John 15:9-17
New International Version (NIV)
9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. 17 This is my command: Love each other.
Last Sunday, Peter Park continued the WITH series, further expanding John 15:9-17. As previously learned, Jesus asks us to "abide in the vine" - to be in a deep relationship with Him and bear fruit of love. But we as humans love imperfectly and conditionally, so how do we learn to love? Jesus has shown us true love by laying down His life for us AND his enemies! He gives us the choice to receive and participate WITH this perfect love. Without His love, we cannot love others. But as we build our relationship and "abide" in Him, we learn to love as He does - unfailingly, patiently, and without pride. To end the message, Peter teaches a practical lesson to how to love: by dedicating to your work, your day, your friends, your coworkers, your family, and strangers - "in health and in sickness." Do everything in life WITH God, abiding in his love.
Listen to this sermon and others online!
http://noc.newsong.net/grow/resources/message-archives
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Monday, October 24, 2011
Sermon Rewind 10/16/11 - Trust & Obey (Abiding WITH God)
John 15: 1-4; 9-11
1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes[a] so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.
In July, a short term missions (STM) team of seven went to China for two weeks to partner with two organizations, Compassion for Migrant Children and Starfish Project. In many ways, God used their time in China to redeem, restore, and affirm who they are in Christ. They each had moments where they were WITH God. For some of them, it was seeing a bigger picture of God through migrant workers, human trafficking and China; for others it was realizing they were dealing with the lies of unworthiness, value and identity. They all experienced God’s love through the love within their team in community. He affirmed their identity and worth in Christ.
We are worthy despite our past and pains because God chose us to be His sons and daughters. God wants to be in communion WITH us. Pure joy is from abiding WITH God’s will – as you are being fed by the vine. He sees you.
Watch a small glimpse of the STM team’s time in China on Vimeo! http://vimeo.com/30582582
Listen to this sermon and others online!
http://noc.newsong.net/grow/resources/message-archives
1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes[a] so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.
In July, a short term missions (STM) team of seven went to China for two weeks to partner with two organizations, Compassion for Migrant Children and Starfish Project. In many ways, God used their time in China to redeem, restore, and affirm who they are in Christ. They each had moments where they were WITH God. For some of them, it was seeing a bigger picture of God through migrant workers, human trafficking and China; for others it was realizing they were dealing with the lies of unworthiness, value and identity. They all experienced God’s love through the love within their team in community. He affirmed their identity and worth in Christ.
We are worthy despite our past and pains because God chose us to be His sons and daughters. God wants to be in communion WITH us. Pure joy is from abiding WITH God’s will – as you are being fed by the vine. He sees you.
Watch a small glimpse of the STM team’s time in China on Vimeo! http://vimeo.com/30582582
Listen to this sermon and others online!
http://noc.newsong.net/grow/resources/message-archives
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Sermon Rewind 10/4/11 - Guarding Your Heart
Proverbs 4:23
New International Version (NIV)
23 Above all else, guard your heart,
for everything you do flows from it.
Cindy Park continued the WITH series, reminding us that we’re called to be in relationship with Jesus, where we desire only Him, not to use Him as a means to an ends. In order to be in this type of relationship, we need to monitor and guard our hearts. Proverbs 4:23 states that we need to guard our hearts because it is the source of everything we do. Though we may be doing the “right” things and serving others, problems that may be deeply hidden within our hearts can manifest them in other parts of our lives – perhaps quickness to anger, or malaise being in a ministry. Therefore, it is imperative that we monitor our hearts and search our motives. The only way to truly guard our hearts and heal our souls is by spending time with God, and in real community. As Christ followers, we are not called to obey rules or to serve in ministry, but to be in a relationship with Him.
Listen to this sermon and others online!
http://noc.newsong.net/grow/resources/message-archives
New International Version (NIV)
23 Above all else, guard your heart,
for everything you do flows from it.
Cindy Park continued the WITH series, reminding us that we’re called to be in relationship with Jesus, where we desire only Him, not to use Him as a means to an ends. In order to be in this type of relationship, we need to monitor and guard our hearts. Proverbs 4:23 states that we need to guard our hearts because it is the source of everything we do. Though we may be doing the “right” things and serving others, problems that may be deeply hidden within our hearts can manifest them in other parts of our lives – perhaps quickness to anger, or malaise being in a ministry. Therefore, it is imperative that we monitor our hearts and search our motives. The only way to truly guard our hearts and heal our souls is by spending time with God, and in real community. As Christ followers, we are not called to obey rules or to serve in ministry, but to be in a relationship with Him.
Listen to this sermon and others online!
http://noc.newsong.net/grow/resources/message-archives
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