Element Christian Church
Ephesians Week 15 - Bitterness
Locations & Times
Element Christian Church
4890 Bethany Ln, Santa Maria, CA 93455, USA
Sunday 9:00 AM
Sunday 10:45 AM
Welcome to Element
We strive to ensure the biggest thing people think when they hear about Element is Jesus! We aim to glorify God by teaching and living out the Scriptures, transform community into Gospel community, and planting churches.
Missions Newletter Update NEW TODAY
Get the latest on the various local and global ministries Element helps support.
https://ourelement.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2024_Spring_MissionsUpdate.pdfBaptism Celebration TODAY
Join us TODAY at 1pm to celebrate those making the decision to declare their faith in Jesus.
Element will provide the essentials for a Nacho Bar and are asking you to bring an item according to the first letter of your last name:
A-L - Taco Meat (ground beef, shredded chicken, carne asada...)
M-R - Finger Friendly Dessert (cupcakes, cookies, brownies)
S-Z - Beans (refried, black beans, etc)
Other items to bring: lawn chair or blanket, hats, sunscreen, swim stuff, friends.
Element will provide the essentials for a Nacho Bar and are asking you to bring an item according to the first letter of your last name:
A-L - Taco Meat (ground beef, shredded chicken, carne asada...)
M-R - Finger Friendly Dessert (cupcakes, cookies, brownies)
S-Z - Beans (refried, black beans, etc)
Other items to bring: lawn chair or blanket, hats, sunscreen, swim stuff, friends.
The Classics Trust and Estate Planning Potluck
Those ages 60 and beyond are invited to enjoy a night of food and learning about an important subject: Trust & Estate Planning. May 10th 6p-8p. RSVP required.
https://ourelement.churchcenter.com/people/forms/732436Young Adult Dinner and Game Night
If you are in your 20s or 30s and looking for a community to connect with, this is a great opportunity as you will all be in the same stage of being new to this group. The gathering will be taking place May 10th from 6p-9p here in the Barn.
https://ourelement.churchcenter.com/people/forms/729322Men's Game Night
Men 18 years and older are invited to come and enjoy a night of pizza, fun, connecting with others, and experience the epic Keinert game room! We are encouraging you to invite your friends, coworkers and neighbors to join us. May 31st 6pm-9pm
https://ourelement.churchcenter.com/people/forms/727648Start serving at Element
If you are looking for a way to meet more people at Element or feel more connected, one of the easiest ways is to start serving. From once a month for 15 minutes, to helping in our classrooms for a longer time, we have needs to fit your gifts.
https://ourelement.churchcenter.com/people/forms/395779Stay Connected - Download the Church Center App
https://ourelement.churchcenter.com/setupThis week's song list
Interested in looking for some of the songs we sang this week? Here's the titles and original artists:
Made Alive - Citizens
The Lord Our God - Kristian Stanfill
Sometimes - David Crowder
Come As You Are - David Crowder
King of Glory - Passion
Unstoppable God - Elevation Worship
Made Alive - Citizens
The Lord Our God - Kristian Stanfill
Sometimes - David Crowder
Come As You Are - David Crowder
King of Glory - Passion
Unstoppable God - Elevation Worship
Ephesians: Week 15
Bitterness
Everything at the end of Ephesians 4 is related to our family identity in Christ. Because we are family, we tell the truth, use our anger correctly, don’t steal from one another, don’t put one another down, and don’t live in bitterness. These actions are borne out of our new identity in Christ. When Paul says to “put on the new self,” it means to remember and live in alignment with this new identity.
Bitterness
Everything at the end of Ephesians 4 is related to our family identity in Christ. Because we are family, we tell the truth, use our anger correctly, don’t steal from one another, don’t put one another down, and don’t live in bitterness. These actions are borne out of our new identity in Christ. When Paul says to “put on the new self,” it means to remember and live in alignment with this new identity.
• When do you need to be reminded of your true identity the most?
What makes Christianity different from every world religion is the truth that we don’t make ourselves worthy enough for God to love us; we live in response to God’s great love and grace given to us.
Read Ephesians 4:28-32.
• Are there things listed here you would like to “put away” from your life?
• What do you think about the fact that we forgive others because we have already been forgiven?
• What tends to inspire bitterness in your own life?
• How are you (and no one else) at the center of your own bitterness?
• How does the Gospel speak to bitterness that crops up in our own lives?
Amy Carmichael once said, “For a cup brimful of sweet water cannot spill even one drop of bitter water however suddenly jolted.” This refers to how circumstances of life may bump or “jolt” us, and what’s inside is revealed.
• When you are jolted/bumped by hardship, what spills out of your “cup”?
• As a community, do you have the love/trust to speak into one another’s lives when bitterness is evident?
• How does the Gospel free us to take accountability for bitterness and other sin?
Paul redirects so that we would see what a life lived in the reality of the Gospel results in:
1. Giving to others.
2. Building others up.
3. Getting rid of all bitterness.
4. Being kind.
5. Forgiving others.
There are bitter people who claim not to be bitter, they may not even recognize it in their own life. Paul is helping us to self-diagnose. Do we find it easier to forgive and be kind, or move to judgment, unforgiveness, and anger?
• Which of the above five things comes hardest to you?
• Which of them comes the most naturally?
• As a community, identify a personal focus from this list and pray for one another throughout the week.
We have a duty as believers to extend forgiveness to others as we have received it, but we will only do that to the extent that we understand our own forgiveness. We have been offered grace and kindness, forgiveness and mercy, so we must also extend that to others.
• What objections does your heart bring to ideas of forgiveness?
• Are there areas of your life where you don’t feel “the right” to be forgiven?
• Why is trusting in Jesus’ right to forgive us so important?
In Christianity, God brings justice in dying for sin and offers salvation by grace. He loves His enemies and makes them His children, which is how Paul starts the next chapter: Eph 5:1 Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children…our justice is at the cross of Christ.
What makes Christianity different from every world religion is the truth that we don’t make ourselves worthy enough for God to love us; we live in response to God’s great love and grace given to us.
Read Ephesians 4:28-32.
• Are there things listed here you would like to “put away” from your life?
• What do you think about the fact that we forgive others because we have already been forgiven?
• What tends to inspire bitterness in your own life?
• How are you (and no one else) at the center of your own bitterness?
• How does the Gospel speak to bitterness that crops up in our own lives?
Amy Carmichael once said, “For a cup brimful of sweet water cannot spill even one drop of bitter water however suddenly jolted.” This refers to how circumstances of life may bump or “jolt” us, and what’s inside is revealed.
• When you are jolted/bumped by hardship, what spills out of your “cup”?
• As a community, do you have the love/trust to speak into one another’s lives when bitterness is evident?
• How does the Gospel free us to take accountability for bitterness and other sin?
Paul redirects so that we would see what a life lived in the reality of the Gospel results in:
1. Giving to others.
2. Building others up.
3. Getting rid of all bitterness.
4. Being kind.
5. Forgiving others.
There are bitter people who claim not to be bitter, they may not even recognize it in their own life. Paul is helping us to self-diagnose. Do we find it easier to forgive and be kind, or move to judgment, unforgiveness, and anger?
• Which of the above five things comes hardest to you?
• Which of them comes the most naturally?
• As a community, identify a personal focus from this list and pray for one another throughout the week.
We have a duty as believers to extend forgiveness to others as we have received it, but we will only do that to the extent that we understand our own forgiveness. We have been offered grace and kindness, forgiveness and mercy, so we must also extend that to others.
• What objections does your heart bring to ideas of forgiveness?
• Are there areas of your life where you don’t feel “the right” to be forgiven?
• Why is trusting in Jesus’ right to forgive us so important?
In Christianity, God brings justice in dying for sin and offers salvation by grace. He loves His enemies and makes them His children, which is how Paul starts the next chapter: Eph 5:1 Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children…our justice is at the cross of Christ.