Resurrection Life Church

If we as the body of Christ are going to reach our world with the love of God we are going to have to create a culture of team work.   This means that we have to impact our world by doing a few things. 

First and foremost we must have a desire to grow.  To grow in Christ means that we have a healthy and reverent fear of God and not a timidity.  It is the fear of the Lord that is the beginning of wisdom.

Secondly, we have to desire to live righteously and godly.  Our love for God should have us clinging to the cross and to a spiritual life.  We must seek forgiveness for our shortcomings and sins and move on with open mouths and hearts.

Third, we must desire to please God.  Our first thoughts in the morning should be, of and on Him.  The word of God says that without faith it is impossible to please God.  Why?  Because our hope and life are in Him and what He says and not our own wishes, wants and whims. 

We can as disciples of Christ create a culture within the church that moves the church forward as the body of Christ that brings glory to Jesus and not herself.

The debate between works and grace has been happening since Jesus rose from the dead and the birth of the church.  "Works is more important that grace," some say.  While others say, "Grace is all we need."  But what does God said about both?  

Each side can build a case for their stance with scriptures that are cherry picked just for their argument.  But is that what God would have us do?  No, absolutely not.  

We are a people that have been transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit.  We are people who are empowered by the Holy Spirit to live the life He has destined us to live.  We are compelled to love others and do all that Jesus did and more because it is now our nature.  We can't help ourselves, or at the very least that is what it should be.  Works happen, in and through us, because of the Grace bestowed on us by the love of God.

We are people of compulsion.  We are being transformed into the image of Christ therefore we are becoming more and more like Him.  Our works don't make us like Him but because we are like Him we do the works that we do, because of grace.

The debate between works and grace has been happening since Jesus rose from the dead and the birth of the church.  "Works is more important that grace," some say.  While others say, "Grace is all we need."  But what does God said about both?  

Each side can build a case for their stance with scriptures that are cherry picked just for their argument.  But is that what God would have us do?  No, absolutely not.  

We are a people that have been transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit.  We are people who are empowered by the Holy Spirit to live the life He has destined us to live.  We are compelled to love others and do all that Jesus did and more because it is now our nature.  We can't help ourselves, or at the very least that is what it should be.  Works happen, in and through us, because of the Grace bestowed on us by the love of God.

We are people of compulsion.  We are being transformed into the image of Christ therefore we are becoming more and more like Him.  Our works don't make us like Him but because we are like Him we do the works that we do, because of grace.

Prayer is not something we abdicate to the clergy, ministers, the pastor, or anyone else. It is an honor and privilege that we get to talk to and hear from God. Prayer is not a chore or a obligatory religious exercise in futility. We GET to pray. We have access to the very throne room of heaven. We have full access to the creator and master of the universe.

That is the kind of people we are as followers of Jesus Christ. We are people of prayer. There are 3 things about prayer we need to understand fully if we are going to fulfill the destiny God has called us to.

Prayer is not something we abdicate to the clergy, ministers, the pastor, or anyone else. It is an honor and privilege that we get to talk to and hear from God. Prayer is not a chore or a obligatory religious exercise in futility. We GET to pray. We have access to the very throne room of heaven. We have full access to the creator and master of the universe.

That is the kind of people we are as followers of Jesus Christ. We are people of prayer. There are 3 things about prayer we need to understand fully if we are going to fulfill the destiny God has called us to.

We are created in the image of God in the fact that we are a triune being; Spirit, Soul & Body. God the Father, God the Son (Jesus) and God the Holy Spirit three parts of a whole. Part of who we are is we are spirit. When God reconciled us to Himself He had to change what was corrupted and that was our spirit.

That's what happened when Adam and Eve fell in the garden, their spirit was corrupted and God could not fellowship with an unholy spirit. But God had a plan. That plan was to give us a new spirit and that could only be done by sending His Son, Jesus, to come and take our place and suffer and redeem or buy us back from the enemy. Who we are is spirit.

God doesn't give us new rules and regulations in order for us to follow after Him and live the way He wants us to. He gives us a new spirit which now has access to Him in order for Him to give us all we need to live the life He has destined us to live.

We are created in the image of God in the fact that we are a triune being; Spirit, Soul & Body. God the Father, God the Son (Jesus) and God the Holy Spirit three parts of a whole. Part of who we are is we are spirit. When God reconciled us to Himself He had to change what was corrupted and that was our spirit. That's what happened when Adam and Eve fell in the garden, their spirit was corrupted and God could not fellowship with an unholy spirit.

But God had a plan. That plan was to give us a new spirit and that could only be done by sending His Son, Jesus, to come and take our place and suffer and redeem or buy us back from the enemy. Who we are is spirit.

God doesn't give us new rules and regulations in order for us to follow after Him and live the way He wants us to. He gives us a new spirit which now has access to Him in order for Him to give us all we need to live the life He has destined us to live.

What would it have been like to be there when Jesus Christ performed His miracles?  When He raised Lazarus from the dead, or when He cast out demons, or fed five thousand men with tw loaves and five fish? When He walked on water or healed the blind man?

What would it have been like to have been there when He was betrayed by a friend and arrested in the garden?  What was it like to watch Him being treated like a common criminal?  Being spit on, yelled at, made fun of, kicked, punched and stabbed.  What was it like to have seen the Roman Soldiers grab him and tie Him to a post and beat Him with a “cat of nine tales” a massive and lethal torture tool, to an inch of His life.

What would it have been like to have heard people talk about how great He was and praise Him as one who came from God one week and then next week curse Him and laugh at Him?  What was it like to have had someone notice that you were one of His disciples and point you out to others and then you scream and curse saying you don’t know Him nor have you ever even met the man?

There was one that knows exactly what it was like, Simon Peter, one of Jesus’ closest disciples.  This week’s message comes from that perspective.  It is emotional, riveting and heart wrenching.  Yet, filled with grace, love, peace and hope.  Hope, Peter found and hope for us today

What would it have been like to be there when Jesus Christ performed His miracles?  When He raised Lazarus from the dead, or when He cast out demons, or fed five thousand men with tw loaves and five fish? When He walked on water or healed the blind man?

What would it have been like to have been there when He was betrayed by a friend and arrested in the garden?  What was it like to watch Him being treated like a common criminal?  Being spit on, yelled at, made fun of, kicked, punched and stabbed.  What was it like to have seen the Roman Soldiers grab him and tie Him to a post and beat Him with a “cat of nine tales” a massive and lethal torture tool, to an inch of His life.

What would it have been like to have heard people talk about how great He was and praise Him as one who came from God one week and then next week curse Him and laugh at Him?  What was it like to have had someone notice that you were one of His disciples and point you out to others and then you scream and curse saying you don’t know Him nor have you ever even met the man?

There was one that knows exactly what it was like, Simon Peter, one of Jesus’ closest disciples.  This week’s message comes from that perspective.  It is emotional, riveting and heart wrenching.  Yet, filled with grace, love, peace and hope.  Hope, Peter found and hope for us today

We are worshipers. We all are. Every person on the face of the earth is a worshiper whether they believe it or not. We we created to worship. The question is not whether we are worshipers or not but what or who do we worship is the question. So, who do you worship? Yourself, knowledge, fame, other people, religion, the list could go on forever.

As followers of Jesus Christ we worship one God and one God only. Jesus Christ was the personification of God. In other words God in a bod. He came to give us access to Him once again by paying the perfect and complete sacrifice that would legally redeem us back from the enemy. And in so doing giving us the right and power to worship Him in spirit and in truth.

When Jesus came into the city of Jerusalem the people were crying out His praises and the religious people told them to be quite and only give praise to God and not to a man (paraphrased). Jesus replied, "if this people don't praise me, the rocks will cry out in praise." (paraphrased). Why? Because God was gonna make sure His Son would get all the honor and glory due Him. That is how much God thinks of His Son. What do you think about Him?