Here for Good: Podcast of Valencia United Methodist Church

Today, we conclude our series “Words to Build a Life On,” with a brief message by Rev. Nicole based on Matthew 22:34-40, in which Jesus teaches about the importance of loving God and loving other people. We will also hear from three people who share how they work to live out the three simple rules – Do No Harm. Do Good. Stay in Love with God. The simple (but not easy) rules provide a way to make our faith more real.

In the third message on our current series “Words to Build a Life On” Rev. Nicole shares the third simple rule – “Stay in Love with God” and a message from John 21:15-17. We are called to live a life of love and engage every day in ways that help us live as God desires. Learn some spiritual practices that can deepen your faith. Spending time with God on a regular basis allows God’s love to grow in us, forming and transforming us.

What are the foundations on which your life is built? If a faith in Jesus is one of them, then you are called to live in ways that strengthen your discipleship. In his book Three Simple Rules, Bishop Reuben Job offers a simplified version of John Wesley’s General Rules, as guidelines for living an active faith that that deepens our discipleship and shares the Good News of Jesus in practical ways in the world. Today, Pastor Michelle preaches on 1 John 3:17-24 and our call as Christians to “Do Good,” using what we have to help anyone who is in need.

As Christians, we are called to live out our faith in ways that lead us, and others, to a deeper discipleship. In our new series Words to Build a Life On we will consider three (seemingly simple but difficult to consistently live out) guidelines for living in ways that keep us moving forward in our faith. Today, Pastor Michelle brings a message from Colossians 3:12-14 and invites us to understand our identity as God’s beloved, and our call to live in ways that “Do No Harm.”

God’s power through the Holy Spirit has the power to transform our lives and our world. On this Pentecost Sunday we remember the gift of the Holy Spirit and the birth of the church found in Acts 2:1-4, 14-18, and celebrate all that God has done through the church. In today’s message, Rev. Nicole challenges us to pay attention to and listen for what the Spirit is trying to tell us, so that we will be open to transformation and a deeper relationship with God.

When a fruit tree is planted in fertile soil and receives adequate water and light, it produces good fruit. Our spiritual lives are similar. When we are grounded in God and are open to the working of the Holy Spirit, our lives produce the fruit of the Spirit allowing us to display the characteristics of God. In today’s message, Rev. Nicole preaches on Galatians 5:22-26 and how we hold God’s power within us to live with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Through the presence and power of God’s Holy Spirit in our lives, we are continually made anew, enabling a deeper relationship with God. As the Holy Spirit is reborn in us, God is able to more fully live through us, enabling us to experience a deeper relationship with God. Rev. Nicole’s message, based on John 3:1-8 invites us to better understand how the Spirit’s work within us can increase our faith.

We have all been judged, criticized, or put down by the words and actions of others. Sometimes it is our voice that self-criticizes. The Holy Spirit, God’s power that lives in each of us, enables us to accept grace and mercy when we make mistakes and when we mess up. God desires us to be free from the weight of the negative things we tell ourselves and to instead be open to receiving the forgiveness that God offers. In today’s message, based on Romans 8:1-9 and 2 Corinthians 5:17, Rev. Nicole, shares how the power of the Holy Spirit enables us to live in that freedom.

The Holy Spirit gives us gifts from God. The gifts we are given are a way for us to better know and better experience the full life that God has for us. There are a variety of gifts – we are not all gifted in the same way and no gift is more important than another. Rev. Nicole’s message on 1 Corinthians 12:1, 4-11 teaches that using our gifts to serve builds God’s church in the world.

Through the Holy Spirit, God’s power lives in all who are on the journey of faith. The Spirit gives us the intuition, discernment and wisdom that guides our lives. It is God’s wisdom that enables and strengthens us to follow Jesus. Prayer allows us to slow down and listen for God to speak and guide our choices and our lives. In today’s message, based on 1 Corinthians 2:6-10 and Romans 8:26-27, Rev. Nicole helps us discover the importance of God’s wisdom in our lives and how to receive it.