Gifts to the Church | The Apostle - Ephesians 4:11-12
God has given various gifts to the leadership of the church. These gifts are still in operation today and together play a key role in establishing and equipping the Church to share Jesus.
This message examines the role of the apostle to build, establish, and create a culture of a community of grace.
Gifts to the Church - Ephesians 4:7-12
The Church is united as One body in Christ. But within that unity, exists much God-given diversity.
God has granted various kinds of gifts to the church. Romans 12 lists gifts that are motivational in nature, 1 Corinthians 12 lists others that are a unique expression of the Holy Spirit, and then in Ephesians 4, Paul lists leadership roles within the Church. Roles that are to serve and benefit the church.
What's Your Name?
Names are very special in the Bible. They are more than just a way to identify a person, they give us insight into who they are. We see this in the names of God as well as the various characters we read about in the Bible.
But what about you? What is your name and how is that meaningful.
One for all and All for One - Ephesians 4:4-6
We live in a world of inequality. This inequality exists, and specifically an inequality of how we view one another, because people operate that the life, that we all need, is a limited commodity. It’s in limited supply. A zero-sum game where if you get some, that means I get less. And therefore, I need to be more deserving than you of life.
But because of what Jesus Christ has done and given to us, He has overcome this inequality by making us equal in Him. This is made clear through the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 4:4-6 where we discover the power of one for all and all for one.
Fight for It - Ephesians 4:3
Through the work of Jesus Christ on the cross, He has made all believers into one new body - the Church. This unity is God's creation, but ours to preserve. Join Pastor Ross as he explains what unity is not, how it is attacked, and how we can fight for it in fighting for each other.
Perfume rather than Performance
Paul experienced pain, suffering, and misunderstanding during his experience while trusting Jesus. But he learned a key truth in 2 Corinthians 2:12-17. This will help us be strengthened when we are wearied in trusting Jesus.
Experiencing God’s Love in Community
Strong communities are built on authentic relationships, rooted deeply in our identity in Christ. Moments of feeling alone, discouraged, or isolated are an invitation to trust Jesus – and others – to remind us who we are in Him. But will we lean into our community of grace in those moments? And how do we love others through their difficult times? Join Krystle Morris as she explores Philippians 2:1-5 to understand what a community of the same love and the same mind in Christ looks like, and what it has to do with trusting Jesus.
Walk According to Who You Are - Ephesians 4:1-2
As believers in Christ Jesus, we have been born again and made into brand new creations. That means, today and for all time, we are holy, blameless, righteous, redeemed and Jesus now dwells in and through us. The question is, "How does Jesus live through us? How do I live now?"
Beginning in Ephesians 4, Paul describes the characteristics of this new creation, so we can better recognize where and how Jesus wants to live through us.
Victims to Victorious - Ephesians 4:1
Every person has experienced hurt and abuse in this world to some degree. It comes with living in a sin-cursed world. But for some, their hurt ends up defining who they are, and they live as victims, stuck in their despair.
The Apostle Paul shows us how we can go from victims to victorious by allowing God to define who we are and what we have to replace the lies that keep us in the bondage of a victim mentality.
Ambassadors of Christ
John Matthew Goodwin of Worship with Us (https://worshipwithus.ca) joined us this morning to talk about being ambassador's of Christ as we live from our identity in Christ to experience our destiny.