Pastor Antoine Barriere opened this year's retreat with a powerful word which set the atmosphere for the whole weekend.
His message, 'A Man Made In God's Own Image', came from Genesis 1:26-28, which would become the blueprint for messages during the entire retreat.
Genesis 1:26-28 KJV
“And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.”
Powerful Point...
God made me like Him. I have value and purpose which means, I don’t have to get ready. I am ready.
Luke 3:21-22 KJV
“Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.”
It is important that we remember, God calls us SONS. He is pleased with us even though we make mistakes. His love towards us is unconditional.
Genesis 3:4-8 KJV
“And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.”
Genesis 3:17-18 KJV
And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, (as a man we should listen to the word and not our wife)and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake;(God curse the ground not man) in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;”
Once God blessed them, He never took the blessing back. Sin doesn't disquaify you from the blessings of God. It just makes the process to retain those blessings a little harder.
Romans 11:29 KJV
“For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.”
We are God.
Psalm 82:6-7 KJV
“I have said, Ye are gods; And all of you are children of the Most High. But ye shall die like men, And fall like one of the princes.”
Jesus said we are gods.
John 10:31-34 KJV
“Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me? The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God. Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?”
John 10:35-38 KJV
“If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken; say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God? If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.”
John 1:12 KJV
“But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:”
John 14:12 KJV
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.”
Jesus said we can do greater works.
1 John 3:1-3 KJV
“Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.”