Christmas and New Year's are over; now What?

1/5/25

We are all in process of becoming. We have already moved from what we were to what we are, and we are now moving toward what we shall be.

A. W. Tozer

Last year, Brian continued with his series called “Fresh”

Our Church has a command: Worship, Share the gospel with the world and disciple or teach Christ’s commands.

The Church as a community provides something the world cannot. We need each other!

The church is the best defence against the devils forces that are trying to destroy us

Christian community could be the Biblical prescription for healing modern society.

Why Should I worship God? Worship is what We give not what we receive.

An Idol is anything more important to you than God.

Theses days it may be your Spouse or Children, or

your Phone/ internet or even money and stuff.

In my younger days, I guess I worshiped stuff, but I thought I had reached a milestone in my life when I discovered the the more stuff I acquired - the less money I had!

God did not give you life to just live for yourself . He has equipped you to make a difference.

You are called to be a spiritual contributor, not a spiritual consumer.

Every christian is a minister. One way to serve is to encourage others. or you can deliver a meal.

If you don’t enjoy what you have now, how can you be happier with more?

Anonymous

It doesn’t matter what you learned from us last year What if you don’t put it into practice by this year.

2023, we started out learning about:

Practicing Biblical Values

Forgiveness

Repentance

Growing up in a church, we also we learned to

GO! and make disciples. We need each other

Every person alive now is a worshiper

We all worship something.

God did not give us life for ourselves. He has equipped us to make a difference.

Ephesians 2:10 “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”

Every Christian is a minister.

Ways we can serve God’s people:

Encourage others 1 Thessalonians 5:11 “So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.”

Deliver a meal Acts 20:35 “And I have been a constant example of how you can help those in need by working hard. You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ””

Boost someone Philippians 2:3 “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.”

John 12:24 “I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels—a plentiful harvest of new lives.”

1 Corinthians 3:21–23 “So don’t boast about following a particular human leader. For everything belongs to you—whether Paul or Apollos or Peter, or the world, or life and death, or the present and the future. Everything belongs to you, and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.”

Ephesians 5:14 “for the light makes everything visible. This is why it is said, “Awake, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will give you light.””

Vision: What is not yet, but what can be.

Vision of New Freedom Church: A Community awakened and transformed by the Love of Jesus

“…the Lord is good...” Psalms 34: 8, 86:5, 100:5, 106:1, 107:1, 119:68, 135:3, 136:1, 145:9 9 times in Psalms

if it doesn’t challenge you, it won't Change You

A year later, What social media do you consume? What do you listen to in your car on the way to/from work? What movies and shows do you watch on TV? What books and Magazines do you read?

Do you pray before you eat? What about when you eat out? What about when you eat in your car?

A couple of years ago, I heard a story by McGuire ( the car wax guy). He was sharing about when he eats out. When the food is delivered he tells the server that they were about to pray and asks the server if there is anything they could pray for you?

It is true that light dispels the dark, but someone needs to carry it there.

God places a value on growth.

John12:24ESV The words of Jesus: I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels—a plentiful harvest of new lives He goes on to say: Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity. Anyone who wants to serve me must follow me, because my servants must be where I am. And the Father will honor anyone who serves me.

Spiritual growth starts with a seed .

Our behavior shows the value of God’s word to us!

We should desire to feed on God’s word - spiritual food, not spiritual milk - Keep growing!

separate note in history:

November 4, 1646: The Massachusetts Bay Colony makes it a capital offense to deny that the Bible is the Word of God.

A little further back in History. From the first book of the Bible that Moses did not write. Do you remember the story of them walls, them walls of Jericho? You may remember that they were to ... Joshua 6:3–4 “You and your fighting men should march around the town once a day for six days. Seven priests will walk ahead of the Ark, each carrying a ram’s horn. On the seventh day you are to march around the town seven times, with the priests blowing the horns.” Joshua 6:17 “Jericho and everything in it must be completely destroyed as an offering to the Lord. Only Rahab the prostitute and the others in her house will be spared, for she protected our spies.” This was a walled city and all the walls fell - except this little section by a gate Rahab’s place. I saw a picture once but cannot find it. There are two important things here.

The first major point to notice is - if God tells you to walk around for six days do six days. If he says go around blasting on horns making noise seven times on the seventh day. Don’t stop at 6! 2 Kings 5:13–14“But his officers tried to reason with him and said, “Sir, if the prophet had told you to do something very difficult, wouldn’t you have done it? So you should certainly obey him when he says simply, ‘Go and wash and be cured!’ ” So Naaman went down to the Jordan River and dipped himself seven times, as the man of God had instructed him. And his skin became as healthy as the skin of a young child, and he was healed!” Don’t stop at 6! How do I know it is the Lord telling me and not anything else? The lord will tell you things that are 1. are biblical and 2. will prosper you. He wont tell you to drive 100 Mph, or cut a body part. or even to take the last cookie!

The second major point is Rahab. She birthed Boaz who is in the book of Ruth. She is also the same Rahab in the Genealogy in Matthew 1:5 “Salmon was the father of Boaz (whose mother was Rahab). Boaz was the father of Obed (whose mother was Ruth). Obed was the father of Jesse.”

Now back to Jericho

Joshua 6:18 ““Do not take any of the things set apart for destruction, or you yourselves will be completely destroyed, and you will bring trouble on the camp of Israel.” of course they didn’t listen. Joshua 7:1 “But Israel violated the instructions about the things set apart for the Lord. A man named Achan had stolen some of these dedicated things, so the Lord was very angry with the Israelites. Achan was the son of Carmi, a descendant of Zimri son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah.” They loose the next battle. Joshua falls on his face asking God why? Joshua 7:10–12“But the Lord said to Joshua, “Get up! Why are you lying on your face like this? Israel has sinned and broken my covenant! They have stolen some of the things that I commanded must be set apart for me. And they have not only stolen them but have lied about it and hidden the things among their own belongings. That is why the Israelites are running from their enemies in defeat. For now Israel itself has been set apart for destruction. I will not remain with you any longer unless you destroy the things among you that were set apart for destruction.” Joshua 7:14 ““In the morning you must present yourselves by tribes, and the Lord will point out the tribe to which the guilty man belongs. That tribe must come forward with its clans, and the Lord will point out the guilty clan. That clan will then come forward, and the Lord will point out the guilty family. Finally, each member of the guilty family must come forward one by one.” Joshua 7:24–26 “Then Joshua and all the Israelites took Achan, the silver, the robe, the bar of gold, his sons, daughters, cattle, donkeys, sheep, goats, tent, and everything he had, and they brought them to the valley of Achor. Then Joshua said to Achan, “Why have you brought trouble on us? The Lord will now bring trouble on you.” And all the Israelites stoned Achan and his family and burned their bodies. They piled a great heap of stones over Achan, which remains to this day. That is why the place has been called the Valley of Trouble ever since. So the Lord was no longer angry.”

Have you ever wondered why God added to the twelve apostles himself? Why Saul/Paul?

Paul was born in the year 6 to Roman citizen, Jewish parents when 14 he began his training with Gamaliel for ten years. He was more trained in the scripture than any of the other disciples. Gamaliel was the highest regarded teacher in the land. Imagine a “man of middling size with scant hair and crooked legs with knees far apart”. That’s from “Acts of Paul” an early Christian document.

Paul could read and write and speak a couple languages. when he was 27-30 yo he was converted. ( imagine being knocked off a horse) and blinded. He must have felt that everyone was an enemy. After God downloaded all the Jesus information. God told him to go see/ or go into the presence of Ananias in Damascus. This is all laid out in Acts 9. Starting with verse 10

Acts 9:10 NLT

Now there was a believer in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord spoke to him in a vision, calling, “Ananias!” “Yes, Lord!” he replied.

Acts 9:11–12 NLT

The Lord said, “Go over to Straight Street, to the house of Judas. When you get there, ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul. He is praying to me right now. I have shown him a vision of a man named Ananias coming in and laying hands on him so he can see again.”

But Saul of Tarsus is notorious all around the area, nearly all the believers of ‘ the Way’ are afraid of him.

Acts 9:13–14 ““But Lord,” exclaimed Ananias, “I’ve heard many people talk about the terrible things this man has done to the believers in Jerusalem! And he is authorized by the leading priests to arrest everyone who calls upon your name.””

Acts 9:15–16 “But the Lord said, “Go, for Saul is my chosen instrument to take my message to the Gentiles and to kings, as well as to the people of Israel. And I will show him how much he must suffer for my name’s sake.””