On Christmas, we celebrate the birth of Christ with prayer, feasting and great merriment. But, most of all, we experience it in our hearts. For, more than just a day, Christmas is a state of mind. It is found throughout the year whenever faith overcomes doubt, hope conquers despair, and love triumphs over hate. It is present when men of any creed bring love and understanding to the hearts of their fellow man. The feeling is seen in the wondrous faces of children and in the hopeful eyes of the aged. It overflows the hearts of cheerful givers and the souls!
Tag: message
The Theology of Work!
My name is Glenn Packiam. I Pastor the downtown New Life Church. Pastor Brady sometimes refers to us as the Parish! We refer Pastor Brady as the Bishop! We are a Parish of fathers, mothers, sons and daughters and the family is our core DNA. This morning we are going to talk about the Theology of Work. Work is not a dirty word or something to be avoided. God is still at work! Sometimes we can postpone our work for Him in preparation to work for Him! This will only lead to keeping God out of our work place! This is a problem I faced in Theology School. If our goal is to serve God only after we reach a position in Church Ministry then we will miss the boat! Do not postpone your work for Him! If you do you will become deficient for Him! What is work? Why work? Let us go to the foundation of work. We do not work just to pay our bills! In Genesis 1:26, we learn that we were created in the Image of God! This gives us a clue to our purpose. To be like God. God worked and created us to be like Him. In Genesis 2:8, God planted a Garden and put man into it. In verse 15, we see God placed Adam and Eve into it to work the Garden. Work was not the result of the fall! Work is God’s idea! God started work in Creation and continues to work! Jesus right now is interceding in prayer for the Saints! We are to work to reflect God’s Image! In the ancient Near East the King would erect statues of himself throughout his Kingdom. It would send a message to the people that he is like his Image! Our creator reminds us of His Creation and His Rule! God has designated responsibilities to us! Remember God gave Adam the duty to name the animals. God’s Creation is perfect but not completed! God is asking you to join Him in His work. God’s Dominion is not an oppressive Rule and desires that we work with Him. God is wise and designed a Loving order. Work is collaborating with God to cultivate His world! Remember that old hymn, “This is my Father’s World?” We do not just work to rest and work for bread! Heaven should not start on Friday night! I am not sure about that old song, “I will fly away!” God will one day descend upon the world to create a New Heaven and a New Earth but until then work! There will be work after that too! God did not give up on you and this world! God called His work good! Do we work to have a cosmic week-end? We are to collaborate with God and to see ourselves working with God in common purpose. Our vocation is to be called to the calling! We need to keep in mind our occupation in this context. We live out our vocation in our occupation. My father and mother were from India and they both worked hard! My father was a Hindu and my mother was a Christian. My father was a hotel manager in Malaysia and my mother a school teacher. My mother started a school. She taught us as she talked to us. Your vocation is your calling! You do not just work a job. The Gifting God has placed in your life is only developed through work! Work is a vehicle where God gets you where He wants you to be! Work is the opposite of welfare! Work gives dignity and purpose to man! My father-in-law is a farmer in Iowa. Jesus said the fields are white unto the Harvest but the workers are few! You are either going to exploit or cultivate the world! Work or fraud! Even a farmer has a Holy occupation! He treats his land with respect and honor! We have recently hired a painter for our house. He loves his job and takes the time to do a perfect job! The word time means, “To Honor!” When our time is over here have we honored Him? Holy work is not just church work. Work as unto the Lord! A bank manager I know quit his job because fraudulent things were being done by his company! Jeremiah 29:4-7. When Israel went into captivity in Babylon God told them to build houses, take wives for you will be there awhile! No rapture planning here! Figure out how to live here now! Verse 7 goes on to say we are to seek the peace of the city. Seek the welfare of others! Work is simply making someone’s else life better! The more numbers of people you help the greater your reward! This is true in business of any occupation. Pray over your boss and co-workers. Do not be deceived by social media that everyone else is doing better than you? Have a positive attitude towards work! Faith without works is dead! What was the vocation of Israel? Jesus our Messiah is the true Israel! He was sent to a strange place! His bread was to do the Father’s will. Our Father works even now! He finished His work on the Cross but our work is not finished yet! He is the God of the Garden! Today God is at work in you! The Holy Spirit is active in you! God has begun a new work in you! As we take communion this morning remember the bread and wine is from the Garden and the harvest of the earth. His Creation has a redemptive work in you! The Tree of Life is to know Christ and Him Crucified and to make Him known to others! To experience Him and the power of His Resurrection! Serve Him and others as He is serving you! Source; Pastor Glenn Packiam, Downtown New Life Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado. Message June 22, 2014
The Doctrine of Estrangement! 1 Peter 2:9
We are a peculiar people! Peculiar meaning we have reached a point or place in time where we have found purpose in God together! Notice not a peculiar person but people. People meaning a mass of humanity of all nations joined together in one purpose. We belong to a nation of people. We are a chosen people by God through Christ to minister and serve others. His church is a proclaiming community! We are organized to take care of others. As citizens of Heaven we seek the peace of the city we live in. Start a good work where you are. Bloom where you are planted. Seek to help the most vulnerable of our culture. Paul sought to free a slave. We are not to Lord over others in our family and community but demonstrate love in our marriage and family! Wives are to submit to their husband and the husband is to protect his wife. There is strength in kindness! If you have to be told you are a leader you are not! The way you are is the way you tell your story to the world. You proclaim what you are. Sin has and is causing estrangement in our world. The cultural wars of divorce, untraditional marriage, drugs, crime and corruption at all levels lead the way to estrangement in our nation! In the Book of Genesis we see creation of the world and man. Everything started out right but sin caused Adam and Eve to blame God and each other. Sin has caused us to run and hide from God and each other. It became finger pointing! She made me do it! The Devil made me do it! In Genesis chapter 11 we see the Tower of Babel where men wanted to make a name for themselves! Sound familiar? The unity here resulted in man wanting to build his own kingdom! Man has unified against God throughout history! God divided the languages and confused the people. This lead to tribalism, separation, violence and a fragmented society. So what was God’s solution? To send His Son Christ into the world! In Ephesians chapter 2 we see God putting to death separation and estrangement. He instituted the resurrected life! In Acts chapter 2 at Pentecost 120 people speaking different languages but understanding each other. One language became many and then many languages became one! Many people became a peculiar people. The Holy Spirit is joining together many people for one purpose! God reverses estrangement! Why are we a peculiar people? The church is a community within where the Holy Spirit reverses all previous estrangements! We are a eschatological community! God’s first intent consummates in the church! In Revelation chapter 5 and chapter 7 every nation and people group comes back together again! At the end of the day we win together! In Revelation chapter 21 we see no more death and a new Heaven and earth living in peace and joy. Heaven and earth become one just as we say in our Lord’s prayer! Two become one. If we know the end then we can make the right choices and do the right thing now! Start today. We are called to live and die for one another! If we as His church do the right thing today then Jesus will have little to do when He returns! The word, “Apocalypse” is used 18 times in the New Testament. To most of the world it means the end of the world. The word in the Greek translates; disclosure, revelation, enlightenment and manifestation. Romans 8:19— creation itself is groaning for redemption of the earth through storms, earthquakes and other events. The world is waiting for the Apocalyptical church and our Christ to return! We are a chosen people and a royal priesthood! As we take communion this morning do you feel estranged from God and others? Jesus paid the price on the Cross to bring us together. Jesus poured out His blood for you! In estrangement Cain slew Abel and his blood cried out from the ground for redemption! Murder is the last act of estrangement but Jesus laid down His life as a sacrifice on the Cross for you! The marriage supper of the Lamb is waiting for you and me as described in Revelation. The differences we have is removed by God in unity with Him! It is joyful in Heaven and not sorrowful! God is inviting you back to Heaven this morning! We cannot hold bitterness. We cannot drink the poison and expect others to die! We have through Christ the power to forgive! Come to His altar now and experience the ending of separation between you and God and man! Source: Pastor Daniel Grothe, New Life Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado. Message given on Sunday June 8, 2014.
Easter Message New Life Church 2014
Why should we be excited today? We came out early and dressed our best! Why? Our entire belief system is based on what happened on this day over 2000 years ago. A hundred people made a decision for Christ in our first service this morning! This morning hope is found in an empty tomb! This same resurrection power is available to you this morning! Christ crucified on Friday and an empty tomb this morning! In the Book of John we see all of Jesus disciples and friends abandoning Him during the Crucifixion and after! All abandoned Him except one. Remember Jesus cast 7 demons out of her! If anyone knew about His resurrection power it was Mary! Like on prom night she was up all night tripping over rocks in the dark trying to get to the tomb early in the morning! Mary wanted to see the face of Jesus one more time. The tomb was heavily guarded and sealed because rumors were that someone was going to try to steal His body! In spite of all the facts Mary found hope at the tomb! Do you have a hope beyond the grave? God has given you one! John 20:1-2. Early while it was still dark? Why was this greatest event in all of history staged on the first day of the week while it was still dark? This story began in another Garden! The Garden of Eden. Our sin ruined this Garden! We had it made but we messed up! Sound familiar? Is this the story of your life? Jesus is saying to you this morning you need a fresh start. Like a bankruptcy judge giving you a clean start! The first day of creation will start all over for you! The stone has been rolled away for you and me! Take off your grave clothes and put on His Light! Jesus told Peter, John and the other disciples where He would meet them after Calvary but they did not believe Him? Why would a demon infested and alleged prostitute with infirmities be the first to witness the resurrection? God loves losers! He makes them winners! Mary preceded the sleeping giants of the Church to make history! She awoke Peter, John and the rest with the news then Peter and John ran to the tomb! Paul says that we are in a race! You will win the gold but not a small token around your neck but walking on streets of gold! The prize is Christ! To be with Him forever! You are racing either towards your own tomb or His empty tomb! If you ever win a race it needs to be this one! They found the linen cloth and the face cloth neatly folded in the tomb. The Jewish tradition is the cloth is neatly folded at the meal table. At the Marriage Supper of the Lamb the linen cloth will be neatly folded just for you! Jesus said I must go to prepare a place for you! Reservations have been made for you! It says in verse 8 that the disciples saw the empty tomb and believed but not that He was raised from the dead? Jesus asked Mary at the tomb why she was crying? Do you still cry over loved ones and still believe they are in the tomb? Mary got down on Jesus and told Him not to mess with her and by the way where have you put his body? God has ordained this day for you whether young or old or rich or poor! Jesus knows your name just like He called His disciples by first names! He knew Mary’s name! He is a personal God! He is nearest those who are outcasts from the culture! He defeats culture with life! Peter fails a lot in this story! He seemed the smart one of the bunch. He had courage to walk on water and almost drowned! He confessed to Jesus he would never leave Him but denied Him three times before the rooster turned him in! He seemed bold but left Jesus in His darkest hour? Peter was full of shame, fear and doubt and seemed a coward! Peter ran to the tomb to say I am sorry. Then Peter went back to fishing. Failure often leads us to go back to a place in life where we had some success. Peter saw Jesus on the shore and jumped off his boat never to return to fishing! He began to fish for men! Peter do you love me? Jesus asked him this question 3 times maybe for each time he denied Christ? Feed my sheep Peter! Mary thought all hope was gone! They all viewed the Cross as a failure. The disciples saw His death as a failure. They viewed it as a dead end! Do you feel like an outcast? Do you feel ignored and forgotten this morning? Have people you trusted betrayed you? Have you betrayed people? Family? Do you feel like you have blown your opportunities? Do you feel like a big fake and a fraud? Peter felt this way! There is a reason why you are here today! Jesus was resurrected to bring dead people back to life! He did not come to turn bad people into good people. That is what religion tries to do! God does not try to fix the old man! He raises the old man from the dead! You must be, “Born Again!” You have a Great High Priest this morning that you can tell anything and everything and He will understand! He knows how you feel! You can start over and have a new life! Paul writes some 60 years later in 1 Corinthians 15: 20-22. Christ was the first fruits of them that slept! By one man Adam came death and by one man The Christ resurrected from the dead! All die but in Christ all are made alive! I was a 16 year old kid who abandoned all good and rebelled against all authority! My family thought I would do well in life but I proved them wrong! Then in August of 1988 I surrendered all my failures to Christ! I had come to the altar before but with wrong motives. When I learned He loved me everything changed! On that altar in 1988 I made the decision to follow Christ the rest of the days of my life! If you believe Him this morning and follow Him you will never be the same and will live each day with His Resurrection Power living in your life for the rest of your life here and forever! Source; Pastor Brady Boyd, New Life Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado
Church In The City 1 Corinthians 12:—-
The Lord is asking you this morning what do I need from you? God is asking you what is His biggest need? As we enter into the Easter season the answer is that you would be a faithful witness to His Resurrection! Acts 1:– Go to Jerusalem and wait for me! Do not attempt to do it on your own. I will send my Holy Spirit to you! Be a faithful witness as I work in you! Spiritual Gifts! What is a spiritual gift? A Spiritual Gift is a gift to Glorify Jesus and encourage people. It is also to minimize man. The word Gift is the same Greek root word that is used for Grace which is the word Charisma. A Gift is a miraculous faculty or the Gift of Grace! How would you like a resume with a miracle on your faculty! The first Gift mentioned in Acts is Wisdom. Wisdom is the special ability to hear and speak wise council. This gift may be just for me. Wisdom is the practical application of knowledge. It is enlightened understanding. Luke 2: 46-48— Joseph and Mary lost God? Three days later they found Jesus in the Temple. At 12 years old Jesus was sitting with the Jewish Scribes and asking questions. Jesus was hanging out with wise people! We must seek the Gift of Wisdom! We need to get addicted to Spiritual Gifts! Find favor with God and man. Favor is bringing idea’s to the table. With the mind of Christ favor will find you! You will have the right answers! The Jewish Scribes of the Law were amazed with Jesus answers! There is no junior Holy Spirit! He is the same to all. One body. Jesus grew in wisdom and stature. Do you also need to grow? The next gift mentioned is the Gift of Knowledge. This is the special ability to have critical insight into people and situations. A good example would be Jesus at the well. Jesus has much more than conventional knowledge. John 4:16— Jesus said unto her go and call your husband. Remember again Spiritual Gifts are to Glorify Christ and encourage people. Jesus responded to her that you had 5 husbands and the man you are living with is not your husband! Jesus can read your mail using the Gift of Knowledge. This woman was so impressed that she went back to her village and told the whole town what had happened! The whole town came out to see Jesus. The Gift of Knowledge is used here to bring people to Christ! This is how to gather a harvest. The Gift of Knowledge can also be used to understand our spouse. Works better than a marriage councilor! Use wisdom and knowledge to understand each other and to speak to one another with encouragement and understanding. The Gift of Faith. This is the special ability to be full of faith in every situation. Faith is the reliance on Christ for Salvation. It is a ground of confidence and a moral conviction of religious truth. Faith towards God! Hebrews 11:1— Faith is being sure and certain of the God you serve! Believe in a good outcome but do not place your Faith in the outcome! I have prayed for the sick and some have recovered and some have not. My Faith is only in a God who is Good and Faithful! My Faith is in a Loving God and not in an outcome. God is not an ATM machine in Heaven! Remember when we pray for someone or something God may have a better idea or a better plan! Jesus disciples did not believe or expect what would happen 3 days after the Cross! Many in our culture have no Faith. Some have a little Faith. Some have a great faith like the Centurion who said to Jesus, “Just say the Word and my servant will be healed!” Acts 1:— The Deacons were full of Faith and the Holy Spirit! Stephen had a great Faith but got stoned! Let me explain this to people in Colorado that I do not mean drunk! Not a Rocky Mountain High! With this 6000 feet elevation in Colorado Springs you can get high on a Diet Coke! Stephen died from injuries by rocks pelting his body. It surely does not look like a good outcome for Stephen! Stephen did not know that standing near him was a man named Saul of Tarsus who was consenting to his death. He later became Paul and had a vision of Jesus Christ along the road to Damascus. Much like Stephen’s vision of Christ at his execution. Paul would later write two thirds of our New Testament including the Book of Corinthians we are studying this morning. Did Stephen know the impact he would have on Paul and others? He did know God was good, loving, faithful, wise, knowledgeable, powerful and trusted for his outcome. A young teenager from North Carolina was Faithful in small things and helped his father milk cows every morning at 4:00 A.M. His name was Billy Graham. A young teenage girl in the slums of Seoul Korea found a young man dying of tuberculosis and prayed for him in Jesus name. This young dying man was David Cho! Pastor Cho and his one million plus congregation have never been able to find this girl over the past 60 years! A young Faithful Sunday School teacher drug a young girl out from under her bed who was trying to avoid his class. D.L. Moody changed the world! All but one of Jesus disciples were martyred! Does that look like a good outcome? Do the chapters they wrote in your Bible have a good outcome on you? At the Cross all the disciples fled and ran! Are you running from Jesus? Run towards him! Without the Cross we have no hope, future, peace, joy and no purpose. No Heaven for us without the Cross! You may be in jail right now for doing righteous acts like Martin Luther King suffered. You may be in jail right here in America for distributing Gospel tracts! God is never done with you and that tract you gave to that bum on skid row may be the shot heard around the world! Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever! Does not matter what generation you live in! At the end of the day God is Good and Faithful! Thirty times in the New Testament Faith is followed by Faith in Christ and Faith in God! Let us close in prayer and prepare for communion as we remember the words in Ephesians 1:17. Source; Pastor Brady Boyd, New Life Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado. Message given Sunday morning April 6, 2014.
Tempted But Winning! 1 Cothinthians 10:
Just a reminder to pray and invite someone to Good Friday and Easter Services. This is a period of time when people are sensitive and open to the Gospel. We are together going to walk through the First Book of Corinthians. Paul discipled a small group of Christians in the city of Corinth. Paul lived and preached among heathen, prostitutes, rich, poor, athletes and every cultural mix you could imagine. Paul said you may be tempted but you can win over it! Do you believe you can overcome? How are we tempted? When the following things happen a red flag should go up in your mind! The two things are secrets and short cuts! Examples of short cuts are; let us live together why get married?, let us get rich fast and play the lottery, let us get high on drugs and drown our problems, ect. The good things of God require a process! Temptation also involves secrets. Stop and pause when secrets are part of your life. God works in the light. Satan works in the dark. One hundred percent of the time this is true. The people of Corinth were full of pride and impressed with themselves. They went from a wild west town to a gold rush metropolis! The Roman Empire put them on the map. The city was on a major east-west trade route. Retired Roman military offers lived there so it was secure. Famous athletes lived there due to the Olympic style games there. They had the latest in medical and technology advances. However as always human behavior is not advanced! Do not be impressed about yourself. History is a warning to us. History repeats itself and man has never learned from history. My little daughter complained to me about having to study history in school! She asked me why I should study things that have already happened? Paul reminds us of Moses and the rebellious Jews who wandered in the wilderness for 40 years. Jesus fasted 40 days or one day for every year of their rebellion. 1 Corinthians 10:6-10. All temptation is common to man. Temptation has been around for thousands of years! The enemy uses the same plays over and over again on us. From the Garden of Eden until now Satan uses the same play book! Just like a good NFL football team they just practice the same plays over and over again and win using the same plays. The major league tactics Satan uses are money, power and sex! This is Satan’s Trinity! Pride is at the foundation of these. The same plays work for every generation to bring men to ruin! 1 Timothy 6:9. A rush to get rich leads to a trap. Money is not evil but the love of money is evil. Love God! It is a matter of right priorities and worship. Do not worship mammon. Do not make money your God! Work for Christ only! You can have money but do not worship it. Money should not have you. Reject the idols of money. Keep your heart sincere and pure! The most important question you can ask God is; “Lord, why am I doing this?” This may be a dangerous question to some but needs to be asked. Why do I do what I do? Our motives can be clouded so wait for God to answer you. Verse 13. God is Faithful! We will not be tempted beyond what we can bear. God is aware of our humanity and that we are dust. Follow God as hard as you used to follow the world. The problem is we are too hard on ourselves. I would have made a good Pharisee were it not for the Grace of God! Psalm 103: 13-14. Just call me Dusty. God is kind and compassionate on us and remembers we are dust. Sometimes we place too high a standard on us and our family. We Lord over our children and do not allow them to fail. Please let your children how the freedom and room to fail at home. My parents told me you need to make all your mistakes at home and I did! Pride drives parents to hold their children to unachievable goals. Children under these conditions will rebel outside the home with serious consequences! All kids fail one way or another. Go easy on yourself. Remember you started as a pile of red dirt and you end as a pile of dirt with cotton candy in between! Let your kids learn to walk. Relax. Cool out. Enjoy the journey! Keep high standards but love yourself so we can love you! When we are tempted there is a way out. Look at the journey of Jesus. He gets baptized and the voice of God from Heaven says this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. Then Jesus went to the desert for temptation. Jesus applied God’s Word to Satan to defeat temptation. It is written! Luke 4:13-14. After temptation Satan departed Jesus for a season. Temptation is not constant. The enemy knows our flesh. There are four critical times when we are prone to temptation. They are when we are tired, hungry, lonely and traumatized. When we are tired we are rushed and emotional and more likely to make mistakes. This is the prime motivator for many fatal accidents. Internet marketing studies have determined that your most vulnerable time for you to buy something you do not need is between 9-10 PM. Jesus withdrew himself to a remote place to pray. They say never go to a grocery store to shop with hunger. You will buy junk food and quick snacks. After 40 days of fasting Satan asked Jesus to turn stones into bread. Lonely people try to kill their pain and make mistakes. We are safer with people around us. Even the Lone Ranger had Tonto! Satan does not play fair! You could get traumatized by one of your kids calling you late at night from jail, a bad medical report or your stock broker calling you and telling you that you lost 10 million dollars today! Remember you are most vulnerable when traumatized under these or other conditions. James 4:7. Submit yourselves to God! Resist the Devil and he will flee from you! Exploring God is good. Submit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. We are not perfect but God is! Me and my house will serve the Lord! Key point—Put up any kind of resistance! Do not resist God but Satan. If you resist God you surrender to Satan and he does not take any prisoners! Christus Victos! As we enter into the Easter celebration remember Jesus victory on the Cross over death, the grave, the tomb and a victory for you! The weak made strong! Do you have emotional, physical or financial trauma in your life? Stop! Declare Christus Victos! Settle right now today who you will follow. Put Christ over you and He will put Satan under your feet! Whether on the mountain or in the valley who will you follow? The world, yourself, others or Christ? You have victory in Christ but defeat in anything or anyone else! Hebrews 4:15-16. Let us close in prayer as we prepare to take communion. Source; Sermon notes taken from message given by Pastor Brady Boyd at New Life Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado. Message given Sunday March 23, 2014.
Church In The City 1 Corinthians 7:——–
The Corinthian culture was much like the American culture today. It would be nice if marriage were Valentine’s day everyday! The Bible answers questions about sex, marriage, parenting, singleness and every other social and moral question you could ask. If you want the right answer go to God! Everyone seems to like Jesus however following Him seems to be a tripping point for most! People have to give up their sin and just too much for many. We have a sexual ethics problem in America because our culture is following voices that oppose the voice of God! If you follow Jesus you follow peace, joy, kindness and sexual boundaries! A restoration ministry focuses on brokenness. We deal with brokenness of the past! The Church is committed to discipleship. Paul was not anti-marriage when he said it is not good to marry. Paul was also encouraging women who were married to be respected and dignified. Paul went on to say in marriage your bodies belong to each other. Do not deprive one another. Marriage is a gift from God! Sex is powerful and marriage allows the healthy expression of this gift. The institution of marriage allows mutual respect and a healthy environment for sexual expression. One of the common abuses in marriage is couples using scriptures to beat up on each other. The wrong attitude is you owe me sex! The right attitude is we serve each other with sex. Not the power to control each other but to serve each other. We serve each other in marriage with sex. Do not keep score! Do not use sex to manipulate and control each other! Jesus produces a new attitude within us! The wrong attitude is my wife owes me sex. Sex is designed by God for pro-creation and not recreation. Jesus has given us a new way of living to serve each other in marriage. Wrong attitudes is this is your job and this is my job. Be kind and serve each other. Verse 12. Unbeliever’s are sanctified by the believing spouse. Women are often taking the children to church alone. Paul encourages them to stay steady. Do not put him out. Divorce is not an easy option. Divorce is not a fire escape. My mother was a believer but my father was not until I was 20 years old. I still had a great dad! While dad went deer hunting my mother took us to church. There were sometimes arguments about church. Paul also said not to stay in a abusive relationship. Do not give up easy. My mother instructed me in the scriptures and I am saved today because of her care for me. Verse 32. Single people also have purpose! Paul says you are valuable even if single. Couples have to focus on marriage issues while single people can focus on God’s affairs. Singleness is an opportunity! You can use your time and resources on building God’s Kingdom. About 20 years ago I had a couple come into my church office in real trouble. They showed physical aggression towards on another. They sat in chairs at opposite ends of my office and cursed at each other. I came to realize I could not fix their problems in one hour! Curse words flowed like water! You are a mother of this, that and everything! I shared with them that they need to learn to like each other. Need to treat each other like they were living in Mr. Roger’s neighborhood. They needed to forgive each other! They were messed up bad! They scheduled another appointment and this time they did not curse so much! Bad words were there but not so many. No death threats this time so things were looking up. They wanted me to help them have a good divorce! I asked them if they wanted a good marriage? They came back to my office again and again. Finally they sat next to each other on the same couch in my office! They smiled and began to love each other. Then ran a metal works business. They brought me a metal Cross they built in their shop as a gift in gratitude for the help I gave them. It has hung in my office over past 20 years as a reminder of God’s faithfulness! Forgive people! Forgive yourself and others! Let judgment go! We are called to forgive! Do not give up! Do not try to manipulate and control people! God has forgiven us through the Cross! Let Him restore and redeem you! Let us pray——— Source; Pastor Brady Boyd, New Life Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado. Message given on Sunday, February 16, 2014
The Spiritual Mystery of Sex! 1 Corinthians 6—–
The Greeks invented athletic contests and held them in honor of their gods! The Isthmus games were held every two years at the Isthmus of Corinth. The ancient Olympics were begun in 700 B.C. in honor of Zeus. No women were allowed to watch the games and only Greek nationals were allowed to participate. Corinth was a beautiful place in southern Greece with ocean on both sides. It was a major trade route with lots of wealthy people living there. The population had a lot of retired Roman military leaders living there so it was a secure place. It was a thriving place! It was also a sexually broken place with 1000 prostitutes in their temples. The poor got wealthy there! Quick money was to be made in Corinth. God created sex and it is one of his best idea’s! Next to Salvation He has never come up with a better idea! The problem is the world has perverted a great idea. There are over 430 million pornography sites on the internet! It is the most viewed topic on the internet. It has devastating effects on relationships. The world’s question about sex is, “How can I have better sex with more people?” This was Corinth and the world we live in today. What should be the question about sex in the Church? How can I Glorify God with my sexuality? 1 Corinthians 6:18. Flee sexual immorality! God designed sex to be used in the marriage covenant. The purpose of children is to raise righteous seed to counter the unrighteous seed in the earth. God’s design for marriage is beautiful! People do not like to hear wait until marriage. The city slogan in Corinth and even in America today is I will do what I want with whom I want where I want and when I want! People in Corinth would ask an immoral person the following question? Have you been Corinthinized? Have you been Americanized? Porn devastates the Church! The body is not meant for sexual immorality but for the Lord! Our bodies are members of Christ’s Body! The world says it does not matter what you do with your body? Is it your body or His? The cultural teachers in America say you can do what you want? No boundaries! Choices do not matter? Christ took on a human body. His human body was Crucified on a Cross. He was resurrected in a human body. Christ gave dignity to the human body! What we do with our body does have consequences! Good or bad! If Christ lives in your body can you unite Him with a prostitute? The two become one flesh! Sex has a spiritual and a physical dimension. You cannot have one without the other! You save yourself for marriage not as a consequence but as a Gift from God. Matthew 19:5-6. Leave your father and mother and become one flesh. Parents this is the only way you get grandchildren! No longer two but one. God joins two together as one in spirit and flesh. You are welded together. Do not be unequally yoked. Let no man separate what God has joined together! The powers of hell cannot separate us. Many do not wait? If so start over. Today start over. Anyone who comes to Christ is given a second chance! Sexual sin is commited against your own body. A little like suicide. Stand firm and flee sexual immorality! Turn and run! Run away from sin and run towards God! Psalm 101:2. Set your eyes on no vile thing! There are thousands of ads everyday promoting products with sex! David’s sin with Bathsheba began with wandering eyes! Stay focused on God! Do you notice the word, “Bath”, in her name? An idol replaces the true worship of God. Since in creation the woman was taken from the man it is easy for men to worship the woman which is self worship! It can become idol worship and replace the true Worship of God! There is a fine line here and we have to discern. I love my wife best when I love God! Take inventory! Do you need a warehouse to store all your idol’s? Your body is the Temple of The Holy Spirit! Honor God with your body! We are not our own but have been bought with a price! We serve one true God in one Temple who lives in us! The Greeks temple was aphroditis and their 1000 prostitutes! Corinth also had a slave culture. It included more than just sex slaves. Paul did not endorse slavery! In the Greek culture slaves were indentured servants! When a slave escaped and got captured he was turned over to a worse master. If you try to escape God your are turned over to the King of slave masters who is Satan! Christ has freed you from slavery! Jesus is not a cruel slave master but became a slave for you and laid down His life for you! Honor God with your body! It is personal to God what we do with our bodies. Why? We belong to Him! If you come into my house with mud and manure on your shoes I will get upset! I belong to Christ! My children belong to Christ! My family belongs to Christ! Our bodies belong to Christ and what we do with our bodies is very important! Source; Pastor Brady Boyd, New Life Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado. Message given on Sunday, February 9, 2014.
Sex In The Church! 1 Corinthians 5:1
Ephesus and Corinth both suffered from sexual brokenness! God wants us to live in a new community of sexual purity! In Corinth just like the world today there are no sexual boundaries. The shock value of sin is very low in America. Corinth was a shocking culture! The Corinth culture gradually influenced the Church just like in America today! God wants us to be a peculiar people with a pure image in marriage and in our Church family. Paul confronted a man who had his father’s wife in the Church at Corinth. Even under Roman law a man could not marry his step-mother! Paul goes on to say you are even proud of it and does not seem to bother you? Paul says you should be filled with grief! Perverted un-repented sin among believers should grieve us! Paul was not condemning or judging people struggling with sexual sin but encouraging them to repent. Paul is saying there is an elephant in the room and we cannot ignore him. We cannot pretend to be blind but have to confront this behavior in the Church. Paul said in verse 5 that this man needs to be turned over to Satan so his flesh nature is destroyed and his spirit could be saved on the Day of The Lord! We want to help everyone but everyone does not want help! Willful and public sin needs to be challenged! This sinner may have been a wealthy member of the Church. Sometimes in a small congregation the Church will overlook sin because of money. The pagan’s did not even like what was going on. Sexual sin in America is often celebrated? All of us are tempted in this perverted American culture we live in. Sin must not be tolerated and ignored by the Church. Paul is not cursing this man. Paul is saying if you follow your flesh we cannot help you! This man was personally known to the congregation. Paul was trying to help but this man was premeditated to do wrong. He did not want help. He was in love with his flesh! Paul could not help him until he was ready for help. Until he got sick of himself Paul could not help him. A little sin grows like a cancer and consumes the whole body. Death is the final outcome. First spiritual death and then physical death. Paul says in verse 6 that a little yeast or spoilage spoils the whole lump. The yeast and the swelling up represents pride! Do not allow a little of the world to enter your soul. It will take over you! Let the Holy Spirit clean your house. Guard your home. Dad’s are to pray and give leadership in the home. Guard the innocence of your children! Your children are not your buddies. Lead them in paths of righteousness. Parenting should not be a popularity contest. My children do not stay overnight with parents I do not know. Know your kid’s friends! Do not associate with sexually immoral people. There are different standards for the world and the Church. Dogs bark and cats purr and sinners sin. Laws of nature. The world acts like the world. Be ambassador’s of salt and light. Paul goes on in verse 11 we are not to associate with sinners. Not to be mean or nasty to them but not to let them influence you. Judgment starts at the House of God! Use discernment and grieve the sin not celebrate it. Galatians 6:1-3. Come face to face with ugliness and seek to restore if possible. All of us were broken at one time. We were addicted in bondage. Mercy found us and made us the called out ones in the community. Most of us have a story of how God came in and restored us. God holds us to a higher standard. Sin is a terrible burden but to be Holy is Joy! Jesus has already taken our Judgment. Jesus paid for us on the Cross. Remember no Judgment from people is final! Like the thief on the Cross Jesus gets the final word! What pronouncement have people made over you? Ephesians 2:4-7. God has a great love for you! His Grace has saved us! The kindness of Jesus has moved us. Yes, while we were yet sinners! In spite of our flaws His ocean’s of Grace cover us! Have people written you off? Jesus has written your salvation in His own blood! Is your resume full of sin? Fire the Devil and go to work for Jesus. Jesus has purchased you with a price! His life! God gives Grace! Believe it! I did in August of 1988 and He changed my life forever! He can and will for you! Let us close in prayer———-. Source; Pastor Brady Boyd, New Life Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado. Message given on Sunday, February 2, 2014.
Church In The City (Lesson 3) 1 Corinthians 3: 6-11
Paul wrote this letter to Corinth from Ephesus. By comparison today’s culture in America looks like Disney World compared to Corinth and Ephesus! God raises up a group of people to follow Jesus in a wicked culture. Let His light shine through you in the midst of a dark world. World history boils down to God looking for a group of people to follow Jesus! Do not get missed! The only one to change the world for good is Jesus Christ. The power of God and His Holy Spirit works through people. We need to improve in our relationships with our marriage, parenting, jobs and all other social relationships. Paul reminds us we need to improve! There are two principles involved in the process of improvement. Paul sends a troubleshooter named Apollos to Corinth. Apollos was from Alexandria Egypt. He was a scholar just like Paul. Apollos had bright shiny new ideas! Whether Paul or Apollos God causes things to grow. Man plants and waters but God gives the increase! We are God’s building. Be careful how you build. We are all building. We are either growing or diminishing. Our foundation has to be Jesus Christ. Planting is difficult! God comes to us and puts his spotlight on us. He zeroes in on our issues! Sometimes we feel like we are being picked on! Seems like God is disrupting our plans. Our ground is unfallowed and hard so God plows up our soil of our heart and removes the hardness so something can grow. Planting is done one or two times a year. As we as a church work through our 21 day fast and prayer period God shines His light on us and shows us where the changes are needed. God wants to uproot our unfruitful work. He wants to make the soil of our heart fertile and productive. There is a season to plant then God waters and a harvest comes. Watering is a determined work. God showers us with His Grace. He encourages us and strengthens us with His Mercy! His Mercies are new everyday! God will finish the work He has started in you. His work redeems us. Man’s work is never done but God’s work as Jesus said on the Cross, ” It is Finished!” His light pushes back the darkness. We have seasons of difficulty but God is determined to water us. God gives us a good crop with increase! We need to know which season of life we are in. Ecclesiates Chapter 3 says there is a time for everything! Look for times to speak encouragement to your spouse and you children. Window’s of opportunity come and go. If you think you are going to fix your spouse you are a train wreck waiting to happen! Parenting seasons change as children grow up. There are many voices out there in the world. Love is lacking when you are always laying down the law! Cheer on your family and encourage them. The Bible over 5000 years ago in Deuteronomy Chapter 6 tells us the best time to speak to our children. The two times they are most apt to listen to you are when they wake up and when they prepare for bed. They used to say the Brady’s are good when they sleep. Let your children make all their mistakes at home! Water the work God is doing in their lives. Plant-water, Plant-water, instruct-encourage, instruct-encourage. Know your strengths! Speak the truth in love. Learn to balance. Life is lived between the extremes. Learn from one another. Know the soil of your heart. Be quick to forgive. You cannot give away what you do not have! You will reap what you sow. Forgive and receive forgiveness. Recognize the soil of your heart. People treat other people the way they think God treats them. How does God treat you? Is God mean? Unforgiving? Do you believe God has forgiven you? Forgive others as God has forgiven you. We are not naturally kind. We are self-protective and defensive. But God has changed this for us. Now He has given us forgiveness and love. Know the season, your soil, your strengths and how you are wired. You can impact the world if you allow God to change you. Paul left about 35-50 people in Corinth out of a city of over a million people. It is a long story how I got to New Life Church! Back in 2007 I was ministering in Dallas Texas. God spoke to me that He was moving me! I thought about some churches i would like to go too. Where Lord? When Lord? I had some desires but God had a different idea. God told me I am going to send you to a church that is already planted and you are going to water it. We got to New Life Church in 2007 and 100 days later we had a shooting at our church. Darkness will never overshadow those in Christ! The scripture that most strengthened me is 1 Corinthians Chapter 3. God brought our marriage together and our children and He will bring our Church family together. Since 2007 God has done a miraculous work here at New Life Church reaching to the ends of the earth! God gets the Glory! What God has started He will finish! Get your soil right and God will water you and make you grow! Source; Message given by Pastor Brady Boyd at New Life Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado. Message given Sunday January 19, 2014.