Archive for the ‘Following Jesus’ Tag
The Spirit of Truth and Generosity!
Filed under: Bible, by Tony Marra, 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, 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, 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, Witnessing to God, Witnessing to Jesus, Worship, Worshiping God, Worshipping Jesus | Tags: Acts, Acts 4:32, Acts 5:11, Baltimore GCI, Blessing Your Enemies, Christian Living, Creation, death, Death In Christ, Deeply Rooted In Christ, Discipleship, Empowered By The Spirit, Facing False Accusation, Facing Hostility, False Accusation, Follow Me, Following Jesus, Forgiving Your Enemies, Fruit of God's Grace, GCI Baltimore, Generosity, Generous, Giving, God Father Son and Spirit, God Likes You, God the Trinity, God's Calling, God's Grace, God's love, God's Love And Life, God's Loving Authority, God's Mercy, God's Mission, God's Patience, God's Presence, Gospel, Grace, Grace Communion International, Heaven, Heavenly Riches, Honesty, Humanity Uplifted, Incarnation, Included In Christ, Jesus, Jesus' Authority, Jesus' Presence, Liberation vs. Legalism, Lord Jesus, Love, Make Disciples, Making Disciples, Participation with Christ, Participation with Jesus, Pastor Timothy Brassell of New Life Baltimore, Patient Endurance, Persecuted For Jesus, Persecuted For Your Faith, Persecution, Persecution For Christ, Praying For Your Enemies, Praying For Your Persecutors, Purpose, Radical Generosity, Radical Giving, Relationship With Jesus, resurrection of Jesus, Riches, Strengthened By Jesus, Strengthened By The Spirit, The Boldness Of Christ, The Father, The Father's Love, The Holy Spirit, The Persecuted Church, Treasure, Trinitarian Theology, Trinity, Union and Communion, Union With Jesus, Worship
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Audio – Part A: 23 min
Audio – Part B: 28 min
Audio – Full Message:
Bible Verses: Acts 4:32 – Acts 5:11
“Generosity should be a defining characteristic of the church because God is generous. The Father gave His Son. The Son gave His life. The Father and the Son gave the Spirit. And the Spirit gives the followers of Christ hearts of generosity. The Spirit works through these hearts to bring unity to the body of Christ through their loving support for one another. Greed is contrary to who God is and invites His judgment. The Holy Spirit of God helps us distinguish between generous and greedy giving.”
“Generosity is a fruit of God’s grace, something that an individual
should feel compelled to do from their own hearts. While in one way this understanding liberates us from any legalism around giving, it simultaneously heightens our expectations for giving. Because generosity flows from the heart, it is a tangible way of seeing the condition of the heart. This is why Jesus said, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt. 6:21).
Theological Theme:
Sin in the Church must not stand in the way of the gospel’s expansion.
Christ Connection:
In obedience to the Holy Spirit’s prompting, the early Christians shared their resources and gave generously to those in need, just as Jesus gave up heavenly riches to share His inheritance with all who trust in Him. But Ananias and Sapphira’s deceptive action was a sin against the church and against the Spirit. The Spirit distinguishes between giving that is from a heart of generosity and giving that is greedy and deceitful.
“Jesus serves as our model for radical giving and the Holy Spirit enables us to follow in His steps.”
“In following Jesus, we’re invited to do the same, not clinging to what we have but giving it away, becoming a servant, and allowing God to multiply it for His good and glory in His church and in the world around us. The Holy Spirit’s presence in our lives should inspire such radical generosity, transforming our hearts to mirror Jesus’ own so that we don’t cling to what’s “ours” by rights but give it away to those in need.
Missional Application:
God the Father, through His Holy Spirit, calls us to show our unity with other believers, always being generous and honest as a reflection of Christ’s truth and love.
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Take Up Your Cross!
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, 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, 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: Acts 6, Acts 6: 7-60, Acts 6: 8-15, Baltimore GCI, Blessing Your Enemies, Christian Living, Creation, death, Death In Christ, Deeply Rooted In Christ, Discipleship, Empowered By The Spirit, Facing False Accusation, Facing Hostility, False Accusation, Follow Me, Following Jesus, Forgiving Your Enemies, GCI Baltimore, God Father Son and Spirit, God Likes You, God the Trinity, God's Calling, God's Grace, God's love, God's Love And Life, God's Loving Authority, God's Mercy, God's Mission, God's Patience, God's Presence, Gospel, Grace Communion International, Heaven, Humanity Uplifted, Incarnation, Included In Christ, Jesus, Jesus' Authority, Jesus' Presence, Lord Jesus, Love, Make Disciples, Making Disciples, Participation with Christ, Participation with Jesus, Pastor Timothy Brassell of New Life Baltimore, Patient Endurance, Persecuted For Jesus, Persecuted For Your Faith, Persecution, Persecution For Christ, Praying For Your Enemies, Praying For Your Persecutors, Purpose, Relationship With Jesus, resurrection of Jesus, Self-denial, St. Stephen's Suffering, Strengthened By Jesus, Strengthened By The Spirit, Suffering For Jesus, Suffering With Jesus, Take Up Your Cross, The Boldness Of Christ, The Father, The Father's Love, The Holy Spirit, The Persecuted Church, The Sufferings Of Jesus, Trinitarian Theology, Trinity, Union and Communion, Union With Jesus, Worship
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Audio – Part A: 25 min
Audio – Part B: 20 min
Audio – Full Message:
Bible Verses: Acts 6:8-15; 7:44-60
“In this session, we will see how God’s Holy Spirit empowers the followers of Christ to endure suffering for the sake of Christ. Whether that suffering takes the form of false accusations, death, or other variations, our faithful witness in the midst of suffering is a testimony to Jesus Christ, who came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets and to save us from our sin. When we suffer in faith, we are following in the footsteps of our Savior and bearing witness to His worth above all things, even our very lives.”- The Gospel Project
Theological Theme:
God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit strengthens his people to testify to Jesus Christ in persecution and death.
Christ Connection:
In his death as the first martyr, Stephen followed in the footsteps of His Savior. Both Jesus and Stephen were falsely accused and charged for blasphemy. Both Jesus and Stephen prayed for their executioners. Both Jesus and Stephen entrusted their spirits to God as they died. As a follower of Jesus Christ, Stephen reflected His Master, in life and in death.
Missional Application:
God the Father, through His Holy Spirit, calls us to bear witness to the greatness of Jesus Christ, even when we are maligned or persecuted for our faith.
“The history of the church is rich with stories of Christians who, emboldened by the Spirit, faced suffering and death while testifying to Jesus. Missionaries have died while going to share the gospel with hostile people. Countless martyrs the world over and through ages past have faced torture and death for their faith in the risen Savior…..
The persecution of the church and the martyring of its people is like the pruning of a plant. It grows stronger, richer, and more deeply rooted as a result…..
As we face ridicule and persecution for our faith, we are following in the faithful steps of these martyrs, just as they were following in the trailblazing steps of the Savior. He gave Himself for us—may it be our joy to give ourselves for the glory of His name.” – The Gospel Project
Photo Compliments: https://holyghostandmore.com/
The Risen King Forgives And Restores!
Filed under: By Ann Vinson, Christian Living, Christianity, 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, 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, The Father, Son and Holy Spirit, The Gospel Project, The Holy Spirit, Uncategorized, Union with Christ, Witnessing to God, Witnessing to Jesus, Worshiping God, Worshipping Jesus | Tags: Counting The Cost, Encountering God in Jesus, Entrusting Ourselves To God, Failures Forgiven, Focusing On Jesus, Following Jesus, Forgiveness, Glorifying God, God Provides, God's Forgiveness, God's Grace, God's love, God's Mercy, God's Will, Intense Suffering, Jesus Forgives, Jesus Revealed, Jesus' Power, Jesus' Provision, Pastor Tim of New Life Fellowship, Questioning God, Reconciliation, Reconciliation with God, repentance, restoration, Restored to God, Strengthened By God, Suffering For Jesus, Suffering With Jesus, Supported By God, The Cost Of Following Jesus
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Audio – Part 1a: 19 min
Audio – Part 1b: 19 min
Audio – Full Message:
Bible Verses: Luke 24:13-35
Jesus revealed Himself to His disciples for a third time after His resurrection. Through this breakfast encounter, Jesus demonstrated the reality of His restorative power. Because He fulfilled God’s plan to rescue people from sin, Jesus was able to forgive the disciples for their sins and failures and then recommission them in their task of following Him. As Jesus’ followers, we trust in the power of His restoration to enable us to move beyond our sins and failures and accomplish great things in His name.
Theological Theme:
Forgiveness of sins is what makes following Jesus possible.
Christ Connection:
Through His breakfast encounter with His disciples, Jesus showed the reality of His restorative power. Because He fulfilled God’s plan to rescue people from sin, Jesus was able to forgive the disciples for their sins and failures and then recommission them in their task of following Him.
“Reverencing the presence of his Lord, [Peter] threw himself into the sea…The love of Christ draws men through fire and water.” – John Wesley (1703-1791)
Missional Application:
God the Father calls us to demonstrate our love for Jesus by following Him in the Spirit, no matter where the journey might lead and no matter what happens to other followers.
“[T]he Lord Jesus Christ is entrusting the slave with sheep he bought with his blood, and so he requires of the slave the capacity to suffer to the point of shedding his blood. It is as though he were saying, ‘Feed my sheep. I am entrusting my sheep to you.’ What sheep? ‘The ones I bought with my blood. I died for them. Do you love me? Be ready to die for them.’ And as a matter of fact, while that human slave of a human master would pay money for sheep destroyed, Peter paid the price of his blood for sheep preserved.” – Augustine (354-430)
Photo Compliments: i.pinimg.com
A Gospel Story: From Dogmatism and Fear, to Freedom and Love!
Filed under: by John MacMurray, Christian Living, Christianity, Faith, GCI Windsor Mill, Maryland, God Father Son and Spirit, God the Trinity, God's love, good news, Gospel, Grace Communion Baltimore, Grace Communion International, identity in Christ, Inclusion, Jesus Christ, Love, Ministry, New Life Fellowship Of Baltimore Maryland, New Life Fellowship Of Windsor Mill, MD., Participation with Jesus, relationship with God, Relationships, Sermons, The Church, The Father, Son and Holy Spirit, The Plan of Adoption, Trinity, Uncategorized, Witnessing to Jesus, Worship, Worshipping Jesus | Tags: Christian Imagination, Christian Journey, Following Jesus, Freedom, god the father, God's Beauty, Godly Parenting, Grace vs Legalism, Ice Cream, Imagination, Jesus Christ, Life's Disappointments, Life's Struggles, Love, Loving Relationships, Pastor Tim of New Life Fellowship, Religion, Religiosity Condemned, Spiritual Evolution, The Grand Canyon, The Holy Spirit, Trusting Jesus, Vacation
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Audio – Part 1a: 30 min
Audio – Part 1b: 30 min
Audio – Full Message:
Guest Teacher: John MacMurray
Whether in a sanctuary or a bar, a classroom or a living room; John loves to communicate that God is better than we imagine! A lifetime of teaching led John to start and direct the Northwest School of Theology and the Open Table Conferences, which feature Paul Young, author of “The Shack” book and movie, and Dr. Baxter Kruger, author of “The Parable of The Dancing God” and many other Gospel books. John is also an award-winning landscape nature photographer. His images have appeared in Sierra Club, National Geographic, Audubon, and several other prestigious nature publications.
You can learn more about him at: http://johnmacmurray.com/about/
He has written a book entitled “A Spiritual Evolution”, a story about his “journey from dogmatism and fear to freedom and love.”
Picture courtesy of http://johnmacmurray.com
The Unmerciful Servant!
Filed under: Bible, By Ann Vinson, Christian Living, Christianity, Church, Faith, God, God Father Son and Spirit, God the Trinity, God's love, 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, 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: Costly Grace, Death of Jesus, Faith, Faithfulness, Following Jesus, Forgive, Forgiveness, Forgiving Others, God's Faithfulness, God's Forgiveness, God's goodness, God's Grace, God's Guidance, God's Holiness, God's love, God's Power, Goodness, Grace, Grace Communion Baltimore, Life of Jesus, Love, Matthew, Matthew 18: 21-35, Mercy, New Life Fellowship Of Baltimore Maryland, New Life in Christ, Participating with Jesus, Receiving Forgiveness, The Father's Love, Timothy Brassell, Timothy Brassell of New Life Fellowship
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Part 1a: 21 min
“https://trinityandhumanity.files.wordpress.com/2019/02/2018.08.19-the-unmerciful-servant-matt18.21-35-part1a-guest-vinson-tah.mp3”
Part 1b: 22 min
Full Message:
Main Passage: Matthew 18:21-35
“Jesus taught on forgiveness through the parable of the unmerciful servant. Jesus’ followers are invited to forgive others because they have been forgiven a much greater debt. Forgiveness of others is an overflow of God’s good news, not simply an occasional act when it feels appropriate. To follow Jesus means to remember we are forgiven and to extend that forgiveness to others.” – The Gospel Project
Theological Theme:
Those who receive forgiveness of God- Father, Son, and Spirit, must, in turn, extend forgiveness.
Christ Connection:
Though our debt before God was too great to be paid through our good works or effort, we have received forgiveness through the grace of Jesus Christ, who paid our debt through His death on the cross. God has wiped the slate clean with the blood of His Son.
Missional Application:
God, through His Holy Spirit, calls us to model forgiveness in our relationships in order to put on display the nature of God’s forgiving heart.
“We reveal the true condition of our hearts by the way we treat others. When our hearts are humble and repentant, we will gladly forgive our brothers. But where there is pride and a desire for revenge, there can be no true repentance, and this means God cannot forgive.” –Warren W. Wiersbe
Photo Compliments: Jimmy Larche
Following Jesus
Filed under: By Bill Winn, Christian Living, Gospel, Relationships, The Dance and Dream of the Trinity, Trinity, Uncategorized | Tags: C. Baxter Kruger, Christian Living, Following Jesus, god the father, Gospel, Incarnation, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jesus walked on water, Relationships, role model, Trinity
Comments (1) 
You know, sometimes we Christians fall into the trap of thinking that Jesus is first and foremost our role model. We easily buy into the concept that we are to be like Jesus. Let me explain before you click away from this blog thinking I am a heretic. When I say Jesus is not our role model I simply mean that we will never be Jesus and as we try to be him we not only fail and look silly but often damage others in the process.
Jesus walked on water. Jesus supernaturally hid himself away on at least one occasion. He also charged into a Jewish temple and smashed up the place where the money changers were gouging the worshippers. If you and I try all that, we will look silly and perhaps even spend a little time behind bars.
Imagine if I said that Superman was my role model and I set out to be like him in the same way we sometimes perceive Jesus as our role model. What if I tried to stop a train with my hands? What if I jumped off a tall building and tried to fly? What if I tried to stop a bullet? Well I could leap off a tall building and even stop a bullet if I wanted to… at least once anyway. You get the point.
But Bill…. we are supposed to be disciples of Jesus right?
Right!
Here is what I want us to think about for the next week.
To be a disciple literally means to be a follower. We are called to follow Jesus. I am a follower of Jesus (as much as I am able to listen and respond to his leading). So follow him where? Well we follow him where he goes. As Nan reminded us earlier he is Emmanuel… he is with us.
There is a great story by Dr. C. Baxter Kruger that he tells about his son and his son’s friend. You see one afternoon Baxter was waiting for a football game to come on TV and out of the corner of his eye he saw his 7-year-old son and his son’s buddy all dressed in their pretend Army gear and in an instant they ran across the room and attacked Baxter. Instantly the tree of them rolled around on the living room floor and laughed and tickled and played. It was a large time. So big deal right? Well you see Baxter had never met his son’s friend before that moment of play. So now think about the little boy there but remove Baxter’s son from the scene. Do we really think this little boy would attack Baxter and engage him in childish play? Not a chance! So here is the deal… that boy did not have a relationship with Baxter but Baxter’s son did and Baxter’s son also had a relationship with his little buddy from the neighborhood and what Baxter’s son did was to include his friend in the relationship he had with his daddy. All the little boy from the neighborhood did was follow Baxter’s son. Hmmmmm….
Maybe it would be helpful if we could just pause for a few days and think about Jesus running into his Papa’s arms to play and perhaps follow Jesus there!
Holy Spirit remind us that we are beloved of the Father and in the person of Jesus Christ we have been brought into the context and safety of Jesus’ relation to the Father. Help us break out of our religious prisons and learn to play with the Father, Son, and You. Amen
Trinity and Humanity 