Fellowship with God

We are currently considering what it means to live as DISCIPLES of Jesus Christ. Perhaps you are asking the question What is a DISCIPLE? Simply put, discipleship involves:

-followingJesus Christand living in vital fellowship with him.

-obeyinghis commands and making him Lord of ones life;

-participatingin his mission of making disciples.

Richard DeRidder brings us clarity in his statement; A man may choose whether or not he will follow Jesus Christ, but once he has chosen to follow, discipleship is not optional. Discipleship is precisely what following Jesus Christ is all about.

Andrew Murray offers us insight into the life of a disciple when he says: The first and chief need of our Christian life is,Fellowship with God. As I need every moment fresh air to breatheso it is only in direct living communication with God that my soul can be strong.

As Jesus sat in Mary and Marthas home, teaching those who would listen, Mary sat soaking in his every word,But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to [Jesus] and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!"

"Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, butonly one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."Lk 10:40-42

We live in a world full of pressing distractions that would keep us from sitting quietly at the feet of Jesus and learning from him, but the only way to find strength and rest of soul is in a consistent, deep, daily fellowship with Jesus Christ. This Sunday, we will be digging into what this means.

Jesus said in Matt 16.18 I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.

We are in a battle. A spiritual battle rages for the hearts and souls of humans, it began in the Garden of Eden where Satan tempted and deceived Eve, and the battle has raged ever since. There are two kingdoms in mortal combat and no neutral countries like Switzerland in the spiritual realm, but God has equipped us with all that we need to be victorious in the battle.

So why should I fight? - Two reasons:

1. To personally walk in victory and freedom.

2. To see the mission of Jesus fulfilled to see others released from the power of Satan and brought into an eternal, victorious relationship with Jesus Christ of freedom and hope.

The battle is real and nasty and the enemy is determined to destroy, but Jesus came to defeat the power of the enemy and to rescue us and he did.

Col 1:13,14 Forhe has rescued us from the dominion of darknessand brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Romans 8:37-39 No,despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from Gods love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrownot even the powers of hell can separate us from Gods love. No power in the sky above or in the earth belowindeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Those are the famous words that Paul wrote to the Corinthian church as he was addressing the issues that were native to the specific culture and time.

Paul knew that in Corinth there would have been controversy about how to live as someone who was fully dedicated to Christ. It is clear throughout the last few verses of 1 Corinthians 10 that Paul is addressing specific issues of meat being eaten that was being sacrificed to idols. That seemed like a major no-no to some believers at this time. You can imagine the division that it would have caused for some to have no conscience about it, whereas others would have deep issues with it (potentially because they came out of a lifestyle where they were worshipping these idols).

If we read on, in verse 33, we see him say I dont do just what is best for me; I do what is best for others so that many may be saved. Paul clearly states his point that we all come from different lifestyles and backgrounds.

Paul is urging the believers not to get caught up in things that are not as important as loving one another and following the example of Christ. He is begging them not to get caught up in secondary issues that have no real value to the mission of God in the world.

He is also, helping the Corinthians understand that when he was with them, he not only gave them good sermons and teachings to remember him by, but in fact, he also gave them his life. His example was one that proved that the Gospel was true and, by the power of the Holy Spirit, was active in His life. This was the example he called them to follow.

He is urging them to not get caught up in all the dont do this, dont do that way of thinking (which again Paul would have been very familiar with). He is telling them to instead to love one another despite their differences.

Paul wasnt perfect, neither is any of us. But we have hope like Paul that through Jesus, we have hope in this life and the life to come.

Dont follow me, he might say, Follow me to the extent that I look like Jesus.

As we dive into this passage this week, let us be encouraged to follow Jesus and seek to be an example of grace and love to all people.

Suffused? Are you confused? I too, wondered what this word meant. Suffused = to spread over or through in the manner of fluid or light.

I've been deeply impacted by Genesis and the story of Abraham. We will be looking at Genesis 20 this weekend as we investigate Christ's radical love for his chosen people.

Some questions to consider:

How do we become suffused with Christ's love, to the point that the love of Christ is deeply running through us?

Genesis 20? Why this text? What does it teach us about how God treats his chosen?

Was Abraham doing the right thing in Genesis 20? Why is he the one praying for Abimelek?

Are we chosen? Check out Hebrews 8.

If we are, what does that mean about how God sees us? Check out Ephesians 3:14-21 and Romans 8.

If God is partnering with us, how does his love for us practically affect our lives?

In our current study of what it means to be DISCIPLES of Jesus, we will this week consider Infilled with the Holy Spirit

We are commanded (this is not a suggestion as a nice idea)in Eph. 5:18 to Be filled with the Spirit.

And 2 Cor 3:17 tells us where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

The Holy Spirit is not a luxury option such as leather seats in a car, but a necessity as the engine of the car. A car without an engine has no life and a human being without the Spirit has no spiritual life.

This week we will look at a brief overview of the Holy Spirits ministry, and then consider four aspects of the Holy Spirits life and ministry to us as the Children of God. FRUIT, FIRE, FREEDOM, FAITH.

Why dont you read Romans 7:4-6 and Galatians 5:22,23 in 2 or 3 different translations in preparation for Sunday, when we will seek to understand a little bit about the wonder of the Holy Spirits life and ministry. Jesus undoubtedly surprised his followers when he said to them in John 16:7,8 I am telling you the simple truth when I assure you that it is a good thing for you that I should go away. For if I did not go away, the divine helper would not come to you. But if I go, then I will send him to you. When he comes, he will convince the world of the meaning of sin, of true goodness and of judgment. On the day of Pentecost, the Gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out, and since that day He has been here to indwell all who are children of God.

Jesus just finished, in Matthew 24, speaking about the signs of the end of the age and his second coming. Then he goes directly into a parable the NIV puts it this way At that time the Kingdom of Heaven will be like and then he tells this story in Matthew 25:1-13 of ten bridesmaids, five of whom were wise and prepared and were welcomed into the wedding feast. Five were foolish, unprepared, and excluded from the wedding celebration. What is Jesus seeking to communicate in this parable? We will look together at three warnings from this story, about being properly prepared to meet Jesus when he returns, and then we will consider a great encouragement about the wedding feast and the welcome given to those who are properly prepared.

Tom Valtierra will be sharing with us on Sunday. I know Tom personally and he has spoken many times at NorthWind. If you have someone in your circles who needs a little "God hope" this is the Sunday to bring them. Tom has the most remarkable story of a former life spent in dark places. His story includes jails and drugs. It includes a story of his kids struggling and remarkable turn arounds. Since his salvation 40 some years ago he has spent his life serving Jesus as a minister. Tom shares a God sized story of redemption. It's astounding and beautiful. God is so faithful.

He'll be sharing on the Lost Sheep from Luke 15:1-5. Dig into that text this weekend and come prepared to be blessed and challenged.

Blessings,Jeremy

In Matthew 18:21-35 Jesus brings us the parable of the unmerciful servant and the grace, mercy and generosity of the king.

There are laws of nature and there are laws of the spiritual realm, and as with the law of gravity, for instance, whether you believe in the law of gravity or not, it will nevertheless always be there and will always affect your life, for good or bad depending on your response to it ignore it or violate it and suffer; honour it and be safe. The same is true in the spiritual realm, and the law of forgiveness is one such law. Ignore or violate it and suffer; honour it and live in peace.

We will be digging into what Jesus has to say about forgiveness, and we will be thinking together about:

Why forgive?

What forgiveness is not.

What forgiveness is.

How we can forgive.