How do people change? How do you change? Make a new year's resolution? Finding a new experience? Turn over a new leaf? In our passage this Sunday, we'll see more specifically how a Christian's union with Jesus Christ transforms our identity and enables us to live together as "members one of another."
What makes a church grow? Is it up to the pastor or a specific music style or a kind of program? We come this Sunday to a significant transition in Ephesians. From "grace in" to "grace out" or generally, from teaching to application. How does our union with Christ work out into unity with one another? And this Sunday, how does our union with Christ grow us in maturity together?
Last week, we saw how the power of God is at work in Christians as individuals, saving us from God's wrath by raising us up through our union with Christ. This week, we'll consider the other area where God's word points us to see his power at work: the church.
The health of a church is measured not only by the faith statement on a website or even the message in the pulpit. It is also observed by the way God's people care for one another. How are we doing with that? How are you doing with that? Our passage this Sunday gives us both an exhortation and wisdom for how we can best care for all of our church family—particularly those in special need.
When was the last time you made a mistake and looked foolish? This passage shows the disciples doing just that, again! In this week's text, Jesus performs two extraordinary miracles. And yet, the miracles are almost an afterthought as Jesus focuses on training his still-weak and confused disciples. Through the disciples' mistakes, we'll see the dangers of our own discipleship so we can avoid too little faith and too much offense.
This has been one of the most volatile years for the church, and our church, in a long time. The global pandemic, a racial justice movement, a contentious presidential election, and more have contributed to confusion and discouragement over the nature and mission of the church. In God's providence, this is the perfect time for us to jump back into the Gospel of Matthew and receive Jesus' triumphant, and comforting, promise: "I will build my church."
Today's sermon topic is about community and the local church. All of us are in communities that are not God-centered. It happens with friends, colleagues, and families at schools, neighborhoods, and workplaces. So how is church community different? What makes it supernatural, unique, spiritually alive? It happens when members of the community are experiencing the reality of God's forgiveness. Love for God and for each other is released. But this does not mean it is easy loving one another. You'll need a Bible. Turn to Luke 7 and John 13-15 to see the "visible gospel."
