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northpointefl

Apr 15
7

Saturday, April 15

By | Look Again - Easter 2023 | No Comments
The Great Commission
The Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”  Matthew 28:18-20 NIV
Apr 14
7

Friday, April 14

By | Look Again - Easter 2023 | No Comments
The Seven Next Words of Christ
  1. Why are you crying? Who are you looking for?
  2. Greetings…. Don’t be afraid.
  3. What are you so concerned about?
  4. Peace be with you.
  5. Go into the world.
  6. Have you caught any fish?
  7. Wait for the gift.
And then this: “And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”  Matthew 28:20 NKJV
Easter2023, 39/42
Apr 12
1

Just Pray

By | Women's Ministry | One Comment

Just pray about it.
Let’s be real…sometimes that’s easier said than done, right?

Have you ever known you needed to have a tough conversation with someone, but avoided it? We tell ourselves the lie that if we don’t talk about it, the tension or conflict will go away. Maybe it’s just me…but I think that’s probably not the case. 

What about with God? 

It’s easy to praise God for the good, pray for someone close to us who is sick, or share a request about a family in need. But when there is tension, doubt, fear, questions in your heart…do you avoid it and hope it will go away or do we go to God in prayer with all of it? 

There’s a verse that has been stuck to my laptop for the last several months. Since we talked about prayer at The Table, it has just been magnified in my heart. 

“Let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need.” Hebrews 4:16

The first truth I needed to remember when I originally post-it noted this verse to my computer was – APPROACH. Don’t hide, ignore, or pretend it is not there. God already knows what’s on my mind.

The second truth I needed to be reminded of – WITH BOLDNESS. I don’t need to timidly beat around the bush and tiptoe in with small talk or some kind of script. Because of Jesus, we have the right and the privilege to approach with boldness as daughters of the King. Just like one of my children has no problem running up and urgently interrupting whatever I’m doing if they are hurt or need something – our identity in Christ gives us unhindered access to the throne of grace. Ask for what you need. Tell Him what is on your heart. Write it. Speak it out loud. Say it over and over again. And, take time to be still and listen. 

One of the best pieces of advice I was given when I was struggling with prayer was to read Psalms, read it often, read it out loud. I wanted so badly for my prayers to be more than “God be with my neighbor who is sick, God thank you for my family.” But, I was stuck with surface level short prayers, worrying about the right thing to say, and afraid to bring my real feelings to God. Through reading the words, the cries, the pleadings, the rollercoaster of emotions, the heartfelt unfiltered prayers of David & others in Psalms, God changed my heart and my prayer life. 

I just want to encourage you today that He hears you. He has heard your voice – every word you have spoken. And what you are afraid to say…He knows that, too. So  don’t avoid the tough stuff. Don’t give God the silent treatment as if He doesn’t already know your heart. He is waiting.
Cry out.
Thank Him.
Praise.
Plead.
Question.
Wrestle.
Listen.
Request.
…just pray.

“I called to the Lord in my distress, and I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears.” Psalm 18:6

We’re in this together, friends. Our team would love to know how we can pray for you and with you! Send a request on your myNPC App, go to northpointeFL.org/prayer or leave a comment below . 

Apr 10
17

Monday 9:00AM

By | Look Again - Easter 2023, Monday | No Comments
The Seven Next Words of Christ /3
On The Road to Emmaus: What are you so concerned about?  Luke 24:17
As they talked and discussed these things, Jesus himself suddenly came and began walking with them. But God kept them from recognizing Him.
“We had hoped He was the Messiah who had come to rescue Israel.”
“Wasn’t it clearly predicted that the Messiah would have to suffer all these things before entering His glory?” Then Jesus took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.
When He was at the table with them, He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized Him; and He vanished from their sight.   Luke 24:15-31
Easter2023, 34/42
Apr 10
18

Monday 8:00AM

By | Look Again - Easter 2023, Monday | No Comments
Easter And The Wrath Of God
Easter is about sin. And redemption. And the wrath of God.
Our ticklish ears no longer desire to hear this Truth.  We prefer to ignore that there is such a thing as God’s wrath. The realization of it makes us uneasy, so we dismiss it. Others try to believe there is no such thing. They argue that God is loving and merciful, and therefore God’s anger is merely a bogeyman with which to frighten naughty children.  Some Christians (and others) confuse the God of the Old Testament and The God of the New Testament. They see them as two different Gods, the Old Testament God being one of wrath and judgment, and the New Testament God being love and forgiveness.  These composite denials lead to the Worldview of Pluralism, the moral relativistic theory that there are many paths to God. This lie from the pit of Hell completely denies the Providence of Easter – that Jesus lived, died on the cross, and rose again on the third day. God did not allow His only Son to suffer the anguish and horror of Crucifixion that there would be a middle way.
The Truth is that the God of the Old Testament is the God of the New Testament.  He is immutable.  Along with His other attributes, the attributes of love and wrath are equal parts of His character.  It is true that God’s wrath is on display in the Old Testament. However, the greatest wrath ever poured out by God was not in the Old Testament. It was the sin of the world poured out on His son Jesus as He hung on a Roman cross. It was poured out so that our sin could be redeemed.  So that we would have a path back to the God of Creation
Sin exists and is abhorrent to God.  God does not negotiate sin.  Never has.  Never will. Sin calls down the wrath of God. Coming face to face with this Truth is essential for our salvation. Only if we understand and accept the Truth of sin can we have eternal life in the Kingdom of God.  If we do not, we will have eternal life in that other place.  And make no mistake, Hell is a real place.
Some get the Truth of the cross on its face. Others of us don’t get it right away. We gather information. Then it must settle within our hearts. Only when we have fully digested what we’ve learned, does the Truth sink in.
On the road to Emmaus Jesus does not reveal Himself to the men while they are on the road. He waits until they have arrived at their destination and are preparing to enjoy a meal before He allows the men’s eyes to be opened.  The men do not seem extraordinarily surprised when they finally realize it had been Jesus that whole time; “Were not our hearts burning within us while He talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” (Luke 24:32)  It took a little time for their hearts and their heads to catch up with each other, but they finally did, and they knew the truth instantly and completely.
We can never truly move on from the magnificence of Easter without fully understanding the display of God’s love andwrath at the cross.  And the miracle of the third day.
Easter2023, 33/42
Apr 10
18

Monday 7:00AM

By | Look Again - Easter 2023, Monday | No Comments
The Road To Emmaus
Passion Play, Act 10, Scene 2
But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. And, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened.  Luke 24:21
On that same day two of Jesus’ followers were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and they were talking to each other about all the things that had happened. As they talked and discussed, Jesus himself drew near and walked along with them;  but their eyes were kept from recognizing Him. And He said to them, “What are you talking about to each other, as you walk along?”
They stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered Him, “Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?”
He asked them, “What things?”
They replied, “The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people,and how our chief priests and leaders handed Him over to be condemned to death and crucified Him. And we had hoped that He would be the one who was going to set Israel free! Besides all that, this is now the third day since it happened.  Some women from our group were at His tomb early this morning and came back with an amazing report that His body was missing, and that they had seen some angels there who told them Jesus is alive!. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but they did not see Him.”
Then Jesus said to them, “How foolish you are, how slow you are to believe everything the prophets said. Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into His glory?” Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, He interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures.
As they came near the village to which they were going, He walked ahead as if He were going on. But they urged Him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.” So He went in to stay with them. When He was at the table with them, He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized Him; and He vanished from their sight. They said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while He was talking to us on the road, while He was opening the scriptures to us?”
That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. They were saying, “The Lord has indeed risen, and He has appeared to Simon Peter.” Then they told what had happened on the road, and how He had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.  Luke 24:13-35  [Adapted]
Easter2023, 32/42