Archive for the ‘Goodness’ Tag
Jesus Calls YOU For Such A Time As This!

Part 1a: 25min
Part 1b: 25min
Full Message:
Main Passage: Esther 4
“From Esther’s story in the Bible, we learn how to seek the Lord even during those seasons of life when His hand of providence seems to be hidden. We learn to see ourselves as playing a role in God’s sovereign plan for the world, and we gain the courage to accept the risk of following God, no matter the cost. As God’s people, we are to find and fulfill our purpose today—for such a time as this—a purpose that must align with God’s greater plan to bring salvation to the ends of the earth. ” – The Gospel Project
Theological Theme:
The Lord God – Father, Son and Spirit is working His plan even when we cannot see Him.
Christ Connection:
The command to kill all the Jews threatened the fulfillment of God’s promise of a Messiah-King who would bring the blessing of Abraham to the world. Even though His involvement in the story of Esther seems hidden, God the Holy Trinity was at work, creating and implementing a plan to rescue His people and set the stage for the coming of His Son Jesus Christ.
Missional Application:
God through His Holy Spirit, calls us to find and fulfill our purpose within His greater plan to bring salvation to the ends of the earth.
“He who does not know Christ does not know God hidden in suffering… God can be found only in suffering and the cross.” –Martin Luther (1483-1546)
“The King who never dies is Jesus himself, who, like Esther, was raised up at just the right moment in history (Rom. 5:6; Gal. 4:4), ‘for such a time as this’—or as Paul elsewhere says, ‘when the fullness of time had come’ (Gal. 4:4).” –Elyse Fitzpatrick
Photo Compliments: Youtube – Pathlightcommunityfellowship
NLF Baltimore 2018 Gospel Intensive with Dr. Gary Deddo, pt. 2 (Videos)

Dr. Deddo is Special Assistant to GCI President Joseph Tkach. He is the president of Grace Communion Seminary and is the doctrinal advisor of GCI.
This year was the 5th Gospel Intensive event led by Dr. Deddo., and it’s Specific Purpose was to proclaim:
“Jesus Christ, Lord of all of Life”
“We will look into what it means to live as if Jesus Christ is Lord of all of life. It’s often said that we are to live in the world but not of the world. But what does that mean? How can we be the church in our secular world? How can we be witnesses to the Triune God and his coming Kingdom in “this present evil age,” as Paul calls it? Is the church really called and equipped to “turn the world upside down” or right side up? What kinds of difference can we individually and as a church make in our communities? Our schools? Our work? Our families? Is the church to be a social change organization? What does the Gospel have to say to our culture? We will especially focus on exploring what can we do with our education and vocations. We will not come up with all the answers but gain some very specific biblically based and theologically grounded direction.”
Jesus Christ, Lord of all of Life – Video 1: 60min
Jesus Christ, Lord of all of Life – Video 2: 58min
Jesus Christ, Lord of all of Life – Video 3: 60min
Jesus Christ, Lord of all of Life – Video 4 – Part a: 50min
Jesus Christ, Lord of all of Life – Video 4 – Part b: 50min
Sermon: Jesus, a Towel, a Basin and Our Feet, the Real Lesson to be Learned Video 5: 60min
God Sustains Us Through Adversity!

Part 1a: 29 min
Part 1b: 27 min
Full Message:
Main Passages: Ezra 4:1-7; Ezra 5:1-5; Ezra 6:13-22
“The exiles had returned to their homeland, but this was only the beginning of the rebuilding process. As they obeyed God in restoring the temple, they faced opposition and adversity. By choosing to listen to God’s Word and not the opposition, they were able to complete the work God called them to and celebrate His work through them. As God’s people today, we are called to remain faithful to the task God has laid before us and to trust Him to transform hearts and lives, no matter what adversity we encounter.” – the Gospel Project
Theological Theme:
God – Father, Son and Spirit will sustain His people through adversity and is able to change the attitude of His opponents so His will can be accomplished.
Christ Connection:
Just as God’s people faced opposition as they sought to worship God with their obedience, Jesus faced temptation and opposition as He obeyed His Father in all things. Through Jesus’ endurance in ministry, we are empowered to obey God no matter what circumstances or trials we face.
Missional Application:
Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, calls us to participate with him in obedience to his Father, despite the words of our opponents, and to trust Him to change the hearts and minds of those who oppose our faith.
“[To have Faith in Christ] means, of course, trying to do all that He says. There would be no sense in saying you trusted a person if you would not take his advice. Thus if you have really handed yourself over to Him, it must follow that you are trying to obey Him. But trying in a new way, a less worried way. Not doing these things in order to be saved, but because He has begun to save you already. Not hoping to get to Heaven as a reward for your actions, but inevitably wanting to act in a certain way because a first faint gleam of Heaven is already inside you.”- C. S. Lewis
“To be called to a life of extraordinary quality, to live up to it, and yet to be unconscious of it is indeed a narrow way. To confess and testify to the truth as it is in Jesus, and at the same time to love the enemies of that truth, his enemies and ours, and to love them with the infinite love of Jesus Christ, is indeed a narrow way. To believe the promise of Jesus that his followers shall possess the earth, and at the same time to face our enemies unarmed and defenceless, preferring to incur injustice rather than to do wrong ourselves, is indeed a narrow way. To see the weakness and wrong in others, and at the same time refrain from judging them; to deliver the gospel message without casting pearls before swine, is indeed a narrow way. The way is unutterably hard, and at every moment we are in danger of straying from it. If we regard this way as one we follow in obedience to an external command, if we are afraid of ourselves all the time, it is indeed an impossible way. But if we behold Jesus Christ going on before step by step, we shall not go astray.”― Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship
How Jesus Helps Us Fight Our Lions!

Part 1a: 29min
Part1b: 33min
Full Message:
“In Daniel 6, we encounter a real story about a real man who by supernatural protection escaped the claws and teeth of real lions so that the nations would know that the God of Daniel “is the living God, and He endures forever; His kingdom will never be destroyed, and His dominion has no end” (v. 26). As God’s people, we are to show courage as we trust in God and obey Him, no matter what. Our courageous witness of faith is a sign to the world that Jesus is the world’s true King.” The Gospel Project
Main Passages: Daniel 6, 1Peter 5: 8-12
Theological Theme: God – Father, Son and Spirit, glorifies Himself through the rescue of those who trust Him.
Christ Connection: God showed His power to rescue Daniel from death. In the fullness of time, God showed His power to save His people from their sins and give them eternal life through the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ.
Missional Application: God, through His Holy Spirit, sometimes calls us to civil disobedience when it is a matter of obeying Him.
“Our trust in God should fill us with the courage to live for Him.” –Bryan Chapell
*picture courtesy of www.thecharmofhome.blogspot.com
NLF Baltimore 2018 Gospel Intensive with Dr. Gary Deddo

Dr. Deddo is Special Assistant to GCI President Joseph Tkach. He is the president of Grace Communion Seminary and is the doctrinal advisor of GCI.
This year was the 5th Gospel Intensive event led by Dr. Deddo.
Dr. Deddo’s specific purpose for this Intensive:
“Jesus Christ, Lord of all of Life”
“We will look into what it means to live as if Jesus Christ is Lord of all of life. It’s often said that we are to live in the world but not of the world. But what does that mean? How can we be the church in our secular world? How can we be witnesses to the Triune God and his coming Kingdom in “this present evil age,” as Paul calls it? Is the church really called and equipped to “turn the world upside down” or right side up? What kinds of difference can we individually and as a church make in our communities? Our schools? Our work? Our families? Is the church to be a social change organization? What does the Gospel have to say to our culture? We will especially focus on exploring what can we do with our education and vocations. We will not come up with all the answers but gain some very specific biblically based and theologically grounded direction.”
Jesus Christ, Lord of all of Life – Audio 1: 60min
Jesus Christ, Lord of all of Life – Audio 2: 58min
Jesus Christ, Lord of all of Life – Audio 3: 60min
Jesus Christ, Lord of all of Life – Audio 4 – Full Message: 1hr 40 min
Jesus Christ, Lord of all of Life – Audio 4 – Part1a: 50min
Jesus Christ, Lord of all of Life – Audio 4 – Part1b: 50min
God Brings His People Home!

Part 1a: 24 min
Part 1b: 21 min
Full Message
Main Passages: Ezra 1:1-8; 3:1-13
“God kept His promise to bring His people out of exile and back to the promised land. As God’s people gathered in Jerusalem, they made their worship of God their first priority and proclaimed God’s faithfulness through their actions. As Christians, we celebrate and give thanks to God for bringing us out of our exile to sin and death. In our worship, we proclaim the goodness of the Lord so that others might taste and see that He is good.” – The Gospel Project
Theological Theme:
Worshiping God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit should be the first priority of His people.
Christ Connection:
God kept His promise to bring His people out of exile in Babylon and restore their freedom to worship Him. Since Adam and Eve sinned, all humans have been in exile from the garden and are in need of deliverance. Jesus came to end this exile, bring His people home, and restore our freedom to worship.
“It is only when we grasp God’s unyielding desire to be with us that we begin to see the ultimate purpose of the cross. It is more than a vehicle to rescue us from death; it transports us into the arms of Life.” –Skye Jethani
Missional Application:
God The Holy Spirit calls us to make worship our first priority so others will see the goodness of the Lord.
“The primary reason the church gathers is to glorify God. We gather together for corporate worship to ascribe unto God the worship that is due Him.” –Matt Boswell
*Picture courtesy www.callieharbin.org
The God Who Deserves Our Allegiance!

Part 1: 24 mins
Part 2: 23 mins
Full Message: 47 mins
Main Passage: Daniel 3
Theological Theme: God – Father, Son and Spirit alone deserves our ultimate allegiance.
Christ Connection: The same God who was faithful and present with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the flames will also deliver us through His Son, Jesus the Christ, who is with us in the fiery trial and who saves us from sin and its consequences.
Missional Application: God the Holy Spirit calls us to embrace a countercultural lifestyle with full confidence in His power, regardless of what the immediate outcome may be.
*Picture Courtesy of livingmyfaith.blogspot.com
How To Stay Faithful In Exile!

Part 1: 27 mins
Part 2: 28 mins
Full Message:
Main Passage: Daniel 1
Theological Theme: As Christians, we can trust in God – Father, Son and Spirit’s guidance even while we are in exile here on earth.
Christ Connection: Daniel stayed true to his identity, obeyed God, and was a testimony to God’s grace. He points forward to Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who willingly embraced a sinful world without ever defiling Himself and through His death and resurrection became the greatest picture of God’s grace the world has ever known.
Missional Application: God, through the Holy Spirit, calls us to be a shining testament to His grace by remaining true to our identity in Christ and living in holiness.
*Picture courtesy of mannymanueliii.blogspot.com
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