God uses conflict in the body of Christ to purify His saints and advance His kingdom. It has always been so. As Christ's followers, we must purpose to handle conflict in a godly manner to ensure the conflict experience serves a redemptive purpose in our lives -- humbling ourselves, yielding our will to His sovereign purposes, seeking to understand more than to be understood, extending grace and mercy, avoiding anger.

Dr. David Klingler, Executive Director of Dallas Theological Seminary continues in the book of Ephesians.

In this message, we ask the question: "Where Does Our Help Come From?" We learn together, in this time appropriate message, where our gaze should be fixed, and on whom we rest our hope.

Jesus gifts His church for health, growth, and maturity. This is His desire and design. We should take that seriously! How can we get there, in ever deepening ways?

God's creation account states that humans are created in the "image" of God. Much ink has been spilt in order to flush out the meaning of this idea. What does it mean that we are created in his image? This image-bearing idea also shows up in later scriptures. How do we connect the dots with later scripture? How does image-bearing impact our daily lives?

After a call to the high standard of unity, reflected in the shared experience and truth of the Gospel, one might assume that all followers of Jesus are cookie-cutter clones. Not so. Jesus' body, The Church, has many diverse members.

When we encounter them dead on, the Bible's fundamental truth claims are stunning. God's creative power and authority revealed in Genesis 1 push implications into every aspect of our lives, including what we value and hold as ultimate... the Good. Not surprisingly, God has something to say about that.

We briefly detour this morning into John's Gospel; but really we stay right on topic. We've seen the call to humility, patience, and unity, grounded in the one Faith and our shared identity as God's adopted children. Sometimes it's helpful to consider the prototype!

We're to walk in a manner worthy of our calling; what's that look like? Where should we begin? How about the beginning -- that is, the basics?

History is important because he explains how we got to the present and gives clues to where we are going. Creation is key because it gives us present dignity and also guides our future purpose. Each of us must answer basic questions like, “who am I?” and “why am I here?” and “where am I going?” Genesis is our root structure that plants us firmly in reality while also providing the life for future growth.