What a great missions conference we had this last weekend! Thanks to everyone who helped welcome Sam and Jen as they shared their lives and ministry in Germany at the Black Forest Academy with us.
Sam asked two questions in the service that we should continue to be reflecting upon:
He then shared examples of answers to these questions in Joshua's life from Joshua, chapter one. I have a feeling that if we truly and prayerfully press into these questions, it will be life changing. That's precisely his point. Thankful to be on this journey with you, Pastor Andy Please read Philippians for Sunday. Questions for application: Please see the two questions above. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Eph. 5:8b-10, ESV The book of Ephesians is a book of encouragement for believers to build their lives on the foundation of Jesus and to live out their faith in Him in every area of their lives. The first three chapters detail how God gave us every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ (1:3) and how even though we were far away, Christ brought us near to God by His blood (2:13). I think it’s very telling that Paul stops and prays for the Ephesian believers twice in the first three chapters: 1:15-22 and 3:14-21. It’s not enough to know these truths, but we must pray and ask God to help us comprehend what He’s given to us in His Son and to be able to comprehend how wide, long, high and deep His love is for us in Christ. As our hearts begin to understand these things, our hearts will be shaped by Jesus and we’ll be changed people (4:22-24). These changes He works in us will show themselves in the fruit that we bear as children of light (see verse above). This fruit also will be a witness to the people around us in our lives and will serve to encourage our hearts that we’re living out the life of the Beloved Son (1:6) within us. Hence, we can begin to know what’s pleasing to the Lord by applying His wisdom (1:8-9) to the different situations in our lives (4:1-6:9) and that, truly, is the best use of our time (5:16). Let’s continually build our lives on Jesus Christ the Rock! Pastor Andy Questions for Reflection:
I have been crucified with Christ.
It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. Gal. 2:20, ESV Galatians 2:20 helps us see how Paul applied the gospel to himself. It reveals an accurate orientation to the gospel. It hadn’t been all that long since Paul had preached the gospel to them in the region of Galatia. Yet, the church was being lured away from the truth of the gospel of Jesus to a form of Judaism that prescribed following the law once again, which was no gospel at all (1:6-7). So then, Paul applied the (true) gospel to himself to show that each disciple of Christ needs the gospel- needs it in an ongoing way in order to live life now, in the body God's given to us. There are four (among many) applications for us specifically from Gal. 2:20:
Now it’s up to us to apply the gospel to ourselves, just as Paul did. Once our faith is in Jesus, we need to prayerfully remind ourselves of the truths of Galatians 2:20 everyday. Let’s keep in step with the Spirit as we walk forward with Jesus (Gal. 5:25), Pastor Andy Questions for Reflection:
Hey NewLife Family,
Here are five observations from 2 Sam 6, when David was bringing the Ark of the Lord to Jerusalem.
Friends, we have the blessing of having the Presence of Jesus in our lives. Let’s pay attention to Him AND rejoice and delight in Him! Blessings! Pastor Andy Questions for Reflection:
Paul reminded us that it isn’t about us. We don’t have to perform for the world to get their attention. We don’t need to pretend to our fellow believers that we have everything under control. All we have to be is authentic. It is through authenticity that Christ ministered to others. Who He said He was, He is. Jesus never tried to create an atmosphere of bells and whistles in order to get the attention of those around Him. He was just real.
NewLife can we be real too? When we come together, can we be authentic with each other? Is it possible? There are two extremes we can so easily fall into which each present as an obstacle to true authenticity. 1. Eeyore syndrome – This is where all we do is point out what is wrong with the world, or tell those around us how we are expecting bad things to happen soon because they “always do”. We begin to see the world and define our lives by the struggles only and not by how Christ met us in those struggles. And the other extreme is: 2. Social Anxiety – This is where the fear of being judged, seen, watched, or revealed is so strong we avoid sharing anything of substance (scopophobia, scoptophobia, or ophthalmophobia). This category I also call the FaceBook Persona. This is where we only put the good in front of the public. We want the world to see how much we have life together – and dread what would happen if they knew us – or truly saw us. Both scenarios keep fear in the driver’s seat and leave us disconnected from those we actually long to connect with. Paul wanted people to like him. He wanted to be known and appreciated, to be judged favorably. Yet, Paul didn't change who he was out of fear of not being liked, or judged. He kept his eyes on being real and being true to Christ and the Gospel. Jesus did the same thing. He was the same yesterday, today and will be tomorrow. He is authentic in all circumstances – with all people. NewLife, can we be authentic with our brothers and sisters? Can we walk the talk of being real in order to be known? We should not ignore the difficulties, but let us not make them the sole focus of our lives. It is okay to talk about the good too, but let us not avoid being real out of fear. Fear is one of the enemy’s greatest tactics. If he can make us afraid of other people judging us, we will never connect to others, we will stay isolated, and we will always believe we are being judged by those around us. It becomes a vicious cycle. Let us embrace our humanity (not to give into the flesh, but to know that obedience is expected of us, not perfection) and look to God for His strength. Life is not about us – it is about Christ. Blessings, Kyle
Paul’s letter to the Corinthians was a letter of encouragement for them, correction on certain issues, and instruction on other issues. It was a reminder that God had enriched them in all speech and knowledge and that they were not lacking any gift in Christ (1 Cor. 1:5-7).
Among the major exhortations that Paul gave to the Corinthian Church:
Paul spends the entirety of chapter 15 teaching about the Resurrection of Christ and our hope of salvation and resurrection based on His victory over the grave. This is to correct false thinking that had slipped into the church that there was no resurrection of the body. Paul quickly corrects this thinking by noting that if there is no resurrection of the body, then not even Christ has been raised from the dead (1. Cor. 15:16) and if that’s the case, then our faith is in vain (1 Cor. 15:17-19). Thankfully, thankfully, thankfully, as we know, Christ is raised! As Paul writes, "For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures." (1 Cor. 15:3-4, ESV) So then, we can confidently move forward in our faith, based on the Resurrection of Jesus Christ and in the Resurrection power He has given to us. It’s all because of Jesus and through Him that we have fellowship with the Father and can live out the Christian life. I think that is why Paul includes, as a reference to the Isthmian Games, the encouragement in 1 Corinthians 9:24, to run in a way to win the prize, to do what it takes to go the distance in our relationships with Jesus. Let’s keep running this race together, Pastor Andy Please start reading 2 Corinthians for Sunday. Questions for Reflection:
Friends, NewLifers, lend me your ear on Romans!
Here are some stops from our walk through Romans on Sunday:
Here’s a shorter version of the Romans Road that helps with sharing our faith: Rom. 3:23 All have sinned Rom. 6:23 The wages of sin is death but free gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Rom. 5:8 Christ died for us while we were still sinners Rom. 10:9-10 Confess with your mouth and believe with your heart that Jesus is Lord, and you will be saved Let us be persuaded, let us be convinced that we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us! Pastor Andy Please begin reading through 1 Corinthians for our time on Sunday. Questions for Reflection:
We began our journey through the book of Romans this past Sunday. In this book we see the Apostle Paul explaining the gospel to the church in Rome. The reason he was writing so boldly (as he acknowledges in chapter 15) is that he wanted the church to grasp the deep truths of the gospel and for their lives to be changed by the love of Jesus. So, we began our walk through Romans and stopped at the following points:
These truths really can change our lives as we not only mentally agree with them but believe what God is telling us through them and by meditating on them. And, if you may recall, I assigned for everyone to read Romans chapter 8 for this coming Sunday. It’s called the Spirit Filled chapter and as you read it you will see why. My friends, whatever road you’ve been roamin’ in your life, come join us as we are on the Roman road to growing deeper in Christ this Sunday! Blessings on the journey! Pastor Andy P.S. Remember to read Romans 8!!
Dear NewLife Family,
The Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead changed everything! Everything that we studied on Sunday in the book of Acts flows out of His Resurrection. For example, if Christ was not resurrected, then there would be no Ascension or the pouring out of the Holy Spirit and certainly there would be no Church or missions movement. But, He arose from the grave! Thus, He went to the Father, the Spirit was poured out, the Church was born and the Word began to spread. The Church continues to this day as Jesus promised and we are empowered by His Spirit for holy living and to be His witnesses. Here’s a quick list of the 7 Things That We See in Acts, which we studied on Sunday:
Pastor Andy
Happy New Year, NewLife!
We have officially entered 2024, y’all! I don’t know about you but it always takes me a little while to get used to writing the new year down. It’s also that time of the year when folks reflect back over the past year and look forward to the new one. Often this can include new goals or resolutions for what we want to accomplish in the coming year. As you ponder, reflect, and prepare for 2024, here is a W.O.R.R.D of encouragement from Phil. 2:12-16. Work-out your salvation: Continue to work out in your life what God is working in you. Please note that this is NOT working for your salvation! It’s the walking out, living out the new life that God has given to you in Christ Jesus. Obedience that is genuine: This is a sincere following of Christ and His commands, as well as promptings from the Holy Spirit. Paul encouraged the Philippians to obey, not just in his presence but in his absence. This would lead to a maturing faith in them that wasn’t based on pleasing Paul. Reverence: All this is to be done with fear and trembling, having a reverence for the Lord that desires to be pleasing to Him and to be doing what He wants, out of love for Him. Refuse to grumble: This is so we don’t tear down the work of God in our lives. Grumbling defiles us and tears us down. It tears others down and can lead to divisions in the body of Christ. Dear Life: Hold on to God’s word for dear life! As we do this, we shine like stars! Let’s hold on to His W.O.R.R.D in 2024! I look forward to seeing you on Sunday since I haven’t seen you since last year! Pastor Andy |
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