Archive for the ‘Inclusion’ Tag
Our Father’s Hope For All: In The Forgiveness Of Sin! pt.6
Filed under: By Tim Brassell, Christian Living, Christianity, Christmas, 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, 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, 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, Christian Living, Discipleship, father, Forgiveness, Forgiveness For Everyone, Forgiveness of Sin, GCI Baltimore, God Father Son and Spirit, God in Flesh, God Incarnate, God Is For Us, God Is With Us, God Likes You, God the Trinity, God With Us, God's Faith, God's Forgiveness, 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, healing, Hope in Christ, Hope in God, Human Nature Renewed, Humanity Uplifted, Humility, Idolatry, Incarnation, Included In Christ, Inclusion, Jesus, Jesus Is The Resurrection, Jesus is the way the truth and the life, Jesus' Presence, John 3:16, Love, Luke 24, Luke 7, Luke 7: 36-50, Outpouring Of The Holy Spirit, Participation with Jesus, Pastor Timothy Brassell of New Life Baltimore, Purpose, Reconciliation, Reconciliation with God, relationship with God, Relationship With Jesus, Relationships, Restored Relationship With God, Resurrection, resurrection of Jesus, Salvation, Sin, Spiritual Healing, Spiritual Maturity, Spirituality, The Father, The Father's Love, The Holy Spirit, transformation, Trinitarian Theology, Trinity, Truth, Unconditional, Union and Communion, Union with Christ, Union With Jesus, Wholeness in Christ, Worship
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Part 6A:
Part 6B:
Full Message:
Main Bible Verses: Luke 24 Luke 7: 36-50
Introduction:
“Our Father’s hope for all: In The Forgiveness Of Sin” has primarily to do with relationship and how relationships work. It is not some static fact apart from actual relationship. When we say Resurrection, we mean God’s forgiveness resulted not only in the sending away of sin but RELATIONSHIP with JESUS in a RENEWED HUMAN NATURE by the Spirit. This message focuses in on the forgiveness/reconciliation that is ours because of Jesus, The Resurrection.
Theological Theme:
The Gift God gives us is The Gift of Himself. God doesn’t have anything else to give humanity but Himself, so the gift you have been given in The Gospel is God -The Father, Son and Spirit and relationship with Him. This is why Jesus personalized Resurrection saying that HE IS THE RESURRECTION – John 11:25.
Christ Connection:
The primary thing Jesus has been proclaiming is HIMSELF and Who HE IS. Because He is God the Son, the only begotten of The Father, then when He is with us, in our humanity, He is God with us, God for us, for our humanity!
What The Resurrection is proclaiming:
- Jesus is God The Father for us (since He is One with the Father).
- Jesus is The Holy Spirit in us (since the Spirit is One with He and the Father).
- Jesus is God, having done something to our human nature. Jesus is literally inside our human nature and so God is intimate with us by the Holy Spirit in our human nature.
- Jesus is God, transforming our human nature up close and personal – personalizing and humanizing us.
When we say JESUS, we are saying that in Him and because of His union with us as His creation, there is now a reconciled relationship that God has with all with creation. For Jesus to become human and to touch and heal humanity means that what God created but had fallen into sin has now been made right again, in Him, so that we can have hope now and fulfillment at Jesus’ Final Appearing! We receive in Christ the complete forgiveness of sin and at the same time the complete healing of the proper relationship between God and man, and all creation.
“The Gospel is as inclusive as Jesus’ Humanity” – Bobby Grow
Missional Application:
What sin is:
Because God is a relationship and has called us into His relationship, sin means our not believing in Him, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Sin is our not trusting, or relating with Him. Sin is turning to something else other than The Father, Son and Spirit for your identity, for guidance in your life, for strength in your trials, etc. Sin is also the horrible motive of seeking to put God to death. Sin according to the scriptures is lawlessness meaning that it corrupts every part of our humanity in word and deed, and everything in between..
However, the one unchanging Truth of the universe is God and His love revealed in Jesus Christ. God is interested in us and in a restored relationship no matter that we have sinned and despite that we have done everything to mess up our relationship with Him. In His fantastic mercy and grace He has placed into the universe, and into His creation in Jesus Christ, THE FULLNESS OF THE FATHER SON AND SPIRIT IN FLESH! So Law in The New Testament is actually the Love of The Father, Son and Holy Spirit Revealed in the human nature of the Son. Since everyone has sinned, and Christ has undone our sin, every human has been forgiven of their sin and reconciled to God in Jesus Christ and, therefore, are each and all called to put their trust in Jesus and receive this forgiveness and reconciliation freely given to us!
Conclusion:
In The Resurrection Season, God The Father proclaims to you through His Son and in the Holy Spirit the forgiveness of all of your sins. Luke 24: 1-8
God wants all to participate in what Christ has done for us and to receive what is already theirs in Christ – THE FORGIVENESS OF SIN. The reason your sins are forgiven in Christ is because Jesus is “THE ONE FOR THE MANY”. Knowing Christ in His Resurrection means knowing the forgiveness of ALL your sins. Hear and receive this hope and proclamation of THE COMPLETE forgiveness of your sins because of Jesus, THE Resurrection, and because of Jesus’ Resurrection, bodily, from the dead!
“….Despite man’s sin, God is with him, the One who was in Jesus Christ reconciling the world, drawing man unto Himself in merciful judgment. Man’s evil past is not merely crossed out because of its irrelevancy. Rather, it is in the good care of God. Despite man’s life in the flesh, corrupt and ephemeral, God is with him. The victor in Christ is here and now present through His Spirit, man’s strength, companion, and comfort. Despite man’s death God is with him, meeting him as redeemer and perfecter at the threshold of the future to show him the totality of existence in the true light in which the eyes of God beheld it from the beginning and will behold it evermore. In what He is for man and does for man, God ushers in the history leading to the ultimate salvation of man.” ― Karl Barth, The Humanity of God
Photo Compliments: https://www.comeuntochrist.org/
God Brings His People Home!
Filed under: Bible, by Tony Marra, Christian Living, Christianity, Church, Evangelism, 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, 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: Assistant Pastor Tony Marra, Discipleship, Evangelism, Evangelizing, Ezra 1:1-8, Ezra 3: 1-13, God's Faithfulness, God's goodness, God's Grace, God's Guidance, God's love, God's Power, God's Protection, God-Father-Son-and-Spirit Wants to Be Known, Goodness, Grace Communion Baltimore, Grace Communion International, Grace Communion Seminary, Inclusion, New Life Fellowship Of Baltimore Maryland, On Mission With Jesus Christ, Pastor Tim of New Life Fellowship, Relationships, Sent by Jesus, Sent Out by The Holy Spirit, The Coming King, the Coming of Jesus, the Coming of the Lord, Unconditional Love, Witnessing to God, Witnessing to Jesus, Worshipping Jesus
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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
Anticipating Jesus – Our Soon Coming King!
Filed under: Ascension, Ascension of Jesus, 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, 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, Witnessing to God, Witnessing to Jesus, Worship, Worshiping God, Worshipping Jesus | Tags: Discipleship, Evangelism, Evangelizing, God's love, God-Father-Son-and-Spirit Wants to Be Known, Grace Communion Baltimore, Grace Communion International, Inclusion, Isaiah 1-10, Jesus Wants to Be Known, New Life Fellowship Of Baltimore Maryland, On Mission With Jesus Christ, Pastor Tim of New Life Fellowship, Relationships, Sent by Jesus, Sent Out by The Holy Spirit, The Coming King, the Coming of Jesus, the Coming of the Lord, Unconditional Love, Witnessing to God, Witnessing to Jesus, Worshipping Jesus
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Part 1a: 32 min
Part 1b: 25 min
Full Message
Main Passage: Isaiah 11:1-10
“One of the prophecies from Isaiah, written around seven hundred years before the time of Christ, was written to the Jewish people in Judah to inform them of a future King. This unlikely King from the line of David would be filled with the Spirit and would bring God’s justice and redemption to the world. In seeing Isaiah’s vision of the coming King, we understand our need for God’s salvation and the reason we are incorporated into God’s people, who exist for His mission.” – The Gospel Project
Theological Theme:
The Old Testament foretells the birth of King Jesus, sent by the Father as Jesus Revealed in the biblical New Testament.
Christ Connection:
Isaiah and many of the other prophets in the Old Testament prophesied about the coming King who will establish David’s throne forever. Jesus of Nazareth, the Father’s Son in flesh, is the King who fulfills these ancient prophecies.
Missional Application:
God The Holy Spirit calls us to anticipate the second coming of King Jesus by declaring His message of redemption and demonstrating His love in His Grace and Power.
*Picture courtesy of pinterest.com
Questions And Responses!
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, 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: Discipleship, Evangelism, Evangelizing, God's love, God-Father-Son-and-Spirit Wants to Be Known, Grace Communion Baltimore, Grace Communion International, Inclusion, Jesus Wants to Be Known, John 14:6, New Life Fellowship Of Baltimore Maryland, On Mission With Jesus Christ, Pastor Tim of New Life Fellowship, Relationships, Sent by Jesus, Sent Out by The Holy Spirit, Unconditional Love, Witnessing to God, Witnessing to Jesus, Worshipping Jesus
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Part 1: 25min
Part 2: 25min
Full Message:
Main Passage: John 14: 6
Who and What is The Gospel? And how does knowing the Gospel help us in responses to many of our questions? In other words, How can we know where we are going? and “How can we know the way?”
Jesus responds to this question unequivocally in John 14:6 ” I am the way, the truth, and the life.”, and FOLLOWED BY…”No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will also know my Father…”
How does taking what Jesus says, seriously, help us in getting answers not only to where we’re going and the way to get there, but also to these two questions asked by members of the congregation?:
Question 1: Why do we baptize people and take the Lord’s Supper as The Church? Matthew 28: 16 – 20
Question 2: How can Jesus be God and yet not know when His Father is going to send Him back? Matthew 24: 36
*picture courtesy partnersinexcellenceblog.com
After Worship, The Spirit Sent Them Off! Part 2
Filed under: Bible, By Tim Brassell, Christian Living, Christianity, Church, Evangelism, Faith, God Father Son and Spirit, God the Trinity, good news, Gospel, Grace Communion Baltimore, Grace Communion International, identity in Christ, 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, Scripture Paraphrases, Sermons, The Church, The Father, Son and Holy Spirit, The Holy Spirit, Timothy Brassell, Trinity, Uncategorized, Witnessing to God, Witnessing to Jesus, Worship, Worshiping God, Worshipping Jesus | Tags: Acts 13, Discipleship, Evangelism, Evangelizing, God's love, God-Father-Son-and-Spirit Wants to Be Known, Grace Communion Baltimore, Grace Communion International, Inclusion, Jesus Wants to Be Known, New Life Fellowship Of Baltimore Maryland, On Mission With Jesus Christ, Pastor Tim of New Life Fellowship, Relationships, Sent by Jesus, Sent Out by The Holy Spirit, Unconditional Love, Witnessing to God, Witnessing to Jesus, Worshipping Jesus
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Part 1: 40 mins
Part 1: 38 mins
Full Message
Acts 13:1-5 After Worship, The Holy Spirit Sent Them Off!
This message was a reminder and refresher on some of the mission specifics of our local congregation in participation with God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. You may download the following document and follow along if you want:
NLF Organic Disciple-Making Strategy
As the Father sent Jesus that he might Love and Worship God and Witness to Him as a real man, on our behalf and in our place, so Jesus the God/Man sends us the Holy Spirit that believers might participate with Jesus, loving and worshiping God – Father, Son and Spirit and witnessing about Him to people in all the world – in word and deed!
*picture courtesy of freebibleimages.org
Wingnuts Must Be Wingnuts!
Filed under: By Bill Winn, Christian Living, Church, Evangelism, Faith, Gospel, Humor, Love, Ministry, Participation with Christ, Participation with Jesus, Uncategorized | Tags: anarchy, Believe, blessings, Inclusion, life, one way, wingnut house
Comments (2) Wingnuts Must Be Wingnuts!
Last year a couple of close friends of ours told us about an anarchist’s house in Richmond called the Wingnut House. As one might imagine, I was curious. I had to see it. The more we learned about the house the more I wanted to see it.
The Wingnut house was a large home in the Barton Heights area of Richmond. It was an anarchist collective. The folks there believed in a variety of things… such as mutual aid, anti-authoritarianism, and direct action. The house was generally open to the public, it was a drug-free/ alcohol-free place where food, live music, community, and, I’m sure, spirited debate were in ample supply.
At the core of anarchism is the belief that the governments of mankind are illegitimate and bring mostly oppression, poverty, and violence. There are actually a few tenets of anarchism that, I think, have a ring of truth about them. But anyway on with the story… you’re gonna love this.
So our friends got in the church van with us and began showing us the way to the Wingnut House. I was excited! So as we pulled alongside the house what struck us was that large portions of the house were covered in expertly painted murals containing various themes and messages relating to the care of humanity and anti-authoritarianism. On the front of the house there was said to be a mural dedicated to people killed by the State and I wanted to see it but there was a one-way street in front of the house and I didn’t want to drive all the way around the block so… yep you guessed it.
I thought, “What the heck, it’s an anarchy house so we’ll “stick it to the man” and drive the wrong way down the one-way street. (Since there was nothing coming in this quiet neighborhood) So picture it, we’re in the Richmond Grace church van, going the wrong way down a one-way street just to see a mural painted on an Anarchist Collective house called- The Wingnut. It is one of my favorite memories.
What happened next shocked me. (No we didn’t get pulled over by the police, that would not have shocked me) There were about a dozen or so people sitting on the front porch and steps of the house and as we passed by some began to shout at us that we were going the wrong way!
Can you believe it? The anarchists were upset that we were going against the signs put up by man-made governments. I began to laugh and then it hit me and I thought, “Be what you are.”
I must confess as we passed by the house going against the designated flow of traffic I was eager to receive accolades from the anarchists. I awaited my fist pumps and upward turned thumbs but… it didn’t happen. I’m not sure why my “anarchy” wasn’t celebrated but it got me thinking.
Do we, as believers, sometimes find ourselves unwilling to celebrate the achievements and freedoms of those who might not think and believe as we do? I catch myself sometimes grumbling to the Father, Son, and Spirit about the blessings and successes of those around me who don’t give nearly as much time, energy, and resources to the life of the Church, who perhaps don’t give God a second thought, and maybe don’t even believe there is a God.
As a Gospel preacher I know that “Jesus gives life and breath and all things to all mortals” (Acts 17:25) Notice that Paul distinguishes life from breath. The Greek word for life is zoe, meaning spiritual life. Yes Trinity and Humanity reader… Jesus gives you life with His Father in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit and he gives it to your Buddhist, Atheist, Agnostic, or Muslim neighbor. The difference is, that when we begin to see and believe, our minds are transformed and we begin to recognize that Jesus is truly at the center of everything we do. It’s a Gospel fact, but much of the prevailing thought in our day would have us believe otherwise. Believing the Gospel in the world might just be a little like going the wrong way on a one-way street.
So our mission, as those who believe and especially at Trinity and Humanity, is to inform and educate every person in the world that they have been included in the Triune Life of the Father, Son, and Spirit. Whether that message is popular or widely accepted is only an indication of how much work there is for us to do as “Gospel educators.” Sometimes, to get the message out, it’s okay to go against the flow of traffic or be called a nut… I’ve been called worse.
~Bill Winn
Personhood, Distinction, and Our Union with the Blessed Trinity
Filed under: By Bill Winn, Christian Living, Gospel, Inclusion, Uncategorized, union | Tags: Christianity, distinction, Faith, Home, Inclusion, life, me, Party, personhood, popcorn, Truth, union
Leave a comment When my older daughter Faith was about 4 years old we all sat down to watch a movie together as a family. It was probably a Disney, Barbie, or a My Little Pony cartoon but I can’t recall. What I do remember is an event that bowled me over theologically. You see, at the time I was only one year into my “Trinitarian transformation” and the Father, Son, and Spirit seemed to have me on such a fast track that nearly everything around me appeared to shout some aspect of the Gospel of our Inclusion in Jesus.
As we prepared the movie, Faith asked if I would make some popcorn 
with “extra, extra, extra butter”. I agreed and off I went to make real old fashioned stove top popcorn like my grandma Mary Ethel Winn used to make for us on her magic stove.
As the movie began Faith and I sat close so that we could share our bowl of popcorn. Just moments into the movie I found myself staring, jaw dropped, and wide-eyed at my 4-year old daughter. She wasn’t levitating or quoting Shakespeare, she was eating popcorn. Yep, I can guess that right now you might be thinking, “That Bill Winn sure is a weirdo.” Well, you might be right. You wouldn’t be the first person to ever tell me they wonder how my brain works and frankly I don’t know either except to say that more and more, in the past 10 years I have tried to make my brain more available to the Holy Spirit.
What I had a front seat to that night on the couch with Faith was her personhood, she’d always had it but in her development as a child it was becoming more obvious. You see I was eating the popcorn too, and the butter and salt content was perfect (if I do say so myself). I was enjoying the popcorn but Faith was too, why? She was enjoying the popcorn because it tasted good and, as a distinct person in the Cosmos, she liked it.
We are distinct persons given a place in the Triune God’s Universe. The great news of the Gospel is that we have been included in the life of Jesus with his Father in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit and we will never lose our personhood. We will never not be us. Our inclusion and union must never be thought of like a droplet that gets included in a bucket of water. If we put a droplet of water in a bucket of the same substance it become indistinguishable from the rest of the water.
Our inclusion, our union, did not cause humans to disappear into God. No, our inclusion and union highlight us as persons so that we are more brightly shining as the Image of God than ever!
Humanity has been included in the Shared Life of the Father, Son, and Spirit. Trinity and Humanity- in unity, but forever distinct persons.
Thank you Jesus that you love me and have included me and that you value me so much that you have ensured that I will always be me and someday… a more awesomely Christ-like me than I can imagine!
~Bill Winn
I’m Always In the Way
Filed under: Bible, By Bill Winn, Christian Living, Gospel, Love, Perichoresis, Relationships | Tags: Adoptio, and the Life, Bible, Christianity, Ephesians 1, father's day, Foundations, god the father, God the Holy Spirit, God the Son, Incarnation, Inclusion, Jesus, John 14:20, John 14:6, Love, Participation, Sonship, the Truth, The Way, Trinitarian Theology, Trinity
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Happy Father’s Day Dad! I love you!
Ever since I was a little boy I have been in the way.I was always in the way. Even when it did not feel like it, I was in the way. I was in the way even when I didn’t know it. When I was a teenager I never ceased to be in the way. As a husband I’m constantly in the way. As a father, pastor, son, brother, and friend… I’m in the way. When I was an unbeliever I was in the way. As a believing Christian I’m in the way. In fact, I believe that from before the foundations of the world were laid… I have been in the way. I will always, for eternity, be IN the Way! And you too! (John 14:6 & 20, Acts 17:28) ~Bill Winn
Members Only? YUCK!
Filed under: By Bill Winn, Christian Living, Gospel, Love, Relationships, The Dance and Dream of the Trinity, The Plan of Adoption, Trinity | Tags: Included, Inclusion, Members Only
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Don’t we all have some childhood memory of a day or time when we were excluded from a group to which we wanted desperately to belong? Isn’t there still just a little something inside us that cringes when we see a ‘members only’ sign? Are not all of us offended to some degree when we are shut out or excluded?
The wretchedness of segregation with its ‘whites only’ placards has left a scar on our society from which we are hopefully recovering. My favorite game, golf, has been notorious for excluding others to one degree or another.
What is it about us that enables us to feel pain inside when we are excluded? Why does it hurt so much?
Well, the answer is simple: Jesus! Yes Jesus is the reason we hate to be excluded or left out. It is because of Jesus that we ARE included in the life he and his Father share in the Holy Spirit.
Triune God has existed eternally in perfect love and fellowship, unencumbered freedom and wholeness, and complete and lasting union. It is here that the cause of creation is found. Did you know why you were created? It was not, first, to worship or glorify God. You were created by God for God.
In short, you were created for inclusion. You were created because before the foundations of the world were laid the Blessed Trinity set Their love upon you and determined to include you in Their circle of life and love. You were created simply and plainly so that the Father could share His love and life with you.
In the person of Jesus Christ you HAVE been included in the Triune Life of God. In His earthly ministry Jesus has gathered you up in Himself and placed you in the center of a circle of fellowship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Often we hear it said that somehow we have the capability of being separated from God… because of sins or unbelief or some other such nonsense. The truth is we have no power to be here. Either we are connected to God or we cease to exist. So when we hurt because of some physical exclusion it is merely a shadow of a larger reality. That reality is that in Jesus we are INcluded where it really matters- in the very life and being of God.
So now the reason you hurt when you are told that you are excluded is simply because you are INcluded. If someone were to twist my arm it would surely hurt, but only because my arm is attached to my body. If the arm were separated from me that person could twist it all day long and it would not hurt. You are included in Jesus and the lie that you are excluded hurts simply because there, on your Spiritual DNA, is written the truth that you belong to the Father, Son, and Spirit and you always have and you always will.
So let us resolve to include others in much the same way we have been included in the Trinity… without reservation, judgment, or prejudice.
~Bill Winn
The Little Prince and the Triune God
Filed under: By Nan Kuhlman, Relationships, Trinity, Uncategorized | Tags: Antoine de Saint-Exupery, Inclusion, rose, taming, The Little Prince
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The summer is a time for reading all manner of good books, and I just finished a classic novella by Antoine de Saint-Exupery called The Little Prince. Although this book isn’t a religious book, I think it has a lot to say about our relationship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Published in 1943, this fairy-tale story chronicles the travels of a little prince from his tiny asteroid home to other asteroids or planets where he meets and converses with adults who often show the most pointless aspects of being a grown-up. Eventually, he lands on earth, where he meets the narrator of the story, a pilot downed in the middle of a desert, running low on water and trying to repair his plane. In addition to meeting various grown-ups, the little prince meets a fox who educates him in the full implications of “taming:”
But if you tame me, then we shall need each other. To me, you will be unique in all the world. To you, I shall be unique in all the world.
The fox explains that being tamed or taming is the process of forming a relationship, and that in this relationship, each party views the other as completely special. When the little prince confesses that he himself has been tamed by a rose, the fox shares the secret that “it is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”
Although it is invisible to the eye, we have been “tamed” by the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. To them, we are individually unique in all the world. Just as the little prince viewed his rose (which looked like any other rose) as special, so we are seen for the one-of-a-kind creations that we are. The little prince explains to the look-alike roses that they could not be his rose:
You are beautiful, but you are empty…One could not die for you. To be sure, an ordinary passerby would think that my rose looked just like you…But in herself alone she is more important than all the hundreds of you other roses: because it is she that I have watered; because it is she that I have put under the glass globe; because it is she that I have sheltered behind the screen; because it is for her that I have killed the caterpillars (except the two or three that we saved to become butterflies); because it is she that I have listened to, when she grumbled, or boasted, or even sometimes when she said nothing. Because she is my rose.
The fox explains to the little prince “it is the time you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose so important,” and so it is the time that the Triune God has invested in adopting and including humanity in their relationship from the foundation of the world that makes us so important.
The fox also charges the little prince not to forget that “you become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed.” As we look at our relationship with the Father, Son, and Spirit, we should take heart that there is nothing we have to do to make this relationship work, other than enjoy it. The Triune God is responsible for us, for our salvation, for our inclusion forever because we have been “tamed.”
The little prince had to travel a great distance to learn from a fox that what really matters isn’t always seen with the eyes, and that when you make a friend, both of you are “tamed.” The fairy-tale story of The Little Prince helps us to see the intricacies of our relationship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit from a new perspective.
~by Nan Kuhlman
Trinity and Humanity 