Ephesians 3:14-19 – For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have…
Pleasing God, Making Disciples of Jesus Christ
Pleasing God, Making Disciples of Jesus Christ
Jim Sole
1 Peter 1:3-6 – Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the…
The praying life of the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Ephesians is a goldmine of instruction on true Christian experience. In this sixth part of an examination of Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 3, Pastor Jim looks at why God strengthens us by His Spirit. It is for us to know deep the control of Christ’s love which leads to a vibrant and stable Christian life.
Salvation is a call to holiness. Our God who is Holy, Holy, Holy calls out a people to become like Him. In Peter’s opening instructions to these suffering believers, he emphasizes the personal responsibility, attitudes and actions required of a believer in the pursuit of holiness. Such holiness is not achieved without diligent effort on our part. As it is demanded by our God, His grace also provides us what we need to meet His demand. In this third sermon on the pursuit of holiness Pastor Jim covers the specifics of working out a life of God-pleasing holiness through our responsibilities, actions, and attitudes toward holiness.
A study of the prayers of the Apostle Paul is rich not only in doctrinal truth but practical Christianity. In his second prayer in the letter the Ephesians, the petitions define the high of Christian experience – to know the love of Christ and the fullness of God. In part six of the examination of Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 3, Pastor Jim examines the purpose of the strengthening Paul is petitioning for – an awareness and experience of the indwelling Christ and to know in greater measure His love.
The chief aim in the life of a Christian is to glorify God by conforming more and more into His image and that of being holy. In this message on the Apostle Peter’s instructions to the suffering Christians in Asia Minor, Pastor Jim continues talking about our motivations to holiness by discussing what God has accomplished through His Son’s blood and the illogical nature of a willfully sinning Christian.