Christian Fellowship Church: Recent Episodes
Christian Fellowship Norfolk
Sunday morning worship service from November 10, 2024.
Message brought by Pastor Malcolm Xechariah.
Sunday morning worship service from October 20, 2024.
Message brought by Pastor Andy Giebler.
Sunday morning worship service from October 13, 2024.
Message brought by Deacon Arman Jorge.
Sunday morning worship service from October 6, 2024.
Message brought by Brother Ken Avellino.
Sunday morning worship service from September 22, 2024.
Message brought by Pastor Malcolm Xechariah.
Sunday morning worship service from September 15, 2024.
Message brought by Pastor Andy Giebler.
Sunday morning worship service from September 8, 2024.
Message brought by Pastor Parrish Lee.
Sunday morning worship service form August 25, 2024.
Message brought by Deacon Arman Jorge.
Sunday morning worship service from August 11, 2024.
Message brought by special guest, Pastor (Emeritus) Edward J. Thomas.
Sunday morning worship service from August 4, 2024.
Message brought by Pastor Kirk Orelup.
Sunday morning worship service from July 28, 2024.
Message brought by Brother Ken Avellino.
Sunday morning worship service from July 21, 2024.
Message brought by Pastor Andy Giebler.
Sunday morning worship service from July 7, 2024.
Message brought by Deacon Arman Jorge
Sunday morning worship service from June 30, 2024.
Message brought by Pastor Malcolm Xechariah starts at 39:34
Sunday morning worship service from June 16, 2024.
Message brought by Pastor Kirk Orelup.
Sunday morning worship service from May 19, 2024.
Message brought by Brother Jesse Rairdon.
Sunday morning worship service from May 12, 2024.
Message brought by Pastor Parrish Lee.
Sunday morning worship service form April 21, 2024.
Message brought by Deacon Arman Jorge.
Sunday morning worship service from April 14, 2024.
Message brought by Pastor Andy Giebler.
Resurrection Sunday morning worship service from March 31, 2024.
Message brought by Pastor Parrish Lee.
Sunday morning worship service from March 24, 2024.
Message brought by Brother Jesse Rairdon.
Sunday morning worship service from March 17, 2024.
Message brought by Brother Ken Avellino.
Sunday morning worship service from March 10, 2024.
Message brought by Pastor Malcolm Xechariah.
Sunday morning worship service form February 25, 2024.
Message brought by special guest Pastor Jeff Lynch.
Sunday morning worship service from February 18, 2024.
Message brought by Deacon Arman Jorge.
Sunday morning worship service form February 11, 2024.
Message brought by Brother Ken Avellino.
Sunday morning worship service from February 4, 2024.
Message brought by Brother Jesse Rairdon.
Sunday morning worship service form January 28, 2024.
Message brought by Pastor Malcolm Xechariah.
Sunday morning worship service from January 21, 2024.
Message brought by special guest Pastor Hubert Ulysse.
Sunday morning worship service from January 7, 2024.
Message brought by Pastor Parrish Lee.
Sunday morning worship service from December 31, 2023.
Message brought by Pastor Andy Giebler.
Sunday morning worship service from December 24, 2023.
Message brought by Deacon Arman Jorge.
Sunday morning service from December 17, 2023.
Message brought by Brother Ken Avellino.
Sunday morning worship service from December 10, 2023.
Message brought by Deacon Chris Ulrich.
Sunday morning worship service from December 3, 2023.
Message brought by Brother Jesse Rairdon
Sunday morning worship service from November 19, 2023.
Message brought by special guest Pastor Peter F. Paine.
Sunday morning worship service from November 12, 2023.
Message brought by Pastor Malcolm Xechariah.
Sunday morning worship service from November 5, 2023.
Message brought by Pastor Kirk Orelup.
Sunday morning worship service from October 29, 2023.
Message brought by Deacon Chris Ulrich.
Sunday morning worship service from October 15, 2023.
Message brought by Pastor Andy Giebler.
Sunday morning worship service from October 8, 2023.
Message brought by Pastor Parrish Lee.
Sunday morning worship service from October 1, 2023.
Message brought by Deacon Arman Jorge.
Sunday morning worship service from September 24, 2023.
Message brought by Pastor Malcolm Xechariah.
Sunday morning worship service from September 17, 2023.
Message brought by Special guest Pastor Peter F. Paine.
Sunday morning service from September 10, 2023.
Message brought by Pastor Andy Giebler.
Sunday morning worship service from September 3, 2023.
Message brought by Pastor Parrish Lee.
Sunday morning worship service from August 27, 2023.
Message brought by Pastor Kirk Orelup.
Sunday morning worship service from August 20, 2023.
Message brought by Deacon Arman Jorge.
Sunday morning worship service from August 13, 2023.
Message brought by special guest Pastor Hubert Ulysse.
Sunday morning worship service from August 6, 2023.
Message brought by Brother Jesse Rairdon.
Sunday morning worship service from July 29, 2023.
Message brought by Deacon Chris Ulrich.
Sunday morning worship service from July 9, 2023.
Message brought by Brother Ken Avellino.
Sunday morning worship service from July 2, 2023.
Message brought by Pastor Parrish Lee.
Sunday morning worship service from June 25, 2023.
Message brought by Pastor Kirk Orelup.
Sunday morning worship service form June 18, 2023.
Message brought by Pastor Andy Giebler.
Sunday morning worship service from June 11, 2023.
Message brought by Deacon Chris Ulrich.
Sunday morning worship service from June 4, 2023.
Message brought by Deacon Arman Jorge.
Sunday morning worship service from May 28, 2023.
Message brought by Brother Jesse Rairdon.
Sunday morning worship service from May 14, 2023 (Mothers Day).
Message brought by pastor Parrish Lee.
Sunday morning worship service from April 23, 2023.
Message brought by special guest Pastor Hubert Ulysse.
Sunday morning worship service from April 16, 2023.
Message brought by Pastor Andy Giebler.
Easter Sunday morning worship service from April 9, 2023.
Message brought by Pastor Parrish Lee.
Sunday morning worship service from April 2, 2023.
Message brought by Pastor Kirk Orelup.
Sunday morning worship service from March 19, 2023.
Message brought by Deacon Arman Jorge.
Sunday morning worship service from March 12, 2023.
Message brought by Pastor Malcolm Xechariah.
Sunday morning worship service from March 5, 2023.
Message brought by Brother Ken Avellino.
Sunday morning worship service from February 26, 2023.
Message brought by Brother Jesse Rairdon.
Sunday morning worship service from February 19, 2023.
Message brought by Pastor Andy Giebler.
Sunday morning worship service from February 12, 2023.
Message brought by Pastor Kirk Orelup.
Sunday morning worship service from February 5, 2023.
Message brought by Deacon Chris Ulrich.
Sunday morning worship service from January15, 2023.
Message brought by Pastor Malcolm Xechariah.
Sunday morning worship service from Christmas Day, December 25, 2022.
Message brought by Pastor Andy Giebler.
Sunday morning worship service from December 18, 2022. Message brought by Deacon Chris Ulrich.
Sunday morning worship service from December 11, 2022.
Message brought by Pastor Kirk Orelup.
Sunday morning worship service from November 27, 2022.
Message brought by Brother Jesse Rairdon.
Special service service from November 13, 2022, featuring the pioneers of our ministry.
Message brought by Pastor Peter F. Paine and Pastor Edward J. Thomas.
Special service featuring the pioneers of our ministry.
Message brought by Pastor Peter F. Paine.
Sunday morning service from November 6, 2022.
Message brought by Pastor Malcolm Xechariah.
1 john 2:15
Ps 84:10
1 Samuel 16:7
Job 1:21
Col 3:1-2
1 John 2:16
Eze 9:1-6
John 12:24-25
Gal 5:16
James 1:27
1 John 2:17
1 Tim 6:12
Math 6:33
Titus 2:11-13
Prov 1:10
2 Peter 3:10-14
Sunday morning service from October 9, 2022.
Message brought by Pastor Malcolm Xechariah.
Sunday morning service from September 25, 2022. Message brought by Brother Jesse Rairdon.
Sunday morning service from September 18, 2022. Messae brought by Brother Ken Avellino.
Sunday morning service from July 31, 2022. Message brought by Pastor Malcolm Xechariah.
Sunday morning service from June 19, 2022. Message brought by Pastor Malcolm Xechariah.
Sunday morning service from May 8, 2022. Mother's Day. Message brought by Pastor Parrish Lee.
Sunday morning service from April 17, 2022. Resurrection Sunday. Message brought by Pastor Parrish Lee.
Sunday morning service from April 10, 2022 (Palm Sunday) Message brought by Pastor Kirk Orelup.
Fear is a part of the human condition. In fact, fear is helpful in some situations. We are supposed to be afraid of dangerous things. The issue arises when we let fear keep us from doing what God has for us. Do we let fear limit our faith? On the other hand, do we pass doing really stupid stuff off as faith?
Romans 12:1-2 Hebrews 11:6 1 Timothy 6:12 Psalms 77:1-4 Ecclesiastes 8:8 Ezekiel 22:14 Psalms 18:32-37 Acts 2:38-42
Sunday morning service from September 26, 2021. Message brought by Pastor Andy Giebler.
Ephesians 2:10 Matthew 28:18-20 Mark 16:15-16 Mark 16:20 Ephesians 4:11-16 Acts 18:24-28 1 Corinthians 3:6 Romans 8:28
2 COR 6:17,18 John 17:1-5 2COR 1:3-4 2 COR 12:14 Proverbs 1:8 Proverbs 13:24 2 SAM 18:5 2 SAM 19:2-4 Proverbs 2:1-5 LUKE 15:17-34
Salvation Newness of Life
Jeremiah 31:3 The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee. Romans 6:1-10 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Romans 8:11-15 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. Luke 7:28 For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he. Galatians 5:22-26 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.
ACT 2:37-39 ROM 3:23 ROM 3:10-12 LUKE 5:29-33 1 JOHN 1:10 JAMES 1:13-15 ROM 12:1-2 2 COR 6:14-16 ACTS 2:37-38
Salvation Believe John 3:16-17 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. Acts 16:25-32 And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed. And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled. But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here. Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:”
Romans 10:6-11 But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:) Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.) But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
John 3:13-15 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
Mom's often feel like they aren't enough. Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, all show these moms that have it all together and you're just trying to make it out the door on time. The things you tell yourself, that you failed your kids, you’re not a good enough wife, that you have to control your kids; they are all lies rehearsed in your head or spoken by the devil. You are enough as you are. In the areas where you struggle, Jesus is enough. And its time for you to tell the lies from hell, enough!
What is the Bible? How do we know we can trust it? Where did it come from? What is it's purpose. We try to cover some of this in this message, but the notes also have some resources for you to continue answering the question.
The world is becoming increasingly hostile towards Christians. In turn, it seems, that Christians are getting increasingly adversarial toward unbelievers. The more judgmental we are, the harder it is to do the job of bringing the good news of Jesus to the lost. The more we judge the "outsider" the more we make it so they don't want to hear what we have to say.
We shouldn't be willing to trade true conversion of a soul for the forced adherence to a moral standard we believe in. It's cheap and in the end doesn't help those around us. It is not about making us feel comfortable. It is about real transformation. A world that lives by a moral code but doesn't have Jesus is just as bad as a world living openly sinful. They both end the same, people not having faith in Jesus.
We need to make our 1st, 2nd, and 3rd priority the gospel of Jesus. Nothing more, nothing less.
Mat 28: 18-20 MAT 10:5-15 Acts 3:2-9 MAT 15:30-36 JOHN 9:8-12 JOHN 4:25-30 ACTS 2:42-47 Mat 16: 14-16
"Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good." Romans 12:9 KJV
Hebrews 6:1-2 "Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, [2] Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment."
Luke 2:15-16(KJV): (15)"And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. (16)And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger."
There is a pervasive brokenness that exist throughout the world and in each one of us. People are looking for answers, but the solutions they seek lack two fundamental truths that lead to healing, first that our brokenness is rooted in the rebellion of mankind against his Creator, and secondly that the solution is found in the life of Jesus in whose birth we celebrate every December. There is hope, there is a better life, there is an answer to the longing that exists in each of us and it is all found in the person and work of Jesus Christ.
Exodus 19:5 - 8 1Peter 2:9, 10 Matt 5:17-18 Matt 5:19-20 Matt 5:27-30 Matt 5:31-32 Matt 5:38-40 Luke 6:27-29 2COR 6:14-18
EXODUS 16:6-8 EXODUS 16:11,12 EXODUS JOHN 6:43 MAT 6:27-33 JOHN 4:1-3 JOHN 4:7-11, VS. 17 LUKE 15:1-2 JOHN 6:60-61 JOHN 7:12 PROV 4:23,24 PROV 23:15-19 PSALM 119:9-16 Hebrews 13:7 and 17
God set the Children of Israel on a journey, but not without the things needed to make the journey happen. In the midst of everything God always provided their necessities. On our journey through the wilderness God has provided everything we need as well. They needed food, water, and rest and He provided. We need those same things spiritually and they are provided for us in the Jesus.
What do you do when every option of escape has vanished? Have you ever felt trapped to the point that you felt you had no options? Faith is an action word. It is not simply an idea, a concept to agree with, it is something that moves, compels us to action. If I truly believe something, we will act on that belief. What happens when that action is to simply to be still for a moment?
The people of God are sometimes to self-reliant. We believe we need to figure out the answer, when sometimes we just need to stand still and watch the salvation of the Lord.
1 Corinthians 10:1-11 Exodus 13:17-22 1 Corinthians 10:12-13 Exodus 13:21-22 Matthew 28:18-20
Psalm 18:2 1COR10:1-4 LUKE 8:11-13 Romans 9:32-33 1 Peter 2:7-8 MAT 7:24 - 27 1 Corinthians 3:10-15 Psalm 18:2
In a sea of chaos our focus can come off of Jesus. Paul writes to the church in Galatia to not be wearing in well doing because they will reap the rewards if they don't faint from the work. If you do anything, you have to have a goal. You have to have a purpose. We need to remember that this world is not our home and we need to remember the purpose of Christ's church in being together.
We are being discipled all the time. The simple fact is that we don't get to choose if we are discipled, but what we are discipled by. When it comes to the topic of sex, we tend to be uncomfortable talking about it in Church. However, it is everywhere in everything we consume. If we don't talk about it here, others will certainly define for us and disciple for us, both us and those coming up after us in the faith. This message is intended to look at what scripture say regarding intimacy and how God designed it and how it effects us.
There is only one thing that can change the mind of mankind. The power of the cross. The topic at hand is the sanctity of human life. Life is precious because it is a gift from God. No one can exist except God allows it to happen. Regardless of the circumstances that led to our conception, we were known before we were ever born.
We see over and over again the Lord telling his people that sacrifices and fasts mean nothing when they are treating people poorly. There is a sense where God is saying that he hates our worship when our life doesn’t reflect who He is. What he is calling for is care for the groups of people who are marginalized and oppressed. God has a heart for the hurting.
We can’t believe we are okay with God if we don’t speak out against injustice. We don’t have to choose between supporting one group and not another. We say what is right and we say what is wrong.
Our love and care for the least is a direct reflection of our relationship with Jesus. There was a tithe that was given to the poor every third year. When you harvested your crops you were supposed to leave some behind for the needy. Here we find that our fast should be toward freeing the oppressed and to see the poor taken care of.
Not only that but when Israel did these things God would bless them as a nation. Light would break forth and health would come. If there is darkness and sickness, spiritually speaking, we must acknowledge that there is a brokenness to address and it just may be how we treat the poor and oppressed.
Does our attitude regarding the poor reflect Gods attitude?
There are ways specifically in which we should be a reflection of who Jesus is. When we speak, when we act, when we associate ourselves with anything; we should be asking ourselves how does this glorify God? Does what I’m saying, how I’m behaving and what I align myself with reflect the values embodied in the work of Christ?
ACTS 18:24-26 ROMANS 16:3-5 1 TIMOTHY 3:2-5 LUKE 10:38-42 1COR 16:15-18 PHILEMON 1-7 ACTS 1:12-15 PHILIPPIANS 4:2-7 1 CORINTHIANS 5:1-11 HEB 10:19-25 COLOSSIANS 3:12-24
GENESIS 2: 21-23 GENESIS 3:17 PROVERBS 18:22 PROVERBS 19:14 EPHESIANS 5:23, 24 COLOSSIANS 3:18 PSALMS 128: 3 EPHESIANS 5:33 PSALM 31:10-28 GENESIS 3:6 PROVERBS 31:27 PROVERBS 14:1 1PET 3:1-7 1 PETER 2:9 1 CORINTHIANS 7:14 1 CORINTHIANS 7:4 1 CORINTHIANS 7:5 PROVERBS 22:6
The family is designed by God. Understanding his design and how to interact with that plan is important if we are going to have a successful family life. God planned it. He purposed it. It is for us to look the manual of the designer and use it as it was intended.
Jesus is preparing for his death and He spends time in prayer. That prayer was for us, those who are His disciples. It is the longest prayer recorded in scripture and it was God manifest in the flesh praying for us.
Perfect love casts out fear. When we are rooted and grounded in the love of God, the anxieties from the things of this life should fade into the background. If we are afraid, that is not coming from God. We can be assured of that. So, when we feel anxiety we can start to explore what is the root of it. Have we gotten of track on who we are doing whatever we are feeling anxious about. We can ask ourselves what am I doing this for? Maybe we shouldn’t even being doing it, we took it on, but it wasn’t ours to do. Then lastly, why am I doing this. Did you do it to please someone else, did you hope to gain something? Dwell in the love of Jesus. God is with us, he is for us and He has overcome this world. If we surrender to Him, rest in Him, find acceptance in Him, then we will find contentment in Him.
Every person in the world has some experience with fear of rejection and the desire for acceptance. Maybe it was a girl or boy you liked, it could have been being a part of a group, perhaps it was a job. Each of us, in some form or fashion, has experienced the fear of rejection.
If we can be honest with ourselves, we would know that part of that fear stems from thinking that if someone knew the real us, they wouldn’t like us. This is because all of us on some level believe that there is something worth rejecting in us. We wouldn’t normally think of it like this, but that belief, that fear, is rooted in the feeling of shame.
You and I are chosen by God. The anxiety of rejection can only be reconciled by the knowledge that we are in Christ and it is not about us.
We were designed to work. When God created mankind, he set them in the garden He told them “be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it”. In other words, they were to work together. They were to subdue the earth, meaning they were to work to make the earth ripe for human flourishing.
In that fall and in that curse the two major problems that arise are despair at the work because it is hard so there is a desire to escape work. Then there is the problem of making work the meaning of our life. We find success in something, we feel accomplished in something, and so our life become about that and rest becomes hard to find.
It's like when you are at the beach building a sandcastle. You have worked on it for a good while and you got it the way you like it and then the tide comes in and washes your work away. Maybe you have felt the sting of disappointment as you have poured your life into a job or project to see it all come to naught.
If we are all being honest, we want control. We want to be able to predict and manage anything and everything that life throws at us. Reality is that most things are completely out of our control. The sooner we can surrender to the God who can control all things, the sooner we can be at peace.
As Christians we tend to grow complacent and content with the cares and pleasures of our world and gradually compromise or settle for a lifestyle that is seemingly not overtly bad, but becomes as hypocritical as the Pharisees were by all scriptural accounts. We become self-righteous to think that as long as we know the truth, we have nothing against the truth, we can live with our humanity and our fleshly struggles, God understands. Does He really?
We have to think up to speak up. In order for us to have something meaningful, we have to first dedicate our heart and mind to knowing and understanding the things of God. There are plenty of options to fill our mind with, let us choose wisely so we have something worth saying.
Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote “The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well”.
We might not want to hear that the purpose of life is not to be happy. An interesting thing happens when we stop looking for what makes us happy and starting looking to be useful, honorable and compassionate, we find happiness. God has designed us to serve. We are never more fulfilled or satisfied as we are when are serving something other than ourselves.
What does it mean to be a Christian? How do we decide if someone is a Christian or not? Most of the time when this question comes up I hear people say: “They go to church”, “They’ve been baptized”. They don’t do these things, they do do these things.
While a Christian will go to church and you need to be baptized to be a Christian, there are plenty of people who go to church and have been baptized that are no more Christian than the Dali Lama. If we start making it about a list of do’s and don’ts then we are distilling it down to a checklist. While that is easier, it doesn’t capture the heart of what it means to be a Christian.
Our goal has to be like Christ, that is what discipleship is. A disciple is one who is becoming more and more like the teacher. Paul writing tells us that we are to be rooted in and built up in Him. In other words, we are to be growing.
Everyone worships. Everyone. There is no exception to that rule. God has designed us for worship. Because we are designed for worship, we will point our hearts toward something. If that something isn’t God it will be whatever feels good in the moment. The question is not if we will worship it is simply what will we worship.
2020 State of the Church Address broadcast from Christian Fellowship Church Ministries International Headquarters located in Norfolk, VA.
Everyone of us desires to have purpose. We want to know that we matter and that our life has some sort of meaning. If you are young you may be searching for that meaning and purpose. If you are older, you may reflect on your life at times and wonder if it had purpose or meaning. How we define that purpose or pursue it will be different, but the desire to matter exists in each one of us.
That desire for purpose, it is God given. We are made with purpose. God has designed you with a specific purpose in mind. Some of us, if not most of us struggle to figure out what that is or how to accomplish it, but it doesn’t take away from the fact that you and I were created with purpose. Scripture calls this purpose ministry. Each of us has a ministry.
Most people don’t seek out or particularly enjoy hard times. If we could choose a path, most of us would choose the path of least resistance. Maybe sometimes we see hardship as a sign that God is not in what is happening. If we are trying to work outside of what God has intended for us to do, when hardship comes, we will shrink in the face of it because we are trying to do it under our own power, not by the working of the Holy Spirit through us.
God has designed each of us with purpose. Ultimately all of us share the purpose of bringing glory to God, however how we each accomplish that purpose will differ based on gifts, talents, personality and the like.
Paul describes this idea in calling us the body of Christ, each having their unique purpose and by implication dependent upon the other parts of the body to function at its best. This means that all of us have purpose. All of us have meaning and all of us are necessary.
Jesus is the true vine, not the law, not Israel, but Jesus. In order for us to bear the fruit that God is looking for we need to be connected to the life that brings that fruit.
Jesus is our life. In Him we live and move and have our very being. We are not just hoping in a future resurrection, we are living in the power of the resurrection, here and now. The resurrection isn’t just a future event to wait for, it is found in the person and work of Jesus Christ. He is the resurrection. He is the life.
Jesus is the door. He is the only way to salvation and His sheep hear his voice and follow. They will not listen to another. This is a promise. It means that a Christian may wander, they may make mistakes, but the voice of Jesus brings us back in line. False teachings, our own desires and whatever else may get thrown at someone will not keep His sheep from following Him.
When we enter through Him, we take on His yoke, His teachings and he assures us that His teachings are easy and HIs burden is light. He isn’t bringing us into rules and regulations, He brings us into life. We find ourselves asking not what can I get away with, but how can I be more like Jesus. He is the door and because He is the door, we enter into eternal life and out of Joy we follow Him, imitate Him and let the essence of who He is become the reality of who we are.
There is the potential for two errors when diving into the grace of God. Error one is that salvation is obtained through grace plus something else. We would say "yes, the cross of Jesus, but I have to do something." Then there is error two; that salvation is the grace of God then nothing. God's grace is free and eternal, therefore I am not obligated to do anything and my place in eternity is secure.
The grace of God not only brings salvation, but it yields within us a proof of its existence. Our works are a fruit of the grace of God active in our lives, not the cause of it. The fruit on a tree is proof that life is there, not the source of the life. So, salvation can never be earned, nor can we say that we have experienced the saving grace of Jesus Christ if we are content to do nothing with it.
We want the world to change. We want people to believe in Jesus and know the truth that He has died for all of our sins. One of the best ways that we can see the glory of the gospel spread, other than the preaching of the word, is to being in submission to the authorities over us. It was true for the early church and it would certainly be true for us today.
We have to be different from the world around us. We are ambassadors of the living God. Our life should look more like the life of Jesus continuously. We need to take the standards of God seriously and pursue them. If we are exactly like the world around us, what are we offering them? We don’t want to add Jesus to their existing life, we want Jesus to turn their lives upside down as He has done for us.
Have you ever felt like the stuff you are doing; the phone calls, the conversations, the prayers, the teachings or whatever else that you have done isn’t making a difference? We aren’t doing it for accolades or recognition, but you are looking for fruit and you aren’t sure if there is any? If you can relate to that, if you have ever had an inkling of what that feels like, we should know that others around us are feeling the same. We can bring hope to others in their ministry by encouraging them in the fruit we can see in their lives, the difference we see them making.
We see this as Paul continues his exhortation in this chapter. Boldness does not equate to rudeness or lack of caring. It might be said that biblical boldness is rooted in care and concern for others.
This is what we find Paul telling us when he says that they were “gentle among you”. It is important that we have truth and love when dealing with others. If we are too focused on truth we can find our love for others lacking and focus on a person's failing rather than their progress. On the other hand, we can be so focused on being loving and caring that we let go of the truths that are necessary.
If we are to be effective in imparting faith, love and hope to others we have make the gospel the core of everything we do.
After enduring the abuse and mistreatment they encountered in Philippi, they didn’t change their message. The problems they faced did not cause them to try and make the gospel more palatable, to be less offensive, but instead chose to continue to teach the truth of Jesus. They had boldness to continue, because it wasn’t about them. It wasn’t about their gain, their notoriety. Instead, it was about making much of the name of Jesus.
If we are trying to build our ministry and we face criticism, we might be tempted to shift and change the message so that others may want to come and hear it. We may invite them to learn to live a better life, instructions for raising better children, how to resolve conflict and the like. All of that is well and good, but if we are building the kingdom of God, then we point people to Jesus in all things. We make it about Him at all times and we don’t worry about how “successful” we are, because our definition of success isn’t based on drawing a crowd, but rather the saving work of the Holy Spirit.
There is a moment for all of us who believe that the call of Jesus came and it stirred in our hearts and cause in us a change. We then sought to become followers of Jesus and have our identity found in Him. Our identity is found in one thing, that is we are loved by God. We love Him because He first loved us. We did not choose Him, but rather we are chosen by Him. It was that choosing, that love that has rescued us from the wrath that was stored up for us.
In light of that, the impact of the gospel should bring expectation. We should see lives effected by the power of His word. Those who have been chosen will be changed and those who have been changed become witnesses of the gospel that causes it to spread. We are to be conduits of God’s blessing. Examples of His grace. It is this idea that Paul continues writing to the church in Thessalonica about and it is where we pick up our text.
The Church in Thessalonica has a lot in common with the church today. It was not in a Godly city and temptation to indulge the flesh was everywhere. Despite that Timothy brings word to Paul that the church is steadfast its faith, labor of love and their hope of the return of Christ. We have much we can learn from this letter.
Luke's account of the great commission in Acts 1 highlights Jesus' instructions to wait for the promised Holy Spirit. Once he arrived, the disciples would be empowered to be mighty witnesses on behalf of Jesus.
The time for being a witness is now. Jesus came to save, not to judge (John 12:47). Our role is also to direct others to salvation, because a future judgement is coming. The Holy Spirit wants to work through us to accomplish this.
The world could not contain the works (and this doesn’t even mention the sayings) of Jesus, yet Jesus chose to guide the church into all truth by the Holy Spirit. It would seem then, that the revelation given to the early church which now forms our New Testament is everything we need to live as Jesus intended until his return. Out of the countless amount of wisdom and knowledge God could give, he preserved for us what we have today. Jesus spoke to us the specific things his church needed to be healthy, make disciples, and be ready for his return. The Comforter receives from Jesus that which Jesus desires to impart to his disciples, just as Jesus received if from the Father.
This series will examine the key works in John 16 that Jesus promised the Holy Spirit would do. Knowing what he is doing and desires to do through each of us will allow us to better align with God’s will. Jesus sent the Holy Spirt because he wants to help us, he wants to guide us, he wants to comfort us, he wants us to live like he did. Let’s let him.
There was one final sacrifice for sin, the man Jesus Christ. There is no more need for sacrifice for justification. We come to Him in faith and He makes us perfect before the father.
The Road to Recovery is jagged. It’s two steps forward, one step back. It isn’t all easy. You have problems, you fall back into self-defeating patterns. That’s called relapse. The alcoholic goes back to drinking. The overeater gains the weight back. The gambler goes back to the casino. The workaholic fills up his schedule again. We tend to repeat the patterns of our past. It’s very easy to slip back. It’s easy to slip back into old hurts, old habits, and old hang-ups.
We will look at what causes a relapse and then the maintenance step, which is Step 7 on the Road to Recovery, on how to avoid a relapse. Then we will briefly end our time by talking about Step 8 “Yield myself to God to be used to bring this Good News to others by both my example and my words".
OPENLY EXAMINE AND CONFESS MY FAULTS TO GOD, TO MYSELF, AND TO SOMEONE I TRUST
There are a lot of ways you react in life that are caused by unconscious guilt. Things you’re not even aware of. Things you feel bad about. We may deny the guilt. We may repress the guilt. We may blame other people for our guilt. We may excuse our guilt. We may rationalize our guilt. But we still feel the effects of it. If we're really going to recover from the hurts, and habits, and hang-ups in our life, we’ve got to learn how to let go of guilt, how to live with a clear conscious.
How do you get rid of guilt? By taking Step 4 in the Road to Recovery, and the good news is that this step is the key to relief.
Many of us are out there beating ourselves, trying to keep it all in the air from all crashing down. We have a tendency to get stuck in life. We get stuck in relationships. We get stuck with habits. We get stuck in grief when we lose a loved one. We get stuck in anger. We get stuck in our work, in a sexual relationship. And then we can’t get out of it and then on to a cycle.
Jesus says, “Come to Me.” It’s God’s invitation. I will make your life easier. I will lighten your load. You will have relief. You will have release. You will have rest. Give Me control and care of your life and watch what I do. Life will get so much easier. Less stressful. When we surrender our life to His will, everything falls into place. We have peace because we trust Him for the bigger picture.
This series is taken from Rick Warren at Saddleback with the intention of launching celebrate recovery. We have taken an 8 part series and condensed it into 6 that deals with recovery from hurts, habits and hang-ups. We all have them in some form or fashion and they are hindering us in different ways. If, however, we can come to Jesus and learn to let him deal openly and honestly with them, we can find healing and a better walk with God.
Praying for the unbeliever is such an important part of seeing them saved. We know this because Jesus teaches us to pray for them. There is a passage in Luke and in Matthew in where Jesus tells us to pray for those whom he is drawing. They each reveal something about the importance of praying as we seek to spread the gospel.
We pray to God, the Lord of the harvest, to bring laborers into the vineyard to work it. There is a large task at hand and we need as many people as possible to endeavor with us.
When Jesus said "Go ye therefore" Go simply means that we are to pursue the journey that we have entered or "as you go". In other words, as we go about our daily life and meet those in the sphere of our influence, we look for opportunities to spread the good news that Jesus has come.
Too often we think of evangelism as going to a foreign country or going out on a specific day to invite people to church. We need to have the mindset that our mission field is our grocery store, our jobs and our neighborhood, and live in a way that spreading the gospel is just a part of what we do everyday.
The Holy Spirit operates from and within unity. He is the unique factor that unites all believers. Paul writes that we are saved by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit (Tit 3:5). The Holy Spirit is the evidence that we are all in the same family:
The single greatest thing ever given to humanity was the birth of Jesus because it brought salvation. The wrath of God, the judgment of sin and the shame and guilt of that sin is all gone in light of the work of Jesus, but it didn’t start with a man on the cross. In fact, it didn’t even start with a man. It began with a baby.
God’s plan of salvation was brought by a helpless baby. A frail, weak and completely dependent upon its mother, baby. There is so much that could have gone wrong. God not only robed himself in flesh, but he became exactly like you and me. He experienced being a child and growing up just like we did.
The humanity of Jesus is what makes the story so remarkable. Of course, God can withstand temptation because the bible says he can’t be tempted, but Jesus was tempted because he was flesh just like us. This is the plan of God, this is something extraordinary occurring in the midst of the ordinary.
We all like the big moments with God. We long for the worship times when we speak in tongues, see people healed and men and women come to know Jesus. We like the success moments, the confirmation moments. What about the small moments? What about being consistent in our day to day life.
Zacharias experienced an amazing moment, but in reading the story I also see a man who was faithful about his day to day life. He was praying for a child, he was keeping the ordinances and was considered blameless. In the midst of that he goes and performs his turn to serve in the temple. He was faithful, he was consistent.
It’s okay to seek for the big moments, but we shouldn’t miss the small ones waiting for it. It’s okay to want to be on the mountain top with God, but we shouldn’t forget that he is in the valley with us. We need to be consistent and we need to see that everything we do should be spiritual.
When the angel of the Lord great Gideon, he calls him a “mighty man of valour”, but nothing about Gideon showed him to be anything but a man who was afraid. The Lord has to calm him several times and Gideon questions God, but this is the man God will use to pick 300 men to go into battle and win that battle against overwhelming odds.
Maybe we are afraid. Maybe we have been focusing on the wrong things and maybe God is trying to call us into courage, to be intrepid, to be a person of valour. God will supply the victory we just need to say yes. It was not Gideons strategy or understanding the brought victory, it was saying yes to God.
We face problems every day, as individuals, as families and as a church. What if the problems we face are not just a way to draw us closer to God, but also a catalyst for new growth? We can believe that God is trying to bear fruit in us and push us to greater things.
What if we saw problems as opportunities? The apostles were directed by God to create a solution that empowered people to be great testimonies of His glory. Stephen and Phillip became well known out of this group and help testify of the goodness of Jesus.
The delusion that we face is that we will be most useful when we have eliminated all of our weaknesses and conquered all of our problems. Usefulness and weakness are constant companions, so we shouldn’t be found guilty of making our circumstances better than they are. When we are honest about our weakness we find great strength in Christ.
We need to be confronted by the truth of what is success in Christ. Success in Christ is losing ourselves. Not worrying about our legacy, the prominence and respect, but looking to the needs of others and letting Jesus work in the midst of our mess.
There is a pure religion that honors God and reflects the heart of who He is. We are to be a reflection of who the God of love is and so how we treat the least in society is a reflection of our love for God. We cannot say we love God while simultaneously not be moved with compassion for those who are hurting and struggling around us.
We live in an age when religion is looked down upon. People will say they aren't into organized religion or they are about relationship not religion. Some will even criticize the results that have stemmed from the misuse of religion. The Bible speaks to this idea and calls that religion vain. The issue is not religion, but rather an adherence to that religion absent a relationship with the God who instituted the things that make up the practice of our religion.
This two part topic will look at the ways we can no if a person has a genuine relationship with God or not. Particularly in this message, the focus is on how someone who can't control what they say should question if their relationship with Jesus is intact. A life devoted to Jesus will be forever changed and will speak and behave differently
Don’t just hear the word—hear, receive with meekness (1:21), all while looking into the perfect law of liberty and continuing therein. If you do this, your life will be blessed; your works in the present will be blessed, and your eternity will be blessed.
We get ourselves in trouble when we jump to conclusions. Often, we angry because our perception is contrary to reality. If we take time to understand, or at least seek to understand without assuming we know the intent, we can have better relationships.
God has given us two ears and one mouth and we would do well to use them proportionately. It has been said that when we speak we can only say what we know, but when we listen we may learn something we didn’t know.
Temptation now = the Crown of life later. Temptation now = the power of Christ in the midst of the temptation. The primary battleground is in ourselves. God is on our side. Submit to God, Resist the Devil/Sinful desires, Draw close to God.
Faith doesn't trust or look to the material status as the measure of what is successful or good. The poor and the rich are the same in Christ. The poor and rich alike no longer count their earthly status as definition of who they are.
This life will pass away and the end of the rich will be the same as the poor. (Ecclesiastes 9:2) If the rich is made low, he no longer trusts in his riches. He will use his resources for the glory of God, but if he maintains his identity by his wealth, not only will his riches fade away, but he will also.
When you have lots of things, it is easy to trust in those things rather than God. Often the poor have nothing to lean on except God, so that obstacle is out of the way, but if we become discontented we can begin to chase something other than God.
Trials are inevitable, therefore we need wisdom to get through them. The wise run to God, while the foolish blame God and run from Him.
Trials come to everyone. Trouble is just the normal course of life. You would be hard pressed to find a single person on earth that has not faced difficulties in some way and you certainly won’t find any successful person who has never faced problems. The Christian life is no different, it is full of tests as we talked about last week. We will have problems in our marriage, we will have accidents that could keep us from working and effect our income. Our kids might rebel against us, or countless other scenarios. It isn’t necessarily a pull toward sin, though that is a possibility too.
Our goal is to focus on the right perspective on these trials and how we can think correctly about them and respond properly. We said last week that trials in and of themselves are not a source of joy, but we believe that “all things work together for good to them that love God”. We are to count it, meaning we consider it joy or deem it joy, like when we embrace the pain of a work out or the discipline of practice at whatever we want to get better at.
James could be considered wisdom literature. It is an immensely practical letter that deals with how we as Christians should behave in the world we live in. It shows a direct correlation with our faith and our behavior. Faith will cause us consider how the things we do and say reflect the God we say we serve.
Trials will reveal in us things we need to surrender to God. It may not feel good, it may not be what we like, but it is what we need. Hebrews tells us that the chastening of the Lord is a sign of our being sons and daughters of God. (Hebrews 12:5-17)
We are to count the trials as joy, because the testing purifies our faith. It causes us to be less in the flesh and more in the spirit and leads us to patience.
Salvation first belongs to God and then a person has their own relationship with God to cultivate. We should be worried about our personal salvation and not judging the relationship of another with God. Our job is to share the good news of Jesus, baptize those that respond in faith, and then help others follow the commands of God.
The project is close to completion and so now the enemy is using distraction and fear as tools to stop the progress.
They send 4 times for Nehemiah to come and meet with them? Why? What was there to gain? There is no negotiating on the work of God. We must be fearless in the work because we serve a risen Savior who has already overcome.
The people of God should be marked by their generosity. When difficult seasons come, we band together and help each other. We don’t strive and struggle with each other. As we seek to build the kingdom we don’t do so at the expense of others.
The walls progress ceases because in the midst of famine some had taken advantage of others. They mistreated and abused them. When there is oppression, the progress we could be making stops. A life of generosity will counter act our natural tendency to take advantage of others.
The building of the wall has begun, and so have the distractions from outside the walls and from within. The enemy mockingly begins pointing out the very real hurdles that the people of Judah will need to overcome. Meanwhile, fatigue and doubt begin to set in inside the walls as they begin looking at the obstacles instead of God.
The reality of what we see is not always the reality of what God says. The enemy and our own doubt sometimes strive to take our focus away from the marvelous work of God and instead focus on the opposition.
"The people had a mind to work (v. 6), a heart to pray (v. 9), an eye to watch (v. 9), and an ear to hear (v. 20); and this gave them the victory." -Dr. Alan Redpath (Victorious Christian Service, Revell, 1958; pp. 76–79).”
Anytime you set yourself to the task of building something opposition will arise. It can come from several different sources; the enemy, friends, family and even ourselves through doubt or fear, what we do when that opposition arises is important. As we continue our series in Nehemiah we find that opposition coming and it will continue until the job is completed, but Nehemiah behaved himself wisely and was steadfast in his goal.
We must prepare for the work we want to do to be attacked, we must then deal wisely with it and be of a made-up mind to complete the work no matter what comes our way. We cannot allow ourselves to be satisfied after God has placed in us a desperation to do His work and provided the means by which to do the work. We then have to do the hard work of actually doing something.
When God calls us to perform a particular task, he will provide the means to do so. We can work towards and plan with knowledge that God will give us the resources necessary to complete it. Qualification, money, or where the laborers will come from are not valid excuses to delay on what God has purposed us to do. It may not come immediately, Nehemiah prayed and fasted for 4 months before the opportunity came to address the king regarding the thing God laid on his heart. We prepare in faith, God provides accordingly.
The most common definition of desperate is “feeling or showing a hopeless sense that a situation is so bad as to be impossible to deal with.” That is not what we are talking about. That is not a reflection of the relationship we have with our God. We are not desperate, if we are believers, to have Christ in our life. We can be assured that the Holy Spirit does dwell inside of us. Nor are we talking about being desperate for God to show up when we come together. He assures us He is with us.
There is another definition that fits the context of what we should desire. Oxford defines it as “(Of a person) having a great need or desire for something”, such as a drink of water or relationship with people. If we are going to build the kingdom of God it will start with this sense of need for Him.
God is a God to all people but He is also a God to each one of us individually. He calls us by name and knows us the very depths of who we are. When we enter into the secret place with God, He is faithful to respond to us and direct us.
Money and possessions are mentioned 2,350 times in scripture. It is a pretty important topic. It might surprise us to learn that the topic is talked about more than even love is. I suspect this is because we are so easily distracted and seduced by money and possessions. They easily sway our heart from the living God. Often it is not the money itself, but it is the fancy house or car. It is the feeling of financial security and the like, but where we put our money first says a lot about what we value.
Fasting is merely an extension of prayer. If we “fast” without prayer and seeking the face of God, we are really just going without food. Fasting denies ourselves the essential nutrients for life in favor of becoming more intimate with the Father.
Maybe think of it this way. It is giving up something good to have something better. Food is a wonderful gift from God. I can think of some foods right off the top of my head that even thinking about eating them start to make me happier. Steak, Pizza, fried chicken, burgers... right? Fasting, though, is taking that enjoyment, that time of physical refreshing, and instead saying “I want to be with the Lord more than I want that”. Whatever “that” is for you. This is what Job said: "I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food". (Job 23:12) When we give up the most basic of necessities to draw closer to Him, there can be no greater denial of self.
Jesus tells us that members of the kingdom of God should go into our closet, our secret place, to prayer. What is beautiful is the word for closet was a Greek word used for a storeroom where treasure was kept. When we dedicate and consecrate a space where we go to spend time, just us and the Lord, what we value changes. Suddenly, earthen treasures like money and possessions don’t have a hold on us. They are merely seen as tools to use for the up-building of the kingdom of God
God has a way that He wants a Family to function and has given us instruction on what that looks like. Even though the ideal family design is lacking in our culture, we should not stop looking toward and pursuing that ideal. Where the ideal is lacking God's grace is more than sufficient, but we want to reflect, as best we can, the principles found in scripture.
As a church body we take care of one another. We seek to love and honor one another in purity. If we are seeing each other as brothers and sisters or mothers and father, then in the reverse sons and daughters; then sexual purity is there and the desire to see good in their lives is there. Men aren't seeking to keep women under dominion in the church, they are seeking how to seek their gifting used and celebrated. Women aren't seeking to dominate men or view them as obstacles in their pursuit of what God has for them. They see each other as partners in the gospel, each playing a God given, God designed and God purposed role for His glory.
"The lesson from this is that women’s differences should be celebrated, not portrayed as a deficiency in worth. “Help” does not imply weakness or inadequacy in worth, nor does weaker in form imply weaker in function. "
We have the privilege of mercy. You and I who deserved the wrath of God and to feel His judgment have been shown mercy by His grace. If we received what we were owed, we would be condemned for eternity. If we fought for our rights, we would be in Hell, but God rich in His love and mercy sent His son to take our place.
Once Israel was the line by which God set forth what pleased Him and what was against his will. It is no longer exclusively Israel, we are a chosen generation. We are a royal priesthood. In Israel royalty and the priesthood were separate. In Jesus they have been brought together for us.
We who were once alienated and without any privileges have now been made kingly priests, but heirs to the throne with Jesus and ministers of God's grace. He uses us to send forth his gospel and by extension, intercede on their behalf for God to save them. We prophecy his goodness and offer the sacrifice of praise.
One of the privileges that God bestows on His people is honor and an innocence in Him. We are not innocent, but in Him we are made innocent with the renewing of our mind. We were created with this idea. When God created man and woman the bible says “And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and they were not ashamed”. (Genesis 2:25) From the beginning we, mankind, were made in the image of God and there was no shame and no guilt. We see all of that fall apart in Genesis 3, something we will cover in our next series, but sin enters the world and as a result guilt and shame. Through Jesus we have be restored and we are free from the weight of shame.
One brick does not make a home, in the same way one person does not make a church. We need one another and are made complete by one another. Paul addresses this in a different way in the book of Corinthians when talking about the gifts. We are not all the same. We have different strengths and weaknesses and together we are built together to be greater than the sum of parts by the power of the Holy Spirit. This is a great and beautiful thing because truly only God can be given glory for anything that His church is, not based on the abilities, personality or will of character of any person.
We are completely justified by faith,so when we come to faith we can be assured that His grace is sufficient. However, we should understand that salvation is not really a moment so much as it as journey. We are constantly growing and being molded by the Holy Spirit for His purpose. He has started a work in us and will be faithful to complete that work, but it is a process.
A person who has devoted themselves to a sport will play it more than a couple of times a month right? If a man is devoted to his wife, nothing will cause him to be drawn away right? This is how we should be approaching prayer, with great devotion and fervor.
Singing and making melodies—whether internally or externally—is humankind’s nature. When one become complete in Christ, the natural inclination to praise finally finds its fulfillment and perfection as we sing to the Head of all things by the words and Spirit of the same.
There is a war taking place, a struggle in the Christian faith. In Ephesians Paul says we wrestle against principalities and powers. We make a mistake to think that there isn’t a struggle. If we believe that at the moment of our “conversion” we will have no more problems, everything is rainbows and butterflies and you have the perfect life. On the other end of the spectrum, you would be mistaken to believe that this life is a constant uphill battle with no respite and no relief.
What the saints of God know today was once a mystery and still is for those unable to receive it. This mystery was revealed by and through Jesus Christ. Thy mystery centers around these three words, “Christ (The Son of God becoming a man and being anointed with power) in (a new creation by the presence and seal of the indwelling Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Adoption to God the Father and heirs of eternal life in Jesus’ Kingdom) us (us being all races, genders and classes, no longer just Israel)”. This is the mystery we are ministers and stewards of.
We are absolutely and wholly justified before God by the blood of Jesus. We are positionally perfect, it is the only way we can attain salvation, by Jesus taking our place. Christ, when He died, did not just take away our sin, He gave us His righteousness.
Christ is sufficient. Christ is preeminent (surpassing all others). Christ is the firstborn of every creature. All things were created by him and for him. He is before all things; in him all things consist. All the fullness of Godhead dwelled in him bodily. All treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in him. He is the head of all principalities and power. Christ is sufficient.
We are in Christ, meaning we are in the one who is preeminent, in the one who was before all things, in the one who has all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, etc. We then are complete in Christ and complete only in Christ.
Through Christ Jesus we will be presented perfect before God.
This is why we must abide (remain) in Christ. Yes, our natural man moves around, travels, and works, but our spiritual man should never cease to abide in Christ alone. The danger facing the Colosse church was that false teachers, popular philosophy, and self-made religion were threatening to remove them from finding sufficiency and completion in Christ alone.