Archive for the ‘Relational faith’ Tag
“What The Father Wants Most From You/Us!”
Filed under: Ascension, Ascension of Jesus, Bible, By Pastor Timothy, By Tim Brassell, By Timothy Brassell, 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, Liturgy, 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, Pentecost, Perichoresis, Prayer, relationship with God, Relationships, Resurrection, Scripture Paraphrases, Sermons, 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 2, Acts 2:22-36, Basic Christian Doctrine, Being In God's Family, Bible, By Pastor Timothy, By Tim Brassell, By Timothy Brassell, Christian Faith, Christian Living, Christianity, Church, Evangelism, Faith, GCI Baltimore, GCI Windsor Mill, God, God Father Son and Spirit, God the Trinity, God's Faith, God's Grace, God's love, good news, Gospel, Grace Communion Baltimore, Grace Communion International, grace First, Having The Peace Of God, How God Reveals Himself, Humanity Revealed, Humanity Revealed In Jesus, identity in Christ, Inclusion, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jesus In My place, Kingdom First, Knowing The Father's Love, Life's meaning and Significance, Love, Maryland, MD., Ministry, New Life Fellowship Baltimore MD, New Life Fellowship Of Baltimore Maryland, New Life Fellowship Of Windsor Mill, Participation with Christ, Participation with Jesus, Relational faith, relationship with God, Relationships, Revealing Your Life's Purpose, Sermons, Sharing God More Accurately, Sharing In God's JOy, Sharing In God's Laughter, Sharing In The Divine Nature, Son and Holy Spirit, The Basic Christian Belief, The Church, The Dance and Dream of the Trinity, The Father, The Father Loves and Like You Fest, The God Who Is Love, The Holy Spirit, The Plan of Adoption, the reason for your existence, Timothy Brassell of New Life Fellowship, Trinitarian Theology, Trinity, Uncategorized, Understanding God, Understanding Human Beings, Understanding Life's Calling, Union with Christ, Who Is God?, Who Is Jesus?, Worship, Worshipping Jesus Adoption
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Part A:
Part B:
Full Message:
Scripture: Acts 2: 22-36
Summary:
In this continuation of the Acts 2 series “Take It Personal and Be Relational With Father!”, Pastor Timothy Brassell unpacks the vital truth that what God the Father most desires from humanity is His Son, Jesus Christ standing in for us, substituting for us in every part of our human life, and sharing His perfect relationship with the Father in the Spirit. Drawing from Acts 2:22–36, Pastor Tim shows that God’s desire is not for our independent efforts, moral achievements, or political victories, but for us to live in Christ’s union with Him.
The sermon confronts the false hopes we often place in politics, national identity, or even human unity apart from Christ, warning that these can become idols when they replace God’s kingdom purposes. Pastor Tim emphasizes that true peace, justice, and reconciliation flow only from participation in Jesus’ relationship with the Father, not from human effort or ideology.
He highlights the deeply relational nature of God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—and the call for believers to reject isolation and individualism, choosing instead to live in loving connection with God and others. The message calls listeners to see repentance, baptism, ministry, and obedience not as self-generated acts, but as participation in what Christ has already done perfectly on our behalf.
Ultimately, the sermon urges believers to shift from asking, “What can I give God?” to receiving the reality of what God has already given in Jesus. This is the foundation for Christian living, mission, and worship: abiding in Christ, trusting His work, and letting every good deed flow from His life in us.
Key Themes and Reflection Questions:
1) Union With Christ Above All 🤝✝️
- Theme: God’s greatest desire is for us to share in His Son’s relationship with Him through the Spirit. Everything else flows from that union.
- Discipleship Question: How can you shift your focus this week from “what can I give God” to “how can I receive and live in Christ’s life”?
- #UnionWithChrist
2) Resisting Cultural Idols 🛡️🌍
- Theme: Political power, national identity, and even human unity apart from Christ cannot satisfy God’s desire for us. These can become distractions from His kingdom.
- Discipleship Question: Which cultural values or movements do you need to evaluate in light of Jesus’ reign and relationship with the Father?
- #KingdomFirst
3) Living Relationally, Not in Isolation 🏠🤗
- Theme: God, as Father-Son-Holy Spirit, is relational by nature and calls us out of self-centered isolation into loving participation with Him and others.
- Discipleship Question: Who can you intentionally connect with this week as an expression of sharing in God’s relational life?
- #RelationalFaith
4) Christ as Our True Representative 👑🙌
- Theme: Jesus, fully God and fully human, stands in our place, resisting sin, fulfilling righteousness, and offering His perfect obedience to the Father on our behalf.
- Discipleship Question: How does knowing Jesus stands in for you change your approach to repentance, service, or worship?
- #JesusInMyPlace
5) Receiving Before Giving 🎁💖
- Theme: God doesn’t want anything from us apart from His Son. He first gives us Christ, and we respond by participating in what He has already done.
- Discipleship Question: In what ways can you practice receiving God’s gifts this week before rushing to give something back?
- #GraceFirst
Context:
This message follows a previous sermon answering, “What Does the Father Want Most for You?” and now addresses “What Does the Father Want Most from You?” Using Acts 2:22–36 as the foundation, Pastor Brassell teaches that the answer is always the same: Jesus Christ, standing in for us, representing us, and sharing His relationship with the Father by the Spirit. The sermon confronts common cultural substitutes for God’s kingdom, affirms the relational nature of Christian life, and calls believers into deeper dependence on Christ as the only way to give God what He truly desires.
Reflective Moment:
The gospel begins with a gift, not a demand. God’s greatest desire is not your best effort but for you to share in the perfect love and obedience of His Son.
“Union with Christ is really the central truth of the whole doctrine of salvation not only in its application but also in its once-for-all accomplishment in the finished work of Christ.”
— John Murray, Redemption Accomplished and Applied
Pastor Timothy Brassell: “What the Father most wants from you and from us is His Son, Jesus Christ, standing in for you and substituting for you in every part of your human life.”
This is what Acts 2 reminds us: God’s greatest desire isn’t your performance, but for you to live in the life His Son has already secured for you. When you rest in Christ’s finished work, you are already giving the Father what He most wants from you.
This week, slow down, receive the reality of Christ’s life in you, and let that be the wellspring from which all your actions and relationships flow.
“6 Ways Of Understanding God’s Gracious Judgement!”
Filed under: Ascension, Ascension of Jesus, Bible, By Tim Brassell, By Timothy Brassell, Christian Living, Christianity, Church, Discipleship, Easter, Evangelism, Fiction, 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, Resurrection, Scripture Paraphrases, Sermons, 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: Basic Christian Doctrine, Being In God's Family, Believe By Grace, Bible, Break The Idols, By Pastor Timothy, By Tim Brassell, By Timothy Brassell, Christian Faith, Christian Living, Christianity, Church, Church As Reminder, Closer Than You think, Communion As Life, Disrupt To Heal, Evangelism, Face To face Faith, Faith, For The Other, GCI Baltimore, GCI Windsor Mill, God, God Father Son and Spirit, God Gets My attention, God Is For Us, God the Trinity, God's Faith, God's Grace, God's love, good news, Gospel, Gospel Cpmmunity, Grace Communion Baltimore, Grace Communion International, Grace Together, Graceful Disruption, Grief With Grace, Having The Peace Of God, Hope In grief, How God Reveals Himself, Humanity Revealed, Humanity Revealed In Jesus, identity in Christ, Inclusion, Intimate God, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jesus Has Overcome, Jesus Is For You, Judged To Be Free, Judgement As Love, Knowing The Father's Love, Led by The Spirit, Life's meaning and Significance, Love, Maryland, MD., Ministry, mission minded, New Life Fellowship Baltimore MD, New Life Fellowship Of Baltimore Maryland, New Life Fellowship Of Windsor Mill, Outward Faith, Participation with Christ, Participation with Jesus, Pray To Live, Real Presence, Receive Jesus Fully, Relational faith, relationship with God, Relationships, Revealing Your Life's Purpose, Revelation 1, Revelation 1: 4-20, Revelation 2-3, Scripture Is Life, Sermons, Sharing God More Accurately, Sharing In God's JOy, Sharing In God's Laughter, Sharing In The Divine Nature, Son and Holy Spirit, Spirit Of Truth, The Basic Christian Belief, The Church, The Dance and Dream of the Trinity, The Father, The Father Loves and Like You Fest, The God Who Is Love, The Holy Spirit, The Plan of Adoption, the reason for your existence, Timothy Brassell of New Life Fellowship, Trinitarian Theology, Trinity, Uncategorized, Understanding God, Understanding Human Beings, Understanding Life's Calling, Union with Christ, Who Is God?, Who Is Jesus?, Woken By Love, Worship, Worshipping Jesus Adoption
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Part A:
Part B:
Full Message:
Scripture: Revelation 2-3; Revelation 1: 4-20
Summary:
In this theologically rich Ascension Sunday message, Pastor Timothy Brassell unveils Jesus Christ not only as Savior but as God’s active, relational, and loving judgment. Drawing deeply from Scripture and lived experience, he explores six “ways” of understanding God’s judgment in Christ, each centering on the truth that God-Father, Son, Holy Spirit is for us, not against us. Rather than punishment, judgment is presented as intimate correction, grace-filled disruption, and a call to deeper relationship with the Triune God. Pastor Tim calls the Church to repentance, trust, mission, and communion in light of Jesus’s ongoing presence in and with all creation.
Key Points and Highlights:
1. Jesus Is God’s Judgment of Love
Theme: Jesus reveals God’s judgment as a relational act of redeeming, not condemnation.
Quote: “God’s judgment in Christ is: ‘I am for you.’”
Discipleship Question: Do I truly believe God is for me, even when I face hardship or correction?
#JesusIsForYou #JudgmentAsLove #GodIsForUs
🛐 2. We Mourn With Hope
Theme: In Christ, grief is transformed by hope because judgment has already been dealt with at the cross.
Quote: “We mourn, but not as those without hope.”
Discipleship Question: How can I grieve and still anchor my hope in the victory of Christ?
#HopeInGrief #JesusHasOvercome #GrieveWithGrace
💥 3. Judgment Is Intimate, Not Distant
Theme: Jesus’s judgment is relational. He draws near to correct because He desires deeper intimacy.
Quote: “Jesus is seeking to be more intimate with you… that’s why He gets in your face.”
Discipleship Question: What obstacles am I clinging to that keep me from intimacy with Christ?
#CloserThanYouThink #IntimateGod #FaceToFaceFaith
⛪ 4. The Church Is a Reminder of Truth
Theme: Christ uses the Church, not to shame, but to remind us who we are in Him.
Quote: “Gather with others to remind each other what’s true.”
Discipleship Question: How is community shaping my understanding of who I am in Christ?
#ChurchAsReminder #GospelCommunity #GraceTogether
🚫 5. God Judges Our False Idols
Theme: God opposes the thoughts and behaviors that distort our identity and keep us from Him.
Quote: “God is against you, when you are against yourself.”
Discipleship Question: What lies am I believing that God may be disrupting for my healing?
#DisruptToHeal #JudgedToBeFree #BreakTheIdols
🌍 6. Judgment Is Always Missional
Theme: God’s judgment extends outward through creation and especially through humanity. It is never self-centered.
Quote: “Salvation is never just for you. It’s always for the other, too.”
Discipleship Question: Is my faith focused inward, or is it driving me outward toward others?
#MissionMinded #ForTheOther #OutwardFaith
🔥 7. God’s Disruption Is Grace
Theme: Sometimes God’s love comes in the form of disruption because His will is to draw us close.
Quote: “He’ll kick your legs out from under you if it will wake you up to His love.”
Discipleship Question: Am I recognizing God’s loving interruptions in my life?
#GracefulDisruption #WokenByLove #GodGetsMyAttention
🕊️ 8. The Spirit Makes God’s Judgment Believable
Theme: Only the Holy Spirit allows us to receive and trust that God’s judgment is for our good.
Quote: “You can’t receive that truth without the Holy Spirit.”
Discipleship Question: Am I listening to the Spirit or to my circumstances?
#LedByTheSpirit #BelieveByGrace #SpiritOfTruth
📖 9. Scripture and Prayer Are Participation
Theme: Reading the Word, gathering with believers, and praying are how we align with God’s relational judgment.
Quote: “Prayer isn’t a religious checklist. It’s how you survive as a living person.”
Discipleship Question: Am I relating with the Relational God, or checking religious boxes?
#PrayToLive #ScriptureIsLife #RelationalFaith
🍞 10. Communion Is Receiving the Judge Who Saves
Theme: The Eucharist is not a ritual. It’s a real participation in Christ’s glorified life.
Quote: “This is participation with Him in His ascended life.”
Discipleship Question: Am I receiving Christ in communion as a living relationship or as tradition?
#RealPresence #CommunionAsLife #ReceiveJesusFully
Context:
This message was delivered on Ascension Sunday and serves as a theological meditation on what it means that Jesus Christ is both Lord and Judge. Rather than presenting judgment as divine wrath or rejection, Pastor Tim reorients our understanding of judgment to be about God’s relentless pursuit of relationship, holiness, healing, and hope. The sermon touches on themes of grief, correction, community, creation, mission, and communion, all through the lens of Christ as the relational Judge who is present, active, and victorious.
Reflective Moment: Come Closer
Take a quiet moment to ask:
Am I letting Jesus be near enough to correct me because He loves me?
Am I resisting the very disruptions that are meant to restore me?
Have I made salvation about me alone, or am I joining God’s mission for others?
Come as you are. God’s judgment is not a hammer. It’s a hand extended in love.