Sunday, January 12th, 2014

Brand names and slogans represent a company through:
•What they do
•How they do things
•What they stand for/ what they represent as a group

What do we stand for?:
•Jesus Christ

The greatest Commandment is to:
1)Love your God
2)Love your neighbour as yourself --> community
^(He answered, "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"
-Luke 10:27 (NIV))

Your brand is what YOU represent.
•This can be shown through how Nike pays athletes such as Tiger Woods or Kobe Bryant hundreds of millions of dollars just to wear their brand; Nike wants to be represented by greatness.
•It also can be shown through what other people wear. For example, if one wears a knock-off brand, people resent or condemn this individual because to some, it may show that the individual is unable to afford the original brand (some people put them at a “lower status” due to this ideology of branding and representation).

As Christians, one thing we are branded by is The Cross.
What does branding entail? People brand cows with the company name/logo to show ownership of a particular cow. Even people brand other people, shown through the bitter example of slave owners branding their slaves to show that a certain slave belonged to them. Branding shows a sort of ownership.

Branding makes something a part of you forever and eternally; what are you branded by?

As Christians what do we represent/stand for?

Do Christians of different ethnic groups each represent something different as Christians? Are there only specific things that pertain to Christians of a certain ethnic group?
•No, because as Christians we represent many things as one Christian community.

What is our brand with Christ?
The meaning(s) of Christians:
•“little Christ”.
•To be like Christ.
•A follower of Christ.

Bible Verse:

15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
-Matthew 7:15-20

•We’re judged by the fruit that we bear.
•What kind of fruit do you bear? What do you promote?

How are we distinguished as Christians?
•Showing the type of fruit we bear is shown through what we do (ex. helping those in need, going to Church on New Years Eve, etc.), and what we don’t do (ex. not smoking, not doing drugs, not drinking, etc.).
•Our fruits as Christians should make others say, “I want that”.

Our motto/slogan should be the greatest Commandment.

As Christians we need to bear good fruit and be “good trees”.
In our societies, Christians are not bearing good fruit and churches are shrinking due to this.

Are we giving the world something they need?
Are you loving God with all your heart that people ask why you do what you do or why you represent what you represent?
Are you bearing good fruit?

Declare Christ.

You can’t be declaring that you’re a “good tree” and a “bad tree” at the same time: do not contradict yourself.  

•Bear good fruit and make people think, “I want that”, “I want to be a part of that”.
•Represent Christ.
•Love God with all your heart, with all your mind, with all your strength, and with all your soul.
•Go help those in need.
•Be branded with The Gospel.
•Represent the good brand of Christ and represent something that is so unfathomably Beautiful.

Guys lets do our sunday devos as well!
not only michelle hahaha

Listenly to Sam's sermon, i was thinking. There are so many people that i am friends with that call themselves christian and they just taint the name of it. They say their christian and they do really really terrible things.

Im sure all of us have done some things that are disgusting in God's eyes and then we go out to the world and proclaim that were Christian. To others, it may seem to them that Christianity is a joke because the Christians around them are always goofing off and just having a blast. We gotta remember ESPECIALLY US BECAUSE WERE PRAISE TEAM, to act like Christians outside of church. Christianity isnt just a weekend thing. Its a life commitment and same thing applies for PRAISE TEAM. if during the week days you act like a total thug and just bully and out down others, how dare you. Being on praise means that your a leader guiding others into worship. People in the congregation will look up to you and say one day they see someone on praise team smoking. There gonna be like, oh if that person doing it it must okay if i do it.

Just remember that Christianity and PT is a life commitment not just a weekend thing.