Tag Archives: Christian growth

April 16, 2013

Peace! Be Still!

By Terrie van Baarsel
Sea of Galilee

Sea of Galilee (Photo credit: Seetheholyland.net)

He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” Mark 4:40

Jesus and His disciples are out on the Sea of Galilee when a windstorm arises. The waves break over the side of the boat, threatening to capsize it. His disciples begin to panic and fear for their lives. But Jesus, undoubtedly exhausted after a long day of teaching, sleeps soundly in the stern. The disciples cry out to Him, “Teacher! Don’t you care that we are perishing?”

My storms are not literal wind and waves but nonetheless real. Just like the disciples, I become anxious and distressed. I fear the storm will overcome me and that I will perish.

The fragility of His humanness on display, Jesus is tired. And even in the midst of the storm, He sleeps. But here, I relate more to the human response of the disciples. As they responded to their storm, I respond to mine. Waves of despair engulf me and the storms of life fill my boat. I cry out to Jesus, ”Don’t you care, Lord?”

Jesus hears and asks a question in return: “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?”

Like the disciples, I have seen the Lord do many mighty and wondrous works in my life and in the lives of others. But on this day, during this storm, I am too weak to give an answer. I plead for mercy and grace.

I’m asking the Lord to still the storm.

By His Grace and for the Gospel,
Terrie van Baarsel

6 comments   |  tags: , , , , , | posted in Gospel, Morning Meds

February 1, 2013

But This I Call To Mind

By Terrie van Baarsel

I am learning that Jesus must be enough. I have not fully apprehended that yet. Being honest, I would say that for me it is more like: Jesus + all of my kids leading good and settled lives is enough. Or, Jesus + health is enough. Or, Jesus + a life completely void of stress or pain or worry is enough. But, these are false equations and life this side of glory will never be perfect. If I count on “Jesus +”, then Jesus will never be enough.

I confess, it is hard for me to trust God!

Day by day looms a battle, will you trust God or yourself? Will you trust God or your circumstances? The truth of the glorious Gospel may be right in front of me, but I grope this way and that and so often fail to grab on to it. What a needy sinner I am!

Thank the Lord that the point where I am overwhelmed by my failure to trust Him is the very point where the truth of the cross still reigns.

Campfire

Campfire (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

No matter how useless and dark things may look to me, the Lord is faithful to keep a tiny spark of hope burning deep in my soul. Sometimes I can barely see it, let alone feel it.

A tiny flickering fire seen from a distance does not warm a man, but it will make him remember what warmth feels like and how cold he feels so far away from it and that it is none else but the Lord Himself that bids him to come near.

I would have extinguished any glimmer of hope long ago had the spark not been eternal and so graciously set ablaze by the Lord and His blessed promises.

But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope:
The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Thy faithfulness.
 ”The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in Him.”   Lamentations 3:21-24

By His Grace and for the Gospel,
Terrie van Baarsel

1 comment   |  tags: , , , | posted in Gospel

December 5, 2012

Covenantal Commitments Underlying Our Togetherness

By Terrie van Baarsel

SERMON NOTES–PASTOR MILTON VINCENT
December 2, 2012–Cornerstone Fellowship Bible Church

The following notes were taken during our 2012 Winter Seminar: Together for the Gospel.

The emphasis on community (togetherness) is a return to an ancient reality of the first century church. The matrix of togetherness is the matrix in which the Church was born.

See Acts 1:4, 6, 14; Acts 2:1, 44, 46-47

3 Types of relationships:

A. Casual relationships.
-No obligation.

B. Consumer relationships.
-Some degree of obligation, expectation.
-In a consumer relationship if you aren’t having your expectations met, you feel you don’t owe the other person anything and so you just leave the relationship.
-We often bring a consumer mentality with us to church.
-You can’t be “real” in a consumer relationship because you fear that if you are and the other person does not like it, they will leave.
-There is no covenantal commitment in a consumer relationship.

C. Covenant Relationships.
-i.e., marriage.
-In God’s mind, covenant gives freedom and security to a relationship.
-Covenant is the matrix in which true intimacy can flourish.

3 COMMITMENTS THAT UNDERLIE OUR TOGETHERNESS HERE AT CORNERSTONE:

1. God the Father’s covenantal commitment to us in Christ.
-The nature of the New Covenant. (Eph. 2:12-13; Jer. 31:31-34)
-We as Christians enter into a covenant relationship with God.
-The Gospel is not just the story of God doing saving acts, but also the promises of doing saving acts and then fulfilling those promises.
-For example, God promised to send His Son, and He did. God promised to raise His Son, and He did. God promised that He would send His Spirit, and He did. etc.
-The Holy Spirit is a pledge of God’s faithfulness to us. (Eph 2:13-14)
-God also promises that He will love us forever, will never leave nor forsake us, and that nothing will ever separate us from His love.

Because of the covenantal relationship we have with God (neither casual nor consumer based relationship), we have a safe place to relate to God, be transparent with Him with our sins, and enjoy intimacy with Him.

2. Christ’s covenantal commitment to us, His Church.
-Eph. 5:31-32
-Human marriage is a picture of Christ’s covenantal commitment to the church.
-Our relationship with Christ is based on covenant promises:
that He would build His Church
that nothing can destroy His Church
that He would die
that He would rise again
that He would ask the Father to send a Comforter
that those who look to Him for salvation would receive forgiveness, justification, adoption, sanctification, glorification etc.
that He would go to prepare a place for us
that He will come again
-Christ made a covenant and sealed it with His blood.
-See 1 Cor. 11:25; Matt. 26:28; Ex. 24:5-8; Jer. 31:31-34.

Jesus died to be the Senior Pastor and a member of our body here at Cornerstone (1 Peter 5). Jesus seals the promises he makes with His blood. He is covenantally committed to us. We can go to Him without fear that He will abandon us.

3. Our covenantal commitment to each other.
-Acts 5:12-13 (…none of the rest dared to join (cleave to) them…
-”Cleave” is a covenantal term.
-Those inside the church continually cleave to each other, those outside are not brave enough to do so.
-If God the Father and God the Son deemed our brothers and sisters to be recipients of His covenantal promises, we can too.

We struggle and hurt each other at times, but we covenantally commit to one another without fear of abandonment.

Comments Off   |  tags: , , , , , | posted in Sermon Notes

November 5, 2012

The Glorious Benefits of Trials

By Terrie van Baarsel

Sermon Notes-Brad Lay (our missionary to Albania)
November 4, 2012-Cornerstone Fellowship Bible Church

In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith–more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire–may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen Him, you love Him. Though you do not now see Him, you believe in Him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.         1 Peter 1:6-9

4 Wonderful Benefits of Trials in the Lives of Believers

1. Focus on final salvation. (v. 5-6)
-Anticipating the coming of Christ.
-We try to make the “now” comfortable.
-In the midst of trials, we long for heaven, our final salvation.
-Trials provide the dark background against which our faith shines.

2. Genuine, God-glorifying faith. (v. 7)
-The purpose of trials: “so that the tested genuineness of your faith…”
-Testing proves our faith is real.

3. A walk full of love, faith, and joy. (v. 8)
-This is not a command or exhortation, but Peter is telling them what they are doing.
-Peter is reminding them of the reality and result of new birth-you love Jesus whom you have not seen.

4. Progressive and final salvation. (v. 9)
-Yes, they are already saved and justified.
-But the final result of that kind of faith is salvation.
-Our faith is tested and becomes stronger, taking us all the way to the finish line.

Note from Terrie: My notes here fail to do Brad’s sermon justice. It was an encouraging word from the Lord. I would recommend that you listen to the sermon when it is posted on the church website. I was blessed, and I’m sure you would be, too!

By His Grace and for the Gospel,
Terrie

Comments Off   |  tags: , , , , , | posted in Sermon Notes

August 14, 2012

Grace Community

By Terrie van Baarsel

Sermon Notes: Pastor Milton Vincent
August 12, 2012: Cornerstone Fellowship Bible Church

Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. Romans 12:6-8

There is a sense in which the grace of God is a currency or commodity. Paul wants to teach us how to do commerce with the grace of God.

FOUR TRUTHS TO HELP US RICHLY EXPERIENCE THE GRACE OF GOD IN COMMUNITY WITH ONE ANOTHER:

1. We each have graces given to us.
-Rom. 12:3, 6
-We have been given ”little graces” (gifts) according to the “big grace” God has given us.
-These graces are part of the treasury of grace from which our brothers and sisters are to draw.

2. The graces we have been given are different from one another.
-Rom. 12:6
-They differ in categories, levels, combinations, manners given (duration and occasion), opportunities, manners of expression.
-There are thousands of shades and hues and combinations of gifts, all by Divine design.

3. The different graces we have (and don’t have) are determined by Grace.
-Rom. 12:3
-It is grace that determines our gifts, gifts we have and gifts we don’t have.
-By the grace of God, whatever deficits you have in gifts puts you in need of your brothers and sisters.
-We sometimes find ourselves in divinely appointed circumstances that make us realize our deficits and reach out to our brothers and sisters to draw from them and the treasury of grace in them.
-Paul did not do everything alone, he had Silas, John Mark, Barnabus, etc. He took his brothers with him.
-Our gift deficits are an expression of the grace of God just as our giftedness is.
-We actually have all the gifts because we experience them all in relationship with our brothers and sisters.
-In community with one another, we possess all the gifts.
-Technically, the gifts we do have are not our own, but they belong to our brothers and sisters.

4. We each should exercise the graces given to us.

A. If given the grace of prophecy, exercise it according to the faith.
-Two kinds of prophecy, revelatory and non-revelatory.
-Acts 11:27-28; 21:10-11; Acts 15:32
-”Must correspond to the rule of faith as proclaimed by the apostles and believed, confessed and taught in the churches.” (In my notes, I missed the name in order to cite this quote. Sorry.)

B. If given the grace of service, exercise it by serving.
-People with this gift are skilled in discerning needs, both material, physical and spiritual and they find pleasure in meeting those needs.

C. If given the grace of teaching, exercise it by teaching.
-Instructing in doctrine and practice.
-In a sense, exercising spiritual authority.
-People with this gift are skilled in discerning where there are errors and bringing the word of God to bear on them.

D. If given the grace of exhortation, exercise it by exhorting.
-lit: to call from along one’s side, to comfort, encourage, challenge, motivate, rouse, rebuke.
-Not as an authority figure, but by coming alongside someone who needs encouragement, etc.

E. If given the grace of giving, exercise it with liberality.
-People with this gift are skilled at discerning needs and meeting them.
-Are often gifted at generating income and resources in order to meet needs.
-This does not mean that the person must be rich to exercise this gift.
-Finds joy in giving time, resources, income.

F. If given the grace of leadership, exercise it with diligence.
-lit: to stand before.
-Someone who can see the giftedness of others and use and direct their gifts.
-All husbands have this gift to one degree or another in order to lead their households.

G. If given the grace of mercy, exercise it with cheerfulness.
-Showing sympathy and compassion to those who are suffering.
-Gladly helping and sustaining those who are suffering through a time of dire need.

Comments Off   |  tags: , , , | posted in Sermon Notes

June 12, 2012

You Are The Body Of Christ

By Terrie van Baarsel

Sermon Notes-Pastor Carlos Cuellar
June 10, 2012-Cornerstone Fellowship Bible Church

Intro: Even more amazing than the human body is the body of Christ. Paul wanted to teach the priority of the body and our role in the body, both unity and diversity. In Corinth, certain parts of the body were being elevated above the others. We need to be reminded of the body of Christ, especially as it functions as a local body here at Cornerstone Fellowship Bible Church. We want to grow in the Gospel and community.

FIVE TRUTHS ABOUT THE BODY OF CHRIST – 1 Corinthans 12:12-27

1. The body is rooted in Christ.
-…so it is with Christ. (v. 12)
-Christ and His church are inseparable.
-The way we regard Christ is the same way we should regard the body-not only the universal body of Christ, but the local body.
-We are Christ’s body.
-See Acts 20:28; Matt. 16:18
-The way we treat the body is how we treat Christ. (Matt. 25:34-40)

2. The body of Christ is rooted in the Gospel.
-(v. 13)
-God brings us together with others who are God’s people.
-Through one Spirit baptized into His body.
-The Gospel is how we came into community and the basis of our community.
-Different backgrounds, but all taking on a new identity as members of the body of Christ.
-The Gospel is an invitation to others to come into community with the body of Christ.

3. The body is rooted in people.
-(v. 14)
-The Corinthians were exalting certain gifts and thereby exalting certain people as more important in the body.
-There is a diversity of members, but one body.
-It’s about a community of people, not only just you and me.
-Especially in our western thinking, we see individualism as most important.
-The body is made up of precious people for whom Christ died.
-The body can employ programs, church buildings, events, etc., but people are most important.
-Christ was all about people.

4. The body of Christ is rooted in a diverse community of vital members.
-(v. 15-20)
-All have a purpose in the body.
-God has brought our local body together (v. 18).
-Diverse, yet united with Christ as the Head.
-For example, the whole body as an eye would not be a body, but a monstrosity.
-The demarcation among the people in the body is in function, not position.

5. The body is rooted in an interdependent community of caring members.
-(v. 21-27)
-We have a part to play in others’ lives and they have a part to play in ours.
-In Corinth, certain people with more “flashy” gifts began to think they didn’t need the body.
-We need each other and are designed for community in Christ.
-Even those who seem weaker are necessary and essential to the body.
-The body is neither independent from each other or dependent upon each other, but interdependent. We need each other!
-If one member is hurt, we all hurt. If one member is exalted, we all rejoice.

Verse 27 reads, Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. Literally, you are body of Christ… emphasizing the very nature of what we are together.

2 comments   |  tags: , , , | posted in Sermon Notes

May 3, 2012

Understanding God’s Love

By Terrie van Baarsel

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Romans 8:38-39

Believers in Christ know and receive the love of God in countless ways. It is written all over the cross, for God so loved the world. Our justification and adoption, His care and provision, and His Divine power granting to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, all demonstrate God’s great love for His children.

Our Father’s love for us has worked itself out in the whole of human history. His grand plan of redemption is an overarching intention, a purposeful proposition, and an overture of kindness orchestrated and made sure by the ruler and maker of the universe, our Abba.

His love is also made evident by myriad expressions of His Grace towards us every day: food to eat, air to breathe, every beat of the heart, a pillow to rest our head on at night. Even the pain and unpleasantness of His discipline later yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness, a gracious rendering of Fatherly love expressed and given, liberally, for our good and His Glory.

Yet, I am convinced that compared to what there is to know, we know nothing of God’s love.

When I reject God’s provision, the very blood of His Son shed for me, attempting to merit my own salvation; it is at this point especially, I know nothing of God’s love.

When I trust in my own strength and fail to appropriate the power of the Holy Spirit in me; I know nothing of God’s love.

When I prefer law over Grace, refusing to extend forgiveness when I have been forgiven so much, I know nothing of God’s love. (How true it is that my sin against God is infinitely greater than any offense anyone could ever commit against me!)

A wider sense of our Heavenly Father’s love for us is humbling. A deeper apprehension of God’s love places us just where we need to be. Inside the Gospel!

Christian cross

Christian cross (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

And can it be that I should gain
an interest in the Savior’s blood?
Died He for me, who caused His pain?
For me, who Him to death pursued?
Amazing love! How can it be
that Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?*

God’s love is inextricably linked to the cross. The cross stands at the center of our personal history and is central to the history of all mankind. It is from the vantage point of the cross that the agonies of the Son of God shout their testimony of love, forever securing our redemption and the story of our salvation.

In our quest to gain an understanding of God’s love, we need not go any further than, and dare not stop short of the Gospel of the cross, Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection. The glory and reality of the Gospel is deep enough. It is wide enough. And under any circumstance, it is real enough to keep us for all of eternity.

Nothing can separate us from the love of God, in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Let the Good News of God’s love be shed abroad in our hearts and grab hold of our minds and change us. May the Lord bring us into an understanding of His love as expressed at Calvary.  Let the truth of Golgotha mortify our pride, transforming us into a people who love much, because we have been much loved!

Lord, help us understand.

By His Grace and for the Gospel
Terrie van Baarsel

*And Can It Be That I Should Gain? by Charles Wesley (1707-1788)

12 comments   |  tags: , , , , , | posted in Gospel

January 31, 2012

The Fullness of God at Cornerstone

By Terrie van Baarsel

Sermon Notes-Pastor Milton Vincent
Cornerstone Fellowship Bible Church-January 29, 2012

And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. Eph 1:22-23

Our Church’s missions statement:
We exist to glorify God by experiencing the Gospel in all of its fullness,
exalting the Lord through worship,
edifying the saints through mutual ministry,
and evangelizing the world through outreach.

We are not content to sip or taste a small portion of our Gospel blessings in Christ, but to go deeper. Experiencing the Gospel is an unending journey. We will never reach the outer limits of the “Gospel universe.”

FIVE THINGS WE NEED TO DO HERE AT CORNERSTONE TO EXPERIENCE THE FULLNESS OF GOD AND BE A PROPER MANIFESTATION OF THAT FULLNESS:

1. We need to realize that fullness in God is a choice.
-…be filled with the Spirit…(Eph 5:18), not something that happens automatically. It’s a command.
-Paul is calling believers to make a choice (Eph 5:18).
-Be filled BY the Spirit (as opposed to WITH the Spirit).
-The grammar suggests that it as if the Spirit is holding a pitcher and trying to pour the fullness of God into us.
-The Holy Spirit wants us to be filled with the fullness of God to overflowing.

2. We need to stop looking in the wrong places for fullness.
-Also see Eph 5:18: And do not get drunk with wine…
-Getting drunk is also an example of many other things that we look to for fullness and satisfaction.
-We look for fullness in things like our entertainment, money, relationships, pornography, etc.
-You are robbing yourself when you try to find satisfaction in anything besides the Gospel.

3. We need to pray to God for fullness and an increased capacity for it.
-See Eph 3:14-19.
-…that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. (Eph 3:19b)
-Pray that God will enlarge our capacity for His fullness. Our cup is too small!
WARNING!
-To be filled by something is to be controlled by it (just like we can be filled with rage or jealousy and controlled).
-To be filled with the fullness of God is to be controlled by the fullness of God.

Realize that God is so immense (Isaiah 40:12 says God measures the universe by the span of His hand) that asking to be filled by the fullness of God is like standing in front of the Hoover Dam with a teacup while trillions of gallons of water pour over its spillway.

English: Hoover Dam

Image via Wikipedia

It is standing there in front of Hoover Dam with your wife and your children and your house and cars and money and present way of life and everything else you hold dear and asking for that dam to break while being accepting of whatever happens as a result of the ensuing flood! Everything we know will be changed, but we still need to ask for the fullness of God.

4. We need the leadership of the church equipping the saints for the work of ministry.
-See Eph 4:10-13.
-It is the job of the pastors to preach and teach God’s Word and the Gospel in order to equip the congregation.
-Pastors are ministers and mobilizers.
-Ministry is not centered around the pastor, but around the congregation.
-Equip means to equip (Eph 4:12) restore (same word in Gal. 6:1), mend (same word in Matt 4:21).
-Biblically qualified elders shepherd the saints into the work of ministry.
-Equip the saints to: Live in the goodness of God. Be a meeter of needs in the body. Men leading their households well. Being a disciple maker.

5. We need every member doing the work of the ministry.
-Minister until you reach maturity. (Eph 4:11-13)
-We are saved unto good works. (Eph 2:10)
-Keep serving, we all have a long way to go.

Sanctification, growth, and transformation is a journey. Ask God to open our hearts to the fullness He wants to do in us, that we would prefer His fullness to other things that don’t satisfy. Ask God to make us willing ministers with grace and patience.

Comments Off   |  tags: , , , , , | posted in Sermon Notes

November 9, 2011

The Sin of Unbelief

By Terrie van Baarsel

For this post, I’m defining the sin of unbelief as doubting what God says and/or doubting His power to accomplish what He says.

In short, unbelief is sin because it calls God a liar. Unbelief is an insult to God’s character.

With that in mind, here are some things I am learning about the sin of unbelief in my own life:

When I doubt my Heavenly Father, I bring Him down to my level. I mistakenly believe that He is like me, created rather than Creator. When I am blinded by the circumstances of a trial, I act as if He cannot see. He is weak, like I am weak. Like me, He is confused and doesn’t know what to do. And, even if He could act, surely He lacks the power to do so.

When I am operating under the sin of unbelief, I see my trial in vivid detail. I note its structure, study its components, and give it my rapt and unending attention. I spend a good amount of energy projecting the consequences of the worst case scenario and its effect on my future. Rather than taking my fears to God, I coddle and feed them. My prayer life withers in direct proportion to the growth of my unbelief. In the end, God simply fades from view.

The sin of unbelief breeds impatience. In my restlessness, I conclude that the Lord just isn’t “making it stop” quickly enough. When this happens, I am often tempted to take matters into my own hands. The sin of unbelief gives birth to temptation and temptation gives birth to sin. Sin begets sin.

Failure to believe God can result in disastrous consequences. Most notably, Eve disbelieved God in the Garden of Eden. She doubted that God had only her good in mind when He issued instructions not to eat of the tree in the midst of the garden. She thought God was holding out on her. Hmm… How did that work out?

Yes, it is only human to doubt. Without question God’s Grace is sufficient, even to cover the sin of unbelief. However, I think it’s important (at least for me) to recognize the root problem. It’s arrogance and pride that keep me from believing God. Unbelief looks at God and asserts: ”I do not believe you are who you say you are or that you can do what you say you can do!”

In its most elemental form, unbelief is my desire to put myself above God.

God is not man that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it? (Num 23:19)

Thanks to the Holy Spirit working in my heart and mind I am growing in this area, but I have a long way to go! I am learning that it’s best to stay close to the Lord when things are going well.  That way, when the trials of life do appear, I am already where I am supposed to be… beneath the shadow of His wings. Safe in my strong tower which is the Lord.

I believe; help my unbelief! (Mark 9:24)

By His Grace and for the Gospel,
Terrie van Baarsel

13 comments   |  tags: , , , , | posted in Morning Meds

September 7, 2010

A Gospel Feast

By Terrie van Baarsel

Sermon Notes – Cornerstone Fellowship Bible Church – August 29, 2010
Pastor Milton Vincent

The Gospel in a nutshell is the Good News of Salvation for hell-deserving sinners through the person and work of Jesus Christ.

In the Gospel, we are forgiven, justified, made a child of God, become recipients of the Holy Spirit, are privileged to pray, loved by Jesus daily, filled with exceeding power, have fellowship with the saints, and have an inheritance in Heaven. The list of what is ours in the Gospel can go on and on. The Gospel is BIG.

…like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord. And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God, you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.   I Peter 2:2-5

THE EFFECTS OF GOSPEL FEASTING

1. Progressive growth into Salvation
-  If you feast on the Gospel, you will grow.
-  Increase in every way, size, stature, strength, ability, agility, wisdom (spiritual)
-  In this way, you will become a force to be reckoned with to the enemy, strong, not weak. Peter says, resist the devil and he will flee from you.
-  You get strong by Gospel feasting.

2. Continuous transformation
-  As you continually (present tense) come to Him as a living stone, daily and progressively, you are being edified (built up), a fitted stone for a certain purpose
-  The word edify literally means to build a house. From nothing to something, from something natural and raw to something fitted, prepared, useful. Edify includes the idea of transformation. For example in Genesis 2:22, the Lord edified Adam’s rib into a woman.

3. Likeness to Christ
-  “you also as living stones”… like Jesus, fitted, prepared and shaped for God’s purpose
-  So that others can partake of the living waters that flow from us, nourishing others in Christ

4. Radical community with like-minded lovers of Christ
-  Being built into a spiritual house
-  A community characterized by:
          the Spirit moving and glorifying Jesus
          holiness
          service (a holy priesthood, serving and representing God before people)
          worship (not just singing songs) but in actions, acts of service

May God help us to feast freely on what we have in the Gospel!

 

 
 

Comments Off   |  tags: , , , , , | posted in Gospel, Sermon Notes

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 98 other followers

%d bloggers like this: