The Story of God answers big questions in our life, very importantly it tells us who we are, whose we are, and what we are here for. And how we tell our own personal story should also help others begin to look to God and his Story for those same answers in their lives. God is the HERO of every story!
How do people usually use the Bible?
For me, the most important thing about our identity is this. We are children of God. I am God’s son. You are God’s daughter.
And we are created to be like our Father. In fact we are created in his image.
We can hear the words of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit talking about us at creation.
“Let us make man, both male and female, in our image to be like us.”
We get to have the same relationship as God in the Trinity. Enjoying life together, serving each other, always treating each other with love and respect.
God invites us into the same relationship he has in the Trinity for eternity. A life of joy, where we are glad to be with each other, a life of love, working for the good of each other, and a life of peace, where we live in complete sufficiency.
Every person you have ever met has this same invitation. Even though we rebel against God and our image gets cloudy, we do not despair. God is in the rescue and restore business. It is God’s desire to rescue and restore us, and Jesus comes to the world to begin this process so all of creation, including you and me, can be who God created us to be.
I like to say it this way.
“I am God’s son (daughter) deserving of love and respect, and God is using me to change the world.”
How do we change the world?
Let us make make mankind in or image, to be like us, so that they may have responsibility over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.
We are created in God’s image and share his identity in order to share his authority and with authority he gives us the power to be able to do what he is telling us to do.
Because we share God’s identity we share his authority and with the authority God gives us power to do what he wants done.
How do we know what he wants done?
We stay in relationship with him.
Adam and Eve had an amazing opportunity in their lives. They got to hang out with God in the Garden.
To be that close to God is his intention for all of us.
Well, we know how Adam and Eve’s story went. They rebelled. And all of creation changed. This rebellion continues. People don’t want God in their lives.
And if you don’t want God in your life, he will honor that request. God doesn’t force anyone to enter his story. Forced love isn’t love. God allows us to be lost.
But, God doesn’t give up.
If you seek God, he will find you.
You can be his son, his daughter, now. You can have the authority of your Father to transform the world around you. You can have the power to actually do this. Joining God in his cause to rescue and restore.
Sermon for week two of an eight-week guide to transformation in community…
What we believe about God and what he is like will ultimately determine what we believe about ourselves and how life works…in everything.
– developed by Caesar Kolinowski
“Let’s introduce ourselves…”
We do this when we are with people we don’t know.
There is a chance if you are a man you will mention what you do for a living first, and if you are a woman you will talk about your family. When responding to this question I always try to speak of my family first. Got to keep people on there toes.
But, these kind of questions, we call them icebreakers are meant to get a conversation going. When you think of it, It’s about telling a story about yourself. Once I was asked a question that really zeroes in on the story.
Where were you born and what’s happened since?
But, it’s true isn’t it? We live in story. All of us have been shaped by a dominant story in our lives. For a Christian, our dominant story, the story that can shape our lives and give us our identity is the story of God told through the Bible. It this is our dominant story, what would our lives be like?
If the story of God isn’t our dominant story, we may be following a false narrative. We may be swayed by our culture, the brokenness in our lives, or we may give in to the lies that make up what those “in the know”, the so called “experts” tell us who we are.
White Privilege?
Person of Color?
Oppressed people?
Oppressors?
That’s how you define who someone is? Not God. God has one term for those whose identity is not defined by him.
Foolish.
So let’s get rid of the nonsense of defining ourselves any other way than how God defines us, shall we? Sorry, experts, you don’t get to define me. Only God does.
You see what we believe about God, what he is like and what he thinks about us, ultimately determines what we believe about ourselves. How the world works.
Week two of our eight-week journey to transformation in community. This week we will consider how our story is be a continuation of God’s story as we follow him.
We live in story, and all of us have been shaped by a dominant story. Is the story that most shapes your life and identity THE story of God that is told throughout the Bible? Or is it a story from your culture, dysfunctional background or a stack of lies that makes up the primary narrative of your life?
What we believe about God and what he is like will ultimately determine what we believe about ourselves and how life works.
Enjoy seeing LIFEhouse folks getting ready for the Easter breakfast and the glorious Easter we shared! Thanks to Barbie Winters for putting this together…
What is the Gospel?
This is week one of the eight-week guide to transformation in community for LIFEhouse Church and friends…The Gospel Primer
– developed by Caesar Kolinowski
The Gospel Primer: an eight-week guide to transformation in community.
This week we are focusing on, What is the Gospel?
Gospel=Good News
“God himself has come to rescue and renew creation in and through the work of Jesus Christ on our behalf.”
That’s the good news.
The bad news is if we don’t trust the good…
Working in partnership with God and other’s who trust in him, we can grow in our trust and be an encouragement to others. We can truly share the Gospel.
Hebrews 3:12
So search your hearts every day, my brothers and sisters, and make sure that none of you has evil or unbelief hiding within you. For it will lead you astray, and make you unresponsive to the living God.
Using the power of his resurrection, Jesus creates a new species. From the first Christians on, those who join Him are transforming the world…An Easter sermon
“I thank God for all who made this Holy Week and Easter a tribute to our Lord, Jesus Christ. The thoughtfulness of using your gifts and generosity for preparation, cleaning, serving, assisting at worship, and being models of a joyful people is much appreciated. Be blessed as we continue to celebrate the Resurrection of the Lord!”
With Joy,
Pastor Dana
Enjoy some photos from the week!
