Sanctification is about being set apart; not because of how great we are but because of how great God is. It is a process that takes time by letting what happened on the inside through justification be expressed by what’s happening on the outside (highlighting the difference between who we were before Christ and who we are now)
Justification is a free gift by God’s mercy and grace through faith (and the death of his son) which, without any action from us, makes it “just as if you’ve never sinned”.
The book of Colossians is full of concepts of thankfulness. In today’s sermon, Tony reminds us that true, overwhelming gratitude comes from God’s grace and if we are not overflowing with it, we need to reexamine our relationship with God and remember what we have been saved from. We are reminded that, as Christians, we can always overflow with gratitude (regardless of what we do or do not have); we just need to reflect on where our heart is and keep our focus on God.
Sticks and stones may cause immediate, temporary harm to us but, in today’s message, Tony reminds us of the power of words to cause lasting harm. We are shown how sometimes it is the smallest things that can have the most power to incite change (for good or for evil). As we use our tongues to praise God, we are encouraged (and challenged) to also use them to uplift our fellow humans who are created in his image.
As the church meets Canada-wide, our guest speakers discuss the importance of perseverance. They highlight the need to reflect on heaven and get back on the offensive in order to successfully persevere. In order to make a difference now, we require a change in attitude and understanding as well as a change in how we approach our faith and our world by living the transforming power of Jesus in our lives.
Sometimes it’s difficult to cut through the clutter with all the things that demand our attention. We will examine the timeless wisdom of the scriptures as we decipher what is the only thing that counts.
Christianity is about life, presence, and action. Jesus cared enough to be involved in the lives of those around him (both before and after his death and resurrection) and we can take comfort in the knowledge that, as he was before, he is also NOW!
Our summer interns share what they have learned over the last 8 weeks. They reveal the importance of relationships as well as a mature understanding of God’s timing not only for the next generation but also for the NOW generation.
When we look at some of the most famous/influential people in history, most of them started off as nobodies. The biggest nobody in history was Jesus who built his church on nobodies. Today we are reminded that, as Christians, we are just nobodies helping nobodies to find hope. That is the power of nobody.
In Ecclesiastes 7, we learn that wisdom is a good thing that is so powerful and universal that it affects everyone in the world. However, we are also reminded wisdom doesn’t involve living in the nostalgia of the past but rather looking ahead and planning for the future while living in the present.