The weekly podcast from Grace Vineyard Christian Fellowship in Oceanside,CA. gracevcf.org
Episodes
Sunday Oct 02, 2016
Sunday Oct 02, 2016
Sunday Sep 25, 2016
Sunday Sep 25, 2016
Breath of Heaven Children’s Ministries is dedicated to helping meet the needs of a growing orphan population in Lusaka, Zambia Serving orphans is part of our Biblical commission, as stated in James 1:27, “…to look after orphans and widows in their distress…”
Our desire is to provide a stable, secure, family-like environment that will enhance the children’s interaction with their neighboring community. Breath of Heaven Children’s Ministries has an immediate mission to develop sustainable Children’s Village consisting of 14 children’s homes, a school, a medical clinic, and a church.
The children’s homes themselves will function as individual family-units within the larger village community, each comprised of 1 House Mother, an Auntie, and 12 resident youngsters. (We have chosen this household model deliberately, in order to help minimize the stigma associated with more stereotypical, institutional approaches to orphan-care.) BOHCM is thoroughly committed to facilitating and fostering as normalized a family-experience for our kids as possible.
When built-out entirely, Breath of Heaven Children’s Village will provide shelter and well-rounded care for 168 underprivileged children and their widowed House Mothers. Additionally, our school, medical clinic, church, and supplemental facilities will enable us to reach out to even more orphaned children and widows in the surrounding community with the implementation of educationally- and spiritually-based day programs and accessible, affordable medical care.
For more information- www.bofheaven.org
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!
Sunday Aug 21, 2016
Sunday Aug 21, 2016
Increase – The Parable of the Measure
Mark 4:24-25
24 "Consider carefully what you hear," he continued."With the measure you use, it will be measured to you — and even more. 25Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he has will betaken from him."
· There is nothing greater in life than to experience the revelation ofGod
John 17:3 (The Message)
3 And this is the real and eternal life: That they know you, The oneand only true God, And Jesus Christ, whom you sent.
· “Consider carefully what you hear”-
God has made His Word – therevelation of Himself – available to us
Hebrews 1:1-3
1 In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at manytimes and in various ways, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by hisSon, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made theuniverse. 3 The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representationof his being
· “with the measure you use,it will be measured to you – and even more.”
God has given us authorityand responsibility to determine the measure of revelation we will receive
How to listen for maximum increase
o Prioritize the place ofGod’s Word in your life
Acts 2:42-43
42 They devoted themselves tothe apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of breadand to prayer.
Note – The “apostles’teaching” is written down for us; it is the New Testament
o Approach the Word withexpectant faith –
Hebrews 11:6 (The Message)
6 It'simpossible to please God apart from faith. And why? Because anyone who wants toapproach God must believe both that he exists and that he cares enough torespond to those who seek him.
Proverbs 8:17
17 I lovethose who love me, and those who seek me find me.
Jeremiah 29:13-14
13 You willseek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found byyou," declares the Lord
o Let the Word judge youinstead of you judging the Word
Hebrews 4:12-13
12 For theword of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, itpenetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges thethoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden fromGod's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him towhom we must give account.
o Put the Word into practice
Informationwithout application leads to deformation
Butinformation with application leads to transformation
James 1:22-25 New LivingTranslation
22 But don'tjust listen to God's word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are onlyfooling yourselves. 23 For if you listen to the word and don't obey, it is likeglancing at your face in a mirror. 24 You see yourself, walk away, and forgetwhat you look like. 25 But if you look carefully into the perfect law that setsyou free, and if you do what it says and don't forget what you heard, then Godwill bless you for doing it.
The ”Law” of Increase
“Whoever has will be givenmore; whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him."
· This principle is true with natural strength – the more we exercise thestrength we have, the stronger we become. If we don’t use the strength we have, we become weaker, and we lose thestrength we once had.
· This principle is true with knowledge – the more knowledge we have, themore we can acquire. But when we stoplearning, even the knowledge we once had begins to be forgotten.
· This principle is true of any skill
· This principle is true of shouldering responsibility. When we are faithful with what God entruststo us, He entrusts more to us.
Matthew 25:21
21 "His master replied,'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a fewthings; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master'shappiness!'
Jesus came to reveal the Father, and He has entrusted to His Church thecontinuation of revealing God to our entire world. Let us be those who choose a large measurefor receiving the revelation of God, that we may in turn reveal Him to ourworld by who we are, what we say, and what we do.
Isaiah 60:1-3
1 "Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of theLord rises upon you.
2 See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over thepeoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you. 3 Nations will come to your light, and kingsto the brightness of your dawn.
Tuesday Aug 09, 2016
Tuesday Aug 09, 2016
The Life of Jesus – The Sermon on the Mount
The Overflow of the Kingdom Heart
Matthew 6:1-18
The Power of Living from the Father’s Love
Matthew 6:1
6 "Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
We live from the overflow of our hearts
Luke 6:45
45 The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.
Until we know the love of the Father, we will continually search for significance, approval, and meaning from others, never satisfying this thirst. Every relationship has the potential to be come an identity crisis.
When our hearts are filled with the Father’s love, we no longer search for significance and approval, we live from our identity as loved sons and daughters, and righteous acts are the natural overflow.
John 4:14
14 but whoever drinks the water I [Jesus] give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."
Righteousness at its core is love for God and love for others. We truly love when our love is the overflow of the love we have received from God.
Our first priority, then, is to receive and live in God’s love
1 John 4:16-20
16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. 17 In this way, love is made complete among us …
19 We love because he first loved us.
The Depth of God’s Love for Us is Beyond Comprehension
God the Father loves us with the same love He loves Jesus with!
John 17:23, 26 Jesus’Prayer to the Father
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.
26 I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them."
1 John 3:1
1 How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!
“You sum up the whole of New Testament religion if you describe it as the knowledge of God as one’s holy Father. If you want to judge how well a person understands Christianity, find out how much he makes of the thought of being God’s child, and having God as his Father. If this is not the thought that prompts and controls his worship and prayers and his whole outlook on life, it means that he does not understand Christianity very well at all. For everything that Christ taught, everything that makes the New Testament new, and better than the Old, everything that is distinctively Christian as opposed to merely Jewish, is summed up in the knowledge of the Father of God. ‘Father’is the Christian name for God.”
J.I. Packer
The Overflow of the Kingdom Heart
Jesus in his humanity lived from the foundation of God the Father’s love and approval, and now as sons and daughters of God we can live from that same secure foundation
John 6:27
27 Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life,which the Son of Man will give you. Onhim God the Father has placed his seal of approval."
When we intimately know the Father, He shows us what He is saying and doing, and we join Him in His work.
John 5:19-20
19 Jesus gave them this answer: "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. 20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, to your amazement he will show him even greater things than these.
Because we are children of the Father, loved by the Father, our full hearts overflow in acts of Righteousness from Him and for Him.
Matthew 6:3-4 Giving to the needy…for the eyes of our Father
3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Matthew 6:6-7 Communing with the Father in Prayer for the advance of His Kingdom
6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father,who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Matthew 6:17-18 Cultivating a Hunger for God ..l for the eyes of the Father
17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Sunday Aug 07, 2016
Sunday Aug 07, 2016
Raw Cambodia
Real God, Real people, restoring lives in Cambodia
Sunday Jul 10, 2016
Sunday Jul 10, 2016
Keeping the Fire Alive
A life of worship in view of God’s Mercy
Romans 11:33-12:2
33 Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!
34 "Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?"
35 "Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?"
36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.
12:1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God — this is your spiritual act of worship.
Keeping our hearts on fire is Worship
Romans 12:11
11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor [NIr V: Never let the fire in your heart go out], serving the Lord.
· Being spiritually “on fire” is for every Christian at every stage of the Christian Journey.
The nature of spiritual fire
Natural fire is a phenomenon that occurs when a fuel substance such as wood combines chemically with oxygen and gives out light and heat. The fuel must reach ignition temperature, and then the reaction perpetuates as the heat produced keeps the fuel at ignition temperature.
Spiritual fire is similar. Our lives offered to God (which is worship) are the fuel. God’s Spirit is the oxygen, and God Himself brings us to ignition temperature.
It’s not a working of ourselves up into a spiritual/emotional frenzy.
It is the work of the Spirit. Our part is to offer ourselves in a life of worship to Him. His part is everything else.
The Spiritual fire goes out when we stop offering the fuel of our lives.
Spiritual Fire is directly related to love
Romans 12:10-13
10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor[RSV-“be aglow with the Spirit”, Good speed-“on fire with the Spirit”], serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13 Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
· Devoting ourselves to each other in brotherly love as an act of worship and honoring one another is like an ignition spark that gets the fire burning.
· There is a self-perpetuating flow: spiritual fire flows out of love for one another; that same fire flows back into more love, which produces more fire.
We can fan spiritual fire into full flame
2 Timothy 1:6
6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.
Remember the testimony of your spiritual heritage
2 Timothy 1:3-6
3 I thank God, whom I serve, as my forefathers did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. 4 Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy. 5 I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.
- Paul takes Timothy back to his grandmother, the 1st Christian in Timothy's family history (Acts 14, 16)
- Paul's recalls his own Jewish heritage as the offspring of Abraham
- When we join a community of faith, that church's heritage (almost always birthed in revival) becomes our heritage.