Sunday Morning January 12th, 2025 “The Good news alive: overshadowed pt 3
The truth that the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand is a reality for our lives today. The ways of heaven, literally overlay our world and we can choose to walk in them if want to. In order to help us walk in heavenly ways, God sent the Holy Spirit to teach us, to show us the way, and give us power to interact with heavenly things. Jesus came to seek and to save the Lord and His method for doing so, was to show us how to live on the earth and The world doesn’t need more scholars in heavenly ways. It needs practitioners of heavenly ways. And as we grow in being practitioners of heavenly ways, we become scholars of heavenly things. Look at Jesus’ fishermen disciples, who after Jesus rose from the grave and returned to heaven, people were amazed at these fishermen and knew that they must have been with Jesus. Jesus didn’t come to build an organization, he came to build followers of Jesus. Followers of Jesus’ heavenly ways. When we come together, to follow Jesus together, the Bible tells us that Jesus will be in our midst. So when we do this, we move from just telling people about an organization, or telling them about what God might be like, into people who when we go together, Jesus goes with us. And the effect of His Presence with us becomes visible to people. He REVEALS Himself to the world through us in a different way when we are together, then what is possible when we are on our own. When we join together to follow Jesus’ mission together and focus on discovering how to introduce people to Jesus – who is with us – it changes the objective of what we are trying to do. We are not inviting people to visit the organization of a “church” but we are introducing them to the presence of Jesus Himself. Visible effects of God’s presence in our life should be the matter of course in our lives. God rescuing us, God helping us, God transforming us. His presence, working through us, to change our lives and the world around us. Imagine the Holy Spirit hovering over us like a cloud, and casting a shadow over our lives. And that shadow is the effect of what He is doing in our lives – and people can see it. As we talk about how the Gospel is Alive – we will see how we connect to the Holy Spirit in everything that we do. 1 Thessalonians 1:5 “because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.” 1 Thessalonians 1:5 ESV We come with: The WORD of God – so we share testimonies about what God is doing. And learn about the word of God. With the POWER of God With the HOLY SPIRIT of God With FULL CONVICTION that carries us through to the end. “You know what kind of men we proved to be…” There was an intention in Paul where he chose to be a man of God among them. God wants you to know His Word, and he wants you to carry the Power of God, also! And he wants you to walk with the help of the Holy Spirit, also! And He wants you to carry on with full assurance until the end, also! “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”” Acts 1:8 ESV POWER for what???? Power to live for God. To become a living testimony of the kingdom of HEAVEN! The SPIRIT is your connection to God’s POWER to help you in life!!! Jesus is showing you how to be more and more like Him by sharing the Holy Spirit with you. So that you can have the effect that Jesus would! The Holy Spirit is transforming your life for your benefit, and also because He wants to have a relationship with, but also so that the world can see the active working of His power through you! Our focus must become to have everything that God desires for us. Everything that He planned has for our lives! “And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.” Revelation 12:10-11 ESV The Blood of the Lamb is what God provides. The word of our testimony is what we provide. POWER to overcome the works of the accuser of the brethren comes through the Holy Spirit. HOW IS IT APPLIED? HOW DO YOU APPLY THE POWER? 2 things: You tell those things that you have the POWER BECAUSE been purchased back from death and redeemed by the blood of the Lamb and You tell those things the TESTIMONY of what God has done already I’m going to add a third thing that is simply the APPLICATION of those two things – Based on that – This is what God is going to do with you – I AM THROWING YOU DOWN YOU HAVE NO AUTHORITY OVER ME ANYMORE!
Wednesday Morning Bible Study “Proverbs” with Pastor Harry and Dawn
God’s word shows us an obvious difference between words of life and words of death. Join us as we look at God’s wisdom in the Book of Proverbs.
Wednesday Night bible study with Pastor David and Pastor Harry
What are we supposed to do with the freedom that comes from knowing Jesus? God shows us how to love the world by teaching us to be mindful of how we honor others from within the world. Join us as we discuss 1 Peter 2:16-17.