Finding Our Identity / Ephesians 4:13-16
Ephesians 4:13-16 / Many people don’t have a high estimation of the church; perhaps that is because most institutional church seems to have forgotten its divine purpose or perhaps it has to do with societies collective selfishness. But when a church invests in a way that is biblical, it’s a remarkable thing. The church has the ability to affect us deeply and change the way we see ourself and our purpose. In this sermon we ask, what benefit does the church bring to my life and what does it look like to involve myself in it’s work?
Finding Our Identity / Ephesians 4:7-12
Ephesians 4:7-12 / Christ gave his life to deliver captivity captive, to provide us with salvation, and to dispense gifts to each of us that we might have value in the mission ahead of us. While many of us appreciate our salvation, very few of us appreciate the value of our gifting. What does it look like to intentionally cultivate our gifts and respect the gifting of others?
Finding Our Identity / Ephesians 4:4-6 PT. 2
Ephesians 4:4-6 / In this second of two sermons on like-mindedness, we learn that unity in our church is contingent on what we concede about God, what doctrines we hold to. If we are going to have a healthy church family, then we will all need to strive for like-mindedness as it concerns the word of God and what it means for our lives. What we discover in today’s sermon, is that our personal and collective identities rest upon our ability to learn and agree on truth.
Finding Our Identity / Ephesians 4:4-6 PT. 1
Ephesians 4:4-6 / Unity in our church is contingent on what we concede about God, what doctrines we hold to. If we are going to have a healthy church family, then we will all need to strive for like-mindedness as it concerns the word of God and what it means for our lives. What we discover in today’s sermon, is that our personal and collect identities rest upon our ability to learn and agree on truth.
Finding Our Identity / Ephesians 4:1-3
Ephesians 4:1-3 / Everyone knows, that identity is informed by and reflected in our words an actions. To call yourself a Christian means that you not only identify with Christ and his calling but also his manner. In this sermon we are called to “walk worthy of our vocation”. We will ask ourselves, does our character and personality match our identity or is their contradiction in our walk?
Finding Our Identity / Ephesians 3:14-21
Ephesians 3:14-21 / We know that God has called us and qualified us for the work of his mission, but we often get caught in the trap of relying on our flesh to ensure that life and ministry unfold the way we imagine it should. But why doesn’t it work? Why do we feel deflated? Where is the power? Where is the virtue? In this sermon we learn that through God and his love, he has provided us everything we need.
Finding Our Identity / Ephesians 3:8-13
Ephesians 3:8-13 / The world teaches us to summarize our personal identity based on pedigree, education, experience and acquired skill. But what Christ teaches us is that our qualifications for the ministry are not measured by the world’s standards. In this sermon, we learn that God has not only called us, but also qualified us for the mission - - we simply have to commit in faith to obey.
Finding Our Identity / Ephesians 3:1-7
Ephesians 3:1-7 / When discussing identity, it’s important to consider the role that confidence plays in our understanding of self. The confidence that the Christian needs is not a self-confidence, but assurance in what God has called us to, a certainty in his purpose for our lives. In this sermon, we consider what it truly means to find confidence in who he has made us to be.
Finding Our Identity / Ephesians 2:11-22
Ephesians 2:11-22 / In our series “Finding Our Identity”, we have been exploring just how difficult it is to know who we are and what our purpose in life is. Oftentimes we look to our past to help us uncover who we truly are. In Ephesians 2, God does the same thing; he points us back to who we were before he found us and graciously declare who he has made us to be. Christ has become our hope, and because of that, our identity has been forever changed.
Finding Our Identity / Ephesians 2:8-10
Ephesians 2:9-10 / So many of us have been taught to understand our identity in terms of what we “do”: our vocation, our passion projects, our responsibilities. But are the things we do meant to define us? In what way? In this sermon on Ephesians 2:8-10 we consider the doctrine of our salvation and the work of Christ in order to better understand who we are.
Finding Our Identity / Ephesians 2:1-7
Ephesians 2:1-7 / Every person faces moments of identity crisis, moments where they ask: how did I get here? am I content with who I have become? where am I going and what is my purpose? In Ephesians 2 we discover the perspective we need in order to find value and peace in the identity that Christ has given us: past, present and future.
Finding Our Identity / Ephesians 1:18-23
Ephesians 1:15-18 / We have just learned that God desires for us to get his vantage point and his mind by way of knowledge, understanding and wisdom. But once we begin to see our identity from this perspective, what do we discover? What can God see and understand that we struggle to know? Today we will learn about some of God’s insights and what they mean for how we understand ourselves.
Finding Our Identity / Ephesians 1:15-18 pt. 2
Ephesians 1:15-18 / In order to identify and perceive ourselves rightly, it requires that we gain God’s insight. Paul takes time here to pray for the church in Ephesus that they would have, wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. In this second sermon focused on wisdom, we address what it means to gain a divine insight, one that informs a spiritual view of ourselves and the world in which we live.
Finding Our Identity / Ephesians 1:15-18 pt. 1
Ephesians 1:15-18 / In order to identify and perceive ourselves rightly, it requires that we gain God’s insight. Paul takes time here to pray for the church in Ephesus that they would have, wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. In this sermon, we address what it means to gain a divine insight, one that informs a spiritual view of ourselves and the world in which we live.
Finding Our Identity / Ephesians 1:7-14
Ephesians 1:7-14/ The journey to finding our true personal identity can be a long and difficult one. Life is hard and confusing, but faith in Christ has a way of simplifying our reality. Today we continue exploring what it means to find our identity in the person of Christ, by asking how does knowing Christ effect how I understand myself?
Finding Our Identity / Ephesians 1:3-6
Ephesians 1:3-6 / In the Book of Ephesians, we will be uncovering what it means to know who we are in light of what God says about us. Paul takes time to describe to the church what God has in store for us in heavenly places. These eternal blessing should inform our temporal reality, but so often our sins are difficult to let go of, but is that because we don’t know God the way we should?
Finding Our Identity / Ephesians 1:1-2
Ephesians 1:1-2 / In the Book of Ephesians, we will be uncovering what it means to know who we are in light of what God says about us. As we begin the study, we address three important principles about our identity.
Within the Value of Investment / 1 Cor 16:13-24
1 Corinthians 16:13-24 / As we concluded the first letter to the church in Corinth, we are charged to take all that we have learned and live in light of truth. Paul asks the church to function in maturity, to face their fears, to welcome the burden of ministry and celebrate those who have loved them and served them. He asks them, after all have you learned, “are you ready to make the investment?”
Within the Nature of Relationships / 1 Cor 16:5-12
1 Corinthians 16:5-12 / All human relationships have limitations; constraints of time, energy and priority. Sometimes in ministry, we have unfair expectations of one another that put unnecessary strain on our love. In today’s sermon, Paul explains to the church in Corinth, that while he desires to minister to them, they must temper their expectations and be patient towards him and the other leaders. Today’s sermon helps us consider, do I respect the natural limitations of my ministry relationships?
Within the Act of Giving / 1 Cor 16:1-4
1 Corinthians 16:1-4 / In 1 Corinthians chapter 15, Paul proves the resurrection and inspires us to live in light of that hope. As we begin chapter 16, it becomes clear that living in the power of the resurrection includes having proper convictions and obeying the simple instructions of God. This week Paul teaches us about sacrificial giving: why it’s important and why it is a reflection of our faith.