Discipleship in Being Led by Holy Spirit
Sunday, December 25, 2022 – RECAP/Study Points
MERRY CHRISTMAS
Next week I am expecting this place to be jam-packed… because if the first is blessed the rest will be blessed. I am not requesting you to come, I am commanding you to come. Only if you just can’t be here, in that case, take advantage of the technology.
People go everywhere else that they want to go. Don’t allow the convenience of staying home for worship to override your convictions to be in service. However, it’s your choice. I am just Pastoring you… I am just sharing with you where the traps are. You would not mind if I shared with you that there was financial trap a ahead of you. You would say thank you for advising me. It’s a trap for some of you to stay home. It’s designed to get you away from people of faith. But if you can handle it…that’s another element.
Dr. DeeDee: I was out yesterday and ran into some people that did not include coming to the house of worship as a part of their plans for today. How do we celebrate Christmas and not come to the house of worship today and Jesus is who the day is supposed to be about? We are commercializing Christmas. It’s not about gifts, toys, or even spending time with our families. It’s about the birth of Jesus Christ. None of your family members are going to heal you. Those Christmas trees or toys are not going to meet any financial challenges that you may have. You need information to sustain you. I am not knocking the gifts, toys, etc. because we have some of the same stuff planned. However, my family knows that Christ is the reason for the season.
John 3:16 says, “God so loved, that He gave.” This is what we are celebrating. We would not be able to celebrate this day without the love of God. Pastor Dewayne, what would you discuss in this season during this moment?
Pastor Dewayne: You share the scripture… For God so loved, that He gave. The word gave means to demonstrate. So, I would like to say For God so demonstrated. He demonstrated His love by giving His only begotten Son. His Son comes on the scene and says since the Father demonstrated love, I want to demonstrate love.
The Son demonstrated His love by laying down His life. The Son is now speaking to His brothers and sisters (you and I) and He’s telling us to demonstrate love in our homes, on our jobs on the streets because the only thing that people can relate to is the demonstration of love.
Dr. DeeDee: I was thinking about the birth of Jesus in Luke chapter 2. It depicts what we’ve been teaching on “Being Led by Holy Spirit.” It spoke about how when Jesus was born an angel went to the field where the shepherds were taking care of the flock and told them I have a message for you. For unto us a Savior is born…It is the Lord Jesus the Christ. Look for a sign…find this baby that has been wrapped in swaddling clothes and laying in a manger. All the shepherds went to Bethlehem to find this baby according to what the angel had spoken. The Bible says, when they found the child, they took the word back that a Savior is born. It made me think about how you have been teaching about “Being Led by the Spirit,” and how they were led, and they took this love back and demonstrated it. We have a responsibility that after we have heard a Word from God that has transformed our lives and gotten us to a place of wholeness…we have a responsibility to take it back to the world so that they can receive this same goodness that we are receiving. It’s not enough for us to just get up today and open up gifts… we have received salvation through Jesus Christ, and we need to show the world that we are here today to celebrate a born-risen savior. We have a responsibility to demonstrate that love because it is the goodness of God that will draw a man to repentance.
Minister Lisa: I would just add to that…that freely we have received freely shall we give (demonstrate). I think about how God had only one Son, but He willingly gave Him up to demonstrate His love for us. We receive salvation through Jesus, which composes every and anything we will ever need in life.
I think about when I was diagnosed with breast cancer and God told me it would be “A Piece A Cake.” The only reason or way that it was “A Piece A Cake,” was because God gave His only Son…Jesus died, rose, and came with healing in His hands for me. But not only did He do it for me, but He did it for you. Dr. DeeDee shared how He has blessed our lives…so I say again freely we have received so let’s freely go out and demonstrate this love to the world.
The Bible says after the shepherds encountered Jesus…they returned another way. You should leave away from here differently. After having a love encounter…your demonstration should be different.
This is where we are going this year. John 13:34-35…You are going to hear this like you’ve never heard this before.
”A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
I don’t know how you’ve been loving people in the past, but this AGAPE is going to revolutionize your life. I know it first-hand…I’ve been walking in it. It’s not difficult it’s just different. You’re going back another way. But by this LOVE…not prophesying, not by your melodious voices or cooking meals or sharing them with people who are in need. But by this LOVE shall all men know that you are my disciples indeed because you have LOVE on for another.
Ladies and gentlemen, there is a great responsibility on this house, and you have to be the first ones to carry this message of AGAPE. When you funnel anything through AGAPE it will always come out on the other side the right way.
WE WE WE WEEEE wish you a Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year!!!!