Archive for the ‘Song’ Category
Contending For The Faith Delivered To The Saints! – Part 1
Filed under: Bible, By Tim Brassell, Christian Living, Christianity, Church, Faith, God, God Father Son and Spirit, God the Trinity, good news, Gospel, Grace Communion Baltimore, Grace Communion International, identity in Christ, Inclusion, Jesus Christ, Love, New Life Fellowship Of Baltimore Maryland, On Mission with Christ, Participation with Christ, Participation with Jesus, Perichoresis, Prayer, relationship with God, Relationships, Sermons, Song, The Church, 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: Faith, Faithfulness, God's Faithfulness, God's goodness, God's Grace, God's Guidance, God's Holiness, God's Power, Goodness, Grace, Grace Communion Baltimore, Holiness, John 4, Jude, Jude 1, New Life Fellowship Of Baltimore Maryland, New Life in Christ, Timothy Brassell, Timothy Brassell of New Life Fellowship
Leave a comment 
Part 1a: 29min
Part 1b: 30min
Full Message:
This message of God’s Good News urges believers to contend FOR the faith once delivered to the Church, in participation with Jesus Christ!, and AGAINST the ungodly and cultural pressures and influences of our current times!
This is a Gospel message to a specific congregation of our times facing issues similar to congregations in other times as seen in the scriptures, particularly the Books of Jude and John. In this series, we make Christ-centered comparisons with the congregation in Jude and the Samaritan woman of Jesus’ time in John 4 to our particular congregation. You may, of course, see that the Church (maybe your local congregation!), especially in the United States, faces these same issues in general, and also be helped by WHO is proclaimed.
In the light of Jesus and the God revealed in Him (and over the course of 12 messages), we address today’s big questions regarding relationships, race, marriage, love, gender/sexual identity, politics, and worship and witnessing to the Father and Son through the Christian faith.
Foundational to this message is the urgent call for us to contend for the Christian faith (in which we participate in with Jesus Christ!) primarily by continuing to ask for and receive together from our Father – His Holy Spirit! He is WHO the Father most desires to pour out upon his human children! Even so, come Holy Spirit of the Father and Son, come!
Photo Compliments: http://www.tclministries.org/nt-scripture-gallery/
Nicodemus And The New Birth!
Filed under: Bible, by Tony Marra, Christian Living, Christianity, Church, Faith, God, God Father Son and Spirit, God the Trinity, good news, Gospel, Grace Communion Baltimore, Grace Communion International, identity in Christ, Inclusion, Jesus Christ, Love, Ministry, New Life Fellowship Of Baltimore Maryland, On Mission with Christ, Participation with Christ, Participation with Jesus, 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: Faith, Faithfulness, God's Faithfulness, God's goodness, God's Grace, God's Guidance, God's Holiness, God's Power, Goodness, Grace, Grace Communion Baltimore, Holiness, John 3, John 3: 1-21, Matthew 4, New Life Fellowship Of Baltimore Maryland, New Life in Christ, Timothy Brassell, Timothy Brassell of New Life Fellowship
Leave a comment 
Part 1a: 24min
Part 1b: 28min
Full Message:
Main Passage: John 3:1-21
“In Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus, Jesus taught this religious leader about the mystery of regeneration, what He described as being “born again.” As Christians, we have been born again by the Spirit of God through faith in God’s Son. The new birth is the basis of our confidence that God is at work transforming us and all who believe in the gospel.” – The Gospel Project
Theological Theme:
Regeneration is God’s [Father, Son, and Spirit] supernatural transformation of believers IN THE PERSON OF JESUS CHRIST.
Christ Connection:
Nicodemus was a religious man who was interested in Jesus’ teaching. Jesus told him that he needed new life, not more religious activities. Jesus’ teaching on the new birth reminds us that there is no spiritual life apart from Jesus. God loved the world in this way: He gave His Son so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.
Missional Application:
God, through His Holy Spirit, calls us to trust in His power to supernaturally transform us and those with whom we share the gospel.
“The work of regeneration is a supernatural work of God, not the natural work of man. Nevertheless, the responsibility of getting the message of the gospel out is the work God has called every believer to participate in. We should never assume that because people are familiar with religion, Christianity, or even the church that they know Jesus as their Savior. God has called every believer to trust in His power as we are transformed by the Holy Spirit.” – The Gospel Project
Photo Compliments: http://www.slideshare.net
What Jesus Christ Being Tempted Means For Us!
Filed under: Bible, By Tim Brassell, Christian Living, Christianity, Church, Faith, God, God Father Son and Spirit, God the Trinity, good news, Gospel, Grace Communion Baltimore, Grace Communion International, identity in Christ, Inclusion, Jesus Christ, New Life Fellowship Of Baltimore Maryland, 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 In Christ, Union with Christ, Witness, Witnessing to God, Witnessing to Jesus, Worship, Worshiping God, Worshipping Jesus | Tags: Faith, Faithfulness, God's Faithfulness, God's goodness, God's Grace, God's Guidance, God's Holiness, God's Power, Goodness, Grace, Grace Communion Baltimore, Holiness, Luke 2:52, Matthew 4, Matthew 4: 1-11, New Life Fellowship Of Baltimore Maryland, New Life in Christ, Timothy Brassell, Timothy Brassell of New Life Fellowship
Leave a comment 
Part 1a: 22min
Part 1b: 29min
Full Message:
Main Passages: Matthew 4:1-11 Luke 2:42
“Jesus demonstrated faithfulness in the wilderness of temptation. Unlike Adam and Eve in the garden and unlike the children of Israel in the wilderness, Jesus refused to gratify His desires apart from God’s will or to test God and His promises. Instead of taking the path of earthly exaltation, Jesus fixed His eyes on the cross and triumphed over the temptations of the Evil One. As Christians, we can resist temptation by trusting in the Savior who overcame temptation in our place. ” The Gospel Project
Theological Theme:
In the wilderness, Jesus, relating intimately with His Father, and in the Holy Spirit’s power, triumphs over temptation at the point that Adam, and Israel, and all of us have failed.
Christ Connection:
In order to undo the consequences of Adam’s sin, Jesus steps into our world and overcomes the temptation to which Adam succumbed. In order to fulfill the purpose of His people, Israel, who doubted God in the wilderness, Jesus overcomes temptation on behalf of His people. Jesus’ temptation is connected to His cross, the place where He conquered sin as our Savior.
Missional Application:
God, through His Holy Spirit, calls us to resist temptation by resting in our identity in Christ, the One who overcame temptation in our place.
“In each of the three neverto-be-forgotten pictures which our Lord has given us, the temptation of Satan centers round this point—‘You are the Son of God, then do God’s work in Your own way; assert Your prerogative of Sonship.’ Jesus deliberately rejected the suggested ‘short cut’ and chose the ‘long, long trail,’ evading none of the suffering involved.” – Oswald Chambers
“The first Adam sinned by eating. Christ prevailed by self-control. He thus teaches that there is no need for us to stay far away from God.” –Theodore of Heraclea
“The wilderness temptation represents an all-out assault on the identity of Jesus, which was revealed at His baptism. It was a threefold attack. First, Satan sought to tempt Jesus to satisfy His desires apart from the will of God. The temptation was to make Him rely on Himself apart from the Father in sustaining His own life with physical bread. Jesus triumphed when He spoke of relying on the word of God for life. Second, Satan sought to tempt Jesus to doubt God’s protection and to test that promise by jumping from the roof of the temple. Once more, Jesus displayed His total trust in the Father. Third, the Devil tempted Jesus to abandon the identity the Father bestowed upon Him at the Jordan, the radical identification with the world that would finally lead Him to the cross. Jesus’ final triumph in the wilderness occurred when He determined to serve and worship the Father alone and triumphed over the temptation of Satan. This is not simply an ancient story of a struggle between good and evil. It is a battle plan for those who long to remain obedient to God. Jesus’ victory in the wilderness matters because it is a foretaste of the victory He will achieve for the world on the cross. He is always the pattern and the paradigm. We have failed to engage or understand this narrative if we have not realized that His victory can be echoed in our own experience. His victory is ours! In light of Christ’s work, our appropriate response is following His pattern of obedience as worship.” – The Gospel Project
Photo Compliments: http://www.biblewaymag.com
The Son Of God Is Baptized!
Filed under: Bible, By Ann Vinson, Christian Living, Christianity, Church, Faith, God, God Father Son and Spirit, God the Trinity, good news, Gospel, Grace Communion Baltimore, Grace Communion International, identity in Christ, Inclusion, Jesus Christ, Love, Ministry, New Life Fellowship Of Baltimore Maryland, On Mission with Christ, Participation with Christ, Participation with Jesus, Prayer, relationship with God, Relationships, Sermons, Song, The Church, 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: Faith, Faithfulness, God's Faithfulness, God's goodness, God's Grace, God's Guidance, God's Holiness, God's Power, Goodness, Grace, Grace Communion Baltimore, Holiness, Matthew 3:17, New Life Fellowship Of Baltimore Maryland, New Life in Christ, Timothy Brassell, Timothy Brassell of New Life Fellowship
Comments (4) 
Part 1a: 25 min
Part1b: 21 min
Full Message:
Main Passage: Matthew 3:17
“John the Baptist was the prophet who prepared the way for Jesus’ public ministry. John prepared the way by preaching a message of repentance for the forgiveness of sins and by baptizing people as a sign of their allegiance to God. Jesus chose to be baptized, even though He was sinless, in order to identify with His sinful people and provide an example of righteousness. Similarly, Christian baptism symbolizes our union with Christ in His death and resurrection and marks us out as God’s people.” – The Gospel Project
Theological Theme:
In His baptism, The son of God, Jesus the Christ, through The Spirit’s power, identifies with His sinful people.
Christ Connection:
Jesus’ baptism shows us that Jesus completely obeyed God and identified with sinners by being baptized like sinners are baptized. His baptism points to His death on the cross and resurrection from the grave. For those of us in Christ, the words spoken over Jesus at His baptism are also true of us— we are the Father’s beloved children in whom He takes delight.
Missional Application:
God through His Holy Spirit, calls us to repent and be baptized as a sign of our identification with Jesus and His people.
“Every day presents another opportunity to realize afresh our need for the forgiveness that only Jesus can give—the One who identified with us through His baptism. Baptism is an act with several layers of meaning. John’s baptism focused on repentance and preparation for the coming kingdom. Christian baptism in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit goes further—symbolizing our sins being washed away; representing death, burial, and resurrection in Christ; and marking one’s formal entrance into a community of believers in Jesus.”
“Both by the words of the prophets and by John’s own preaching, this one thing is clear: he had arrived, making a way and preparing it beforehand. John was not bestowing the gift, which was the remission of sins, but preparing beforehand the souls of those who would receive the God of all.” –John Chrysostom
The Father Loves And Likes You Celebration 2018 Messages!
Filed under: Bible, By Ann Vinson, By Calvin Simon, By Richard Andrews, By Tim Brassell, Christian Living, Christianity, Church, Evangelism, Faith, God, God Father Son and Spirit, God the Trinity, good news, Good News Festival, Gospel, Grace Communion Baltimore, Grace Communion International, identity in Christ, Inclusion, Jesus Christ, Love, Ministry, New Life Fellowship Of Baltimore Maryland, 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 Loves and Like You Fest, 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: Colossians 1: 15-23, Faith, Faithfulness, God's Faithfulness, God's goodness, God's Grace, God's Guidance, God's Holiness, God's Power, Good News Celebration, Good News Festival, Goodness, Grace, Grace Communion Baltimore, Holiness, John 14-16, Malachi 3: 16-18, Matthew 2, New Life Fellowship Of Baltimore Maryland, New Life in Christ, Numbers 13:33, Philippians 4: 10-13, The Father Loves and Likes You Fest, Timothy Brassell, Timothy Brassell of New Life Fellowship
Comments (2) 
THEME: “Where God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit Is Our Main Event and Activity!”
Full Video Playlist Of Messages on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjILC4-exBRb9leV1gqy0qGWnYAkXTK1R
Thursday, October 11th, 2018
by Timothy Brassell – Lead Pastor, New Life Baltimore MD.
“The Heart Of Christian Faith Is God – Father, Son, and Spirit Himself!” Part1
Main Bible Passages: John 14 – 16
WatchVideo on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHtpZBe3umw
Audio:
Full message:
Part1a: 37min
Part 1b: 33min
” The most basic thing in Christianity is God – Father, Son and Spirit, who is the main event and the main activity. Since God is God – Father, Son, and Spirit, this means that at the center of everything is a relationship!…
He came into our flesh and he placed inside of our actual flesh His own relationship as Father, Son and holy Spirit. …..We are empty apart from God. We have our own natural life as he created. We have our natural relationships but those arn’t love because God is love and God has to be intimate with you in order for you to share in God’s actual love and life. So God had to come inside our humanity in Jesus Christ to place His love and life inside of our humanity so that we can actually taste of God’s real life and love…
Now we know what salvation is…..sharing in the life and love of The Father, Son and Holy Spirit, being in an actual relationship with God.
The good life is built with good relationships and that is because you come from a relational God – Father Son and Holy Spirit. I encourage you to take a few dates with Him instead of screen time. Talk with your mate, or whomever else is in your room or whomever you’re spending time with…..Talk about this God because He is the main event and activity. He is where you’ve come from and He is where you’re heading whether you like it or not but he has placed it into Jesus for you to be able to like it and not just to like it but to love it” – Pastor Timothy Brassell
Friday, October 12th, 2018
by Timothy Brassell – Lead Pastor, New Life Baltimore MD.
Breakout: “Gospel Coaching In Courageous Conversation” Part 1 & 2
Questions and Responses
Main Bible Passages: Mal 3: 16-18
Watch Video On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxhzdKpNeIQ&t=44s
Audio:
Full message:
Part1a: 34min
Part 1b: 24min
Part 1c: 26min
Part 1d: 24min
Part1e: 27min
Friday, October 12th, 2018
by Ann Vinson – Assistant Pastor New Life Baltimore MD.
“You Are Not a Grasshopper!”
Main Bible Passages: Numbers 13: 33
Watch On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MkczqlHqaE&t=7s
Audio:
Full message: 35min
“We are children of the most high God. There is no higher honor than that. You have been drawn by God. What report do you have? What did God say? He has prepared a place for you. He loves you. He has you in His arms. You are His children. Go take the land. It is flowing with milk and honey. It’s yours. May the grace of God fill your hearts as we share this good news with all that we meet.” – Pastor Ann Vinson
Friday, October 12th, 2018
by Calvin Simon – Lead Pastor New Creation Community Church – VA.
“Goodness Gracious Lord!”
Main Bible Passages: Col 1: 15-23
Watch On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MkczqlHqaE&t=7s
Audio:
Full message: 31min
“God’s greatest desire for us is for us to enjoy Him. Romans 12. This is how good God is….He knows that us trying to struggle to do things for Him is not going to lead us to life, but He says, if you will just take a minute and look at the things I have done for you, that will give you that praise that you want to have in you. This God wants you to know that He has been good and He has been faithful and He has been just all your life and without Him, you never would have made it.” – Pastor Calvin Simon
Saturday, October 13th, 2018
by Richard Andrews – Assistant Pastor New Life Baltimore MD.
“Living The Contented Life In Christ!”
Main Bible Passages: Phil 4: 1-13
Watch On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NERjMQzKsKM
Audio:
Full message: 50min
Part1a: 25min
Part 1b: 25min
“For those of us who want to live contented lives, we do so by fellowshipping with God’s people (Gen 1-26). God – Father, Son, and Spirit has always existed in perfect relationship for eternity. So when they say, “let us make man in our image”, it is let us make them to relate like us…….
I need you because, I was created to need you, so when I’m looking at some other thing and I am not looking at Jesus, I need you to say, “look at Jesus”. When I am struggling with abandonment issues and my self-worth before the father and wondering what’s going on with me, I need my brother to come tell me “look at Jesus” …..
We need each other because we are created in God’s image. We were created to relate to one another because that is how God is. He is the relational God.
If you want to live the ultimate life. If you want to live a contented life, stay connected to the source of life” – Pastor Richard Andrews
Sunday, October 14th, 2018
by Timothy Brassell – Lead Pastor, New Life Baltimore MD.
“The Heart Of Christian Faith Is God – Father, Son, and Spirit Himself!” Part2
Main Bible Passages: John 14 – 16
Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PO7qxlse4Fo&t=2s
Audio:
Full message:
Part1a: 35min
Part 1b: 40min
“The way the Christian life works is that we begin to have a central focus on Jesus because God The Father has chosen that we won’t even see Him except in the face of Jesus! So Jesus ought to be coming out of our lips, out of our teachings, out of all that we say and do. The life of God has been centered in flesh in the person of Jesus!” Pastor Timothy Brassell
“At the centre of the New Testament stands, not our religious experience, but a unique relationship between Jesus and the Father. No one knows the Son except the Father and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him (Matt. 11.27; John 1.18, 17.25-26). This unique relationship is vividly described as one of mutual love, mutual self-giving, mutual testifying, mutual glorifying. Indeed, there is a oneness of mind between the Father and the Son, revealed supremely in the Cross, ‘to bring many sons to glory’ (Heb. 2.10), ‘that we might receive the adoption of sons’ (Gal. 4.5ff)—that we might be drawn by the Spirit into that unique life of shared communion.”—James F. Torrance
“Worship is the gift of participating through the Spirit in the incarnate Son’s communion with the Father.—James B. Torrance, Worship, Community and the Triune God of Grace
The prime purpose of the incarnation, in the love of God, is to lift us up into a life of communion, of participation in the very triune life of God.—James B. Torrance
What God Becoming Human Means For Us!
Filed under: Bible, By Tim Brassell, Christian Living, Christianity, Christmas, Church, Faith, God, God Father Son and Spirit, God the Trinity, good news, Gospel, Grace Communion Baltimore, Grace Communion International, identity in Christ, Inclusion, Jesus Christ, Love, Ministry, New Life Fellowship Of Baltimore Maryland, On Mission with Christ, Participation with Christ, Participation with Jesus, 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, Worshiping God, Worshipping Jesus | Tags: Faith, Faithfulness, God's Faithfulness, God's goodness, God's Grace, God's Guidance, God's Holiness, God's Power, Goodness, Grace, Grace Communion Baltimore, Holiness, Luke, Luke 2:-1-20, Matthew 2, Matthew 2: 1-12, New Life Fellowship Of Baltimore Maryland, New Life in Christ, Timothy Brassell, Timothy Brassell of New Life Fellowship
Leave a comment 
Part 1a: 31min
Part 1b: 33min
Full Message:
Main Passages: Luke 2:1-20 Matthew 2:1-12
“The birth of Jesus is recorded in the Gospel of Luke and the Gospel of Matthew. Here we see the beautiful event in which God takes on human flesh and enters our world as a baby. In Luke’s telling of the story, we see that Jesus was born in humble circumstances, where the news of His birth was then announced to the marginalized of society. In Matthew’s account, we see how the arrival of the wise men demonstrates the plan of God for the gospel to go out to all the nations. As followers of Christ, we are to resemble the shepherds and the wise men—responding to Christ’s birth with extravagant praise and public testimony.” The Gospel Project
Theological Theme:
Christ’s humble birth demonstrates the nature and extent of The kingdom of God [Father, Son, and Spirit]
Christ Connection:
The birth of Jesus is the fulfillment of multiple Old Testament prophecies of the coming Messiah. The promised Messiah was born in obscurity, but after His death and resurrection, He was exalted as King of the world. In the humble circumstances surrounding Jesus’ birth, we see God’s love for all people in every nation.
Missional Application:
Like the shepherds and wise men, we should respond to Jesus, through His Holy Spirit, with extravagant praise and public testimony of His grace.
“We have not properly engaged with the nativity of Jesus until we find ourselves standing in the shoes of the shepherds and the magi. We are reminded once again that the rabbis said you have not walked long enough with someone until you realize that you are on the same journey. That journey from the obscurity of the sheep pens to that place beside the manger is a journey we must make as well. Like the shepherds, we must be drawn out of the daily drudgery of our lives and realize that the good news has been revealed even to people like you and me. At the same time, we are men and women who are unimaginably rich in contrast to the rest of the world. We have been gifted with an education that most of the people in the rest of the world could hardly dream of. Yet with all our possessions and education, we must acknowledge along with the wise men that something vital is missing. That “something” can be found nowhere else except at the feet of Jesus.” – The Gospel Project
“The global purpose of God is the glad praise of Christ among the peoples of the world.” –David Platt
Ezra Read “The Law”. We Read “Jesus”! pt.2
Filed under: Bible, By Tim Brassell, Christian Living, Christianity, Faith, God, God Father Son and Spirit, God the Trinity, good news, Gospel, Grace Communion Baltimore, Grace Communion International, identity in Christ, Inclusion, Jesus Christ, Love, Ministry, New Life Fellowship Of Baltimore Maryland, On Mission with Christ, Participation with Christ, Participation with Jesus, Prayer, relationship with God, Relationships, Sermons, Song, The Church, 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: Faith, Faithfulness, God's Faithfulness, God's goodness, God's Grace, God's Guidance, God's Holiness, God's Power, Goodness, Grace, Grace Communion Baltimore, Holiness, Nehemiah, Nehemiah 8, Nehemiah 8: 1-12, New Life Fellowship Of Baltimore Maryland, New Life in Christ, Timothy Brassell, Timothy Brassell of New Life
Leave a comment 
Part 1a: 29min
Part 1b: 27min
Full Message:
Main Passage: Nehemiah 8:1-12
“God’s people are to be shaped by God’s Word. As Ezra proclaimed God’s word, the people honored the voice of God and responded with repentance and were renewed. Likewise, biblical fellowship must be centered on God’s Word [Jesus]. As we gather together to listen to God speak to us through the Scriptures, we are challenged to repent, strengthened in our fellowship, and empowered for our mission.” – The Gospel Project
Theological Theme:
Biblical community must be centered on God-Father, Son and Spirit’s small word (the Bible), in the Light of God’s Big Word (Jesus!).
Christ Connection:
Like the returning exiles, when we read God’s Word, we are reminded of our heritage, God’s faithfulness, and His saving work. Most of all, in reading God’s Word, we are encountered by God and reminded by Him of His master plan to bring salvation to the world through Jesus Christ and his life, suffering, cross, death, resurrection and ascension.
Missional Application:
Through His Holy Spirit, the Father is always pointing us to Christ, and Christ is always pointing us to others.
The Four Elements of Humanity as Being-In-Encounter-
1. Seeing Eye to Eye.
“Being in encounter is a being in which one man looks the other in the eye.” When we see eye to eye, we are both concerned to see the other for who they are and to let the other see me. There is a reciprocity, a give and take in this relationship. The is a kind of objectivity, and”openness” to the other to know them and be known by them without deception, without idealization, or derogation. There is a moving out of ourselves to see others and to reveal ourselves to them. What ensues in such an eye-to-eye interchange is a sharing of life together.
2. Mutual Speech and Hearing.
Being in encounter means “there is mutual speech and hearing.” This is a complex action of both I and Thou, both speaking to and hearing one other. Whereas the seeing is essentially receptive on each side, in speaking one makes one’s own contribution to the other’s perception. He participates in the revelation of himself so as to assist the other in drawing up his image of him. In this way, one gives oneself to the other actively and in greater depth than merely being seen can offer. This reciprocal speaking is to be for the benefit of the other. Not just for the sake of expressing one’s self but in order to give of one’s self to the other………..It is in this dialogue where lives are exchanged and so mutually enlarged and enriched that we speak and hear humanly.
3. Giving Mutual Assistance.
Being-in-encounter means giving assistance in the act of being. This means that we are for the other, we support the other in its life as we can, within its limits. And it means we can call for assistance because we know our own limitations and need the help of others. Assistance is mutual when the response with help corresponds to the call for support…..Our assistance is human insofar as we do act to help but only as we know our own need for assistance and as we do indeed call for assistance, admitting our need, only as we recognize that the other needs assistance as well. This is human fellowship.
4. Freely and With Gladness.
Being in encounter means, all this is “done on both sides with gladness,” that is “freely and from the heart.” The depth of relationship there is that there is a discovery of being with the other in such a way that there is recognized an inward correspondence of the other to me despite all his otherness. This is not a collapse of one into another, but the recognition that the law of my own being is fulfilled in being so completely with the other. In this correspondance, there is the sense of an unimpeachable appropriateness and freedom and so joy…….
In this he is glad, not being reluctant or neutral in relation to others, because in this relationship he is actualizing his very own humanity.
-Karl Barth’s Theology of Relations
Photo Compliments – Pinterest.com
Ezra Read “The Law”. We Read “Jesus!”, pt.1
Filed under: Bible, By Tim Brassell, Christian Living, Christianity, Church, Faith, God, God Father Son and Spirit, God the Trinity, good news, Gospel, Grace Communion Baltimore, Grace Communion International, identity in Christ, Inclusion, Jesus Christ, Love, Ministry, New Life Fellowship Of Baltimore Maryland, On Mission with Christ, Participation with Christ, Participation with Jesus, Perichoresis, Prayer, relationship with God, Relationships, Sermons, Song, The Church, The Father Loves and Like You Fest, 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: Faith, Faithfulness, God's Faithfulness, God's goodness, God's Grace, God's Guidance, God's Holiness, God's Power, Goodness, Grace, Grace Communion Baltimore, Holiness, Nehemiah, Nehemiah 8, Nehemiah 8: 1-12, New Life Fellowship Of Baltimore Maryland, New Life in Christ, Timothy Brassell, Timothy Brassell of New Life
Leave a comment 
Part 1a: 24min
Part 1b: 20min
Full Message: 44min
Main Passage: Nehemiah 8:1-12
“God’s people are to be shaped by God’s Word. As Ezra proclaimed God’s word, the people honored the voice of God and responded with repentance and were renewed. Likewise, biblical fellowship must be centered on God’s Word. As we gather together to listen to God speak to us through the Scriptures, we are challenged to repent, strengthened in our fellowship, and empowered for our mission.” – The Gospel Project
Theological Theme:
Biblical community must be centered on God-Father, Son and Spirit’s Word.
Christ Connection:
Like the returning exiles, when we read God’s Word, we are reminded of our heritage, God’s faithfulness, and His saving work. Most of all, in reading God’s Word, we are encountered by God and reminded by Him of His master plan to bring salvation to the world through Jesus Christ and his cross.
Missional Application:
Through His Holy Spirit, the Father is always pointing us to Christ, and Christ is always pointing us to others.
“When we discipline ourselves to gather together to hear God’s Word, we can expect the Word to impact the way we think and view the world around us. We will develop a deeper burden to know God more intimately. We will grow in our desire to share the gospel with those who don’t know God and are not pursuing Him. Let’s be the kind of people who are passionate for Christ, whose churches are centered on Scripture-reading and preaching, and who delight in the revival God may send our way. He did so in Nehemiah 8. Who’s to say He won’t do it again?” – The Gospel Project
“Understanding the words of God was [is!] the gateway to understanding God himself, leading to delight.” –Augustine Pagolu
Photo Compliments – Pinterest.com
Rebuilding The Wall!
Filed under: Bible, by Tony Marra, Christian Living, Christianity, Church, Faith, God, God Father Son and Spirit, God the Trinity, good news, Gospel, Grace Communion Baltimore, Grace Communion International, identity in Christ, Inclusion, Jesus Christ, Love, Ministry, New Life Fellowship Of Baltimore Maryland, On Mission with Christ, Participation with Christ, Participation with Jesus, Perichoresis, Prayer, relationship with God, Relationships, Song, The Church, The Dance and Dream of the Trinity, The Father, Son and Holy Spirit, 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: Faith, Faithfulness, God's Faithfulness, God's goodness, God's Grace, God's Guidance, God's Holiness, God's Power, Goodness, Grace, Grace Communion Baltimore, Holiness, Nehemiah, Nehemiah 4, Nehemiah 5, Nehemiah 6, New Life Fellowship Of Baltimore Maryland, New Life in Christ, Timothy Brassell, Timothy Brassell of New Life
Leave a comment 
Part 1a: 22min
Part 1b: 22min
Full Message:
Main Passages: Nehemiah 4:7-14; 5:1-13; 6:15-16
“The Book of Nehemiah is the story of God restoring His people in the promised land and their reorganization as His covenant people. As we continue Nehemiah’s story, we see that God’s people are faced with conflict from the outside and inside. However, because they persevere in repentance and faith, they accomplish God’s will in spite of their circumstances. From Nehemiah we learn that God calls us to do the right thing in the right way and then give Him glory for success. We also learn that God is glorified not only in our fulfillment of a task but also in the way we fulfill that task.” – the Gospel Project
Theological Theme:
God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, is glorified not only in our fulfillment of a task but also in the way we fulfill that task.
Christ Connection:
In Nehemiah’s day, the people joined together to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem and protect the city from their enemies. Jesus later prophesied the destruction of Jerusalem, but through His death and resurrection, He made a way for His people to be protected from the enemies of sin and death.
Missional Application:
God, through the Holy Spirit, calls us to participate with Jesus in doing the right thing in the right way! This glorifies Him and is a great blessing for us and all creation!
“Christian history is full of examples of God’s people triumphing despite their inability and the circumstances in which they found themselves (consider Moses before Pharaoh; the reformers before the Catholic Church; the growing church in communist China). The church itself is an example of God’s triumph despite the frequent failures of God’s people and the opposition from the societies and cultures that they inhabit.
If you look around your own church, you will be struck by the fact that it is only by the power of God that so many different people from different backgrounds, socioeconomic statuses, and interests can be so closely bound in love for one another (e.g., Gal. 3:28). There are no worldly explanations adequate for such things. Only God can do this!
It’s important to remember that God has a purpose in all that He does. There are no random acts that come from the hand of the sovereign God of redemptive history. During the time of Nehemiah, God was restoring His people in the promised land and reorganizing them as His covenant people. God is working just the same in our day.” – The Gospel Project
God-Father-Son-and-Spirit’s Great Reversals in Esther!
Filed under: Bible, By Tim Brassell, Christian Living, Christianity, Church, Faith, God, God Father Son and Spirit, God the Trinity, good news, Gospel, Grace Communion Baltimore, Grace Communion International, identity in Christ, Inclusion, Jesus Christ, Love, Ministry, New Life Fellowship Of Baltimore Maryland, On Mission with Christ, Participation with Christ, Participation with Jesus, Prayer, relationship with God, Relationships, Sermons, Song, 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: Esther 6, Esther 7, Esther 9, Faith, Faithfulness, God's Faithfulness, God's goodness, God's Grace, God's Guidance, God's Holiness, God's Power, Goodness, Grace, Grace Communion Baltimore, Holiness, New Life Fellowship Of Baltimore Maryland, New Life in Christ, Timothy Brassell, Timothy Brassell of New Life Fellowship
Leave a comment 
Part 1a: 20min
Part 1b: 20min
Full Message:
Main Passages: Esther 6:6-11; 7:3-10; 9:1-2
“In the story of Esther, we see how God’s good purposes for His people led to a radical reversal. The humble were exalted, those who were condemned received salvation, and those who expected to suffer defeat instead triumphed in victory. When we read God’s Word, we are reminded that God is often at work to bring about His purposes even when His people do not realize it. God calls us to look beyond earthly appearances and strength and to honor and trust Him for final victory.” – The Gospel Project
Theological Theme:
In saving His people, God [Father, Son, and Spirit] turns the tables on His enemies.
Christ Connection:
In Genesis 3:15, God promised that the serpent who struck the Seed of the woman would in turn be crushed itself. In the story of Esther, we see how Haman’s plans to strike God’s people backfired and ended with his own demise. Likewise, in the cross and resurrection of Jesus, we see how the evil done to Christ was the way in which evil was overcome and defeated.
Missional Application:
God, through His Holy Spirit, calls us to look beyond earthly appearances and strength and to honor and trust Him for final victory.
“God’s providential hand is usually hidden from us. However, if you take the time to reflect on your life, you will see His fingerprints all over your journey. Usually, God’s hand is most evident when we encounter great reversals, like those seen in the Book of Esther. It’s hard to ignore when God exalts the humble. It’s hard to take credit when one is given salvation but deserves judgment. It is hard to miss the hand of God when an entire people group are facing certain defeat but walk away in victory. The same God who providentially works in your life is the same God who has providentially worked throughout history. The same God who promised that Eve’s Seed would crush the head of the serpent in Genesis 3 is the same God who derailed Haman’s plans to destroy God’s people, because through them would come One greater than Esther, a Savior and Advocate who would deliver God’s people from certain death. All throughout redemptive history, God turns the tables on His enemies and saves His people.” – The Gospel Project
“In a world from which God appears to be absent he is nonetheless present.” – J. Gordon McConville
