Elements City Church
Living Hope week 8 - God's Family and Godly Practices
Join us Sundays this Fall 2022 as we walk through a powerful couple books of the Bible that the Apostle Paul wrote to a church he planted in Thessaloniki. In these works, he inspires a people that are living in uncertainty, to keep living by a dynamic faith in Christ and to persevere with hope, even as they were facing opposition and pressure from a culture that didn't believe or so much care for their beliefs. Followers of Jesus Christ should live with one foot in this world and the other in the world to come. We should be fully engaged with this life AND we should also live with an awareness of eternity. Having this double perspective - gives us wisdom for our 'here and now'. It shapes our priorities, impacts our schedules, influences our dreams and our decisions. It fuels our hearts for the gospel and for people around us to know and experience Jesus.
Locations & Times
Elements City Church
1825 N Alvernon Way, Tucson, AZ 85712, USA
Sunday 5:35 PM
Thanks for being with us...
Whether you're on-site or online, we are praying that tonight will be an encouragement to your soul. May God whisper to you and help you in taking your next steps in a journey with Him. If you're new, we'd love to have you fill out our connection card.
https://connect-card.com/yr4Y0g8VLBSqzKXeubjbFollowers of Jesus Christ should live with one foot in this world and the other in the world to come. We should be fully engaged with this life. But we should also live with an awareness of eternity.
Having that double perspective of this world and the world to come can grow us in living wisely for God…
Having that double perspective of this world and the world to come can grow us in living wisely for God…
Family Matters
...perhaps the most common analogy for the church is that of a family—where spiritual newborns are welcomed, where we grow and mature and accept different roles, where we love one another and respond to the needs of one another, AND where we challenge one another to follow hard after the Savior. in 1 Thessalonians 5:12-28 - Five times Paul refers to his readers as brothers and sisters (see verses 12, 14, 25, 26, 27).
5 times he uses family language.
...perhaps the most common analogy for the church is that of a family—where spiritual newborns are welcomed, where we grow and mature and accept different roles, where we love one another and respond to the needs of one another, AND where we challenge one another to follow hard after the Savior. in 1 Thessalonians 5:12-28 - Five times Paul refers to his readers as brothers and sisters (see verses 12, 14, 25, 26, 27).
5 times he uses family language.
Paul points out that church leaders are to be respected, held in high regard and they are to serve the family of God they are responsible to guide. Also in the family of God we each have responsibility to one another. To encourage, support, be patient with and strive to do good... (1 Thessalonians 5:12-15)
This is how the family of God is to function and then he drills down on 3 things to focus on. Last week Lyle pointed out that we’re to have 3 pieces of armor to grow in: faith, hope and love — here Paul is introducing 3 key practices that the family of God is to engage in…
Your family has rhythm’s, practices that you do that make your family what it is - here Paul is saying that as a member of the family of God — here are 3 key rhythms or practices that are to mark the life of believers
Your family has rhythm’s, practices that you do that make your family what it is - here Paul is saying that as a member of the family of God — here are 3 key rhythms or practices that are to mark the life of believers
memorize:
16 Always be joyful. 17 Never stop praying. 18 Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
- 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
16 Always be joyful. 17 Never stop praying. 18 Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
- 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Leon Morris (NT scholar)
“Few things about the New Testament are more remarkable than this continual stress on joy.”
24 hour prayer is not possible. But a growing awareness of God—a dependency on God—throughout our day is. Prayer should be a priority. It is to be persistent.
We should make a distinction between thanking God FOR all circumstances, and IN all circumstances. We are to have lives characterized by thankfulness and gratitude.
“Few things about the New Testament are more remarkable than this continual stress on joy.”
24 hour prayer is not possible. But a growing awareness of God—a dependency on God—throughout our day is. Prayer should be a priority. It is to be persistent.
We should make a distinction between thanking God FOR all circumstances, and IN all circumstances. We are to have lives characterized by thankfulness and gratitude.
When we come to faith in Jesus Christ we are joined to one another. We are all given the same Spirit. All the old barriers—cultural, ethnic, social—are torn down, the dividing walls are demolished.
No other human community is quite like The Church.
No other human community is quite like The Church.
Make this family a priority
Jesus Christ loves the church; he offered himself for it. He established it through his blood. It is his priority. When we share his heart, it becomes our priority as well.
The Church may not be perfect, but it is the Bride of Christ and we are to care for her. Ask yourself what that would look like?
It means making gathering for worship a priority. Connection with other believers a priority. That’s why we encourage you to become part of an Egroup. It is in these smaller settings that we experience the kind of community the New Testament calls for.
Accept family responsibilities
Support and encourage those in leadership roles. Care about other believers in tangible and concrete ways. Commit to weekly connection with other believers. Pray for one another within the body.
God’s family matters to Jesus.
We must make sure it matters to us as well
Thanks for partnering with us...
Thank you for enabling us to be the Church in our city! Your gifts help fuel the mission of Elements City Church, as well as our capacity to share His love with as many as we can. You help us bring the HOPE and LIGHT of Jesus to our city! You can give online at the link below or through the Elements app.
http://elementscitychurch.org/giveWhether you joined us on-site or online, thanks for being with us tonight!
Join us next FRIDAY for our food packing at 830am at Caring Ministries. Hockey Game Friday night (get tickets via link in app) and then 2nd Saturday Food Distribution at 8am on campus. Then we'll see you next Sunday as we continue our series and worship together at 5pm.
Join us next FRIDAY for our food packing at 830am at Caring Ministries. Hockey Game Friday night (get tickets via link in app) and then 2nd Saturday Food Distribution at 8am on campus. Then we'll see you next Sunday as we continue our series and worship together at 5pm.