You Belong
When a person is in Christ they are admitted into the body of Christ, a world wide community of faith. The next and most important step is to become a member of a local body!
1 Peter 2:9-10; 1 Peter 5:1-2; 1 Corinthians 1:2
The Way – Walking By the Spirit
The Spirit enables us to walk in the way of righteousness, enabling us to overcome the flesh in a way the law never could, so that we can become more like Christ.
Galatians 5:16-26
The Power of Praise
John’s vision of a heavenly picture of praise is the model we must emulate in order to see the Power of Praise in our lives.
Revelation 4:6-11 (ESV)
Newness of Life
Christians receive newness of life through the death and resurrection of Christ, and are empowered to walk in this newness through the bonds of grace.
Romans 6:1-18 (ESV)
Freedom From Death Through the Second Adam
Adam’s sin brought us slavery to death, but Jesus, the Second Adam, has conquered and gives freedom from death to His people through the resurrection.
1 Corinthians 15:20-28
Authentic Community
Authentic community requires in person, face to face relationships rather than those mediated by technology.
2 John 12-13
UnAuthentic
Believers must be prepared to resist unauthentic teachings that distort the Person and work of Jesus Christ and thus create a false Gospel.
2 John 7-11
Authentic Love
Authentic love is rooted in the character of God, displayed in the life and death of Christ, described in God’s Law, and is an essential trait of the obedient Christian life.
2 John 1-6
Authentic Truth
Authentic truth has been revealed in Jesus Christ, preserved for us in Scripture, is experienced by Christians through the powerful Presence of the indwelling Holy Spirit, and is displayed in a life of obedience to God.
2 John 1-4
Authentic Blessing
God gives the blessing of grace, mercy, and peace to His people, the Church, through Jesus Christ.
2 John 1:1-3
Sola Scriptura – Scripture Alone
The Scriptures provide satisfaction for the Christian soul.
2 Timothy 3:16-17
The Advent of Life in Christ – Christmas Eve 2020
Christ has come that we might experience true, full life, now and eternally.
Romans 5:1-5
The Advent of Joy – The Life of Joy
All people are motivated by the search for joy and happiness, but the route to real joy is through the shadow’s valley and into the wide-open arms of your Lord.
John 15: 9-11
The Advent of Love
God showed His love for us by sending His Son to sacrificially lay down His life for us, and we are to follow His example by laying down our lives for others.
John 15:13; 1 John 4:7-12
The Advent of Peace – It’s an Inside Job
Peace comes from within through the strength that Christ provides, not from our external circumstances or possessions.
Luke 8:22-25
The Church – God’s People on Mission Together
Question 71: Are Christians only called to be part of the universal Church?
The Church has been given the Spirit to empower us to be on mission together, taking the Gospel forth and displaying the love of God to others from our location to the ends of the earth.
Luke 4:16-19; Luke 24:45-49
The Church – The Community of Servanthood
Question 71: Are Christians only called to be part of the universal Church?
The local church community is where we are taught humble servanthood as a virtue, where we practice acts of servanthood, and where our souls are shaped so that our whole life becomes characterized by the attitude and practices of servanthood.
Galatians 5:13-15
The Church – The Persecuted Community of Faith
The Church is the community of those who are God’s people through faith in Christ and are therefore exiles in this world. Consequently, they must persevere through suffering and persecution, knowing God is worth far more than this passing age.
Hebrews 11
The Church – God’s Nation of Exiles
The Church is God’s Nation in the world today, comprised of believers from every earthly nation, scattered throughout every earthly nation, and with ultimate loyalty and affection reserved for God and His kingdom.
1 Peter 5:1-2; 2:9-12; 5:13-14
The Church – The Community of Worship
Question 71: Are Christians only called to be part of the universal Church?
Worship is the assembly of the local church where God speaks to us through His Word, meets and strengthens us in the sacraments, and we respond as a community in spoken and sung prayers.
Acts 2:42; Colossians 3:16
The Church – Elders
Question 71: Are Christians only called to be part of the universal Church?
Each local church must have a group of elders who shepherd the flock by God’s Word, are servant leaders for those under their care, set a godly example in character and conduct, and point people to Jesus, the Chief Shepherd.
1 Peter 5:1–7
The Church – Universal and Local
Question 71: Are Christians only called to be part of the universal Church?
All Christians are called to be part of local churches where they are led and cared for by elders, worship God, learn the Scripture, receive the sacraments, pray together, serve one another, and carry out the Great Commission together.
1 Corinthians 1:1-2; Acts 14:23
Who Is This King?
Christ is the all-sufficient Savior, Lord and King to all his people. He is a King who has done wondrous things for us, and as a result we ought to give him our allegiance, obedience and love.
Colossians 1:9-23 (ESV)
The Church – The Communion of Saints
Question 70: What is the Church?
The Church is the communion of the saints, all of those in every age who have been united to Christ in faith and draw their life from Him and who are therefore spiritually united with one another now and in eternity.
John 10:16; Hebrews 12:22-24
The Church – The Temple of God
Question 70: What is the Church?
The Church is God’s Temple, where He dwells by His Spirit as His people gather to worship and live in holiness and unity.
1 Corinthians 3:16-17 NIV2011