THE FAMILY CHURCH MESSAGE NOTES
Title: “Who Am I? — Where Am I: Dead of Alive? Religion or Relationship?” part 3
Scripture: Matthew 23:27-28 NLT
Speaker: Pastor Ted Winsley
Date: July 9, 2017
Matthew 23:27-28 NLT 27) What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs—beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people’s bones and all sorts of impurity. 28) Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness.
Introduction
Jesus teaches that in the pursuit of finding out who we really are, we must also ask another question, “Where am I? Am I dead or alive?” Are you in a life giving relationship with the one who gave you life or are you masquerading as though alive, but inside, are full of dead bones?
Read Exodus 32: 1-7 NLT
Religion Vs. Relationship
Religion – man’s attempt to fill his/her God-sized void with anything other than a relationship with God. Religion is the worship of man-made idols. It is made up of man’s ideas, and interpretations, and based on selfish desires, attempts to control, and a stubborn determination to be right.
Religion – is the counterfeit of having a real relationship with the Lord.
Relationship – a life-giving connection with your source that gives life to others. This is the gospel message of the bible. It is a message of hope, not condemnation; liberty, not religious bondage; grace, not self-effort.
The religion test – what has your time, what keeps your attention, and what rules your attitude.
1. What you spend your time doing, you will become.
2. Whatever has your attention, will be the direction in which you move.
3. What controls your behavior (attitude), is your master.
If your time, attention, and attitude are not focused on your Heavenly Father, who is your source, then you’re not in a relationship, you’re in a religion.
God wants us to be faithful in our relationship with Him.
Read James 4:4-5 AMPC
You are faithful in a relationship, not because of the consequences, but because it would break your heart not to be!
True relationship can only begin after your religion ends.
Read Isaiah 1:10-14 AMPC
God hates public sacrifices when the motive is to cover-up secret rebellion and prideful hearts.
Read Isaiah 1:15-20 AMPC
ANNOUNCEMENTS
· ***Sunday July 16th, the 11am worship service will take place in GYM 1 at Eastern Regional High School, 1401 Laurel Oak Rd. Voorhees, NJ 08043. Please make a note of the location change.
· ***Come out and support our TFC PointMan Men’s Ministry softball team. They play Fountain of Life at 11am this Saturday, July 15th at 501 Logan Ave. Burlington, NJ 08016.
· ***Community Event Thursday, July 13th, 6pm-8:30pm. Please join Pastor Ted at the Bias Crime/Incident Training for Community Partners and Law Enforcement at the Camden County Emergency Regional Training Center 410 S. Woodbury/Turnersville Rd. Blackwood, NJ. This training covers how to Recognize, Respond to and Report a Bias Crime or Incident. Register for this training by using the survey monkey web link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/23QB96D. All interested community members are welcome.
· ***Attention men…TFC PointMan Men’s Ministry will have its first Retreat, Sep. 15th – Sep. 16th, 2017 at the DoubleTree Hotel in Wilmington, DE. The cost is $150 with a $50 deposit due on or before July 30th to secure your spot. The remaining balance is due by Aug. 13th. ***Full payment can be made via the mobile app. For more info, please see the Welcome Center.
· ***Join us for Special Prayer, every Saturday in July starting July 8th, 8am-9am at 333 Preston Ave., Voorhees, NJ 08043. Please note, there will be no corporate prayer for the month of July at Big Picture Learning Academy.
· ***Come and learn more about the mission and vision of TFC or take new member classes by attending Next Step Classes. Classes 101, 201, 301, and 401 will be offered on Saturday, July 29th, 10am-2pm at the Voorhees Library Rm C, 203 Laurel Rd Voorhees, NJ 08043. Please register via the mobile app.
· ***Join TFC in the One America Multi-Faith Service Project by donating new backpacks and schools supplies. Donation drop-off is Saturday, July 29, 2017, 8am-12pm at 333 Preston Ave., Voorhees, NJ 08043. Backpack stuffing will take place Sunday, July 30th, 3pm-5pm at the Carman Tilelli Community Center 820 Mercer St. Cherry Hill, NJ 08002.
· ***REMINDER Capital Campaign Giving can be monitored through The Family Church portal. Download the portal by going to https://thefamilychurchnj.elexiopulse.com/. Please use the same user name and password from the mobile app. If you haven’t downloaded the mobile app, you will need to create a new account to use the portal. For questions, please contact the church at 856.448.4546.
THE FAMILY CHURCH MESSAGE NOTES
Title: “Who Am I? — Where Am I: Dead of Alive? Religion or Relationship?” part 3
Scripture: Matthew 23:27-28 NLT
Speaker: Pastor Ted Winsley
Date: July 9, 2017
Sunday Services
8:45am – Catto Community School
3100 Westfield Ave., Camden, NJ 08105
11:00 am – Eastern Regional High School
1401 Laurel Oak Rd., Voorhees, NJ 08043
Wednesday Service
7pm – Catto Community School
3100 Westfield Ave., Camden, NJ 08105
Devotion/Prayer
5:30am – Women’s Call Thursdays With Pastor Dawn
5:30am – Men’s Call Fridays With Pastor Ted
Conference call line 641.715.3580 and access code 114853
Corporate Prayer Every 2nd & 4th Saturday
8am-9am - Big Picture Learning Academy
1875 Park Blvd. Camden, NJ 08103
Mission Statement
The Family Church is a Local Community with a Biblical Mandate to Change our World by Restoring God’s Family!
www.thefamilychurchnj.com