Yo,
Here’s this past Sunday’s sermon.
I started with a recap from last week’s service when I spoke about the Blessing.
John 10:10b (NLT): "My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life."
We have the vision to be a church of leaders, who attend to have faith-filled & fueled and their lives and missions connected to the Kingdom of God.
Christ-Centeredness- We are convicted that His life, death, burial, and resurrection would form and inform every sector of who we are
Connection: Community of people who connect with God, and each other and become ambassadors in the Kingdom and their world
Celebration: We Celebrate Christ, Celebrate Each other, and Celebrate New followers of Christ and others in the kingdom. We believe in giving folks flowers while they’re still with us.
Collaboration: We aim to connect, cooperate and collaborate without compromise.
Christ Centeredness
Col 1:15-18 NLT] 15 Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, 16 for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can't see--such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him. 17 He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together. 18 Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. So he is first in everything.
Center your life in Christ, and you will be able to handle anything life throws at you. You won't be immune to hardship, but you will be able to face it with the peace and strength that only comes from Him.-Max Lucado
Connection
[Ecc 4:9-10 NLT] 9 Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. 10 If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble.
The communal nature of faith is emphasized in the Lord's Prayer, where Jesus taught His disciples to pray, "Our Father who art in heaven..." By addressing God as "our Father," Jesus teaches us that our relationship with God is not just personal, but also communal, as we are all part of His family.
We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly."- Martin Luther King Jr
We are not saved to be selfish. We are saved to serve, and we are saved to be in community- Rick Warren
Celebration
[Psa 118:24 NLT] 24 This is the day the LORD has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.
"Celebration is a choice...You choose to celebrate the good things in life rather than focus on the negatives."- Joyce Meyers
God has many instances around food in the Bible to go with celebration. In the Old Testament, there were many feasts and festivals that God instituted, such as the Feast of Passover, the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost), and the Feast of Tabernacles. These feasts often involved communal meals, where families and communities would come together to celebrate and give thanks to God for His blessings.
In the New Testament, Jesus often used meals as a way to connect with people and share the Gospel. He famously fed the 5,000 and the 4,000, and He often ate with tax collectors and sinners, The Last Supper, where Jesus shared a final meal with His disciples before His crucifixion, is one of the most important meals in all of Christian history.
In Revelation 19:9, John writes, "Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!" This feast is a symbol of the great celebration that will take place in heaven when Jesus returns to establish His kingdom.
Collaboration
[1Co 12:12 NIV] 12 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ.
OT: Tribes
NT: Apostles
Jesus Burial 2 men showed up that were not in the inner circle
Cooperation without Compromise
A great deal of fruit can emerge by finding out what the Lord is already doing in a particular city and joining arms with that work
Conclusion
God has called us to repent, declare Jesus as Lord, and Be Baptized.
Lived Saved, Sanctified, and Set apart.
Live among the world with a spirit of Excellence and expectancy of God’s love and power manifested in our lives.
To be a community that centers Christ, Connects, Celebrates, and Collaborates without compromise.
These values will help us flourish in life, work, family, and relationships as well.
The Fellowship of the Unashamed
I am part of the "Fellowship of the Unashamed."
The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line.
The decision has been made. I am a disciple of
Jesus Christ. I won't look back, let up, slow down,
back away, or be still. My past is redeemed, my present
makes sense, and my future is secure.
I am finished and done with low living, sight walking,
small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams,
chintzy giving, and dwarfed goals.
I no longer need pre-eminence, prosperity, position,
promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I now live by
presence, lean by faith, love by patience,
lift by prayer, and labor by power. My pace
is set, my gait is fast, my goal is Heaven, my
road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions few,
my Guide reliable, my mission clear. I cannot be bought,
compromised, deterred, lured away, turned back,
diluted, or delayed.
I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the
presence of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy,
ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander
in the maze of mediocrity.
I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I must go until
Heaven returns, give until I drop, preach until all know,
and work until He comes. And when He comes to get
His own, He will have no problem recognizing me.
My colors will be clear.
If this message blessed you and you want to buy me a coffee
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