If we are born-again, we’re joint-heirs with Christ — we’ve been made one with Him. We now live, move and we have our being in Him. No longer do we look to the fallen world as our source of love, peace, fulfillment and joy. We have found that in Christ — although we are in the world it is no longer our source. This life of “in but not of” brings with it suffering. But the suffering it brings isn’t worthy to be compared to the glory that is and shall be revealed. 

There is no greater distinction or identity that a human being can have than to be a child of God. We can make no greater contribution to humanity, to this world or to our families than to live as a child of God. But we can not make ourselves His, only Christ can do that — we’ve been given the work of agreeing with, what He says about us. 

We all have practices and values which come from our family of origin. But now that we are resurrected to life in the family of Jesus Christ, it is essential that we discover and practice these seven values of our heavenly family. Without them, we will be ineffective and unproductive in our earthly assignments.

When the Father restored us to Himself through the work of Christ — we were resurrected into new life. We now live from an entirely different operating system. Our new operating system is continually resurrecting us into new lives through the love of the Father. As we let go of and are delivered from our earthly horizontal past we find our true identity as the ones being resurrected by His love.

Adam and Eve rejected the Fatherhood of God. They decided dependence on themselves was more desirable than dependence on God the Father. This legacy of broken relationship was inherited by us all.  In Christ, we are adopted and restored to relationship with the covenant making, promise keeping Father. Our adoption and restoration is more than a future in the new heaven and earth. We’ve been resurrected into new life that we might usher in and experience and heaven on earth in the here and now. 

When we respond to the love of the Father with rebellion or religion, there’s a word for that — individualism. Individualism (rebellion/religion) is a result of the fall; it says we don’t need you Lord God we can do it on our own. We can do life on our own terms fulfilling our own desires. But resurrection life/to be born again through faith in Christ says the opposite. Resurrection life says, we need you Lord God and we have found there’s truly no life outside of the feast and celebration of your love.

This passage is titled the prodigal son. Prodigal is defined as having or giving something on a lavish scale or a person who spends in an extravagant way.  Author and theologian Tim Keller wrote a book renaming this parable The Prodigal God because there’s no one more extravagant and lavish in this parable than God the Father. This parable is ultimately about Him, His extravagant love and the ways His children respond.  Never having encountered a love like God’s, we all respond one of three ways — we rebel, we become religious or we are resurrected.  But none of us goes untouched by the love of the Prodigal God.

We can’t truly grasp what it means to be adopted and restored to the family of God without realizing all that was lost in the garden. Desiring to be gods to themselves — autonomous, independent, with freedom of choice — Adam and Eve rejected the Fatherhood of God. They concluded dependence on themselves was more desirable than dependence on God and Fatherhood was lost. This is the legacy inherited by us all.

Some of the top movies of the last decade are based on superheroes with superpowers — Iron Man, Captain America, Black Panther, Spiderman, Avengers are among the highest grossing movies of all time. We have an obsession with superheroes, superpowers and capes.  Hollywood, and the comics these movies are based upon, show us every superhero has unique powers and a unique part to play in the flourishing of humanity and keeping evil at bay.  We too have a unique role in the flourishing of humanity and keeping evil at bay — we all have a cape.

We will never know a voice, like the voice of God. He alone is omnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent. No one knows us, keeps us and has thoughts towards us like Him. We must prioritize His voice, His words, His thoughts over every other. There is no voice like the voice of God. 

God speaks in sign language.  He uses signs to warn, caution, direct and to confirm.  Signs speak even when we aren’t listening, so we can’t say we weren’t told.  But when we decide we want to hear from God, signs speak so loudly it’s as if we’ve entered another world. A world where God speaks through sign language.

One of the most frequently used languages in all of scripture is the language of God given dreams, visions, thoughts and ideas.  Not only is God still using this means of communication, He promised in the last days He would use them even more.  We must reverence the language of dreams and visions that God might move us beyond the boundaries we’ve set for ourselves and others, into His perfect will.  

One of the key features that marks out a Christian as a child of God is the ability to hear the voice of God. Although the capacity to hear God is given to us, spiritual deafness can and does still happen for numerous reasons. The key reason for not hearing God is due to not cultivating a walk and relationship with God. We must renew our walk daily so that we can learn to hear God clearly.Exodus 15:1-22

There are times in our lives when God doesn’t make sense. Some would argue, that’s exactly why they don’t follow God. No matter the camp we are in, those who openly reject or those who subtly resist — more often than not our reasons are the same. We want God to make it make sense before we give Him a whole hearted yes. 

Celebrations of any sort are always happy occasions where the agenda is to party. Jesus approached a celebration in his day where partying was on the agenda. Yet his agenda was less about being the life of the party, but to be the life IN the party. Turning water into wine certainly kept the party going, but it also showed the transformative power of Jesus. As we celebrate the anniversary of TPC today, partying is on the agenda, but so too is Jesus’ transforming power.

God’s voice is the ultimate expression of His desire for His people: God speaks because God Loves. In a world filled with sound, volume, and distraction, we must become a people ready to hear and respond to the still, small voice of our King.

Hearing from God is an #IYKYK kind of thing. It is exclusively for those who are His. It’s not that God isn’t speaking, it’s that only those who are His recognize and surrender to His voice. Hearing and obeying God is the entrance into an entirely different quality of life — eternal life. If you know then you know.  

God has been exalted in us as His Church over the last 11 years. He has made His boast through TPC in mind-boggling ways. From the Movie Theater to Delsea Drive, from Winslow to the West Bank — again and again Yahweh has declared His goodness, His faithfulness and the miraculous through the life of this body of believers. As we enter into this 12th year the question continues to be — Can I be exalted in you?

Eli taught Samuel to pray the most courageous prayer in the Bible — “Speak Lord, for your servant hears.” It’s a prayer of surrender from a posture of humility. We often don’t hear God, because we don’t always want to hear God. It’s the ear, connected to a surrendered and humble heart, that prays the prayer that causes us to hear from the living God.  

Learning, discerning and surrendering to the voice of the Lord is literally the answer to every thing we will face in this world. Of all the endeavors we might give ourselves to learning, nothing will impact our lives and the lives of others as much as learning to hear the Lord’s voice. Learning, discerning and surrendering to the voice of the Lord is not only important, it is important now — Before the Lamp Goes Out.  

According to the World Health Organization, slightly more than half of the world’s population is male.  But males aren’t men until they take responsibility for themselves; and men aren’t fathers until they take responsibility for their children.  It’s God’s desire that every male become a father, not having children, but taking responsibility to love, protect and provide for others.  Jesus never had children but he was a father — “if you’ve seen Me you’ve seen the Father.” (Jn. 14:9)

God has hand-picked us, appointed and anointed us for His assignments, just as He did Moses and Joshua . God has assignments that have been tailor-made specifically for us. He trains and prepares us for each assignment and gives us His heart and mind to implement His plan. God gives us His courage, as we surrender our will. 

We often view courage as something valiant, rare and unforgettable and that’s typically the case — Moses confronting Pharaoh, Esther going before the King and David standing up to Goliath were all undeniable acts of courage. But courage is also us getting out of the way. It’s doing what appears to be nothing, when something has to be done. It’s surrendering to God’s command to be insignificant and fade to the back, so He can be God front and center. Sometimes living courageous looks like getting out of the way.  

Joshua is confronted with a time where courage is required to overcome his circumstances. However, the courage required isn’t his own courage, but rather the kind of courage that can only come from God. In the same way, we are confronted with moments where we need courage, but we must seek Godly courage. We believe that courage means the strength to do something we may be afraid or unable to do. However, courage from God comes when He reveals His heart and mind to us, equipping us with a passion and power to achieve his kingdom aims. Through today’s passage (Joshua 5:13-15), God will reveal to us what real courage looks like when confronted with a seemingly insurmountable challenge.  

The Book of Joshua begins with the word “after”. It implies a continuation, a moving on from what God had been doing to what He’s doing now. God moves forward. And if we’re going to walk with the God who continues, who moves and advances — we are going to have to learn to do the same. God calls us to be river crossers. Our lives are filled with moments where we cross over — from where we once were to where we’ve been ordained to be.

The scriptures reveal that there are many different types of love and various dimensions of love. As humans, we are prone to associate certain qualities of love based on gender. However, in order for the body of Christ to fully mature and transform this world, we have to activate and operate in a higher dimension of love. 

So many of the people we once looked to have gone and we're all looking for those who will fill the void. Kobe Bryant, Steve Jobs, Queen Elizabeth, Maya Angelou, Nelson Mandela and Charles Stanley are just a few of the patriarchs, matriarchs, and icons that have gone in the last decade. We’re living in a time of massive transition and change. Times like these, even more than others, demand courage. We are living in the midst of a great transition — a changing of the guard. 

In order to see the Kingdom of Jesus come in our lives and in the lives of those around us, we must live out our faith in such a way that it causes others to have a reaction toward Jesus. When our walk and our talk show Jesus to others we live lives that impact and influence those around us for the sake of the Kingdom.

Who is my Neighbor? This seemingly innocent question carries so many assumptions and attitudes. The way Jesus responded to this question is profoundly challenging in a world full of bigotry, racism and segregation. What does the Christian call to love our neighbor as ourselves mean in our world today? How do we, as Jesus’ followers, honor this call and commitment in a world shaped by division and tribalism?

What do we do after our biggest failures, disappointments and pains? Peter knew what it was to be flawed and to fail. “You won’t be crucified.” “You’ll never wash my feet.” “I tell you, I don’t know the man.” Are just a few of his big blunders. But his flaws and failures didn’t disqualify him. In fact they uniquely qualified him to live a resurrected life, realizing he wasn’t fit for any other kind. The resurrection is the very thing that makes it possible for us to be failed Christians but not finished Christians. 

Jesus endured the brutal, inhumane torture and humiliation of the cross because He saw something beyond the cross. He had a joy in sight that we must learn to see and grab a hold of too. God’s answer to the suffering, adversity and hardships of this world is found in the joy Jesus saw and the power He has given. Pick up your cross. 

Holy Week begins with Jesus’ triumphant entry into the city of Jerusalem for the Passover feast. Three million people fill the city; some have heard rumors that Jesus is the Messiah, fulfilling Zechariah’s prophesy nearly 600 years before. This moment marks the first time Jesus doesn’t resist the title of King. His time has come! Untie em’.Scripture(s):Matthew 21:1-94.2.2023 Message TakeawaysThe living God is a promise keeping, prophesy fulfilling God.Jesus keeps some things tied until He has need of them.There are places God has chosen not to go without us. 

The Kingdom of God is a never ending source of life for those who find it and are found by it. It is the will and way of God. It is the eternal rule and reign of God. It is the peace and goodness of God. Of all the things in this life to be pursued, discovered and realized, none can compare to the Kingdom. The Kingdom of God is a well, well, well.

The destruction and chaos of this world is rooted in the rejection of God and the loss of ourselves in the pursuit of peace and goodness on our own terms.  When we reject God and choose our own way to peace and goodness it has a destructive ripple effect.  The coming Kingdom restores us to God, our true selves in Him and our call to be peacemakers and keepers of one another.  Scripture (s): NLT • Genesis 4:1-123.19.2022 Message TakeawaysWe fall every time we choose a way other than God’s to pursue peace and goodness.When we reject God and choose our own way to peace and goodness it has a destructive ripple effect. The human family’s connectedness to God and one another roots us in God’s peace and goodness.  

So few of us live in a place of consistent peace with ourselves. Many of our emotional, psychological and physiological challenges are rooted in the fact we lack peace. But the Prince of Peace, the King of Kings has come to restore us to His Kingdom and to give us His peace and peace with ourselves.  Scripture(s): NKJVGenesis 1:31Genesis 2:25Genesis 3:6-113.12.2023 Message TakeawaysIn the beginning all of creation was very good. Separation from God, also separates us from ourselves — locking us into sin and shame. Jesus came to deliver us from sin and shame, restoring us to the peace of His Kingdom.  

The Coming Kingdom is God’s divine reordering of the world as we know it, reconciling all things to Himself. Though it begins in personal encounter, the expression of His forceful goodness is intended to impact all of His creation through our surrendered lives. 

We live in a world of people longing and fighting for meaning, identity and belonging. We may have a family name, but it often isn’t enough to embody all we are and desire to be. When we are baptized into Christ, we are baptized into a new name and family. We don’t lose our earthly ones, but we are baptized into the source and purpose for them. In the new birth and baptism, we connect to a past that predates our birth and a future that goes beyond this temporal world. We enter into the name given for God’s entire earthly family — now and forever. 

It was in Antioch where they first called the followers of Jesus — Christians. Never before and no where else in society had Jews, Gentiles, Men, Women, Poor and Rich gathered as one together. There were rigid social boundaries and distinctions drawn around these groups but the Church changed all of that. It became a unique expression of humanity, known for its worship of Jesus and for it’s unity with one another. They Called Us Christians.  Galatians 2:11-16Acts 13:1Acts 11:262.19.2023 Message TakeawaysOur identity “in Christ” must inform all of our other identities.  When ethnicity is supreme in our lives, we struggle with Jesus being Lord of our lives.  We will be justified by faith in Christ then and we will be justified by faith in Christ now. 

Race and class have entrenched us in a false identity never intended by God. This defining and devaluing of ourselves and fellow image bearers has disfigured and dehumanized humanity. The Church was established to be an outpost of God’s Kingdom in the earth, redeeming us from defining and devaluing, by ushering in a Beloved Community marked by its loving esteem of one another and fellow image bearers. God has made us all greater than the way we’ve defined and devalued one another.  

The business of building the Church is Jesus’ business; and from the very beginning until the very end, the Church Jesus builds comprises every nation, tribe, people and language. This isn’t to say a mono-ethnic Church is out of His will, it’s to say a decidedly mono-ethnic one is. May His Church be the barrier-breaking, bridge-building, peace-making witness described and prescribed in His word and so desperately needed in this world

We live in a day and time where we address nearly every issue in some natural way. We are more likely to pursue counseling, therapy or medication than we are prayer, fasting and repentance. While natural remedies are important and they have their place. There are some things in our lives that are above natural remedies. They are a different kind of opposition.

As we fast, there must be a focus, there must be an expectation. As a woman who has just been told that she is pregnant, there is preparation for what is to come. Expectation is the womb of manifestation.

God is a gentleman, is a common refrain among clergy and followers of Jesus. It captures the meekness that’s a part of God’s character. He has all power; He is present in all places; and He knows all things — but He doesn’t use His power, presence and knowledge to bully His will into our lives. But there are times, both in the Bible and our personal experience, when God uses His power, presence and knowledge to force His goodness on us. And when we find ourselves in those moments, it’s dangerous and possibly fatal to resist. When God wants, what He wants, for His creation and our lives, it’s best for us to bow and shout - All Hail the King!

If we could take all of the decisions we’ve ever made and form a person with them, it would be exactly who we are right now. Our lives are the cumulative effect of decisions — the ones we’ve made and the ones that’ve been made for us. Fasting and prayer is one of those decisions. Fasting and Prayer is a decision to consecrate, dedicate — setting our lives apart to choose God over and over again.  

The Kingdom of God was the message Jesus’ proclaimed — referring to the Kingdom nearly 100 times in the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. Jesus’ teachings established the Kingdom of God as the priority for our personal lives, of all our endeavors and even our prayers. The Kingdom of God is the territory over which God reigns and rules. Psalms 145 declares, “Your Kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and Your dominion endures through all generations.” As we enter into 2023 the posture of our hopes and hearts can be found in three simple words — Thy Kingdom Come!Scripture(s): NKJVLuke 11:1-212.31.2022 Message TakeawayThis year is an on-going shift — from our agenda to God’s Kingdom agenda.  Friends fall into different categories and so do Jesus’ followers. This is the year of the confidant — those who’s hearts and hopes cry, “Thy Kingdom Come.”

On this last day of Advent we anticipate the coming Christ. We look and wait for the manifestation of God’s promise. The original hearers of Isaiah’s message would have heard it as a riddle. While it seems so obvious to us that Isaiah is pointing to the promised Messiah; it would have been less obvious to Isaiah and even less obvious to those listening in that day. Like us today, they all had the same need but each looked for a different solution.

The Christmas season is the time of year to reflect on the love of God through the birth of his son Jesus. However, we can get distracted from resting in God's love entering the world by the troublesome events that happen daily in our world. The birth of Jesus in 1st century Judea provides us with assurance that love can both abide in a hateful place and conquer it.Scripture(s): NKJV

In the midst of a census, for the taxation of the entire Roman occupied world, God inaugurates His heart Kingdom for all who will receive His Son. There is a deep, personal joy found in Jesus for each of us; a joy that can not be found in any other thing or in any other way. To know Jesus, is to know a deep and abiding personal joy..