At LifeHouse we are talking about Living as Children of God from June 12 to July 17. God has shown us mercy and Jesus had some very specific words for us on how we are to live if we are to live like children of God. We are to show love to everyone – even our enemies. If we are mistreatd by people we are to bless them in return, we are to actually do what Jesus instructed us to do. We are to be empowered by the Holy Spirit, and we are to recognize how mighty our God is, even as we recognize how loving God is. We are to live in fellowship with our fellow Christians, recognizing that faith is not something to be lived and worked out alone.

This series runs from June 12 to July 17th at LifeHouse Church, located in the Streetsville area of Mississauga.

Fear is the opposite of Faith.  God has called us into a relationship of deep love, intimacy and trust.  It’s from this place of intimacy that we develop a faith that can “move mountains”.  God’s perfect love drives fear from our lives and reveals God in a whole new light.  As fear melts away from our lives, thinking, and decisions, God is able to lead us into the deeper trust and love that we all long for.

Come join us this Sunday at 10:30am as we gather as a church at Dolphin School in the Streetsville area of Mississauga.

At LifeHouse Church we are beginning the year with a teaching series on the Power of Forgiveness.

Christ commanded his followers to forgive others.  Jesus took our place and sacrificed his own life so that we would be forgiven by God for all that we have done wrong.  We’re taught that because we’ve recieved this incredible gift from God, we should also forgive others when they do wrong against us.

There are a lot of misconceptions around forgiveness.  Forgiving someone doesn’t mean that we accept or approve of their action, it simply means that we stop blaming or resenting that person and we release them from any obligation that we feel they owe towards us.

When you forgive you stop trying to make a situation right, and you allow God to be the one who will make a situation right.

Here’s the schedule:

January 2, 2011: Forgive because you’ve been forgiven (download here)

January 9, 2011: How to forgive ourselves, others, even God

January 16, 2011: Teaching others to forgive

Often you hear people describing themselves as a mature Christian – but what do they mean?  Some define maturity by the number of years they’ve attended church services, or the number of years that have passed since they gave their lives to Jesus.

The Bible describes Christian maturity in very different ways.  In the book of Galatians t talks about having the fruits of the spirit in our lives – like love, joy, peace, patience, and self control.  In 1 Corithians it talks about developing in spiritual gifts, like faith, wisdom, knowledge, healing, and miraculous powers.  Ephesians tells us that our maturity comes by being built up to reach the full measure of our faith in Jesus.

Of course, the foundation on which all of these gifts are given is the Grace of God.  The grace won for us on the cross by Jesus.

Our maturity is to look much like what Isaiah prophesied in Isaiah 61 (New International Version):

¹ The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,

² to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,

³ and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the LORD
for the display of his splendor.

⁴ They will rebuild the ancient ruins
and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities
that have been devastated for generations.

We hope you will come to visit us at LifeHouse Church Mississauga.  We’re committed to helping you grow and mature in your Christian faith.  We meet at Dolphin Senior Public School in Streetsville on Sunday mornings and have mid-week meetings and outreaches that take place in the Streetsville and Meadowvale areas of Mississauga.