New Life Community Church, Atwater, CA

Our ability to shine will always come down to how we allow Jesus to be seen in and through us. Still, it is tempting to want to be noticed, to have one’s worth affirmed, to have our accomplishments recognized by the world around us. Paul notes that despite all our many attempts at goodness, there is really only one thing that matters.

Our ability to shine will always come down to how we follow Jesus, allowing Him to be seen in and through us. Some of the more difficult barriers to overcome are a number of very common habits that are deeply ingrained in us.

Because of the law of gravity, we say “What goes up, must come down”. Paul describes a spiritual law of getting to where God wants you to be, via the path of humility. As we read the second chapter of Philippians today, let’s finish this together: “What goes down….”

We all have difficult times and deal with difficult people, yet we are invited to  "shine like the stars in the night sky".  Paul, writing from prison, to the church in Philippi about their struggles, noted how to navigate such times without losing our "shine".

Paul’s letter to the Philippians (which we open today) was written to Jesus’ followers living in the dark world. Rather than to give in to despair, Paul invites the church to experience the Joy of life in Christ and to shine that light into the darkness.

Our world, so many years removed from Paul’s day, remains dark, but his invitation to us remains. Today we begin to explore this call to “shine like stars in the night sky”.

Happy Birthday Church! Today we mark the 25th birthday of New Life Community Church!  Through it all, the ups and downs of life together, one thing remains certain: God is faithful! So today we offer thanks for His goodness to us, and for His hand that continues to guide us. We join with the ancients and proclaim: “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever.”

Good morning Church,

Thank you for having me join you today. I've known Pastor John for many years now, and I'm sure he appreciates having the time off.  I pastor College and Young adults as well as small groups at Gateway Church in Merced.

I have been married for 32 years to my beautiful wife, Tammy.  We have three grown daughters, two sons-in-laws, and five grandchildren; all walking with God! God has been really so good to me.

Blessings,

Kevin Borges

Sermon Scriptures: John 21:12-19, Luke 22:31-33

Mathew 26: 31-35, & Mathew 26:69-75

Jesus often spoke in parables:

practical stories intended to reveal spiritual truth. One of his most famous was the parable of the “Good Samaritan”. Loving your neighbor is the point of the parable, but we can have trouble with simple the simple command to “love your neighbor as yourself”.

Jesus often spoke in parables:

practical stories intended to reveal spiritual truth. One of his most famous was the parable of the “Good Samaritan”. Once we can get past our excuses, what are some of the practical ways we can love and touch the needs of others?

Jesus often spoke in parables: practical stories intended to reveal spiritual truth. One of his most famous was the parable of the “Good Samaritan”. This familiar story highlights the truth that there is no way to overstate the importance of loving your neighbor, despite the excuses we are quick to adopt. Over these next few weeks we’ll explore learning to love rather than looking for loopholes.