Archive for the ‘kingdom of god’ Tag

Contending For The Faith Delivered To The Saints! – Part 11

Jesus and Politics 2

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X08EByCsRQg

Slides: NLF Sermon Slides 12.2.18

Audio: Part 10a: 32 min

“https://trinityandhumanity.files.wordpress.com/2019/06/18.12.02-contending-for-the-faith-delivered-to-the-saints-part-11a-jude-mark-tah.mp3”

Audio: Part 10b:  32 min

“https://trinityandhumanity.files.wordpress.com/2019/06/18.12.02-contending-for-the-faith-delivered-to-the-saints-part-11b-jude-mark-tah.mp3”

Audio: Full Message:

https://trinityandhumanity.files.wordpress.com/2019/06/18.12.02-contending-for-the-faith-delivered-to-the-saints-part-11-jude-mark-tah.mp3”


Main Passages: Jude 1  John 4 


 

This Specific Message in the Series Points to the Truth in Christ that: “The Church in its witness must never give ultimate or unquestioned allegiance to any political or social ideology, or to the absolute rule or reign of any person or human institution. It must not idolize any humanly imagined ideal, and it must not justify evil means to accomplish the ideals promoted by ideological zealots. Instead, the church must carefully discern what limited good government (be it local, regional, national or international) can achieve without causing more harm than good (see Romans 13:1-7).”…other good stuff!

This series on 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 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 see that the Church in general (especially if in the United States!), faces these same issues and also be helped by WHO and HOW He 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 witness as it relates to the Christian God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Photo Compliments: http://jacksonwu.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/jesus-politics.jpg

Gospel Intensive: Spirituality, Last Things, and The Kingdom of God!

Slide1

Jesus tells to seek the kingdom of God before anything else. That sounds exciting and meaningful. But what does that mean? How do we go about it? Pursuing those questions requires exploring the question: Who is Jesus Christ in relationship to the world and its history? If Jesus Christ is Lord of time and space, and all of history, then out of that center our whole understanding of spirituality and eschatology [last things] is transformed and renewed!

Audio Part 1:  “https://trinityandhumanity.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/4-30-16-spirituality-eschatology-and-the-kingdom-of-god-pt-1-dr-gary-deddo.mp3”

Audio Part 2: “https://trinityandhumanity.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/4-30-16-spirituality-eschatology-and-the-kingdom-of-god-pt-2-dr-gary-deddo.mp3”

Audio Part 3: “https://trinityandhumanity.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/4-30-16-spirituality-eschatology-and-the-kingdom-of-god-pt-3-dr-gary-deddo.mp3”

Audio Part 4: “https://trinityandhumanity.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/4-30-16-spirituality-eschatology-and-the-kingdom-of-god-pt-4-dr-gary-deddo.mp3”

Audio Part 5 Questions and Responses: “https://trinityandhumanity.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/4-30-16-spirituality-eschatology-and-the-kingdom-of-god-pt-5-qr-dr-gary-deddo.mp3”

Why Jesus’ Church Fellowships More And More! pt.7

No_Fear_In_Love_

On this 10th Sunday after Pentecost, Pastor Timothy Brassell of New Life Fellowship of Baltimore, Proclaims the GOOD NEWS of The God Revealed in Jesus Christ out of Hebrews 10, CONCLUDING this Gospel Series with a message entitled, “Why Jesus’ Church Fellowships More And More!”, pt.7

In this last message of the series, we understand more clearly the judgment of God, Father, Son and Spirit in the relational way that reflects our being made in His image, as acted out in drama by Pastor T and NLF member Jeff Steffen!

Check it out!

Why Jesus’ Church Fellowships More And More! pt.6

Body of Christ 1

On this 9th Sunday after Pentecost, Pastor Timothy Brassell of  New Life Fellowship of Baltimore, Proclaims the GOOD NEWS of The God Revealed in Jesus Christ through Hebrews 10, continuing with pt. 6 of this Gospel Series, entitled, “Why Jesus’ Church Fellowships More And More!”

In this second to last message in the series, we understand more clearly:

  • That God, Father, Son and Spirit is the Church’s Object of Faith and that the preaching and teaching of the church should not make itself the object of faith, nor should be preoccupied with itself.
  • The Church is not the Kingdom but is to be the concrete and visible manifestation of the coming kingdom.
  • That by the Word and Spirit and in union with Christ, the people of God can give concrete evidence in time and space, and in flesh and blood, to the watching world, the character of the coming kingdom.
  • The church, in unconditional and covenant love, can bear witness to the lordship of Christ in its worship and in its common life as well as in its service to bring about the common good of those not a part of the Christian community.

Check it out!

Why Jesus’ Church Fellowships More And More! pt.5(c)

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https://trinityandhumanity.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/15-07-05-why-jesus-church-fellowships-more-and-more-pt-5c-hebrews-10-luke-2-mark-6-tah.mp3

On this 6th Sunday after Pentecost, Pastor Timothy Brassell of  New Life Fellowship of Baltimore, Proclaims the GOOD NEWS of The God Revealed in Jesus Christ through Hebrews 10: 1-26, in the continuation of pt. 5 of this Gospel Series, entitled, “Why Jesus’ Church Fellowships More And More!” This is a series designed to help us re-think WHO and WHAT we are in light of Jesus Christ, and who and what we are called to be and do AS THE BODY OF CHRIST!

We understand more clearly in this message:

  • The FIRST thing we Christians MUST do when we are faced with any “WHY?” question!
  • How challenging and exciting it can be to work through our civic  and Church responsibilities in this time between the present evil age and the age to come!
  • What a Christians PRIMARY Job is as a citizen of both heaven and earth!
  • 9 “down-to-earth, on-the-ground-and in-the-flesh” 21st Century practical Job and Civic reminders that will help you as you think through participating more creatively and properly with Christ in your various roles in this world!

Check it out!

 

 

Why Jesus’ Church Fellowships More And More! pt.5(b)

fellowship2

On this 4th Sunday after Pentecost, Pastor Timothy Brassell of  New Life Fellowship of Baltimore, Proclaims the GOOD NEWS of The God Revealed in Jesus Christ in the continuation of pt. 5 of this Gospel Series, entitled, “Why Jesus’ Church Fellowships More And More!” and continues to show through Hebrews 10: 1-25  and 1 Thessalonians 2 that the historical context of Hebrews demonstrates that living in God’s image (in relationship together!) is SO CRUCIAL to our well-being that we ARE CALLED to FELLOWSHIP WITH EACH OTHER, all the more, even in the middle of persecution!

We hear in this message:

  • Through a quote by Deitrich Bonhoeffer that “the Christian needs another Christian who speaks God’s Word to him. He needs him again and again when he becomes uncertain and discouraged, for by himself he cannot help himself without belying the truth. He needs his brother man as a bearer and proclaimer of the divine word of salvation. He needs his brother solely because of Jesus Christ. The Christ in his own heart is weaker than the Christ in the word of his brother; his own heart is uncertain, his brother’s is sure.”  Life Together, p.22-23. This is why we meet. We were meant to hear the Gospel proclaimed to us!
  • There are many pressures placed on us, especially on fathers, because of society’s myth which is that the primary goal of life is the American work ethic and how it will give you power and save you, especially since our jobs are where we get our paychecks, or livelihoods.
  • A more detailed answer to the question: “How do we sort out our calling to the Body of Christ and our calling to our Civic Responsibilities including our jobs?”  Specifically we understand the responses to that question to be that:    
    • (1) In this world we have dual responsibilities and they relate around one true center – JESUS CHRIST, so we should NOT rank our responsibilities but prioritize CHRIST IN ALL OUR RESPONSIBILITIES!  
    • (2) We should NOT conceive of our job or the Body of Christ as independent of one another because in Christ, the Kingdom of God has broken into THIS AGE so that Jesus has the SAME END RESULT for BOTH YOUR SPIRITUAL LIFE AND YOUR WORK LIFE!
  • Jesus IS our Work and our Ethic even if that appears confusing or troubling to us! Our Identity IS in Him! The right thing to do is whatever God is doing through us, in participation with Jesus and in the Holy Spirit.  We not only live FOR Jesus, but we also live FROM Jesus!

Listen and understand more clearly that we can and need to think of our participation in life as DUAL CITIZENS who relate in our dual roles around the One Center of reality: Jesus!

Why Jesus’ Church Fellowships More And More! pt.5a

fellowship2

https://trinityandhumanity.files.wordpress.com/2015/06/15-06-14-why-jesus-church-fellowships-more-and-more-pt-5a-hebrews-10-tah.mp3

On this 3rd Sunday after Pentecost, Pastor Timothy Brassell of  New Life Fellowship of Baltimore, Proclaims the GOOD NEWS of The God Revealed in Jesus Christ in pt. 5 (a) of this Gospel Series, entitled, “Why Jesus’ Church Fellowships More And More!” and shows through Hebrews 10: 1-25 that the historical context of Hebrews demonstrates that living in God’s image (in relationship together!) is SO CRUCIAL to our well being that we ARE CALLED to FELLOWSHIP WITH EACH OTHER, all the more, even in the middle of persecution!

We hear in this message:

  • Simply, and positively, that, the reason we meet together more and more is simply because we have Trinitarian “DNA”! God through Jesus Christ, by the Spirit, shares HIS RELATIONAL LIFE with us and Relating together in the Spirit is what HIS LIFE looks like! Christianity IS Union with Christ!
  • We can only be who we are in Jesus, the New Humanity, as we relate WITH Jesus AND other people – The Great Commandment: Loving God, and Loving our neighbors as yourself! This is especially true of the Body of Christ of which Dietrich Bonhoeffer has said:  “The Christian needs another Christian who speaks God’s word to him. He needs him again and again when he becomes discouraged, for by himself he cannot help himself …. He needs his brother man [or sister girl!] as a bearer and proclaimer of the divine word of salvation.”
  • A 4TH MYTH EXPOSED! THAT MYTH? The Primary Goal of Christianity is the American Work Ethic! Get a bit of the context  about why the American Work life puts such a negative pressure on you the way it does and a little handle on what you are up against and why!
  • A good first response to the question:  How do you sort out your calling to the Body of Christ and your calling to your civic responsibilities, including your job, in a world that runs at the pace of 24/7?!
  • A more REALISTIC picture as to the conflict and cost involved in being a Christian in this world, living between “The present evil age” and “The Age to Come.”
  • An invitation to respond to Jesus calling you to His Body and you having the greatest kind of hope because, in the Spirit, the Father and Jesus bring the future into the present through those in union with Jesus!

 

The Happiness Recipe

Jesus once sat down on a mountain side in Galilee and taught a multitude of his students about being blessed. The event is recorded in Matthew 5 and we have come to call it The Sermon on the Mount. Imagine how incredible it must have been to sit and listen to Jesus talk about being happy. You see so often religion makes us wary of being happy. Religion almost creates an atmosphere of guilt over pleasure and happiness. Jesus wants us to be happy in fact I can prove it…The heading over the first dozen verses in Matthew 5 in my Bible reads, “The Beatitudes”. Well, I have a confession to make. For many years as a teen and young adult I never knew what the word beatitude meant. It comes from the Latin beatitudinem and just means happiness. It is not in the original text but is simply a heading to help the reader better understand the context and meaning of what follows. I’d give the translators a C- for this one. Why didn’t they just put “Happiness” so we’d understand?

Two sources of my happiness!

Two sources of my happiness!

In Matthew 5:1-12 Jesus gives a list of behaviors wherein he says, “Blessed are …” The word for blessed that we have, from the most reliable manuscripts, is a Greek word that just means the same- happy!

So think about these verses in the light of happiness. Happy are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of God. Being poor in spirit simply means fully relying on God and this is how we see and experience the Kingdom of God.

Happy are those who mourn for they will be comforted. Well of course when we mourn the Holy Spirit comforts and works in and around us to restore our joy.

So you see The Beatitudes are not a formula to get in with God or make you right with him. The Beatitudes are simply a recipe for being happy.

How cool is that and why in the wide world of sports don’t the translators come up with something better than “The Beatitudes”? Why not put a new more easily understood heading over this part of the Sermon on the Mount like… The Happiness Recipe.

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