I Am the Door of the Sheep

John 10:1-10

At the end of the account of Jesus healing a man who was born blind, the Pharisees ask Jesus if they are also blind (spiritually). Jesus responds that they are not blind because they say “We see (understand).” Then he addresses them, while others listen, with his voice of certainty and authority, “Truly, truly, I say to you.” As always, His words are for us as well.

These Are Written
John 1-9
Today we return to the Gospel of John. Because there has been a three month break in the continuity, I thought it best to ease back into this series by doing a recap of the first nine chapters of John. We also remember that John stated his purpose for writing his gospel in John 20:31, “these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”

Worship: Mind – Engaging Spiritually
Romans 12:1-2
In our six week series on worship we have focused on music which is the expression of the soul, prayer which is the language of the heart, the Word which gives us the will of God, the offering which is a response to God’s blessings and communion, in which we experience God’s presence. We conclude with the role of our minds engaging spiritually in worship as we:

Worship: Communion – Experiencing God’s Presence
In our six week series on worship we have focused on music, which is the expression of the soul, prayer which is the language of the heart, the Word which gives us the will of God and the offering which is a response to God’s blessings. Next week we will conclude with engaging our minds spiritually. Today we look at communion and its meaning in worship. This act is also known as the breaking of the bread, the Eucharist (thanksgiving) and The Lord’s Supper.

Worship: Offering – Responding to God’s Blessings
In our six week series on worship we have focused on music, which is the expression of the soul, prayer which is the language of the heart and the Word which gives us the will of God. In the coming weeks we will consider communion and our minds. Today we look at the offering and its meaning in worship. The Offering:

Worship: Word – Focus on God’s Will In our six week series on worship we have focused on music, which is the expression of the soul and prayer which is the language of the heart. In the coming weeks we will consider offering, communion and our minds. Today we look at the word of God which is scripture and why it holds…

In our six week series on worship we first focused on music, which is the expression of the soul. In the coming weeks we will consider, scripture, offering, communion and our minds. Today we look at prayer through the lens of worship. Two aids will be helpful: the order of worship in our bulletin and the acronym “ACTS” for the various types of prayer.

Worship: Music – Expression of the Soul Psalm 100 & Colossians 3:16-17 Today we start a six week series on worship. The first focus is music. In the coming weeks we will consider prayer, scripture, offering, communion and our minds. Our worship begins and ends with music and it is laced throughout. Music has always been an important part of worship because…

The Armor of God: Pray at All Times in the Spirit

Ephesians 6:10-20

This passage is about engaging in “spiritual warfare” against the devil. We can’t do it on our own, so God graciously and strategically gives us spiritual armor so we can be strong in the Lord, stand against the schemes of the devil and stand firm. God also gives us the gift of prayer so we can draw upon all of His resources.

Spiritual Armor: Salvation and Scripture
Ephesians 6:10-20 (focus on vs 17)
This passage is about “spiritual warfare” and our need to be equipped so that we can effectively engage the spiritual forces of evil. We can’t do it on our own, so God graciously and strategically gives us spiritual armor so we can be strong in the Lord, stand against the schemes of the devil and stand firm. Most of the armor is defensive in nature. Now armor is introduced that is also meant for going on the offensive.