LoftGathering.com

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The Loft STL We believe that every person matters, that no matter who you are and what you’ve done, God loves you.

Echoing this! 🧡🧡

When we live “our own way” not according to scripture or Jesus commands…. the way that we live is limiting us because it stops us from becoming the product of WHO God’s called us to be.

Eph 4:11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

You have a specific purpose! You were designed the way you are because you have been set up on a purposeful way. How cool is that?!

https://youtu.be/O_qkokluWgI
Son of Man…..

Teaching Jan 8th 2023 Welcome to the Loft Gathering Teaching series. Today Pastor Lisa Davidson talks about Jesus and the term Son of Man.

https://youtu.be/1xfd3hrXlzA
Find us on YouTube Loft Gathering Stl

Worship @ The Loft Jan 8th 2023 Join Us For Worship!

What does God value?

He values humanity and relationship with humanity. He values obedience, and the demonstration of love— how did he show that He values these things? He made the son of God become the son of man.

As the ‘son of man’ he values so many things. One of them is His earthly work (and its humble condition)

~Mark 2:10 10 But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” …

~Matt 11:19 16 “To what can I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling out to others:
17 “‘We played the pipe for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’
18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ 19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is proved right by her deeds.”20 Then Jesus began to denounce the towns in which most of his miracles had been performed, because they did not repent.

When we talk about Jesus being the Son of Man, it doesn’t diminish his deity because he’s also the son of God.

Do you ever have questions in your mind like, “what if he’s not God?”; “what if God isn’t real?”; “What if everything that I do and believe and act on isn’t real?”

Doubt is a real thing! Do you ever encounter it?

What do you do when you have these questions?

Jesus is the son of God in the Son of Man and he marveled constantly at the prospect. ‘

Matthew 3:16-17 As soon as Jesus was baptized, He went up out of the water. Suddenly the heavens were opened, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and resting on Him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased!”

Romans 15:13 “May God, the fountain of hope, fill you to overflowing with uncontainable joy and perfect peace as you trust in him.”

I have created you to be happy, which is why it feels so bad to be stressed, worried, and anxious. You cannot manage the actions of others, but you can, with my help, manage yourself. You can learn to find peace in storms. You can find joy, regardless of your circumstances. You can learn to let the opinions of others slide off of you. I alone am the one who defines you.

I want you to experience a life of radical joy and peace that isn’t dependent on your circumstances. I want you to look for the best, to see things from my point of view, and to go after a fulfilling life. Joy is much deeper than what happiness brings. Joy defies trials. It dares to laugh, even when hell is closing in. It trusts in my love. It is free. It lives in radical anticipation of good. A life of joy is a life that doesn’t ignore pain, but is grounded by the reality of my presence in every situation. It is this joy—my joy—rising within you that makes you strong.

Author credit “I Hear His Whisper” written by Brian Simmons and Gretchen Rodriguez

Baby it’s COOOOOLD outside! We will still be celebrating tomorrow night at 7pm with sips, sweets and candlelit worship.
If you want to brave the weather you are so welcomed!!
7515 Morganford Rd!

Emmanuel, Emmanuel
God with us, living inside
Emmanuel
Lift up our eyes, to the Maker of Heaven
He is our help, forever present
Faithful is He, He is our constant
Forever faithful, forever good
Emmanuel, Emmanuel
God with us, living inside
Emmanuel, Emmanuel
God with us, living inside
Emmanuel

God with us - Terrian Bass

What family traditions do you celebrate? What traditions have you started?

Christmas should be big!!

In a season where the world is focused on the getting ready for parties and guests and businesses are thinking about bottom lines and profits, we remember what it is really about.

“For a child will be born for us, a son will be given to us, and the government will be on His shoulders. He will be named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.” - Isaiah‬ ‭9‬:‭6‬ ‭HCSB‬‬

Mary did you know….

The sacrifice of your life would save the entire world?

“…He is the Lord Yahweh, the
Messiah.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭2‬:‭11‬b TPT‬‬

mes·si·ah

noun
1.the promised deliverer of the Jewish nation
prophesied in the Hebrew Bible.

2.a leader or savior of a particular group or cause.

We are of a people that have HOPE!
We are the openly proclaimed Christians, we have
FAITH.
We set our Hope on Him. On His love…

*all rights to this art are owned by the artist himself
Cecil Reed Jr. and is available for purchase through the artists
website https://www.creedart.gallery/

We are living in a day when we are looking for the messiah to come again, but can you imagine you heard about a savior?

You would have grown up listening to the stories of Adam and Eve and that old serpent in the garden…How God delivered Noah and his family by an ark and then flooded the earth.

You would know of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and how God visited and spoke to them each about the promise of the people of your country, and how they’re supposed to flourish and walk in the protection provision of God.

Another part of your history would be Moses and how God delivered the people out of Egypt - he carried them through the Red Sea, and away from pharaoh and his armies.

How many times you would have heard about Joseph and the trials that he endured before becoming the governor of Egypt.

Now here we are, waiting and reveling in these same stories.

Preparation. If you’re familiar with the story of the 10 Virgins awaiting their bridegroom, then you know there were 5 wise and 5 foolish. (Matthew 25)

When they were surprised by the arrival of their beloved, the foolish ones asked the wise to share some of their oil with them as they had run out.

They all had the same amount of time to prepare, but 5 of these women squandered the time. They were not ready for their groom when he came. They had burned up all of their oil and reserved none for the most important moment.
Then they ask for some of the wise women’s oil.

On Sunday Pastor Ben Jones of Freedom City Church said people will come and ask you for what you have prepared and sometimes a holy “no” is the right response.

You can hear that message on our YouTube channel right now if you missed it:

https://youtu.be/FUyBI42c-mc

God Works In All Things

Romans 8:28-30

28 And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose. 29 For those God foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those He predestined, He also called; those He called, He also justified; those He justified, He also glorified.…

Our part of sanctification is seeking HIM to discover our gifts and talents which will lead us to our purpose! Most of the time, in your natural direction of what you enjoy!

God goes a long way around to convince you that you have a particular calling or gifting and He is really good at it…
And then you step out just like Peter on the water to trust God that he has indeed set you apart and that there will be fruit and fruit that will remain.

Sanctification

Sanctified is a whole next level… It means that a part for a particular purpose. And this is where the fireworks can go off in every direction because we are all uniquely made.

Jeremiah 1:4-5 The word of the LORD came to me, saying: 5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”

Before I formed you I knew you. When you were in the innermost parts in your mothers womb, I knew you, I saw your uninformed substance and made declarations over your life!
You are fearfully and wonderfully made with a unique look and unique personality.
You have gifts and talents and abilities unique only to you.
Some of you are quiet, some loud, some artistic, some of you will lean more into intellectual side!
Some of you can teach the word and some of you will be students. Some of us can play music some of us can sing some of us can coordinate.

All of us are sitting right here uniquely wired and set apart for God‘s service to build the kingdom.

We are SANCTIFIED.

Justification

The Triumph of Faith

Romans 5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.…

We have become justified, not because of our righteousness, but because of his righteousness.

It doesn’t mean I’m justified in poor actions, or negative speech, or if I hurt someone’s feelings. I’m not justified in any of that - I repent and then the other party is restored as well as myself.
But where I AM justified is permission when I cross the threshold from this life to the next life.

I’m given permission to enter the kingdom of heaven. I’ve been justified by Jesus Christ exchanging himself for me.

For you to speak with God about today in your secret place…

Hebrews 10

For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. 2 Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins? 3 But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. 4 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.5 Consequently, when Christ[a] came into the world, he said,“Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired,
but a body have you prepared for me;6 in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure.7 Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.’”

8 When he said above, “You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings” (these are offered according to the law), 9 then he added, “Behold, I have come to do your will.” He does away with the first in order to establish the second. 10 And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

11 And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when Christ[b] had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13 waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. 14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.

15 And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying,

16 “This is the covenant that I will make with them
after those days, declares the Lord:
I will put my laws on their hearts,
and write them on their minds,”
17 then he adds,

“I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.”
18 Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.

If you miss watching our Live from our previous page, check us out on YouTube every Monday for our recorded services as well as worship!

We miss being live but until we get approval to be back on Facebook, we hope you can follow us and share our YouTube link!

https://youtube.com/

Redemption

Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ: and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me, and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me”

You can liken this phenomenal experience to a very common one…you as a human purchasing a home.

You enter into binding contract to have possession of stated home, and then for the rest of the time that you have possession of it, you fix it up, you maintain it, you do everything you can do to make it beautiful, and comfortable, and warm - you make it home!

In the supernatural parallel, God is the ultimate real estate mogul and he purchases you so to speak.
But not with dollars. It is blood - there’s nothing more valuable than blood.

What is the person closest to you worth in a monetary amount?
Is there any amount that you wouldn’t spend to keep them alive if you could?

Because blood is more valuable than anything even still…we have redemption through this one moment.

Where is your secret place with just you and Jesus?

Secret: not known or seen or not meant to be known or seen by others; kept from knowledge or view

Place: a particular position or point in space, location, spot, setting

Thank you God that we get to LIVE WITH YOU. Mind blowing concept…

Dwell: To abide as a permanent resident, or to inhabit for a time; to live in a place; to have a habitation for some time or permanence.

He who abides as a permanent resident, who lives with, who has permanent habitation in an unknown or seen particular space, location, setting kept from view with just them and God… will live in the shadow of refuge of God.

Here’s an opportunity to GIvE to a St. Louis organization doing good for the community!! It’s time to give. Coat drive and sponsorships…. Take a look. And thank you…..

Sponsor Opportunities | Unbounded Join us in helping people in our community. We are providing a coat to every person in need and food baskets while supplies last. Sign up below to sponsor a family or individual.