Vineyard Church | Weekly Update January 15th, 2025
Jan 15, 2025
Some of the largest exhales in history (my history) come after preaching about sin. This past Sunday, as we unpacked how the message of John the Baptist fits into the unfolding plan of God, my exhale wasn’t as large and long as it has been in the past.
The more I have come to realize that the way I approach sin is not the way God does, the less shameful power it has on me. Getting to this place, where talking about sin doesn’t entice me into a prison of shame, regret, and a pervasive need to hide, began when I realized what was happening in Luke 3:21-22.
21 One day when the crowds were being baptized, Jesus himself was baptized. As he was praying, the heavens opened,22 and the Holy Spirit, in bodily form, descended on him like a dove. And a voice from heaven said, “You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy. Luke 3:21-22 (NLT)
These two verses capture an important part of the unfolding plan of God. The baptism of Jesus is full of meaning and theological application, but today there are two angles that are meaningful to us. First, this demonstrates that Jesus (God with us) identifies with sinners, and second, He knew His identity; He heard it spoken over him: “You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.”
An amazing father who is oriented towards his kids would say that to them and would want his kids to know that. Jesus had an amazing father, a father who loves so completely that He created, and then wanted to be with His creation.
Sin loses power when we recognize that we have the same father and that what Jesus did echoes over us as well. He identified with sinners; He identified with me. He has context for my struggles, He understands why my rod won’t reel. He gets me… But there’s more. What the Father spoke over Jesus is also spoken over you and I… Our true identity, the identity that robs the enemy of the lies that lead us to hide and duck for cover, is revealed in this scripture. We are His dearly loved children, and we bring Him great joy.
We are not the church if we do not know that we are the beloved of God. If I question my identity and you question yours, then when we meet in our building, we are not the church, we are just some folks that are at the same place at the same time. All of what we do must be built on the foundation of who we are.
How can we tell others who they are if we question it ourselves? How can we be the church if we are not the beloved of God? Henri Nouwen says that we can only give that gift, the gift of knowing that we are the dearly loved of God, insofar as we believe it about ourselves. So, the simple answer… We Can’t do it if we don’t know it.
The reality is that many don’t know the inner voice of love, but as we find it, we get to tell them about it and show the way. At the end of this month, we will begin another Alpha Course at the Vineyard.
Alpha is a series of group conversations that introduces the basics of the Christian faith to new and non-believers, regardless of a person’s background or beliefs. As each Alpha Course unfolds, we have seen people find the inner voice of love that calls them a beloved child. If you know someone who needs the clarity to hear this voice, consider inviting them to join you in Alpha.
Adam Greenwell
Pastor
Billings Vineyard Chruch www.billingsvineyard.org
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