Today we begin a new message series Spirit Empowered Living. This series will be looking at lessons from the book of 1 Corinthians. The church at Corinth was planted by Paul the apostle along with Priscilla and Aquila. This church had some wonderful aspects, but also had some things that needed adjustment. Just like churches and people today.

God desires to encourage you regarding the good work He is doing in your life. And He wants you and our church family to grow more mature in Him.

Today’s  message is entitled “Unity in Christ.” True unity or fellowship can only exist in Christ. That is, there can only be true unity between believers in Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 6:14 (ESV)  Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?

This verse gives us an idea about what fellowship is all about. Fellowship is about being yoked or in partnership with another person. The imagery is of a team of two oxen being yoked together to plow a field. As a believer and unbeliever are not in spiritual agreement, they cannot have fellowship with one another.

1 Corinthians 1:9 (ESV)  God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

We see from this verse that every believer is in fellowship with Jesus. To be in fellowship with another person, you must be in agreement with them. We know from Scripture that sin can hinder our fellowship with Jesus.

1 John 1:6 (ESV)  If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.

To maintain fellowship with Jesus, we must repent of our sin and walk, not in darkness, but in the light. Sin can also inhibit our fellowship with other believers. Sin of any kind, including wrong beliefs, can cause divisions between believers.

Today, we’re going to be talking how we can have unity in Christ with other believers and how that unity can grow. Depth of fellowship that you can have with other believers is dependent on your agreement together on the truth of God’s Word. The more fellowship we have with Christ and other believers, the greater the power of the Holy Spirit that will be released. The power of the Spirit is released as our fellowship with Jesus increases. And the Spirit’s power is released in our church as our fellowship with one another increases. So, let’s begin by talking about how we are …

This morning we’re going to be talking about how to be “Strong in the Lord.” Why do we need to be strong in the Lord? We need to be strong, because we are engaged in a daily battle.

Last week, we talked about the warfare between light and darkness. Between God’s kingdom of light and Satan’s domain of darkness. If you’re weak in the battle, you’re going to be defeated, because the enemy is strong.

In fact the enemy, Satan is stronger than you on your own. So, we need to be, not just strong, but strong in the Lord. We need to learn how to be strong in the power of His might.

Now what is Satan’s goal, what does he desire to do to people? Satan’s main goal is to take as many people as possible with him to hell for eternity. How does Satan achieve that goal? Simply by keeping people from believing in Jesus throughout their lives.

If you’re a believer and you keep on believing, Satan can not achieve his main goal of taking you to hell with him. So, Satan’s secondary goal for believers is to make you an ineffective soldier for God’s kingdom. If Satan can keep you from being a powerful witness and getting people saved, it helps him in his main goal. That’s why, as believers, we need to be strong in the Lord.

Let’s look an example from the apostle Paul’s ministry at Ephesus on why we need to be strong in the Lord. Paul, arguably, the greatest apostle who has ever lived, planted the church at Ephesus. He taught for three years, day and night there. He showed people by example how to move in the gifts of the Spirit and work supernatural miracles. The church at Ephesus had a firm foundation and was a strong church.

But Paul had to leave the church he had planted and go to minister in Jerusalem. As he left, he warned the church leaders about the coming battle.

Acts 20:29 (ESV) I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock;

Jesus warned of false prophets, who would come disguised as sheep, but are really vicious wolves. These are teachers, prophets and even pastors what profess to preach God’s Word, but teach a ungodly message, often for personal gain. Paul is warning the people to be on guard against such people.

Acts 20:30-31 (ESV) and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be alert,

The wolves come from outside the church, but there is danger from within as well. Unfortunately, people who have been walking with God, sometimes fall away. They cause divisions within a church with their ungodly speech. We need to be alert for attacks, either from within or without, that seek to destroy what God is doing in His church.

As believers, we must also be on guard in our own lives from attacks. Attacks coming from other people and attacks coming from temptations within. That is why we must be strong in the Lord. As you grow stronger in the Lord, you will win victories for God’s kingdom through the power of the Spirit. So, let’s turn to the final chapter in Ephesians, chapter 6, to learn how to be strong in the Lord.

Today, we’re going to talk about how to “Walk in the Light.” Would you rather take a walk outside at noon or at midnight without a light? We’d all rather take a walk in the light, then in total darkness for obvious reasons. In darkness, you can’t see anything, including things you may stumble over or evil hidden in the shadows.

The Bible speaks of light and darkness as representing two kingdoms in the world. The domain of darkness is ruled by the Satan, the prince of darkness. The kingdom of light is ruled by God who dwells in inapproachable light. These two realms are in war with one another, but the final outcome has been already determined. When light meets darkness, which one always wins? Light always wins, light dispels the darkness. Every person on earth is walking in either spiritual light or spiritual darkness.

Colossians 1:12-13 (ESV)  … the Father … has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.  He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,

The inheritance of saints or believers is in God’s kingdom of light. Once we were all living in the domain of darkness because of sin. But God has delivered us from that dark domain and transferred us to the kingdom of Jesus which is full of light. When people are separated from God, who dwells in light, they live in spiritual darkness. Darkness is a place of sin, danger, deception, sorrow and sadness.

John 8:12 (ESV)  Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

The light of Jesus pierced our dark world. When a person chooses to follow Jesus, He gives them the light of life. But those in darkness spread darkness by their very nature, they can’t see the light.

2 Corinthians 4:4 (ESV)  … the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

Those who are unbelievers, cannot see the light, even when it is right in front of them, because Satan has blinded their spiritual eyes. It’s only by the power of the Holy Spirit that their eyes can be healed so that they can see the light of Jesus. 

Today, we’re going talk about how we can walk in the light and push back the darkness that is all around us. We’re going to learn to push back the darkness in our culture, in our lives and in our relationships. Not only are we to walk in the light, God will help us to become the light of the world. 

Happy Valentine’s Day! This is a day for celebrating love. As believers, we know that God is love. He has commanded us and equipped us to love Him with all that we are. And we are to love our neighbors as ourselves.

That is how we Live Out God’s Purpose for our lives. Oftentimes, we think of God’s purpose for our lives on an individual level. What is God’s purpose for my life? That’s fine. God does have a special purpose for your life. A purpose that unfolds throughout a lifetime.

But that purpose is not for you as an isolated person. God’s purpose for every person is to become a believer in Jesus Christ. Then God’s purpose for every believer can only be fulfilled as part of a church family.

Today, our message is entitled “Spiritual Gifts in Action.” Spiritual gifts are one of the most important reasons that we need to be part of a church family.

1 Corinthians 12:12 (ESV) For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.

In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul writes that a local church can be compared to the human body. The head of the body, the church is Christ. The members of the body are the individual believers in the church family.

1 Corinthians 12:18 (ESV) But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose.

As believers follow the Lord’s leading, He arranges believers in the body, the church, according to various giftings He has given them.

1 Corinthians 12:27 (ESV) Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.

This verse was written to the believers at the church in Corinth, but it applies to us today at Life Church. Each member of this church has a purpose, has a function within the church family. The Bible teaches in 1 Corinthians that each member has a spiritual gift. In the Greek, the word for spiritual gifts is charismata. The root word is charis, which means grace. So, spiritual gifts really means grace gifts that God gives to each believer.

No one person has all the gifts, so we need each other in the body of Christ. Some gifts are decidedly supernatural, like the gift of miracles or healing. Other gifts have to do with the talents given by God, such as leadership and teaching. If a person in the body of Christ doesn’t function in their gift, the church is weaker. The more each believer develops their gift, the stronger and more effective the church family becomes. If a person is not part of a church family, not only are they not fulfilling their purpose, they are being deprived of the gifts of others in the church. Today, we’re going to talk more about God’s purpose for each one of us in the church.

Today, we’re continuing in our message series Live Out God’s Purpose. We’re learning about God’s purpose for our lives from the book of Ephesians. Our message today is entitled “Transformed by Grace.”

What is grace? In the Bible, grace means the freely given, unmerited favor and love of God. Grace really is what the Bible is all about, from Genesis to Revelation. Let’s watch a short video about grace called Grace 101. The students all failed the final quiz, yet the teacher gave what they didn’t deserve, an A. That gives us a picture of what grace is all about.

Let’s turn to the Bible to get a birds eye view of grace. In the garden of Eden, Adam and Eve chose to sin by disobeying God. The result was that their relationship with God was broken. That broken relationship caused spiritual death which would ultimately result in their physical death. The sin of Adam and Eve has resulted in each one of us being a sinner.

Romans 3:23 (ESV)  for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

If we stopped there, this would be a very sad story. But there is good news.

John 3:16 (ESV)  “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

God loves each person that He has created so much that He didn’t want them to be separated from Him. So, He sent Jesus into the world, to pay the penalty for our sins on the cross. Jesus died and rose again so that sinners, like you and me could have eternal life. God’s grace is offered to every sinner on the planet as a free gift. Yet, God’s gift of grace must be accepted in order to be effective. God’s grace gift is accepted by believing in Jesus. Only those who believe in Jesus receive the grace gift of eternal life. Grace is not just for salvation, it is for all of life

Titus 2:11-12 (ESV)  For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people,  training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age,

It is by God’s grace that we as believers are given the power to live godly lives pleasing to God. As we have received God’s grace, so God helps us to share His grace with others. Today, we’re going to look more closely at how we can be transformed by grace.

Today, we’re continuing in our message series Live Out God’s Purpose. In this series, we’re studying the book of Ephesians to understand God’s purpose for our lives and for the church. 

How might we summarize God’s purpose for our lives? We’re going to be learning that God’s primary purpose for your life is spiritual growth. God main purpose for His church is spiritual growth. Now, there are many aspects to spiritual growth, but let’s turn to the book of Ephesians to help us better understand.

Ephesians 4:15 (ESV)  Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,

This verse expresses what God’s purpose is for us on the personal level. We are to grow up in every way into Christ. In other words, we are to spiritually grow to become more and more like Jesus. The more we become like Jesus, the more we’re going to think like Him, talk like Him, act like Him and live like Him. The more we become like Jesus, the more we’re going to pray like Jesus, love like Jesus and sin less and less, as Jesus didn’t sin at all. The more like Jesus we become, we’re going to see more saved, more people healed and more people set free. I want to become more and more like Jesus. What about the church?

Ephesians 4:16 (ESV)  from whom [Christ] the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

The church is called here the body of Christ. The church is made of individual believers, here called parts of the body. When each believer in the church is working properly, that is growing up into Christ, than the whole body is growing as well. We might summarize both spiritual growth for an individual believer or for the church as building itself up in love. We are each part of the local church here at Life Church.

In order to grow spiritually, a believer needs to be connected to a local church. Why? There are two main reasons to be connected to the local church. The first is that you can receive from God through a local church in a way that you can’t on your own. God has purposefully set things up so that a person cannot properly grow spiritually on their own, outside of a church. In church, you receive encouragement, teaching, prayer, fellowship, help and many other things. But simply receiving from the church and other believers is not the main reason to grow in a church.

The second reason to be connected to a local church is to have opportunities to give and minister to others within the church. The more that you learn to give, the more you will receive. Which is more important, receiving or giving? Most people would say receiving. What does Jesus say?

Acts 20:35b (ESV)  … remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

Spiritual growth comes as we put what we have received into practice through giving. So, today, we’re going to learn how to grow spiritually in power and love. And we’re going to give by helping others grow as well. Let’s get started and learn to …