The weekly podcast from Grace Vineyard Christian Fellowship in Oceanside,CA. gracevcf.org
Episodes
Sunday Dec 04, 2016
Sunday Dec 04, 2016
-[AUDIO ISSUES]- Will repair and repost at a later date.
WHEN GOD BROKE THROUGH- How Christmas Changes Everything
1. Christmas came in the fullness of time
Galatians 4:4-7 ESV
2. Among the prophecies Christmas fulfills is the oldest prophecy of all
Genesis 3:15
3. If God is all-powerful, why is there even a battle?
Luke 10:18-20
4. Armor for crushing the serpents head
Ephesians 6:10-18
“enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus." -Acts 4:29-30
Sunday Nov 27, 2016
Sunday Nov 27, 2016
THE TOUCH THAT BRINGS LIFE w/RON OHST
Matthew 14:34-15:28 and Mark 6:53- 7:30
1. TOUCHING JESUS FOR LIFE-
Matthew 15:34 and Mark 6:53-56
2. JESUS CONFRONTS RELIGION THAT GETS IN THE WAY of LIFE-
Matthew 15:1-9 and Mark 7:1-12
-Matthew 15:1-9
-Philippians 2:14-16
-1 John 1:1-3
3. THE TOUCH THAT CLEANSES OUR HEARTS-
Matthew 10:10 and Mark 7:14-23
-1 John 1:9- 2:2
4. THE TOUCH THAT CROSSES ALL HUMAN BOUNDARIES-
Matthew 15:21-28 and Mark 7:24-30
-Matthew 15:21-22
-Matthew 15:23-26
-Matthew 15:27-28
The gospel of Jesus is the most inclusive offer on earth: Jew, gentitle male, female, rich, poor... all are invited to come in faith to Jesus and receive His abundant, eternal life!
Sunday Nov 13, 2016
Sunday Nov 13, 2016
The Bread of Heaven that Gives the Life of Heaven w/RON OHST
John 6:22-70
1- What it means to “believe in Jesus”
2- Receiving the life of heaven
John 6:22-29
3- Jesus is the bread of life that satisfies ultimate hunger
John 6:32-36 / Philippians 4:12-13
4- Eating the Bread of Life
John 6:48-60 / Jeremiah 15:16
Colossians 2:2-3, 9-10
2 For God's secret plan, now at last made known, is Christ himself. 3 In him lie hidden all the mighty, untapped treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
9 For in Christ there is all of God in a human body; 10 so you have everything when you have Christ, and you are filled with God through your union with Christ. He is the highest Ruler, with authority over every other power.
Sunday Nov 06, 2016
Sunday Nov 06, 2016
BREAKING BARRIERS and BUILDING BRIDGES in the KINGDOM of GOD- w/RON OHST
Sunday Oct 16, 2016
Sunday Oct 16, 2016
PEOPLE of the PRESENCE [Part 2] w/RON OHST
“My Presence will go with you and I will give you rest…because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.”
Exodus 33:14-17
b. In The New Testament
Galations 3:2-5 / Hebrews 6:4-5
Bibical Christianity is marked by the presence of God's Spirit, and it should be more than a theological position about the Holy Spirit's place in the Trinity; it should be an experienced reality.
2- Practical Steps
"Because the Holy Spirit is active in speaking to his people, to his Church, and to the world he loves all around us, our jobs as Christions is to give the Holy Spirit permission to more in our lives and gatherings. This is the first step in learning to live in the Spirit (Gal. 5:16-25)" -Vineyard, USA "Come Holy Spirit- living our lives guided by God's presence"
a. Having seen the Biblical desription of the life in the Spirit, pray for the dyanamic of the Spirit to be reality
1 Corinthians 14:1
b. Begin to consciously and intentionally look for signs of the Spirit among us and bless them ('stir up the gift" -Timothy 1:6-7)
c. Act on the quiet promptings of the Holy Spirit, maintaining humility and a teachable attitude (under-promise and over-deliver, not the other way around).
Sunday Oct 09, 2016
Sunday Oct 09, 2016
PEOPLE of the PRESENCE [Part 1] w/RON OHST
“My Presence will go with you and I will give you rest…because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.”
Exodus 33:14-17
-In order to see God’s vision and fulfill God’s mission for us, we must be People of the Presence
Our vision: For people everywhere to know and worship God in all His glory and goodness.
Our mission: To build growing communities of worshipers who are becoming like Christ, empowered to do His work.
-The Presence is the resource for the mission
Matthew 28: 18-20
1- People of the Presence
Being marked by God’s dynamic Presence has always been the biblical expectation for God’s people.
a. In the Old Testament
Exodus 33:12-20
The primary, foundational answer to all our questions and needs is not a “what” but a “who”,the personal presence of God Himself.
Already in the Exodus God had begun fulfilling His vision of the whole earth filled with the knowledge of God’s glory and goodness.
The Presence of God is equated with the Spirit of Yahweh (Isaiah 63:9-14, Psalm 139:7)
To Be Continued in Part 2
Sunday Sep 18, 2016
Sunday Sep 18, 2016
A Future and a Hope
Our preferred future and how to get there
God’s Glory
·
· God’s glory is essentially God expressing Himself
· God’s glory is united with God’s goodness
Exodus 33:18-19
18 Then Moses said, "Now show me your glory." 19 And the Lord said, "I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence.
Psalms 8:1
8 O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.
Isaiah 6:3
And [the serap him] were calling to one another:
"Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory."
· Jesus is the ultimate reveler of God’s glory and goodness
John 2:11 Jesus turning water into wine for a wedding banquet
1 This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed at Cana in Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him.
Hebrews 1:3-4
3 The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.
John 14:9-10
Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.
2Corinthians 4:6
6 For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
· Perhaps that greatest miracle of salvation is that God causes us to reflect His glory
John 17:22-23
22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: 23 I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
2 Corinthians 3:18
18 And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
Colossians 1:27
27 To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Our Preferred Future
· Vision is a description of a preferred future.
Habakkuk 2:14
14 For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.
· Knowledge – Hebrew “yada”: experiential, relational, intimate knowledge
· The natural response to the knowledge of the glory of God is a life of worship
“The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever” – Westminster Catechism
Our Vision Statement:
For people everywhere to know and worship God in all His glory and goodness
How to get there
· Vision describes a preferred future; mission describes how to get there.
· God’s plan for fulfilling His vision of the earth filled with the knowledge of the Glory of the Lord is quite simply and powerfully to make disciples who make disciples.
Matthew 28:18-20
18 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
· A disciple is an apprentice, one who learns to do what the master does.
· We disciples of Jesus are to become like Him in our character, in our message, and in our deeds.
· All over the world, Jesus is gathering disciples who make disciples. He calls these communities of disciples His church.
Matthew 16:18
I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.
Our Mission Statement:
To build growing communities of worshipers who are becoming like Christ, empowered to do His work.
[MATT – the following may not make it into the handout for space purposes (and it’s in the bulletin already) but for completeness I thought I’d tie it all together with our Shared Identity statement]
Who we are – Our Shared Identity
Real God
God is Alive! When we meet He shows up, and we experience Him through His Word, His Spirit and each other.
“For where two or three have gathered together in My name, there I am in their midst.” — Matthew 18:20 NASB
Real People
Come as you are. We grow by getting real with God and others in genuine, caring relationships.
“Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.“ — Acts 2:46-47
Restoring Lives
Give it away. We freely share the truth, love and power of Jesus to heal and restore broken lives.
“For God was in Christ, restoring the world to himself, no longer counting men’s sins against them but blotting them out. This is the wonderful message he has given us to tell others. We are Christ’s ambassadors. God is using us to speak to you…” — 2 Corinthians 5:19-20
Sunday Sep 11, 2016
Sunday Sep 11, 2016
Epic Friendship, Part 2
How Koinonia empowers us to face loss and maintain joy
The Importance of Mourning Loss
Matthew 5:4
While we await the consummation of the Kingdom when sorrow and pain will be no more, we all will experience the pain of loss.
The path to blessing in the face of the reality of loss includes wisdom of mourning.
The Cost of Avoiding Mourning
- When we avoid mourning our losses, we short circuit emotional and spiritual growth
- We can get stuck and spend the rest of our life reacting to present situations out of the pain of our unresolved past hurts. The effect on our relationships is devastating.
- If we don’t face the pain through mourning, we often self-medicate in addictive ways that are immeasurably destructive physically, emotionally, relationally, and spiritually: substancea buse, sexual addiction, workaholism, religious performance, and many more
The example of David -- after the death of Saul and Jonathan, David leads the entire nation in an extended season of mourning before moving on to the long awaited establishing of his kingdom. 2 Samuel 1:17-27
More than half of the Psalms are songs of lament!
“…we are deepened by taking the time to grieve our losses before moving on.” -- Peter Scazzero
Pay attention to the pain. Acknowledge it. Experience it with Jesus instead of fearing and avoiding it.
- Jesus wept at Lazarus’s tomb (John 11:32-43)
- Jesus mourned over Jerusalem’s rejection of her Messiah and what it would cost them (Matthew 23:37)
- Jesus cried out on the cross, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46)
How mourning loss benefits us
- We become compassionate with the compassion of our Father in Heaven
2 Corinthians 1:3-4
…the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.
- We are less covetous and idolatrous. We rarely say, “I have to have that…”
- We are more in touch with the reality of heaven
- We discover that our brokenness bonds us together with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Mourning empowers us to be authentic and enter into real relationship.
How Koinonia Empowers Us to Face Loss and Maintain Joy
Philippians 2:25-30 NLT
25 Meanwhile,I thought I should send Epaphroditus back to you. He is a true brother, co-worker,and fellow soldier.
Koinonia – New Testament Greek word, primarily meaning fellowship, sharing in common, communion. “Koinonia is being in agreement with one another, being united in purpose, and serving alongside each other. Our koinonia with each other is based on our common koinonia with Jesus Christ” (from www.gotquestions.org/koinonia.html)
True Brother – our shared experience in Christ as daughters and sons of God the Father, brings us into a relationship with each other and Jesus as brothers and sisters that is deeper and more profound than the ties of natural family.
Co-Worker – When you work together in the eternal mission of Jesus Christ, that shared purpose serves also as ballast that keeps the ship of friendship upright even in the severest of relational storms.
Fellow Soldier – In Christ, we are in a spiritual battle. The depth of relationship that is built in defending each other from the attacks of the kingdom of darkness is indeed epic.
Joy– the sense of overall and ultimate well-being, even in the midst of suffering and loss.
Jesus teaches that the love experienced in koinonia results in “complete” joy.(Complete joy is joy so full you couldn’t have any more!)
John 15:9-15 NIV
9 "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.14 You are my friends if you do what I command.
John’s experience of koinonia resulting in joy
1John 1:1-4
1:1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched-this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. 2 The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. 3 We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4 We write this to make our joy complete.
- The complete circle of love:
I have fellowship with the Father
Is hare that fellowship with others
They enter into fellowship with the Father and with me
Our joy is made complete
Paul’s experience of koinonia maintaining joy in the face of loss
2Corinthians 7:3-7 NIV
…I have said before that you have such a place in our hearts that we would live or die with you. 4 I have great confidence in you; I take great pride in you. I am greatly encouraged; in all our troubles my joy knows no bounds.
5 For when we came into Macedonia, this body of ours had no rest, but we were harassed at every turn-conflicts on the outside, fears within. 6 But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, 7 and not only by his coming but also by the comfort you had given him.He told us about your longing for me, your deep sorrow, your ardent concern for me, so that my joy was greater than ever.
- God comforts the downcast, and He does it through our koinonia (deep fellowship made possible by our shared relationship with Jesus)
Sunday Sep 04, 2016
Sunday Sep 04, 2016
Epic Friendship
Philippians 2:25-30 NLT
25 Meanwhile, I thought I should send Epaphroditus back to you. He is a true brother, co-worker, and fellow soldier. And he was your messenger to help me in my need. 26 I am sending him because he has been longing to see you, and he was very distressed that you heard he was ill. 27 And he certainly was ill; in fact, he almost died. But God had mercy on him—and also on me, so that I would not have one sorrow after another.
28 So I am all the more anxious to send him back to you, for I know you will be glad to see him, and then I will not be so worried about you. 29 Welcome him with Christian love and with great joy, and give him the honor that people like him deserve. 30 For he risked his life for the work of Christ, and he was at the point of death while doing for me what you couldn't do from far away.
Koinonia – New Testament Greek word,primarily meaning fellowship, sharing in common, communion. “Koinonia is being in agreement with one another, being united in purpose, and serving alongside each other. Our koinonia with each other is based on our common koinonia with Jesus Christ” (from www.gotquestions.org/koinonia.html)
True Brother – our shared experience in Christ as daughters and sons of God the Father, brings us into a relationship with each other and Jesus as brothers and sisters that is deeper and more profound than the ties of natural family.
Hebrews 2:11 NLT
11 So now Jesus and the ones he makes holy have the same Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them his brothers and sisters.
Co-Worker – When you work together in the eternal mission of Jesus Christ, that shared purpose serves also as ballast that keeps the ship offriendship upright even in the severest of relational storms.
Fellow Soldier – In Christ, we are in a spiritual battle. The depth of relationship that is built in defending each other from the attacks of the kingdom of darkness is indeed epic.
Philippians 1:27-28 NLT
27 Above all,you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ. Then, whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing side by side, fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News. 28 Don't be intimidated in anyway by your enemies. This will be a sign to them that they are going to be destroyed, but that you are going to be saved, even by God himself.
A relationship of true brother,co-worker and fellow solider in Christ empowered Paul to highly esteem his friendship with Epaphroditus, while simultaneously freeing Paul to release him to serve in a distant land to fulfill the God’s eternal purposes.
Real God | Real People |Restoring Lives
Real God
God is Alive! When we meet He shows up, and we experience Him through His Word, His Spirit and each other.
“For where two or three have gathered together in My name, there I am in their midst.”
— Matthew 18:20 NASB
Real People
Come as you are. We grow by getting real with God and others in genuine,caring relationships.
“Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts.They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts,praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. “ — Acts 2:46-47
Restoring Lives
Give it away. We freely share the truth, love and power of Jesus to heal and restore broken lives.
“For God was in Christ, restoring the world to himself, no longer counting men’s sins against them but blotting them out. This is the wonderful message he has given us to tell others. We are Christ’s ambassadors. God is using us to speak to you…” — 2 Corinthians 5:19-20
Saturday Aug 27, 2016
Saturday Aug 27, 2016
How to Live a Fruitful Life
The Parable of the Soils
Matthew 13:1-23, Mark 4:1-20, Luke 8:1-15
God gives us what we need for fruitful living in seed form
Matthew 13:3-9
3 Then he told them many things in parables, saying: "A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop — a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. 9 He who has ears, let him hear."
Parables are fictional stories drawn from everyday experiences which communicate spiritual truths.
Matthew 13:18-23
18 "Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: 19 When any one hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path. 20 The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21 But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. 22 The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries oft his life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. 23 But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown."
2 Peter 1:3-4
3 His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises,so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
Fruitfulness is determined by the condition of the soil
The sower sowed the same seed on all the soils. The only difference between the fruitful life and the unfruitful life is the condition of the heart in which the seed of the God’s Word is sown.
Everybody has the potential for fruitful living, no matter their circumstances. The crucial issue is the condition of the heart.
Fruitful living is descriptive of a life transformed to be like Jesus
1 Corinthians 13:4-8
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast,it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes,always perseveres.
8 Love never fails.
Galatians 5:22-23
the fruit of the Spirit is love,joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness andself-control.
Ephesians 5:8-11
8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness,righteousness and truth) 10 and find out what pleases the Lord. 11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness
The Four Soils
Matthew 8:19 When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path.
· The soil of a hard heart – completely closed to receiving God’s Word. God does not grant understanding to those with hearts hardened to His Word.
Matthew 8:20-21 20 The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21 But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away
· The soil of a shallow heart – superficial reception of God’s Word. When the testing and persecution come, they wither quickly.
Matthew 8:22 The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.
· The soil of a divided heart – the heart receives the Word, but competition from the world eventually chokes it out.
Worries of this life – not placing the Kingdom above all else, this person tries to manage with their own resources. This is about trying to control rather than trusting God.
Deceitfulness of wealth –trying to manage their life apart from God, trusting in worldly resources.
Psalms 1:1-3
1 Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.
2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.
3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.
Matthew 8:23 But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.
· The soil of a receptive heart – the heart receives the Word, is giving understanding, and allows it to take root when testing comes, experiencing fruitful living.
How to Live A Fruitful Life
2 things needed: God’s seed and good soil
God’s seed is His Word, the message of His Kingdom; expose yourself to generous portions of the seed
Prepare the soil of your heart:
Don’t let your heart harden against receiving God’s message, no matter how challenging. Understanding comes after receptivity. Note well: If we reject His Word until we fully understand it, we will neve runderstand it.
Don’t let your heart be like rocky soil. If we receive God’s message when we hear it, but turn away when difficulty comes to test the word, we have rocky soil. Persevere when the Word is tested.
Don’t let your heart be like thorny soil – divided. A divided hear is enticed by the illusion of control (worry) and the deception of wealth and world resources to meet our challenges.
Do have faith that there is life in the seed of God’s Word. It will begin to germinate when planted in good soil. Like natural seed, the growth is invisible at first, but persevere;fruitfulness is coming!