StoneBridge Community Church
Cultivate - Christ is Proclaimed
Senior Pastor Jon Saur
Locations & Times
StoneBridge Community Church
4832 Cochran St, Simi Valley, CA 93063, USA
Saturday 5:00 PM
Saturday 6:00 PM
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http://bit.ly/2glYW8EIn Cultivate, we will be turning to Paul's letter to the Philippians to see how God cultivates churches so that churches will produce a "harvest of righteousness."
The Text In Context
For some (in Rome, and elsewhere), this change in plans might have raised questions about Paul and about his qualifications for ministry. Were some embarrassed by the fact that Paul was a prisoner, waiting to stand trial before Caesar? Were some tempted to keep a low profile so far as proclaiming the gospel was concerned? Did some conclude that Paul’s imprisonment was a serious blow to the advance of the gospel? Our text in Paul’s Epistle to the Philippians lays such fears to rest.
https://bit.ly/2TmOEvlSermon Outline
To help you follow along, here is a rough outline of the sermon for this week, .
I. Paul's Situation
A. Paul is in prison
B. People are proclaiming Christ around him.
C. Some have good intentions, some have bad intentions.
II. Church Division
A. Part of history of the church.
B. Humans divide.
C. Stories of church division.
III. Paul's example
A. The division doesn't matter to Paul.
B. Christ being proclaimed matters to Paul.
C. Looks past the division and rejoices that Christ is proclaimed.
IV. No easy fixes.
A. Division is with us and won't just go away overnight.
B. Can't just tell the church to "stop dividing."
V. Three truths
A. Here are three truths that can help guide our practice
1. Not everything is a crisis.
a. Calvin's Essentials - Trinity, Jesus, God saves us.
b. Help us navigate the severity of a disagreement.
2. The Church's purpose is to proclaim Christ. This should guide every decision we make.
3. The Church is God's, not ours.
B. May the Holy Spirit bring us to the place Paul was in when he wrote this letter, so that we rejoice at Christ being proclaimed.
To help you follow along, here is a rough outline of the sermon for this week, .
I. Paul's Situation
A. Paul is in prison
B. People are proclaiming Christ around him.
C. Some have good intentions, some have bad intentions.
II. Church Division
A. Part of history of the church.
B. Humans divide.
C. Stories of church division.
III. Paul's example
A. The division doesn't matter to Paul.
B. Christ being proclaimed matters to Paul.
C. Looks past the division and rejoices that Christ is proclaimed.
IV. No easy fixes.
A. Division is with us and won't just go away overnight.
B. Can't just tell the church to "stop dividing."
V. Three truths
A. Here are three truths that can help guide our practice
1. Not everything is a crisis.
a. Calvin's Essentials - Trinity, Jesus, God saves us.
b. Help us navigate the severity of a disagreement.
2. The Church's purpose is to proclaim Christ. This should guide every decision we make.
3. The Church is God's, not ours.
B. May the Holy Spirit bring us to the place Paul was in when he wrote this letter, so that we rejoice at Christ being proclaimed.
Introduction to Philippians
Here is a brief introduction to the letter to the Philippians.
https://bit.ly/3fL0f06Article on Calvin's Essentials
Here is an article that discusses the scholar mentioned in the sermon this week. This article phrases the essentials Calvin listed differently, but highlights Calvin's three-fold distinction between essential, important and indifferent.
https://bit.ly/3pFsJvzList of Ridiculous Church Fights
Here is a list of ridiculous things churches have fought over. Pastor Jon drew some examples from this list in the sermon this week.
https://bit.ly/3vaqAsHArticle on Calvin's Understanding of Essentials
Here is an article on the scholar who was mentioned in the sermon this week. This article phrases Calvin's essentials slightly differently, but
https://bit.ly/3pFsJvzGROWTH GROUP / PERSONAL REFLECTION QUESTIONS
1. Have you ever witnessed or been a part of a church split? What was the aftermath of this split for those involved? Looking back, in what ways might you see that God was at work or able to use the situation, despite the many feelings involved.
2. What is the most ridiculous issue you've heard about a church splitting over?
3. What is your perspective on Paul's view of division in his day? How might you adapt Paul's perspective and apply it to your own life?
1. Have you ever witnessed or been a part of a church split? What was the aftermath of this split for those involved? Looking back, in what ways might you see that God was at work or able to use the situation, despite the many feelings involved.
2. What is the most ridiculous issue you've heard about a church splitting over?
3. What is your perspective on Paul's view of division in his day? How might you adapt Paul's perspective and apply it to your own life?
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