Message
God’s Will/My Will: Freedom – Grace and Power (to change!)
Gal 5:1 – with 1 Pet 1:14-18, 2:1-24, 4:1-19
Brothers and Sisters in Christ, this week, we kick off our Going Deeper with God’s Will/Our Will with a 7 week series on Freedom. Sunday we kick it off with a focus on embracing Grace and Power, followed by weekly topics of Forgiveness (Jan 22), Examine/Spiritual Disciplines (Jan 29), Discernment/Discrimination (Feb 5), The Art of Self Forgetfulness (Feb 12), Implications for Work, Language and Love (Feb 19), and Going to the Other Side/At the Crossroads of Culture (Feb 26) – with every week focusing on Freedom in Christ as God’s will and our will are integrated into everyday life.
How does power influence behavior? Whose power?
Galatians 5:1, our new Text of the Quarter says, “It is for freedom that Christ has set you free. Stand firm then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” Our look at Ephesians 3:14-21 has given us some key clues on how to remain in freedom and abstain from enslavement, “…kneeling before the Father… strengthened in the power of the Holy Spirit… Christ dwelling richly in our hearts… rooted and established in love…” – all leading to God’s ‘immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine‘ work in us.
So let’s get practical and honest together before God in the next few weeks as we explore what this looks like. For Sunday, read 1 Pet 1:14-18, 2:1-24, 4:1-19 and ask as you read, “How does power influence behavior? Whose power?” On Sunday, you will be asked early in worship to write down your definition of power. Don’t google it, write your definition on paper from your own understanding and bring it to worship. If you will not be in attendance – text or email me your definition (keep it to 1-2 sentences).
In our understanding of salvation we emphasize grace, rightly so. Yet, there’s more to the full equation of salvation in a life of discipleship, and that’s power. Whose? How? Why? See you Sunday.
Pastor Mark