Christ Community Chapel (Audio)

Every human soul is afflicted with two deadly diseases: guilt and shame. As sinful people, we can't break free of the cycle of guilt and shame on our own... But while trespasses can't be healed, they can be paid for. By suffering on the cross for us, Jesus experienced shame and punishment on our behalf, becoming the eternal sacrifice that bought our forgiveness. Now it's up to us to relish that forgiveness and willingly forgive those around us.

In 3 John 1:4, the disciple John says that there is no greater joy than to hear his children are walking in the truth... We agree. When the next generation is raised up in the ways of the Lord, it's good for them, it's good for us and it's good for the world. Join us this week as we celebrate our children's ministry and take the opportunity to give to some children-focused ministries: the Coalition of Children in Need Association (COCINA) in Haiti, Action for Empowerment (AOET) in Uganda, and CCC's own foster care and adoption ministry.

Jesus lit the fuse of a movement that upended the ancient world and continues to rock our world to this day. The process that transformed his followers who in turn transformed the world is the same process today: it takes place on the inside of a person and expresses itself on the outside. Join us as we take a look at those steps of inward transformation and the use of baptism as an expression of that change.

We all have a natural desire to belong, and when we choose to follow Jesus and become a Christian, we find that we suddenly belong to the worldwide family of his followers known as "the church." As members of the church, we are told in I Corinthians 12:12-26 that we are part of a global "body of Christ" and that we all have important roles to play in that body. We may all be different and it may be difficult to always feel as though we belong, but if we know that we are one, trust that we are one and act as though we are one, we can begin to work with the rest of the body of Christ to be transformed and transform the world.

The first step toward being transformed and achieving great things through Christ is believing. It may sound basic, but it can often feel like taking a huge jump. We may know that there is great joy and freedom through faith in God, but it doesn't make taking that jump easy.

Choosing to trust in God requires admitting we are broken without him, stuck in our sin and needing a savior. We may feel too unworthy, too vulnerable to judgment or that we're giving up too much by believing in the saving power of Christ. But when we do take that "leap of faith" - when we join that body of other broken believers in the arms of God for all eternity - we realize it was well worth it.

This January, we're focusing as a church on three bold claims of Christianity: you can know God, God can change you and God can use you to change the world. This week, we investigate the third claim, recognizing that Christianity has changed the world so deeply that it's almost impossible to imagine a world that was never impacted by Jesus and his followers. This drastic ability to influence dates back to Jesus' disciples - a group of ordinary, uneducated men who quickly transformed the known world by living as Jesus taught them. And that ability still resides with Christians today who can tap into a different identity (Jesus), a different purpose (serving others), and a different power (love and fearlessness through the Holy Spirit) to positively impact the world together.

As we focus this year on knowing God, being changed by him and then being used to change the world, one of the first things we must realize is that we need to change. On the surface, that isn't exactly hard... Many of us made New Year's resolutions not long ago precisely because we want to change. We need to realize, however, that we don't only need to change our eating and exercise habits, but our very spiritual identities.

This week, Pastor Joe explains what that looks like-how we need to change and how Jesus allows it to happen. Because as Christians, it's not about trying to change the thousand things that are wrong with us... It's about making one change in our lives by deciding to follow and trust in Jesus as our savior.

In Ephesians 2:1-10, we read that we were dead in our trespasses and sins, but because of God's great love and grace, we have been saved. Because we are naturally spiritually dead, we have little desire to put God at the center of our lives. While we could act like the moon - a cold, dead rock that still reflects the brilliant light of the sun to illuminate the world - we choose not to do so. We could put God at the center of our lives and choose to orbit him, reflecting his grace and radiance to the world, but we want to be the sun, not the moon in our lives. We want God to orbit around us.

We are ravenous for glory, but our own success can never illuminate our lives the way God can. We must realize it's not about having God orbit around us, but accepting that we will remain cold, dark and spiritually dead without him. It is a state that requires a radical solution that overcomes our strong desire to be self-centered... And that solution is grace. Only grace can change the orbit of our lives, and it's given to us abundantly in the sacrifice Jesus made. Yes, we can know God, but first we much accept his grace and then be transformed by the humility, compassion and love that comes with it.