Sermons About Affection
A Reformed-Charismatic Approach to Our Bible
<p>This is the first message in a series of messages on what it means to be both reformed and charismatic. These are Christian distinctives that you don't often find in combination. Each has its own particular stereotypes and its own unique tendencies, strengths and weaknesses; we believe that at their best, both positions are biblical, and our goal will be to capture and embrace the strengths of both as we see them in Scripture.</p> <p>In the way that reformed believers approach Scripture, one of their particular strengths is to emphasize the truth, authority, infallibility, sufficiency, and God-breathed nature of scripture. Scripture is God's word to us and it is our source of truth and it is our authority in all matters of life and death. Scripture is to serve as the one objective measure by which we judge all other subjective matters of experience.</p> <p>In the way that charismatic believers approach Scripture, one of their particular strengths is to emphasize the effect that Scripture is to have on us, and the proper response that we are to have. In our reading of scripture God is communicating not <i>merely</i> truth to us, but also encouragement, comfort and hope, as well as warnings and admonition. Scripture is to cause us to grow in joy, contentment, peace, humility. It is to change us, bring wisdom to our foolishness, and speak to every area of our lives.</p> <p>Fortunately, we do not have to choose between these two! We are to eagerly study Scripture as our source of truth, and we are to hungrily apply that truth to our lives as we grow in faith and affection for God, resulting in worship toward him.</p>
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Making Known His Love
Scripture is full of commands to love one another; in fact, all of the law can be summed up in the word love. We are to love one another, and even to love our enemies. God intends for our love not to be merely abstract or sentimental, but real. Three of the images that God uses to describe the church capture aspects of how we are to love one another. The church is God's family, meaning that we have a unity in the gospel that overcomes all of our differences. The church is the body of Christ, meaning that we all have different functions, some of which may be more prominent than others, but all of us are needed, and we all need one another. The church is the temple of God, meaning that we exist for a far greater purpose than ourselves. We must take care of one another; this is commanded, and it provides a witness to the world, but most importantly, we do this because we love one another and we belong to one another.
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Integrity
Second Law of Success, Integrity, Purposeful Diligence, Pursuit of Principle, Ultimate Motive, Heart Affection
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An Inviting Community
These days, there is an appetite for spirituality and a distaste for "church." Is this really what God wanted? The church was intended to be a dynamic, life-giving movement of people who experience and extend the love of God together. In fact, Jesus said that you can't be spiritual on your own, that the spiritual life is something we do together. If you catch a glimpse of God's dream for doing life together, we are convinced you'll never want anything less.
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Philippians 1:7-8 - Sources of Joyful Affection
Paul bases his affection on the Philippians on the confidence He has in God's work in their lives. The doctrine known as "The Perseverance of the Saints" (or "Eternal Security") is an essential orthodox belief that if adamantly rejection will destroy the Gospel of Grace and create another religion foreign to the teachings of Christ. Paul's affection was not motivated by merely earthly emotions but by Christ’s love for his people. We find in these few verses 3 sources for the affections that Paul had for the Philippians: 1) Affections in the center of his heart, 2) Affections of fellowship, and 3) Affections of Christ Himself. We must learn that our confident affections for others stem from knowing that their salvation (and ours) doesn't rest in their (or our) grip on God, but on God's grip on them (us). You will need to look at these verses and ask yourself: Is my faith a genuine saving faith in Christ - one that is authored by Him, sustained by Him, and will one day be completed by Him. Your answer to that question should convict you know how sinful it is not to have been possessed with the affection of Christ for each other as Paul was.
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How Do We Help Each Other Grow?
Better Together – 40 Days of Community How Do We Help Each Other Grow? Philippians 1:1-11 Six ways to help someone grow spiritually 1. By showing appreciation to them. (Verse 3) 2. By paying attention to them. (Verse 4) 3. By giving acceptance to them. (Verse 5) 4. By believing in them. (Verse 6) 5. By having a deep affection for them. (Verse 7) 6. By being sincere and transparent about our own life.(Verse 9,10) How can spiritual growth be measured? You can see the fruit of right living. (Verse 11)
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Mistakes #6-7
With all the pressures of this life, marriages are under fire today. Listen to the top 10 mistakes married people make, and how to avoid them. 6) Letting the romance die. 7) Not understanding and accepting your differences.
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