Do you ever get discouraged by the way of the world? There is so much immorality and despair and, of course, death. Why is it so...bad? As we continue in the second section of Romans (ch. 5-8) about the results of the gospel, we'll see the source of the world's brokenness and how we can find encouragement and, even hope, in the midst of it.
What brings you the most joy? This Sunday we dive back into our sermon series in Romans. The first part of the letter (ch. 1-4) was all about the content of the gospel: our need and how faith in Jesus' work on the cross saves us. This second section (ch. 5-8) focuses on the results of the gospel--the peace, hope, freedom, and life we receive in Christ. This week's passage will show us why Christians should have overflowing and enduring joy in God!
We all experience temptation. Jesus' prayer models how we should pray about that, and shows us how to live in the midst of it. This is the final sermon in our Lord's Prayer sermon series as we continue to grow together in prayer together.
As we continue to learn how to pray from Jesus, we see that confession is an essential part of prayer. Yet it appears our receiving forgiveness is conditional based on if we give forgiveness to others. We'll consider how we both give and receive forgiveness as we continue to grow together in prayer together.
We move this week from God's name and kingdom and will...to our meals. What a simple thing to ask for! Or is it? We'll see how and why we're to pray for our daily bread as we continue to grow together in prayer together.
What do you pray about most? Most of us would probably say ourselves and our loved ones. But what does Jesus say should be our first priority in prayer? We'll consider the first three petitions of the Lord's Prayer this Sunday as we continue to grow together in prayer together.
According to Jesus, the most important part of prayer is not when or how much you pray, but that you know who you're praying to! What is the significance of praying to God as "Our Father"? As we start off 2025 hoping to grow together in prayer, we'll consider the crucial importance of coming to God as Father.
The Apostle Paul has, so far in Ephesians, offered an incredible vision of how God's grace in Christ saves his people and unites them in the church. Yet the reality often falls short of this beautiful picture. We need God's help to live this out! How? That's what this Sunday's passage is all about.
What do you pray about most? As we continue in our sermon series in the book of Ephesians, we move from praise (last week) to prayer. The Apostle Paul prays that the church in Ephesus—and Ruggles—would know Jesus better: his hope, our value, and his power.
We return to our sermon series on 1 Timothy, which is all about how the local church is the steward of the truth--the gospel. In guarding and sharing the gospel, Paul moves from a focus on teaching in chapter 1 to now behavior and order in chapter 2, particularly among men and women. The way we live when we gather together matters! This passage is a challenging one, both to receive and to apply, but we can trust that all of God's word is good for us. (*Credit to Pastor Curtis Cook’s sermon on this text at Hope Fellowship Church, Cambridge, MA.)
Why do you pray? What do you pray about? In our passage this Sunday, the Apostle Paul says that if we want to make the gospel a priority, we need to make prayer a priority. We'll see not only the priority of prayer but the purpose of it for the church.
We have the privilege this week to welcome Dane Helsing, Senior Pastor of Beacon Community Church in Belmont, MA. He will proclaim God's word to us from Ephesians 3. Let's come ready to receive from the Lord!
"Prayer doesn't change things, it only changes us.” Is that true? Last week we saw that the purpose of prayer is to know God better, to grow in our relationship with him. But is that all that prayer does? Does prayer actually do anything? Does it have any impact in the real world around us? We'll try to answer that question on Sunday.
