Gospel Life Church

How is FAITH NOT a Work? 1 Corinthians 12:3b “no one can say Jesus is Lord, except by the Holy Spirit” 1 Thessalonians 1:5 5 For when we brought you the Good News, it was not only with words but also with power, for the Holy Spirit gave you full assurance that what we said was true. Romans 3:27 27 Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith. Romans 10:9–11:6 9 If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved. 13 For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” But,…here is the problem… 14 But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? 15

The ability to make promises is a uniquely human activity. Many people view the marriage covenant as constricting. But the knot which you tie in marriage is not a noose. Actually, when you make a promise you are in a state where you are your most free and your most human. How so? Well, animals can't make promises. Everything they do occurs by instinct. If their hormones tell them to migrate, they migrate. Humans, however, are moral agents. We do not have to follow our feelings and emotions. We have the ability to stand against them. The person who always runs away from pain and follows their feelings is no different from the rest of the animal kingdom. They are enslaved to their emotions. The person who sticks by a promise, even when it hurts, demonstrates that they have the capacity for faithfulness. It is an act of moral courage. Such a person is truly free. Galatians 5:13 For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Ins

The Christian Life is Warfare The Christian life, click your heels together 3 times vs a lifetime of warfare. We have to change our mindset. We get discouraged at the first sign of trouble vs He said trials would come so here is my chance to do warfare. Refusing to do battle is saying I'm allowed to lose my tempter, I'm allowed to have unconfessed sin, I'm allowed to be bitter. You have already believed the scheme. Separate everything out between what u are responsible for and everything else. What u are responsible for and what the Lord is going to take care of. Those troubles are there to serve as the context for u to be strong in the Lord in. Ephesians 6:10–17 10 A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. 12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against

Ephesians 4:23–25 23 Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. 24 Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy. 25 So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body. I find myself lying, but its not really lying, and I think we all do it. When we lie we are not thinking long term but we are thinking irrationally. We see lying in sports with athletes emphatically denying they use steroids only to be found out later. We’ve seen lying when the government has claimed that their are weapons of mass destruction. We’ve seen the NSA lie about the information they collect from U.S. citizens. We’ve seen the leaders of the tobacco industry lie about the dangers of smoking. We’ve seen U.S. Presidents promise to shrink big government during their campaigns only to enlarge it during their presidencies. We’ve learned that presidential candidates hide their real views while trying to please their diverse constituencie

1) James 5:16 NLT "Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” Is it easy for you to apply this passage in our life? If so what is holding you back? If not please practice in your group by confessing then pray for each other as the text states. 2)Sunday's message touched on the power of prayer. Do you believe in the power of prayer? Do you have a good prayer life? Is prayer your weapon of choice, or do you have something more effective and will you please share? 3)In the story of Cain, can you relate to Cain? Do you feel unaccepted by God? Do you have a hard time with doing what is good versus just doing what is good for you? Please explain. 4)Do you see God working the good in your life even when you are selfish? Can you relate to Jacob's story seeing God doing what is good for you, working things out for your ultimate good, in spite of your trying to make it happen in yo

Way of the Master by Dr. Bob Moorehead In 1980 a young man from Rwanda was forced by his tribe to either renounce Christ or face certain death. He refused to renounce Christ, and he was killed on the spot. The night before he had written the following commitment which was found in his room: “I’m part of the fellowship of the unashamed, the die has been cast, I have stepped over the line, the decision has been made- I’m a disciple of Jesus Christ. I won’t look back, let up, slow down, back away or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, my future is secure. I’m finished and done with low living, sight walking, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed vision, worldly talking, cheap giving & dwarfed goals. My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions are few, my guide is reliable, my mission is clear. I won’t give up, shut up, let up until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up for the cause of Jesus Christ. I must go till He comes, give t

Isaiah 66:13 13 I will comfort you there in Jerusalem as a mother comforts her child.” Isaiah 49:15 15 “Never! Can a mother forget her nursing child? Can she feel no love for the child she has borne? But even if that were possible, I would not forget you! Mother’s have a strength in that they don’t leave. We see many father’s who abandon their children but mothers stay. Mother’s have a superpower, they create culture, they shape values, and they form the next generation. Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. Moral Education 2 Timothy 1:5 I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. Far greater than any gift you could be given today mother’s is the gift of seeing your influence worked out in the next generation. 1 Timothy 2:15 15 But women will be saved through childbearing, assuming they continue to live in faith, love, holine

Gospeling each other We use this term and it's how we treat each other Here is the test, the light produces what is good. Ephesians 5:6-9 Sometimes we live on the first quarter mile on the path of destruction and at the end of this long street is the abyss going down to hells flame but we say we are ok bc that is far away from where we live. Look at the things u allow in your life. Look at your patterns of behavior. U might say what's wrong with this or that but does it produce good. Here we come to the definition of insanity. We can be in denial bc we don't see some of these things for the evil they truly are. U say it's not hurting anyone but is it helping anyone. Is it producing what is good? Gospeling each other means we treat each other the way that God treated us in Christ. See Ephesians 4:32-5:1 Ephesians 4:30 our identity is not in our sin, it's not part of us or part of our personality. Our identity in Christ gives us freedom to change, to be truly loving. Loving others Loving others means th

Bringing the Future Into the Present: Ephesians So many of the Old Testament passages prophesied of the coming Messiah and his people and this is happening now in our time and what we find in the Gospels and in Paul's writings is the working out of what this new people will look like. So do we look like that do we look like in live like the people at the New Testament describes? What does it look like for us to be a shining light in Oakland County? Ever been to a Christian concert and stayed in a hotel with mainly Christians? Ever been to Wal-Mart on Black Friday? As citizens of heaven, we are to bring God’s presence everywhere we go. We are to bring the future into the present. Imagine you send an email and literally a trillion emails flood your inbox and it causes a traffic jam because everyone is rushing to your house to help you. When we have everything in the next life, what is left to desire? The desire to serve. So you can see now why Jesus is crafting servants, because thats whats going to work in

Matthew 28:18 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Illustration: Seminary Professor This morning we are going to read through Philippians and part of Ephesians in order to determine what Paul’s emphasis is as far as the mission of the church. Philippians 1:9 I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. 10 For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return. 11 May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ—for this will bring much glory and praise to God. To lov

Romans 12:7 If your gift is serving others, serve them well. 1 Corinthians 16:15–16 15 You know that Stephanas and his household were the first of the harvest of believers in Greece, and they are spending their lives in service to God’s people. I urge you, dear brothers and sisters, 16 to submit to them and others like them who serve with such devotion. Matthew 20:20–28 20 Then the mother of James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus with her sons. She knelt respectfully to ask a favor. 21 “What is your request?” he asked. She replied, “In your Kingdom, please let my two sons sit in places of honor next to you, one on your right and the other on your left.” 22 But Jesus answered by saying to them, “You don’t know what you are asking! Are you able to drink from the bitter cup of suffering I am about to drink?” “Oh yes,” they replied, “we are able!” 23 Jesus told them, “You will indeed drink from my bitter cup. But I have no right to say who will sit on my right or my left. My Father has prepared

1. What are some ways Christians are tempted to remain in their old way of thinking, worldly thinking, as mentioned in Romans 12:2? Please list some examples. 2. What did we say was the primary strategy for transforming our thinking? Please share some testimonies from your own life. How has your thinking changed since becoming a Christian? 3. What are some of the excuses that you use to not use your gifts? Please be specific. 4. Why does Paul warn us in verse 3 with reference to the use of our gifts, meaning, what is the relationship between thinking too highly of ourselves and the use of our gifts? How does one affect the other? 5. What does the "we all belong to each other" mentioned in verse 5 mean to you? 6 How are we doing at GL as far as living out this truth? How can you help our church live out this truth? 7. Do you think CG helps us live this out? 8. Please think about the members of your CG and take the time to specifically encourage each other about how you have seen them use their gifts?