PATHWAY CITY CHURCH

Joshua 24:14-15 “Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Philippians 3:12-15 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,  I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.  Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you.

Luke 2:9-11  And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

Isaiah 26:3

You keep him in perfect peace

whose mind is stayed on you,

because he trusts in you.

As this season of Advent begins, Pastor Neb spurs us to fix our hearts on hope. Psalms 120-134 show us that the song of ascension to the Throne of Grace is the hope of Christ. This hope marks the first, central theme that prepares us for the peace, love, and joy found in the manifestations of Christ--in this case, his birth. Understanding the significance and historicity of this long-lived church tradition also equips us to commemorate the coming of Christ in all its forms; not only for a season but for every single day of our lives.

Gratitude, despite our circumstances, often seems like an unattainable standard of holiness. Most of us struggle with this due to the shame that comes from forgetting God in our abundance. We falsely believe that times of adversity exaggerate God's silence, causing us to run from instead of to Him. This messages points us to people like David and Job who are a testament to the restorative properties of gratitude despite the presence of pain.

The church is made up of people who walk humbly, and therefore, have unity of faith and mind. However, several Christians subscribe to the definition of humility that has no foundation in Scripture: viewing one's self negatively compared to others. Biblical humility is the elevated perception of other people's interests and their significance. This message redirects our hearts toward the unifying nature of the Gospel and the importance of understanding its display of true humility.

Philippians 2:1-11 (ESV) So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Disappointments are a part of the human experience. When we allow ourselves to be guided by them, however, we tend to gravitate toward the very things God delivered us from; therefore, this message warns us what we consider to be noble and pure, may at times, be tainted by our desire to take control of our disappointment without God. Instead of attempting to remedy our disappointments by reverting to our old ways, We ought to bring our disappointment to God, and see how he works all our disappointments for our good.

John 21:1-3 (ESV) After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way. Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

It is impossible to achieve any goal without discipline, structure, and self-control. The accumulated interest of small decisions we’ve made in the past shape us into the people we are today. Therefore, in this continuation of the series titled “How to Find your Why,” Pastor Neb exhorts us to honor the time and energy God has blessed us with and presents us with practical steps that show us how to do it.

Wholeness and fulfillment in life is not possible without self-awareness. Only when we discover how weak we are, do we genuinely seek for God’s power and will to work in our life. If we neglect the importance of self-awareness, we rob ourselves of the opportunity to understand God’s will for our lives. We end up struggling to see in the haze of our own making when we can acknowledge and surrender our weakness to the Lord instead. This teaching shows us how to master the art of self-awareness so that we discern our true meaning, purpose, and function in the Kingdom of Christ as individuals.

Pastor Nebiye Kelile