Family Chapel

After calling for restoration with the offending brother, Paul pivots to defending his apostolic ministry. In order to correct the false notions of glory that the Corinthians held, Paul asserts that his apostleship and sufficiency comes from God. His confidence is in the power of the Gospel that gives off the fragrance of life and death. And the Corinthians themselves are the proof of the power and sufficiency of God. Paul's credentials are their transformed hearts. Much in the same way, our sufficiency, power, and glory is found in God and the Gospel he entrusts to us.

Church discipline often gets a bad rap, but it is an important part of building a healthy church community. Jesus has called his church to exercise discipline in calling fellow believers to repentance when they are caught in unrepentant, verifiable, and significant sin. The Apostle Paul also issues the call to engage in church discipline. Church discipline is necessary because sin impacts the whole community. Church discipline is ultimately aimed at restoration. Church discipline displays the grace that is found in the Gospel. And church discipline guards against Satan's schemes.

As we continue to walk in relationship with God, He will lead us into circumstances where our faith is tested. When our faith is called into question may we humbly trust that God will provide, that God will keep His promises, and that God is worthy of our worship.

There are inherent challenges to maintaining relationships in church community, such as disappointment, distrust, and disconnection. In light of those challenges, rather than seeking to rebuild community on whatever is convenient or even pragmatic, the Gospel serves as the foundation for our church community since it brings us deep unity. The Gospel unites us in our worship, fellowship, mission, and future. As such, we can rest on the solid foundation of the Gospel as we seek to rebuild church community.

As Kingdom citizens, we set our hope on Christ, rather than on the world or on our circumstances. We can especially rest in God's goodness and faithfulness through prayer, as we long for Christ in our waiting.

As Paul writes again to this troubled and issue-filled church, we will first explore the background, culture, and conflict with the Corinthian church. Then we will see that yet in the midst of this, the Father of mercy and the God of all comfort is with them. We will learn that because of Him, there is comfort in suffering, reason for suffering, and power for suffering.

Easter is the day that we celebrate Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. But Jesus' resurrection is not merely a happy ending. Rather, Easter is the start of something new. Easter points to the astonishing reality in which God’s Kingdom, and presence, and power have broken into the world in such a game-changing way, which will ultimately culminate in the renewal of all things.

The calling given to us as the Church is too much for us to handle on our own. Thankfully, we are not meant to do this on our own. Rather, we have been given the Holy Spirit, who glorifies Christ, brings new life, sanctifies believers, and empowers for mission. As such, we can faithfully be the Church as we are driven by the Holy Spirit.

The main mission entrusted to the church is to make disciples. But there are some great challenges to discipleship in our day and age, especially as we find ourselves living in a post-Christian context, with new digital frontiers, and increasing polarization (the wild, wild West). How can the church point people to Christ in such a world? We can seek to help others to follow Jesus by engaging in pre-evangelism, building up an embodied community, and cultivating a compelling counter-culture.

This Sunday we will continue our church series talking about Leadership from various passages. In this day and age of suspicion and cynicism towards leadership, we will see the beauty of the biblical model of leadership that reflects the image of the Trinity in mutual surrender and love. Then we will see how we are all called and challenged to be leaders in some way and the need for all us to grow to become servant leaders.