Many of us constantly battle with trying to live up to the expectations of others or trying to live up to my own unrealistic expectations. For others, we find ourselves wrestling with the lie of the expectations we think God has for us. If you battle with the pursuit of perfectionism you may even find yourself “almost” lying in order to show an image of yourself that’s not real. Or maybe you avoid something that you’d like to do because you’re afraid you won’t hit the standard, so you’ll avoid it altogether. Or you obsess over something to get it just right without realizing that perfectionism will hinder progress while telling yourself “this is the price I pay to be successful.” So how do we avoid the burden of perfection? Jesus tells us; “become like little children.”

“We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God,

and take every thought captive to obey Christ.”  -2 Corinthians 10:5

Ethos is a life-giving community committed to keeping Jesus at its Center. We are on a mission to love all people in Jesus' name so that we may all Know God, Find Freedom, Discover Purpose, & Make a Difference.

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For so many of us, work is a means to an end. Maybe that end is significance, power and authority, notoriety, money, opportunity, the weekend or vacation, rest, or play and leisure. Work can so easily become the thing we do to get what we really want. Work was never intended to be a means to an end, in fact, work is a part of the “end” in and of itself. Think about this; If Jesus came today, He could have had your job. In fact, following Jesus is about one simple question; “If Jesus were me, if He lived where I live, had my job, my education, made my salary, had my family, how would He live?” Following Jesus is the process of answering that.

“Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.”

-Mark 1:38-

Ethos is a life-giving community committed to keeping Jesus at its Center. We are on a mission to love all people in Jesus' name so that we may all Know God, Find Freedom, Discover Purpose, & Make a Difference.

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Small Groups: EthosOH.com/Community

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There are over 7.9 billion people on earth. Which is a number that most of us have a hard time wrapping our heads around but one of the striking things about humanity is how different we all are. Everyone is unique and diverse and yet, we are all called to rule, subdue, work, and take care of the earth but we each do that in a unique way. The term “vocation” comes from the Latin word, “vocatio”, which essentially means “calling”. Your vocation is your calling in life.

We believe God calls pastors and missionaries AND we believe He calls bankers, musicians, stay at home moms & dads, artists, accountants, and baristas among so many other vocations. Your vocation, your calling, or whatever you want to call it, isn’t limited to “spiritual” type jobs and careers. In this teaching, we are going to discuss how you should choose your vocation wisely and how you should use your vocation wisely.

“We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.”

-1 Thessalonians 1:3-

Ethos is a life-giving community committed to keeping Jesus at its Center. We are on a mission to love all people in Jesus' name so that we may all Know God, Find Freedom, Discover Purpose, & Make a Difference.

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Small Groups: EthosOH.com/Community

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It seems that we often have to remind ourselves that the purpose of working is not about serving ourselves but rather serving God and others. There is a higher purpose to our labor, and that is to make Jesus known and reflect His character in all the work that we do. God created man with the ability and purpose to work. And when we view work through the lens of a gift from God; we will start to see the fulfillment and provision working brings us. We would become faithful in our jobs and work to please God, not man. And our work would resemble God’s true character. How we view our work makes all the difference in how we represent God and how we draw others into Him.

“The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.”

-Genesis 2:15 (ESV)-

Ethos is a life-giving community committed to keeping Jesus at its Center. We are on a mission to love all people in Jesus' name so that we may all Know God, Find Freedom, Discover Purpose, & Make a Difference.

EthosOH.com

Small Groups: EthosOH.com/Community

ServeColumbus.org

What’s the first question we usually ask somebody when we meet them? “So, what do you do?” Which is essentially the same question as, “What are you giving your life to?” and “Do you like it?” The vast majority of our lives is spent working. The next largest slice of the pie is spent resting – the stuff we look forward to and savor. In church, we often spend most of our time teaching people how to live the minority of their lives, but we need to talk about ALL of life. What it means to be a follower of Jesus at church AND at school, at the gym, at our coffee shop, on a date night, and of course at work. To understand this better, we have to go to the beginning.

“Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground. So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.”

-Genesis 1:26-27-

Ethos is a life-giving community committed to keeping Jesus at its Center. We are on a mission to love all people in Jesus' name so that we may all Know God, Find Freedom, Discover Purpose, & Make a Difference.

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Small Groups: EthosOH.com/Community

ServeColumbus.org

A lot of us have trouble understanding why Jesus had to die for our sins not because we don’t understand God’s holiness, but we misunderstand our own level of depravity. In a world where so much sin is accepted and celebrated, it’s easy to believe that we aren’t “that bad.” Without the sacrifice of Jesus, we would be without hope and without forgiveness. Isaiah 64:6 says, “We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall, and our sins sweep us away like the wind.” Even on our best days and with our best intentions, without the blood of Jesus we would deserve death as the punishment for sin. We did nothing to earn our forgiveness and everything to deserve punishment. But in God’s great love for us, He sent His son and took our punishment upon Himself. Jesus died not because we were worthy of it, but because He loves to be with the ones He loves.

“But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed”

Ethos is a life-giving community committed to keeping Jesus at its Center. We are on a mission to love all people in Jesus' name so that we may all Know God, Find Freedom, Discover Purpose, & Make a Difference.

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Small Groups: EthosOH.com/Community

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Our goal in life is not simply to follow Jesus but to become like Him. Therefore, He must increase and we must decrease (John 3:30). There are three promises we can make to help us be more like Jesus in our relationships. First, we can promise to respond with patience and love rather than to react out of emotion and impulse. Next, we can promise to focus on the good in people instead of focusing on their faults. Last, we can promise to talk it out when there is conflict instead of walking away and giving up on the relationship.

Ethos is a life-giving community committed to keeping Jesus at its Center. We are on a mission to love all people in Jesus' name so that we may all Know God, Find Freedom, Discover Purpose, & Make a Difference.

EthosOH.com

Small Groups: EthosOH.com/Community

ServeColumbus.org

In order for relationships to work, we must let the One who designed them define them. God wants our relationships to be healthy. Contrary to what we often see in the world, relationships are not disposable. They require commitment in order to work well. Making promises can assist us in staying committed to our relationships. There are four specific promises we can make to strengthen our relationships. First, we make the promise of priority. We have to put our relationships in the right order. Then we make the promise of continual pursuit. For example, we can work just as hard at keeping our spouse as we did when we were trying to win their affection. The same principle can be applied to employers or customers. We can work as hard to keep a job as we did to get the job or promotion. Next, we promise not to make our relationships all about ourselves. Instead, we think of relationships as partnerships, allowing our differences to complement each other. Last, we promise to confide in one another instead of concealing our weaknesses and shortcomings.

“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need”

Ethos is a life-giving community committed to keeping Jesus at its Center. We are on a mission to love all people in Jesus' name so that we may all Know God, Find Freedom, Discover Purpose, & Make a Difference.

EthosOH.com

Small Groups: EthosOH.com/Community

ServeColumbus.org

Ethos is a life-giving community committed to keeping Jesus at its Center. We are on a mission to love all people in Jesus' name so that we may all Know God, Find Freedom, Discover Purpose, & Make a Difference.

EthosOH.com

Small Groups: EthosOH.com/Community

ServeColumbus.org

The breath that is in your lungs, gives you the ability to live, to speak, and to enjoy your daily life. But the breath that is in you, since it is a gift from God, is meant for so much more. We are called to use the breath that God gave us, for His good and His glory. That means speaking life, speaking love, speaking encouragement, and letting our voices be used to draw people into Christ. What we say in our world today carries so much weight and impact, and if we are housing God’s breath in our very bodies it is our responsibility, our job even, to speak words of life into the world. It is because of His very breath that He put into us that we can even speak, so may our words be worship, praise, love, and life.

“Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.”

Ethos is a life-giving community committed to keeping Jesus at its Center. We are on a mission to love all people in Jesus' name so that we may all Know God, Find Freedom, Discover Purpose, & Make a Difference.

EthosOH.com

Small Groups: EthosOH.com/Community

ServeColumbus.org