Archive for the ‘Persecuted For Your Faith’ 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/
Trinity and Humanity 