New Song Community Church

Lev. 27:30 A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the LORD; it is holy to the LORD. Exodus 23:19 The first of the firstfruits of your land you shall bring into the house of the LORD your God. Romans 11:16 For if the firstfruit is holy, the whole is also holy; and if the root is holy, so are the branches.

Psalm 27:4 One thing I have desired of the LORD, That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD All the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the LORD, And to inquire in His temple. Psalm 96:6 Honor and majesty are before Him; Strength and beauty are in His sanctuary. Psalm 90:17 let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us, Psalm 29:2 Worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.

Isaiah 9:6–7 For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

Luke 1 records the story of the conception and birth of John the Baptist. Examining the Word of God to Zacharias and Elizabeth, we can learn several lessons about prayer and the faithfulness of God.

Rejoice in the Lord always Phil. 4:4 How is it possible to rejoice when having problems or sorrow? Does God actually expect us to rejoice in every moment? It is possible to be happy by faith?

This is a brief history of the reasons for the Protestant Reformation, the fruit of the Reformation in world history, and the need for reforming Christianity today.

Can a person be good without God? Actually, we have a hard time being good even with God in our lives. Hebrews 12 tells us that it is the discipline of God that produces righteousness in us.

When tragedy strikes, when evil people do wicked things, whether public or personal, our hearts and minds search for hope and peace. A legitimate question that is asked by believers and unbelievers alike is, "How could God allow this?" Many of the people in the Bible also demanded that God explain why evil triumphed in their day. This very real and painful question cannot be answered by cliches, but the Bible does hold some faithful answers for us.

Deuteronomy 6:6–7 And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and active Ephesians 4:29 Let no unwholesome (corrupt, rotten, crude) word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.

James 3:2-12 tells us that our tongue is like a bit in a horse's mouth, and like a rudder on a ship. We can steer our life for good or bad by our words. Jesus tells us in Matt. 12 that our words come from what we really believe in our heart. So if we are constantly complaining or speaking negatively, that betrays what we believe in our heart, and we create that reality in our life. If we speak faith and God's truth, we will believe that in our heart and create that reality as well.

God is always faithful, but most times He requires a period of faith between our prayer and His answer. He requires that we live and act in faith before we know when or how He will bring salvation. Moses and Joshua had to move forward in faith before seeing the miracle of God, and we must obey likewise. Mark 11:22–24 So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.

When Jesus prayed (John 17) that His disciples would be one, did He expect all Christians to believe the same things and follow the same leaders and teachers? No. The different expressions of faith in Jesus Christ that exist in the global Church are beautiful and necessary. We are instructed to live in patience and honor with each other (Romans 14). The unity that Jesus was praying for, and requires of us, is a oneness of faith and Spirit in Him. Ephesians 4:2–3 With all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

As Peter walked on water and John the Baptist awaited his death in prison, they each had a battle to fight to remain in faith in Jesus. Was Jesus the savior? Was He able to deliver? There are dark seasons in our lives when it does not seem that God is near or listening or caring about what is happening in our circumstances. The fog of war rolls in, and we cannot see well at all: where is God, what is He doing? In these times, it is essential that our faith holds steady - that we remain calm and faithful, knowing Who God is, and what He will do. We dare not be offended with Him, or our faith will die.

When God called Moses and Gideon, both men offered objections, fears, and protests to obeying God's instructions. God was patient with both of these men, as He will be with you, as you move through fear and insecurity into obedience and faith.

In Luke 17, when the disciples ask Jesus to increase their faith, Jesus says that big faith is not what matters - only a mustard seed is necessary. But what He is looking for is humble obedience, and that is great faith. Real faith in everyday life does not often look great, but is obeying the voice of God, regardless of fear, doubt, or questions.

In Romans 4:16-22, Paul describes the faith of Abraham when God told him that he would be the father of many nations. Abraham's faith in response to God's shocking promise is a model for us as we put our faith in God in Christ.

God is faithful - what does that mean? It means that He is reliable, trustworthy, responsible, dependable. Whatever He says, He does. His Word is perfect and true.

Heb. 11:1 tells us that faith is being confident in God before we see what is coming. Rom. 4 tells us that Abraham was fully assured in the promise of God, even though his natural circumstances seemed impossible. Faith is full confidence in the promises and Word of God, living like they are true even before we see the outcome.

It would seem that justice and mercy must be mutually exclusive - that we must pick one or the other. But in the Cross of Christ, God accomplishes perfect justice and perfect mercy at the same time. Jesus' commands for us to forgive those who sin against us do not exclude divine justice. In fact, it is faith in God's divine justice that gives us the strength to forgive sin.