How do you define the word, “worldly or carnal”. Some of you may remember when you either were told or believed that card playing, going to any movie, or dancing were examples of being worldly or carnal. I never danced in high school until I attended a conference in Dallas, Texas. The word got back to my parents and my home church in Hammond, Indiana. To this day, I don’t know how people found out! We talk about worldliness this week on CrossHope.

Have you ever learned what your “learning style” is? Some people learn visually, some learn in an auditory manner, meaning through listening. Some people learn tactilely, meaning through touch. What’s your learning style? We talk this week about a most important learning style that comes through the Spirit of God to our spirit! That may seem preposterous to some people, yet it really is true!

The phrase is worded, “cut to the chase”. It came out of the movie making industry years ago. It has come to mean, get to the bottom line or the main thing of an issue. This week, we cut to the chase about preaching. We study a passage of scripture about preaching where Paul states unequivocally what preaching is to be about. It is always to be about the person and work of Christ. Nothing more and nothing less!

The word is “paradox”. It means that something doesn’t make logical sense, yet is true! You may be married to a paradox! You may seem paradoxical to your spouse or family. We study a paradoxical concept this week: power in weakness. God actually chooses to demonstrate His power in our weakness; His success in our failures; His hope in our hopelessness!

Two of the idols that we worship in the United States today are “education” and the idol of “public opinion”. Yet we study a passage of scripture this week that says “real wisdom and power” come from what many say is foolish or nothing, yet it is the very power of God! See if you don’t agree after listening this week!

We begin a new series from a dramatic letter of Paul to a local church. This was a church with major problems. This was a church in probably the most wicked city of its day. This was a church with people in the congregation suing one another in court, immorality in the ranks, and conflicts of all kinds. The first problem dealt with is disunity. There is a reason for that!

We conclude this two-part message on spiritual warfare from the last chapter of Ephesians. Spiritual warfare is real, it’s personal, and it’s visible in our lives sometimes! What we call troubles or problems is sometimes our involvement in warfare as an individual, as a family, an as a church! It’s not a myth or imaginary; it’s real!

This is part one of a two-part message on dealing with Satan and the Kingdom of evil. That sounds so dramatic, doesn’t it? It happens to be true, because we live in a culture that doesn’t like to explain evil in any other way than “natural”. We are engaged in spiritual warfare today in 2018, whether we recognize that fact or not.

When I originally gave this message, I read the longest passage of scripture that I have ever shared publically in a message. And yet, I chose to focus on only one verse! We explain why in the message: “If you and I get this one verse right in our lives, the rest should follow suit!” See if you don’t agree.

How much time do you think you have left in your lifespan? You don’t know; neither do I. That’s the reality for all of us. Time is a gift from God; most people don’t realize that. Tomorrow is a gift that you and I haven’t received yet. Next week, next month, and next year are all gifts that we haven’t received. This is a message from Ephesians about your use of time. What the Lord says just may surprise you and me.