key themes of deliverance, the importance of humility, and the call to participate in God’s work of salvation. The message urges believers to trust in God’s promises and act as instruments of justice and reconciliation in a world filled with oppression and suffering.
Key Points and Highlights
🌟 The Faithfulness of God
- Pastor Marra explains how God fulfilled His promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob by raising up Moses to lead His people out of Egypt. He draws a parallel to God’s ongoing faithfulness to His promises.
🛡️ Moses’ Calling
- Moses’ encounter with God in the burning bush symbolizes God’s holiness and Moses’ humility. God called Moses to deliver the Israelites, reinforcing that He hears and responds to the cries of His people.
🌱 God’s Compassion
- The sermon reminds believers that God is not distant. He is intimately involved in the lives of His people, responding with compassion to their oppression and suffering.
🔄 Participation in God’s Mission
- Believers are called to participate in God’s mission, just as Moses was. Pastor Marra stresses that God equips His people to act as agents of justice and deliverance in the world.
🌍 The Eternal I AM
- Pastor Marra reflects on God’s self-revelation as “I AM,” emphasizing His eternal power, unchanging nature, and ability to meet every need. The name “I AM” is a reminder of God’s presence in every situation.
Context:
This sermon delves into the foundational story of Moses and the Exodus, exploring themes of deliverance, faithfulness, and God’s ongoing mission to rescue His people from oppression. Pastor Marra draws attention to how God’s promises to the patriarchs are fulfilled through Christ, the ultimate deliverer.
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1.) drmichellebengtson
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
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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”
GOD: The Most Important PERSONS and TASK For Everyone! Part 4 (Jesus’ Suffering/ The Biblical Worldview)
Filed under: 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, 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, relationship with God, Relationships, Sermons, The Church, The Father, Son and Holy Spirit, The Holy Spirit, Timothy Brassell, Trinity, Uncategorized, Union In Christ, Union with Christ, Witnessing to God, Witnessing to Jesus, Worship, Worshiping God, Worshipping Jesus | Tags: Evil Eradicated, God Is For Us, God Is With Us, God Revealed, God Revealed In Jesus, Humanity Revealed In Jesus, Jesus Assuming Human Nature, Jesus Substituting for Humanity, Jesus' Suffering, Pastor Timothy Brassell, Pastor Timothy Brassell of New Life Baltimore, Pastor Timothy Brassell of New Life Fellowship, Person And Work Of Jesus, Proclaiming The Good News, Sharing The Gospel With Others, Sin Destroyed, Spiritual And Physical Life, Spiritual And Physical Unity, Sufferings of Christ, The Meaning Of The Trinity, The Work Of The Trinity
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Part 4A:
Part 4B:
Bible Verse: Luke 4
Introduction:
In this series we are rehearsing and remembering the centrality of Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son, and how important every part of Who He is and what He does holds together as our Salvation. We are reviewing what it means that Jesus was born of a Virgin, that He lived a fleshly life for quite awhile, that he suffered and was crucified. We’re remembering what it means that he was the Resurrection, personally, in His Resurrection, what it means that He Ascended into Heaven, and what it means that He will return in His Final Appearing and Advent.
Theological Theme:
Jesus suffered because God-Father-Son-Holy-Spirit was intent to absorb every drop of sin and evil out of our human nature, in order to give us a renewed and healed nature in its place! The cross was not about the Father punishing His Son because He hates us and took out the hate on his Son. The Cross was about us punishing His Son because we were provoked by God’s goodness and Godness and we hated him! Two crucial questions arise: How was God going to get rid of the hate in our hearts without becoming human and substituting for us?!?! How was the Potter going to shape the clay without becoming the clay, while also remaining God?!
Christ Connection:
Jesus, the Son of the Father and Holy Spirit, assuming our human nature, had to go to the depth of sin by taking on our exact nature physically and spiritually, if he were to reach every part of us. The entire extent of our human being and activity had to be assumed, and was assumed by Jesus, without sin, thereby cleansing and renewing us with the love and life of the Trinity!
Keeping Jesus’ unity with the Trinity always in mind, we can say that: God-Father-Son-Holy-Spirit reveals Himself, through Himself, To Himself, As Himself, For us, and in us (for and inside our human being and nature) We then receive this gift in the Holy Spirit Jesus sends!
Missional Application:
In the Light of such Good News for humanity, the Church participates with Jesus Christ in receiving the Spirit and sharing this Good News with all, encouraging them to turn from their sin and receive relationship with the Father-Son-Holy-Spirit-God!
Our Gospel message can be proclaimed similar to what St. Augustine has written:
“There is nothing too subtle or dense for the Spirit to penetrate or too sinful for the Spirit to cleanse or too weary for the Spirit to refresh or too dead for the Spirit to breathe life into again. The Spirit strives with us, prays for us, groans with us (Rom. 8:18–27; Augustine, Hom. on 1 John 8).”
Photo Compliments: trinityandhumanity.com
Becoming An Ethically Responsible Christian Disciple! Part 2 (Our Christian/ Biblical Worldview)
Filed under: Bible, By Tim Brassell, Children's Ministry, 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, Gospel, Grace Communion Baltimore, Grace Communion International, Humor, 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, Sermons, Song, Spiritual Warfare, 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: Active Participation With Jesus, Adoption, Christian Living, Christianity, Church, Colossians, Colossians 1, Colossians 2, Colossians 3: 17, Colossians 3: 23, 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, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jesus Is God's Love Revealed, Jesus is the way the truth and the life, jesus ministry, JESUS THE CHRIST, Jesus Transforms, Jesus' Authority, Jesus' Presence, Jesus: True God True Man, Love, Outpouring Of The Holy Spirit, Participation with Jesus, Participation with Jesus Christ, Pastor Timothy Brassell of New Life Baltimore, Perichoresis, presence, Purpose, Receiving God's Love, Relationship With Jesus, Relationships, Salvation, Salvation By Grace, Sharing God's Love With Others, Spiritual Maturity, Spirituality, The Father, The Father's Love, The Father-Son-and-Spirit-God, The Holy Spirit, The Holy Spirit is to be worshiped, The Holy Spirit Of Love, The Holy Spirit's Power, Trinitarian Theology, Trinity, Unconditional, unconditional acceptance, Unconditional Love, Union and Communion, Union With Jesus, Union with Jesus Christ, Wholeness in Christ, Worship, Worshipping Jesus
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Part 2A:
Part 2B:
Full Message:
Bible Verses: Colossians (various scriptures)
Introduction:
Because Jesus Himself is our Ethic (our humanity living properly among his neighbors and glorifying the Father), ethics is the free gift of God given to us in Jesus Christ. Christian ethics are not a way to earn God’s love or a way to earn salvation through human works and achievements. It is the gift of participating with Jesus in his human life by Grace! Jesus is God’s Grace to us! Ethics is what it means to participate with Jesus in living his life in this world by the Spirit!
Theological Theme:
You begin life as a child but only so you can grow up into an adult. Similarly, through your union and participation with Jesus, by the Spirit, you are in the state of growing up and becoming a little Christ who glorifies the Father.
Christ Connection:
Jesus is the One Who stands in our human place and lives life in this world with our human nature and on our behalf in a renewing way that brings and gives us revitalized human life, destroying sin completely. He Himself, then, is our Ethic. He is the way we are called to live! Jesus is our proper human response to God and our neighbor! He is the only true Learner of God, and the only human fully obedient to the Father, AND he was and is this so that we might participate with him, glorifying the Father!
Missional Application:
As members of Christ and as people in this world, Christians have a dual citizenship. We have a complex responsibility – the response-ability of Christ, by the Spirit, to be equipped for the works of Christ’s service in the spheres of the Church, the Kingdom, and the State. The goal and mandate is to prioritize our relationship with God, and then, at his direction and under his authority over all, to love everyone, pointing them, through his mission, to him that they too may be in union and participation with him.
Photo Compliments: www. justbetweenus.org
Toward Obedience To His Word!
Filed under: Bible, By Richard Andrews, Christian Living, Christianity, Church, Discipleship, Faith, GCI Windsor Mill, Maryland, God, God Father Son and Spirit, God the Trinity, God's love, good news, Gospel, Grace Communion Baltimore, Grace Communion International, Humor, 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, Perichoresis, Prayer, relationship with God, Relationships, 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, Carriers Of God's Presence, Christian Living, Discipleship, father, 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 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, 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, Jesus Christ, Jesus is the way the truth and the life, jesus ministry, Jesus' Presence, Love, Obedience, Obedience to his word, Outpouring Of The Holy Spirit, Participation with Jesus, Pastor Timothy Brassell of New Life Baltimore, Purpose, purpose-driven life, Relationship With Jesus, Resurrection, resurrection of Jesus, Salvation, Salvation By Grace, Spiritual Maturity, Spirituality, The Father, The Father's Love, The Father-Son-and-Spirit-God, The Holy Spirit, The world needs Jesus, The World Needs Love, Trinitarian Theology, Trinity, Unconditional, Unconditional Love, union, Union and Communion, Union With Jesus, Union with Jesus Christ, Wholeness in Christ, Worship, Worshipping Jesus, You Are A New Creation
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Part A:
Part B:
Full Message:
Bible Verse: 1 Timothy 4: 11-16 2 Timothy 4:1-8 Titus 2:11-14
Introduction:
There is an entire world crying out for an encounter with God. To know he is real. Are we willing to yield ourselves to Him? – [Father –Son and Spirit God] – and enjoy the adventure of Christ that HE has for us in THIS WORLD that RIGHT NOW NEEDS LOVE!
Theological Theme:
God [Father-Son-Holy-Spirit] has made YOU and US as carriers of His presence, His glory, His fire. This is true even if you are not called to the office of an apostle, a prophet, a pastor, a teacher or an evangelist in the church. You are a kingdom entrepreneur. God desires to use you MIGHTILY in the marketplace to bring his transforming peace.
As carriers of God’s presence:
(1) We have to remind ourselves of the importance of OBEDIENCE to God’s word in His service to His people and for His people. If we are obedient to God’s word then the fruit of The Spirit should flow from us (Being an example outwardly). What feeds our INWARD so that our OUTWARD can express HIS LOVE and JOY?
(2) If you proclaim The WORD then you are proclaiming The TRUTH!
(3) God calls us to NOT neglect His spiritual Gifts. We have been gifted in service to Jesus Christ.
(4) Continue to grow as a believer to encounter God through PRAYER, READING, FASTING, MEDITATION, FELLOWSHIP, with each other!
Christ Connection:
Christians serve God’s people by preaching The Truth even it is costly. We have been called to preach The Word passionately so others can see and know who God is, and persist in sharing The Word whether it is convenient or not. You are a NEW CREATION in JESUS CHRIST! We have been redeemed and cleansed. We can be eager to do good works in Him for Him where we are now, regardless of the circumstances because Jesus Christ has made it possible for us.
Missional Application:
As Christ’s followers, we are carriers for God’s presence. As such, obedience to God’s word by The Spirit is what sustains us in our work with Jesus, and produces the eagerness to do His work. The Spirit will produce the eagerness we need to do His work…never us. It is The Spirit that sustains us in our work with Jesus.
Conclusion:
“The question is not, nor has it ever been, whether God is willing to move in the hearts of His people; the issue is whether we are willing to surrender in full obedience to Him so that we may begin to enjoy the enormous blessings He invites us to enjoy by living in His presence.”
― Ronnie W. Floyd, The Power Of Prayer And Fasting
Photo Compliments: slideplayer.com
Marriage: Profound Mystery About Christ And The Church! pt.1
Filed under: Ascension, Ascension of Jesus, Bible, By Tim Brassell, 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, 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, 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 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 Cor 6:17, Adoption, Christian Living, Discipleship, Ephesians 5, Ephesians 5:31-32, father, GCI Baltimore, God Father Son and Spirit, God in Flesh, God Incarnate, God Likes You, God the Trinity, God's design, God's Plan, God's Faith, 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, Gospel, grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, Grace Communion International, Humanity Uplifted, John 14:6, Love, Marriage, Pastor Timothy Brassell of New Life Baltimore, Purpose, Relationship With Jesus, Salvation, Spiritual Maturity, Spirituality, The Father, The Father's Love, The Holy Spirit, Trinitarian Theology, Trinity, Unconditional, Union and Communion, Union With Jesus, Wholeness in Christ, Worship
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Part 1A:
Part 1B:
Full message:
Scripture: John 14:6 1 Cor 6:17 Ephesians 5:31-32
This Message Series:
Living Into This Challenging Christian Life With Jesus! #12
Introduction:
“Paul’s governing insight was that all relationships between persons or groups of persons are to be informed, moved and regulated and so disciplined by God’s agapē love, provided as a gift of grace to his people. This love purifies and cleanses and repurposes the natural loves: family love, marital love and friendships. That love is first demonstrated in the relationship between the Triune Persons, seen concretely in Jesus in his relationship with the Father. Secondly, it is seen in Jesus’ words and deeds towards all he came in contact with. That love culminated in Jesus giving his life for us in his crucifixion and resurrection, ascension and promised return. So, every word and act of the members of his body in relationship to each other are to be moved and measured by conformity to and even sharing in God’s kind of love……it is only as we share in and live out of our relationship to Christ and his love that we are able to relate to one another in ways that bring about a fruitful unity and diversity in loving relationship, fellowship and communion.” —Gary Deddo
Theological Theme:
“Christian marriage is grounded in God‘s [Father, Son and Holy Spirit] own creative activity. The basic unit of creation is not the individual human being, male or female, but Man and Woman as one Man, one flesh. ln marriage God completes His creative act. in making man and woman one flesh and through them creating new life. When a man and woman marry they partake of God‘s creative completion of their being. and so in marriage man and woman do not have to do only with one another, but have to do with their Creator. “—T. F. Torrance
Christ connection:
“Jesus Christ is the one Word of God in, by and for whom humanity is constituted. He alone reveals God’s will for human life and flourishing. Consequently, marriage ought primarily to be understood christologically. The Church therefore rejects as false all efforts to ground its doctrine and ethics in sources apart from and besides this one Word of God. Such efforts threaten to turn an institution or relationship into an idol, an anti-Christ.” —Jason Goroncy
When it comes to identity, you are not the sinful acts you perform. Your identity is firmly grounded in Christ. In Christ, you are a true person and human being. That is who you REALLY are. The attacks we experience in our day are not just on us and our family, on nature, on creation, on the universe or on the church. It is an attack on Jesus Christ, the Lord of heaven and earth. When we have received the Spirit of God, we’re in union with Jesus Christ and have been sealed with the Holy Spirit so, by nature of that union, that attack is coming at us too.
Therefore, when we talk about ANY challenge of life, Jesus is the answer and because HE is also the LIGHT, and the WAY, we MUST talk about ALL subjects, more specifically, Marriage, Singleness and Sexuality only in the light of HIM.
Missional Application:
As Christians we worship the Father, through the Son, in the power of the Spirit. We then witness to him that all may turn to Him, receive his Spirit and live in union and communion with Him. We seek in His power to glorify Him in every part of our nature and in every relationship!
“This ongoing ministry of the Holy Spirit is essential for our participation in relationship with God on the basis of Christ’s ministry. The Spirit is the one who, in the proclamation and our hearing of the Word, gives us freedom to respond, who delivers to us the desire and willingness to repent, believe and trust Christ, and thus to receive the forgiveness God has, in Christ, already extended to us, and to receive the power to become and live as the adopted children of God that believers are….
Most particularly, life in the Spirit of Christ looks like a joyful, free “obedience of faith” in God through Christ that works itself out in following the many commands, imperatives and exhortations and correctives addressed to the church found throughout the New Testament. It involves a deliberate and purposeful participation in ministry as worship and witness that follows the patterns and priorities set out in the New Testament as enabled and gifted by the Holy Spirit. We can summarize all this under the heading of the Great Commandments of love for God (with all we are and have) and love for our neighbors (as God’s representatives)” —Gary Deddo
Conclusion:
1) Christian Marriage has to do with both people worshipping The Lord in a covenant.
2) A marriage is not just about the marriage itself- “the happening”.
“In the Bible, marriage is placed within the structure of the Covenant between God and man in which God revealed the inner basis and purpose of the creation. Marriage involves people in a way of life that is rooted beyond itself in the eternal Will and Truth of God and because in the sexual union of man and woman in marriage they are concerned with God‘s act, sexual acts outside that union are a sin against the Lord. Those who indulge in them are playing with God, and prostituting to their own selfish ends God’s creative act which constitutes the basic unity of man.” – T.F. Torrance
Psalm 51: 4 “Against you, and you alone, have I sinned; I have done what is evil in your sight. You will be proved right in what you say, and your judgment against me is just.”
Sin is sin against The Lord who created it the way HE wanted it to run, as a mirror image of HIM. If you indulge in something against the way of The Lord you are adhering to your own selfish ends and going against God’s creative acts which constitute the basic unity of man.
The way God designed creation it is what brings people together and holds us together and makes us whole. To do anything contrary to that is to destroy one another and to destroy the unity which we are seeking to have in Christ.
Photo Compliments: Faithlife Sermons
Christ-Centered Clarity On Sex And Marriage! Part 3 (Our Christian Response)
Filed under: 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, 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, 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, Authority, Christian Calling, Christian Living, Christian Response, Confessing Sin, Consequences, Costly Grace, Creation, Discipleship, Eph 1-3, Eph 4-6, GCI Baltimore, God Father Son and Spirit, God in Flesh, God Incarnate, God Likes You, god the father, God the Holy Spirit, God the Son, God the Trinity, God's Calling, God's discipline, God's Faith, God's Gift, God's Grace, God's Healing, God's Hope, God's Judgment, God's Law, God's Love And Life, God's Mercy, God's Mission, God's Patience, God's Power, God's Presence, God's Spirit, God's Warnings, Gospel, Grace Communion International, Guilt, healing, Honoring Leaders, Human Sexuality, Humanity Uplifted, Humility, Incarnation, Included In Christ, Integrity, Jesus, Jesus is the way the truth and the life, Jesus' Authority, Jesus' Presence, John 14, John 14:6, Legalism, Lord Jesus, Love, Marriage, Outpouring Of The Holy Spirit, Pain, Participation with Jesus Christ, Pastor Timothy Brassell of New Life Baltimore, Pastors, Purpose, Relationship With Jesus, Salvation By Grace, sex, Sin, Spiritual Maturity, Spirituality, The Father, The Father's Love, The Holy Spirit, Trinitarian Theology, Trinity, Unconditional Love, Union and Communion, Union With Jesus, Wholeness in Christ
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Audio Part 3A:
Audio Part 3B:
Full Message:
Bible Verses: John 14: 6 Ephesians 4-6
This Message Series:
Living Into This Challenging Christian Life With Jesus!
Introduction:
This series reinforces that the Christian Life is living out and manifesting the reality of our union and communion with the Father, through Jesus (the Son), and in the Holy Spirit in every part of our humanity! Our purpose in life is to be one with God! Despite our sin and weaknesses, the Lord strengthens us in our relationship with Him by the Spirit as we trust Him for it! When our Lord Jesus Christ reappears gloriously, we too will be glorified and fully blameless in Him! Until Jesus’ reappearing, the Christian life is a challenging life —lived out only in union and communion with the Father, through the Son and in the Holy Spirit!
“The Christian life is thus about living in dependence upon the Triune God of grace, and it has largely to do with the work the Holy Spirit does to unite us to and conform us to Christ through the “spiritual union.” It is through this union (our relationship with God) that we have access to and are able to possess all the blessings of grace. We trust Jesus to give us these blessings through the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Moved by the Spirit, we receive these blessings through repentance and faith. Though never earned or deserved, we receive them deliberately, using whatever capacities we have at our disposal (capacities that differ from person to person). Because our transformation (sanctification, maturation, growth) is God’s gracious work in us, it follows God’s timetable, and God is not anxious or impatient about the pace.”
“To understand the Christian life, we must account for the New Testament teaching that, as believers, we do not yet have the fullness of the Holy Spirit. As we receive and respond to the Spirit, living in fellowship with the Spirit, we must regularly be “filled with the Spirit” (Eph. 5:18). In this life we are given the “first fruits” (Rom. 8:23) or “deposit” (Eph. 1:14, also translated “down payment” or “earnest”) of the Spirit, having been “sealed” (Eph. 4:30) for a greater future with the Spirit yet to be unsealed. We thus understand that our relationship with the Spirit is not fixed, static, mechanical or impersonal. It is dynamic and personal.” – Clarifying Our Theological Vision, by Gary Deddo
Theological Theme:
The Christian’s calling is the highest of all, and so sets the highest standard. God-[Father-Son-Holy-Spirit] has predestined you before the foundation of the world to be seated in the heavenly places and to be adopted in Jesus Christ. The plan and will for your life is Jesus Christ! In this series, this calling has been proclaimed in Ephesians 1-3, and is essentially a calling to the body of Christ. God has predestined you as a human being to be a glorious human being sharing in the son’s relationship with The Father in The Spirit! Marriage, for some, is included in this calling.
Christ Connection:
Beneath and behind all the troubles of this world, God the Father has predestined you to be adopted as His sons and daughters and to share in His relationship with His Son – Jesus Christ, in the Holy Spirit. That is what your job is about, that is what marriage is about, that is what sex is about, and that is what singleness is about. The Father is working to make you a son or a daughter sharing in the Sonship of Jesus!
Missional Application:
Marriage has been ordained not just for Christians but for mankind. Because, in Jesus, we are all destined to go from dust to glorified humanity , the call goes out to all marriages to particpate with Jesus by placing their faith in Him, and receiving His empowerment in the Spirit!
As Christians we are to live in our marriages worthy of this calling we have received such that we witness to the Love of the Fther, Son and Spirit as His lights in this world.
Eph 4:1 beckons us all to think God’s thoughts along with Jesus Christ. “to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” – Ephesians 5: 15 —“Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise,” We are to be “filled with the Spirit.”— Ephesians 5:18
Be imitators of God, “submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.” — Ephesians 5: 21
“22 Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord…..25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her….. 28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church”—Ephesians 5: 22-29
“for we are members of His body.”(The Body Of Christ) —Ephesians 5:30
“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise— 3 “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.” – Ephesians 6: 1-3
“18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” —Ephesians 6: 18
Conclusion:
“Our personal response (or lack thereof) to God cannot undo the fact that Jesus is and remains Lord and Savior of all. The character and purpose, mind and heart of God remain just as they have been revealed in Christ. The finished work of Christ is never undone—God remains, in Christ, reconciled to all people, no matter their response. He has and holds out forgiveness for them, is ready to receive them back into fellowship with him, and in that sense accepts them. However, while God accepts them, he does not accept their rejection, their sin, their rebellion, but accepts them in order to do away with what is against them and against their participation in the reconciliation accomplished for them in Christ. Nothing changes that reconciliation (with all it means), not even a person’s complete or partial rejection of God’s gift. However, our personal response (participation) does affect the quality of our lived relationship with God and thus our personal experiencing of the benefits of Christ.” Gary Deddo
Photo Compliments: https://callingcouplestochrist.org/
Father’s Gracious New Covenant Warnings and Exhortations!, Part 2
Filed under: Bible, By Tim 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, 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, 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 with Christ, Witnessing to God, Witnessing to Jesus, Worship, Worshiping God, Worshipping Jesus | Tags: Adoption, Baltimore GCI, Christian Living, Confessing Sin, Consequences, Costly Grace, Creation, Discipleship, GCI Baltimore, God - Father-Son-and Holy Spirit, God Father Son and Spirit, God in Flesh, God Incarnate, God Likes You, god the father, God the Holy Spirit, God the Son, God the Trinity, God's Calling, God's discipline, God's Faith, God's Gift, God's Grace, God's Healing, God's Hope, God's Humility, God's Judgment, God's Law, God's love, God's Love And Life, God's Loving Authority, God's Mercy, God's Mission, God's Patience, God's Power, God's Presence, God's Spirit, God's Warnings, God: Father, Godly Leaders, Godly Leadership, Gospel, Grace Communion International, Guilt, healing, Hebrews 12, Honoring Leaders, Honoring Pastors, Human Integrity, Human Sexuality, Humanity Uplifted, Humility, Incarnation, Included In Christ, Integrity, Jesus, Jesus is the way the truth and the life, Jesus' Authority, Jesus' Presence, Jesus: True God True Man, John 14, John 14:6, Legalism, Lord Jesus, Lordship, Love, Marriage, Marriage Relationships, One Life, One Truth, one way, Outpouring Of The Holy Spirit, Pain, Participation with Christ, Participation with Jesus, Pastor Timothy Brassell of New Life Baltimore, Pastors, Purpose, Relationship With Jesus, Salvation By Grace, sex, Sin, Spiritual Maturity, Spirituality, The Father, The Father's Love, The Father-Son-and-Spirit-God, The Holy Spirit, The Life, the Truth, The Way, Trinitarian Theology, Trinity, Unconditional Love, Union and Communion, Union with Christ, Union With Jesus, Wholeness in Christ
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Audio – Part A: 27 min
Audio – Part B: 30 min
Full Message:
Bible Verses: John 14 – 6 Hebrews 12 Hebrews 13
Living Into This Challenging Christian Life With Jesus!
Introduction:
The Christian Life is living out and manifesting the reality of our union and communion with the Father, through Jesus (the Son), and in the Holy Spirit! Our purpose in life is to be one with God! Despite our sin and weaknesses, the Lord strengthens us in our relationship with Him as we trust Him for it! When our Lord Jesus Christ reappears gloriously, we too will be glorified and fully blameless in Him! Until Jesus’ reappearing, the Christian life is a challenging life – lived out only in union and communion with the Father, through the Son and in the Holy Spirit!
“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'” – John 14:6
Theological Theme:
How are we to understand our Father’s strong warning and exhortations in scripture?? Only in the Light of God’s Story, the Gospel!
Story of the Gospel: The Father is the great fountain of love and of every blessing, which he has always bestowed upon his Son in the Holy Spirit in covenant – in an unconditional pledge to love the other! The Son has always received the Father’s unconditional Love and returned it equally in response, in the Holy Spirit!
Christ Connection:
In lavish love that overflows, God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit desired to share Himself with others so others could know it too and so He thought of the first and most important thing to create: Jesus Christ our King! “He chose us in him before the foundation of the world!” “Jesus is the radiance of God’s glory, and the exact expression of his nature (IMAGE) IN FLESH, sustaining all things by his powerful Word!”. Jesus is God’s purpose for all creation, therefore, what Jesus did, mankind can participate in by Grace in The Holy Spirit. And so The Father, Son and Spirit made humanity in Jesus’ image (Gen 1:27,28): as male and female! He blessed us and gave us the task of being fruitful and multiplying together, in covenant, and gave us, together, dominion over all living things!
“Jesus was God spelling himself out in language humanity could understand.” – S.D. Gordon
Missional Application:
We are to look forward to living with Jesus in Heaven ON EARTH, so we invite everyone, everywhere, to repent, believe and receive relationship with the Father, through Jesus, in the Holy Spirit RIGHT NOW! Because this present evil age and world is not our home and will soon perish, we warn people not to place their trust in the world against Jesus but to turn from it, submitting only to Jesus and His Loving Lordship!
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” – John 3:16
Photo Compliments: youtube.com (Joy Williams)
Father’s Gracious New Covenant Warnings and Exhortations!, Part 1
Jesus Is Risen! So Go…Make Disciples! Part 4
Filed under: 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, Gospel, Grace Communion Baltimore, Grace Communion International, Humor, identity in Christ, 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, Prayer, relationship with God, Relationships, Scripture Paraphrases, Sermons, The Church, The Father, Son and Holy Spirit, The Gospel Project, The Holy Spirit, Timothy Brassell, Trinity, Uncategorized, Union In Christ, Union with Christ, Witness, Witnessing to God, Witnessing to Jesus, Worship, Worshiping God, Worshipping Jesus | Tags: Baptizing New Believers, C.S. Lewis, Christian Courage And Boldness, Confession, Destruction Of Sin, Disciple-making, disciples, Discipleship, Discipleship Defined, Evangelism, Faith, Forgiveness, Go And Make Disciples, God - Father-Son-and Holy Spirit, God Is Love, God's Creativity, God's Deliverance, God's Faith, God's Grace, God's Healing, God's Hope, God's love, God's Love Is Concrete, God's Perfect Love, God's Salvation, God's Spontaneity, God's Unconditional Love, God-Father-Son-and-Spirit Wants to Be Known, Grace, Hope, Hope and Love, Jesus Is God's Love Revealed, Jesus Is God's Salvation, Jesus' Boldness, Jesus' Command, Jesus' Commitment To You, Jesus' Courage, Jesus' Disciples, Jesus' Love, Love, Love's Purity, Loving God, Loving Our Neighbor, Make Disciples, Make Disciples Who Can Make Disciples, Making Disciples Who Make Disciples, Multiplying Disciples, New Believers, Participation with Jesus, Pastor Timothy Brassell of New Life Baltimore, Pointing Others To Jesus, Pure Love, Receiving Jesus Christ As Lord, Receiving Jesus Christ As Savior, Reconciliation, repentance, Respecting Each Unique Person, Salvation, Self-giving, Selflessness, Sent Out By Jesus, Sent Out By The Father, Sent Out by The Holy Spirit, Sharing Christian Faith, Sharing God's Love With Others, Suffering For Jesus, Suffering With Jesus, Suffering With The Church, Teaching New Believers, The Father's Love, The Gospel Preached, The Gospel Proclaimed, The Gospel Taught, The Spirit's Love, Transformed by Jesus, Turning To Jesus Christ, Valuing Differences, Wholeness in Christ, Witnessing to Jesus, Your Commitment To Jesus
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Audio – Part 4a: 27 min
Audio – Part 4b: 30 min
Audio – Full Message:
Bible Verses: Matthew 28
This Good News series is about Jesus’ Believers and Disciples “GO”ing in Active Participation with Him, Wherever He Says to “Go!…” AND MAKING DISCIPLES WHO CAN MAKE DISCIPLES!
Theological Theme:
Christian Disciples are those who willingly, by grace through faith, and in loving obedience, participate with Jesus in offering their total humanity in allegiance to the Father, through the Son and in the Spirit! Christian Disciples participate with Jesus in his repentance and baptism, being incorporated into his body, the Church. Christian Disciples become fully committed to making disciples of Jesus who can make disciples of Jesus that make disciples of Jesus – in the Spirit, through the Son and to the Glory of our Father!
Christ Connection:
“When the people of Jesus follow the way of Jesus, their stories will begin to look like his story (which is beautiful but it also comes with a cost).” – The Gospel Project
We have been drawn into the self-giving, other centered, self-sacrificing and generous, loving compassion of the Father, Son and Spirit God, through Jesus Christ. And though it comes at great cost, it also comes with great joy!
Missional Application:
*Don’t just “Bring a Friend” (everyone needs Jesus!), more than that, bring a pre-disciple of Jesus to the community of the Church Body.
*Start with one person (and only more if Father has made it obvious!) When rejected, go elsewhere. Feel free to look everywhere! Talk to disciples more about Jesus than something called Christianity. Talk more about Jesus than his Church!
*Don’t worry too much about bringing others to Church at first (think relationship, home, small group first!)! A person genuinely called by Jesus will be drawn to his Body, the Bible, prayer, the Father, the Spirit and loving all people.
*Remember that life is short and death is sure and people are living under the sentence of death! Physical death and spiritual death are real but now is a day of salvation.
*We must not be lax in discipleship because of past and poor teachings but we must be renewed at the living voice of Jesus Christ! “Can these bones live??? You know Oh, Lord!”
You received Christ though the proclamation and discipleship of his Church! Now is not the time to put down the Church but to lift up and be the Church and pray for the Church! God is not limited to the Church but in his oversight of this world Jesus is building his Church (and his Church is called to participate with him and to go and make disciples of all nations).
For the purposes of discipleship: There is a “them” and an “us”! We must never confuse who Jesus is on behalf of all, and who we are as individuals distinct from him and each other! There are some of us who are knowing, loving and trusting Jesus as he draws us to himself, and some who aren’t knowing, loving or trusting Jesus as he draws them to himself!
Photo Compliments: pinterest.com