NewLife Living

This teaching for a special NewLife Commissioning Celebration  looks at Paul's coaching of his young protege Timothy for his role as the Mission Leader for the church at Ephesus and Pastor's Alan's coaching for the new ministry lead of NewLife church.

Advent speaks to a coming, an arrival and an appearance. We have heard of and been witness to the first advent of Jesus the Christ and with it we get to see God's true heart. There is an opportunity of all opportunities to respond to Him by faith before the second advent where God will come with righteous and final judgement. 

After an thought provoking review of Jewish history, Stephen goes on the offensive with the Jewish High Council and figuratively hits the them with both barrels. His rebuke hits hard and draws a fast and hard response, but it's God's response that is the most remarkable.

Searching for, discovering and recognizing what God has been up to will undoubtedly change the course of your own life. We don't want to miss what He is up to; the stakes are far too high. Approaching God with openness and teachable humility will allow us to be led by His Word and His Spirit as we continue to learn from Stephen's sermon in the Spirit. 

In this study of Acts chapter seven, Stephen testifying before the Jewish High Council continues to take them down memory lane by reminding them what happened after Abraham left everything and arrived in the land that God had brought him to. The results for both him and his offspring were likely not what he anticipated and should remind us that in this life there will be trial and tribulation and to keep our eyes on the Kingdom to come!

In this teaching from Acts chapter seven we continue to see the unfolding story of Stephen who as part of his defense before the Jewish council, refers them to some Jewish history. He starts by reminding them of the command God gave Abraham to leave his home, family and friends to go to a land that Abraham knew nothing of and Abraham's response is inspiring to all of us.

Stephen was a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit as well as grace and power according to Scripture. God uses His people in their willingness and availability to carry out His work. Jesus is on glorious display in the lives of His followers who are fully associating with Jesus and equipped in more ways than we realize. 

Ask any number of Christians "what is the gospel?" you are likely to get a number of different answers. This teaching 'What's in Your Gospel?' seeks to help each of us discover the biblical gospel so we can better share it with others.

The first church in Jerusalem is increasing in number and as with most new ventures is experiencing growing pains. Although some had sold property and given the proceeds to be shared, there were some who felt "their people" weren't being cared for and this leads the Apostles to call for the first congregational meeting to find a solution.

Very early in the ministry of the Church, the disciples had to make a choice. Were they going to listen and respond to the calling of God to go and preach the good news, or would they back down because of pressure from those around them? As followers of Jesus, we have the same choice. Today, the people of God have the same command...Go. Stand. Speak. 

Continuing our look into the Parable of the ten virgins of Matthew 25, we will discover the difference between the foolish and the wise virgins. It all comes down to having "oil". How will you respond to the reality of the "groom's" coming?

This is all about a wedding. "What is", you ask? Everything. God is pursuing His human creation. He has promised Himself to us and when we respond, we are His. Will you exchange vows with Him and commit to being His?

In Acts chapter five we read of a husband and a wife who make a donation to the early church and are immediately killed. Why did this happen and what can we learn from it as the church today?

As we continue in our review of the Acts of the Apostles we are witness of God developing the heart of His people, the Church. We are on a path of looking more and more like our heavenly Father. Central ways we see this in the first generation Church is in community and generosity. God continues to develop His heart in us as well. 

The boldness of the disciples continues to be displayed by their refusal to comply with the Sanhedrin's mandate not speak of Jesus. This teaching considers what can we learn from their defiance in knowing when and how best to respond authorities in our world today.

It was recognizable that Peter and John had been with Jesus. Is Jesus recognizable in our life? How do I spend time with Jesus and what does it look like to participate in God's presence? We will discover that moving  further into God's presence should be our focus no matter what we face.

Peter and John lead the church to standing firm, relying on the Holy Spirit and not backing down to any threats, real or perceived. They set the tone for the Church holding their ground of commitment to the reality of Jesus, the cross and the resurrection and God lead many to saving faith in Jesus as a result! How and where should we stand today?

This message examines how Peter takes advantage of a great teaching moment after the miraculous healing of a man who had been lame for more than forty years and gives us a Biblical model for our own evangelism.

God has preserved the story of Peter and John's encounter with the lame beggar at the Temple gate to instruct and challenge us even today. What can we glean from that event?  How the early disciples dealt with and responded gives us an indication of God's heart for the church and keys to how we are to minister today. 

This teachings looks at Jesus commissioning of His disciples in light of the devotion shown in the early church in being equipped and helping to equip followers of Jesus in fulfilling the Lord's calling. 

Were Jesus and His followers Communists? Some have heard that claim being made, but do the Scriptures bear it out? In this teaching from Acts 2 we will examine what some point to as a communal model for Christian life and consider whether  Jesus and His earliest followers taught that was what God expected for His church. 

Through His people and by the Holy Spirit, God's kingdom grows and advances. God has a message to communicate and a people to develop. He will accomplish it from start to finish and the fruitful result will be entirely to His credit and glory. Today, we continue to learn and apply what we see God doing all along, since the beginning of the Church. 

God is doing a multi-faceted work through Peter's first sermon that has ripple effects to us today. He is continuing the work and ministry of Jesus the Messiah, through the church and is accomplishing it in the same way He did through the Holy Spirit in Jesus' life and actions. God is further developing and equipping His people for the work of ministry. Today we are participants in receiving Jesus through faith as well as undergoing development and growth to become more like Him.

After the supernatural outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles, Peter stands and gives the church's first recorded sermon. In part one we examine how Peter explains the supernatural effects the crowd has witnessed by referring to a widely known Old Testament prophecy and how he calls them to account for their actions and disbelief in the person of Jesus.

In the United States the fourth of July celebrates our nation's freedom from England's  governmental control, but what is freedom? Talk to enough people and you come to realize it means different things to different people. And sometimes one person's pursuit of freedom can result in the loss of another's freedom. In this teaching rather than looking to man for an answer to the question we will look to God for His  understanding of freedom.

God wants to do more. The first disciples were given both the internal presence of the Holy Spirit as well as the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. Pentecost became the fulfilled Jewish feast which launched a bunch of rag-tag followers of Jesus and transformed them into the bold and courageous first generation of the Church, a group that has exploded into a world-changing force because of God's fueling and equipping.

In the second half of Acts chapter one we find the Apostles waiting for the promise of the Father and deciding to replace Judas in the aftermath of His betrayal of Jesus.  How they wait and ultimately make decisions are insightful and practical to our modern personal lives. 

Psalm 23 is one of the most well-known and repeated passages in the Bible. In this teaching we will see how these praises shine a light of reflection on our human soul and what we can do to maintain a healthy one.

In seeking a biblical understanding of who and what the church is there is no better place than the book of Acts. This message launches our verse by verse study of the NT book sometimes called the Acts of the Apostles. This first installment looks at some important instructions that Jesus gave His apostles in building His church in preparation for His coming Kingdom.

In our culture, we have so much at our fingertips. Sometimes that is a tremendous blessing and other times those resources are the very things hindering our spiritual growth and effectiveness in the Kingdom of God. How do we rely on God and use stuff, while not relying on stuff and using God? This will be a key to our relationship with God, personal growth and effectiveness as a church community.

If we have received Jesus and believe in His name, we are now children of God!  Yet, we can suppress what He wants to do in our lives. This week we will discover what it means to quench the Spirit and even what it means for a person to "blaspheme" the Holy Spirit. Growing in awareness of Him will allow us to deepen and grow in our relationship with the Holy Spirit.

Knowing the Holy Spirit begins and continues by responding to His invitation, voice and lead. We need to recognize what His mission to humanity is, what His plan for the believers in Jesus is and present ourselves as available to Him. He will still accomplish much in us and through us.  

The Holy Spirit is in the business of convicting. What does conviction by God Himself entail? What does it look like? The Spirit of God wants to do work in us. He desires to deliver and apply all that Jesus has accomplished to His Church, the people and family of God.  

The Holy Spirit is often the most neglected person of the Trinity. In this mini-series with our study of The Church, discovering the Holy Spirit as a person and familiarizing ourselves with His function, role and work will be critical as God develops, grows and utilizes the collective body of believers in Jesus. 

The final verses of the book of Mark offer some interesting and albeit controversial understanding of Jesus' ministry as we continue to consider it as a model for The Church's ministry in our modern world.

In your lifetime what has most changed your personal world? Is it someone or something? Most of us have many things and people who have impacted our lives. But only one thing and one person can impact our lives for both this life and the next. This Sunday we CELEBRATE that Jesus after being crucified and killed has risen from dead...defeating not only dead but the sin that led to death. Join us in celebrating the Ultimate World Changer.

It is Good Friday. For us, it is indeed good. For God? It is and was good as well. We enter into unexpected ways Jesus' action on the cross provided everything we need for our spiritual and physical restoration. Get ready, because Jesus wants to give all of his life to you  in exchange for yours. 

We are entering a season of remembering the accomplishments of Jesus on the cross and in the resurrection. To personally participate will take recognizing and acknowledging the problems we find ourselves in. God has provided a complete solution. Our calling and action is to trust by faith in the solution God has fully  provided.  We will be forever changed as a result!

As we prepare to celebrate the Lord's Supper, our Pastors look at events happening before and after Jesus' Last Supper .   While you are preparing for this study by reading Mark chapter 14 verses 22-50, ask yourself as a member of the body of Christ, are you 'awake' or 'sleeping'? Website: http://www.nlnm.org VIDEOS:  https://faithlifetv.com/groups/newlifenm Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/newlifenewmexico YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/user/NewLifeNMvideo

Imagine being the one tasked with presenting the greatest gift in history to mankind, only to be despised and rejected by the establishment and subsequently betrayed by someone in your inner circle. Such was the mission of Jesus when He became one of us. Fortunately some were able to see Him as who He really is...the Savior of the world. Website: http://www.nlnm.org VIDEOS:  https://faithlifetv.com/groups/newlifenm Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/newlifenewmexico YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/user/NewLifeNMvideo

With all the potential threats, concerns, worries and opposition of this world, Jesus calls his followers to "Be on guard" and to "stay awake" as a response. His disciples were to respond to the many issues of the world in a different way, a way focused on eternity rather than the here and now.

Throughout history the teachings of Jesus have been seen both as radical and revolutionary and His actions demonstrated the truth of His words. All of these, His teachings and His actions provide a template by which The Church is to represent Him to the world.  Website: http://www.nlnm.org VIDEOS:  https://faithlifetv.com/groups/newlifenm Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/newlifenewmexico OLD: YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/user/NewLifeNMvideo

We're on a journey. The Church is headed somewhere. Our eyes are on the Kingdom of God. The vehicle is faith, the outcome is fruit and the destination is Christ. Discover this Sunday the plan of God disclosed even further as we enter the events of the Passion week in the Gospel account of Mark. Faith and fruit of the Body of Christ will be our focus. Website: http://www.nlnm.org VIDEOS:  https://faithlifetv.com/groups/newlifenm Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/newlifenewmexico OLD: YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/user/NewLifeNMvideo

As we continue our survey of Jesus' ministry in the NT book of Mark, we along with Jesus' first century disciples begin to see that Jesus' mission and purpose are different from what they thought. This serves as an important reminder to us that His plans and ways are often different from what we may want them to be.  Website: http://www.nlnm.org VIDEOS:  https://faithlifetv.com/groups/newlifenm Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/newlifenewmexico OLD: YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/user/NewLifeNMvideo

As we venture through Mark's account of Jesus' ministry, we see Jesus moving at fast pace. What is he up to? Where is he going? Whom is he involving? Jesus is bringing in the Kingdom of God through his words, his actions and how he incorporates others along the way. Are you coming along too? Website: http://www.nlnm.org VIDEOS:  https://faithlifetv.com/groups/newlifenm Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/newlifenewmexico OLD: YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/user/NewLifeNMvideo

In our continuing study of "The Church" we look to the beginnings of Jesus' ministry for insight into God's plans for our own ministry and how it relates to "The Church."  This study looks at highlights of Jesus' ministry from chapters 1-4 in the Gospel of Mark. Website: http://www.nlnm.org VIDEOS:  https://faithlifetv.com/groups/newlifenm Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/newlifenewmexico OLD: YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/user/NewLifeNMvideo

This Encounter Celebration looks at some of the communal and personal elements of God's Plan for the church.

We are beginning to understand the ways in which God reveals Himself to humanity. Now we need to ask the question, "what is God doing?". This week we will discover The Plan. God is up to something huge. Will you jump on board, take advantage of and take part in all that God is doing? Website: http://www.nlnm.org VIDEOS:  https://faithlifetv.com/groups/newlifenm Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/newlifenewmexico OLD: YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/user/NewLifeNMvideo

Ask any number of people what "the church" is and you are likely to to get a number of different opinions from both those who go to church and those who don't.  This teaching series "The Church" seeks to examine what the Creator of the Church intended and help those who both apart from it as well as those who are see themselves already a part of it better understand the part they have been created to fulfill. 

Some years ago a popular bumpersticker encouraged it's readers to "Visualize World Peace," but doing that in light of current circumstances is harder than ever.  Is there hope for peace in our world or in our homes? This Advent teaching affirms that hope and shows us the way in which everlasting peace is achieved.