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
Tag: theology
True or False? Matthew 7:15-23
False Prophets! Not all that shines is gold! Jesus warning His disciples. Wolves attack just to kill while other beasts kill only for food. Assassins! Dressed in sheep clothing. They look like you, dress like you, have a good church language but are suicide bombers wearing a Christian costume. Intentional people who purposely mislead us to hurt. Evil at the core. Verse 16- By their fruit you will recognize them. Good or Bad! True or False! Pay attention to the right thing. Walk and be not deceived. Good fruit is moral fruit. Bad fruit is immoral or evil fruit. Verses 21-23. Final Judgment! I prophesied in your name? I cast out demons in your name? I did miracles in your name? Jesus said but I never knew you! Worst thing you could ever hear! Warning! Big crowds always follow those who perform prophecy, cast out demons and perform miracles. They may be genuine or total deceivers? Work for the right fruit. Do they sell products and then sprinkle Jesus on top of their sales pitch? How does fruit come? Fruit takes time to produce. Galatians 5:22- Fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace———-. Is our motivation on self or Christ? Look for sound doctrine! Is your household built on sand or rock? 2Timothy 4:3-4. People want a doctrine that fits their desires. Our desire and God’s desire is different. Make me happy God! The 21st century church theology is called; Moralistic Therapeutic Deism. It says that God is here to make me happy! Use Jesus to get what you want. No sound doctrine. A lot of money made under this false doctrine. Money made in the God business. Why? It sells! Itching ears. We want to hear this! Pleases the flesh. Marketing 101- Find out what the people want and tell them how to get it. Politicians today- They follow the culture rather than lead it! Flow with the stream down the drain. Sound doctrine- Iron sharpens iron. Follow Jesus. Believe Him. False Prophets will appear to go along with the Gospel but yet will say Jesus did not die and raise from the dead. The Death and Resurrection of Christ is foundational to our Faith! The Nicene Creed has been foundational to our Faith for over 1600 years. The early church father’s wrestled these heresies to the ground for us. You have to be able to discern truth to avoid the destruction of the false! Source: Pastor Brady Boyd, New Life Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado. Sunday Sermon Notes Message given on September 8, 2013. Thankyou. James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Great Distractions Of Worry! Matthew 6:25-28
Radical Jesus! Live out the beatitudes through counter-culture behavior! Jesus gave us a new way of being human! The Kingdom way of being human. Pray with listening ears, seeing eyes and hearts to receive the scriptures by impartation and inspiration of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is a servant. Are you? Distractions such as money, possessions, and inside out language will take your focus off God and make us dysfunctional for the Kingdom. What we focus on is what we worship. Worry cannot add a single hour to our life. Stress which comes from worry can shorten our life. Jesus warned us not to worry about our clothes. Pagan’s run after these things. Jesus must have had the inside track on women’s dress habits. Ladies really dress to impress other ladies. Men do not have a clue about this? Worry distracts us, divides us, wastes time and keeps us from witnessing to others. Seek first the Kingdom and He will add what is needed for you. God can do the math! Luke 10- Martha and Mary. Martha worried about many things? She did not have CBS, NBC, CNN, Fox and other media to help her find worries. She did it all by herself! Mary chose what was better with no distractions. Look at the birds of the air! Be a bird watcher. Doves mate forever. No divorce here. I watched two silver doves that were in my driveway yesterday. So contented! A bird brain may be a good deal? Are they too stupid to worry? No, God has programed them to understand He will take care of their every need. They do not worry about global warming. They rest in the cool of the day. Take a deep breath and relax. The Theology of Heaven is God always has enough! Have God’s world view. People stress out and die trying to get more. Humans are limited but God is unlimited! Father knows your needs. Seek first the Kingdom and His righteousness. Definition of God’s Kingdom; God’s Kingdom is Jesus Christ ruling over His people. Ruling ever part of our life. Is Jesus Lord of All? V.34- Each day has enough trouble of it’s own. Worry about yesterday today and tomarrow? Regret Saturday and dread Monday? If so you cannot enjoy Sunday! To worry about yesterday and tomarrow is to worry twice! Worry about nothing? Trust God today and no regrets tomarrow. Cares of today are sufficient. Concern verses worry; Concern is to take issues to prayer and let the peace of God under the Lordship of Christ establish you. Worry comes when Jesus is not the Lord of your life. Worry and fear is not the fruit of the spirit. Love and fear are opposite each other. They come from two different sources. The Lord of Fear is leaving God out of your life and trying to run things on your own. The name Israel means ; “To Rule as God.” Can you do better than to rule as God? If you reject God then Satan will rule over you. The choice is yours? Source; Pastor Brady Boyd, New Life Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado, Sermon Notes, Sunday Worship Message, August 4, 2013. Thankyou. James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Was Jesus Married?
This subject has come up alot since about the 4th Century! The novel, Da Vinci Code was our most recent until a Harvard scholar says she has found evidence? This writing is out of the 4th Century. The 4th Century is a long way out from the Gospel’s that were written a few years after Jesus life in the 1st Century! Keep in mind what was going on in the 4th Century! One of the greatest challenges to Christianity came from the Coptic Church in Egypt! You had a non-trinitarian theology system rising and with that the rise of Arianism! Arianism said Jesus did not pre-exist His birth. All these forces lead to the Nicene Council in 325 A.D. This lead to the Nicene Creed which millions of churches around the world hold in their theology. There were many forces in the 4th Century trying to remove Christ’s Divinity and reduce Him to a mere man. The same goes for today! This letter from Harvard came out of the 4th Century. The Gospel’s of the New Testament mention all of Jesus family which includes mother, father, sisters, brothers, cousins, ect. Also the Gospel’s take Jesus lineage all the way back to Adam and Eve! If Jesus was married it would not have been left out by all these writers of Biblical and Non-Biblical Historians during the 1st Century! His disciples died promoting the truth and reality of who Christ is and would not have died for a fake! Sometimes I joke and say Jesus did not get married because He was too smart! Think about the plan God had for His Son Jesus and what it required of Him! The Cross and all that lead up to it and then after the Cross! When would He have time for a wife and kids? Then you would have generations living after Christ who would claim they are His relatives and claim special rights! Jesus is married to His Church! We are His Bride! Jesus said you must be born again! This birth is a Spiritual Birth that transforms your life and prepares you to receive the Holy Spirit! Are you married to Jesus or are you trying to live without God? The choice is yours. Love demands a choice! You either serve God or Satan! Choose the one who has created you, died for you, saved you, rose from the grave for you and is in Heaven preparing a place for you! No one else in history can do this or would do this for you! Thankyou. James Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Christian American Foundations
Who Was the Most Christian American President? If all you ever knew about this was what you were taught in a public(government) school in the United States you would not have a clue! You might think Lincoln or Washington but the most out spoken president about his Faith in God was Theodore Roosevelt! He was running for president in 1912 which is exactly 100 years from this year. He walked softly and carried a big stick! He was a rough rider horse calvary kind of guy. His favorite Bible verse was Micah 6:8. What doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God. Roosevelt was of the Dutch Reformed Church. He participated in missions work with his father, a noted philanthropist. He taught Sunday School classes during his four years at Harvard. He wrote for Christian publications. He called his bare-the-soul speech announcing his principles when running in 1912, “A Confession of Faith.” Later he closed perhaps the most important speech of his life, the clarion-call acceptance of the Progressive Party nomination that year, with the words, “We stand at Armageddon and we battle for the Lord!” He titled one of his books, Foes of Our Own Household(after Matthew 10:36) and another, Fear God and Take Your Own Part. He once wrote an article for The Ladies Home Journal, Nine Reasons Why Men Should Go to Church.” After Theodoore left the White House, he was offered University Presidencies but refused all and chose to become a Contributing Editor of The Outlook, a relatively small Christian weekly magazine. He lectured at many Christian Theology School across America. Source: Mondayministry.com/blog2012/02/19/who-was-the-most-christian-president
Wall Street Protests / Anti-Semitic
Comments by wall street protestor’s such as; Jews control wall street, Israel is a criminal pariah state and Jews need to be run out of this country are a warning that history is repeating itself again! While protestor’s are seen spewing hate against Jewish American’s where is the outrage from our political leaders? It is troubling to me when I heard our president say, “Martin Luther King would have supported the wall street demonstrations!” I lived on planet earth during the 1960’s! Never did Dr. King support violence or anti-semitics in his own life or in his work to restore civil rights! What concerns me most is the silence of the church? History is repeating itself again! As the world moves into greater socio-economic chaos every nation on planet earth has a history of blaming the Jews for their troubles! I believe the silence of the church as persecution rises against the Jews is due to their Theology! I am speaking about Replacement Theology. Many Christian’s in their minds cannot separate Israel from the Church! In fact the lines get so blurred that eventually they say the Church has replaced Israel! Then as in Nazi Germany the Church can look the other way when atrocities come against the Jews. Christ was a Jew and came first for the Jews! Even in the Book of Revelation after the Church is raptured in Chapter 3 we see God’s covenant promises being met to the Jews in the following chapters. Keep the Church and Israel as seperate subjects in your Biblical understanding! An attack on the Jews is an attack on Christ’s Church and an attack on God Himself! Thankyou. James Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com