What does it look like when the Spirit of God is at work in your church? To answer that question, we’re first going to look at the comparison Paul makes in Ephesians 5:18. This comparison is basically the setup for the rest of the verse and so if you’re going to understand the rest of the passage, it helps to begin with this comparison. When Paul says “and do not get drunk with wine, which is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit” he’s making a comparison. It’s actually probably better to say he’s making a contrast and it’s a … Continue reading Is the Spirit of God at Work in Your Church? part 2

Why is it important to gather as a church week after week? We are looking at Hebrews 10:19-25 to answer that question.   As you look at verses 22 through 25 you see that after laying the groundwork in verses 19-21, (this is who you are, and this is who Jesus is), the writer of Hebrews draws out three main implications for our life together as a church. I think those three implications give us a good grid for what’s supposed to be happening when we gather as a church. The first purpose we get together has to do with … Continue reading On Gathering part 3

Why is it important to get together with your local church week after week after week? We are looking at Hebrews 10:19-25 to try to understand a biblical answer to this question.  We began by looking at what it says about our need for gathering together.  Today I want us to think about what it teaches about the reasons for our gathering.      In other words, we are going to take a step back here for a minute and think about the motivations for getting together like this. I know that some of us don’t always like to think about why … Continue reading On Gathering part 2