First Methodist Traditional

On a Sunday of student-led worship, three of our youth come forward to tell the congregation what they’ve learned about the nature of Jesus, and how the mission of the church has helped them see Him more clearly - the ways that they’ve come to know God, and the various moments and missions that have opened their eyes to see His nature and His love.

Matthew 16:13-16

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Lance jokes about discovering on social media that the Rapture supposedly happened this week - “I guess we all missed it.” But he talks about living in awareness of a future we know is approaching - how to live today as if tomorrow has already come.

We hold the hope of heaven, the hope of eternity, inside of us. And because of that, we can know that we are never alone. Nothing can rob you of the hope of heaven or the joy that God has put in all of our hearts.

Revelation 21:1-7

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One of Lance’s favorite things to do with his grandmother was to sit down with her photo albums, and have her tell him his story, even the parts he was too young to remember.

Likewise, Paul is opening up the photo album for the Corinthians, and showing them their story - even the parts they haven’t seen, weren’t there for, to help them make sense of their faith.

Because they, like us, danced on the edge of mystery - we know we are to be raised from the dead, but we have to accept this on faith alone.

Yet if we believe Jesus was resurrected from the dead, we can also believe what we have been promised in Scripture.

If Christ wasn’t raised from the dead, our belief is in vain. And if we don’t believe that we will be raised with him, we believe in vain.

1 Corinthians 15:12-14, 20-23, 35-50

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There’s a lot of on-the-job training with the Holy Spirit. God equips those who he calls to him. So when God calls you, say “yes.” We have footsteps to follow in.

We are to forgive the sins of others, that is our work. Take up and follow Christ.

Matthew 6:12, 14-15

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When we gather for worship, we are gathering for worship with all the world, all the worship that spans distance and time and in fact all of eternity.

We don’t have to be perfect - but we are saints! And we should strive for perfection. For we have been set apart to be holy.

1 Corinthians 1:1-9

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To help us understand what the Holy Spirit is, Lance takes us to the root of the word, and shows us the ways the Spirit interacts with our lives. The Spirit is there with us - as a comfort, as a coach, as a wind that blows us towards where God wants us to be. But it’s on us to let it move us.

Lance wants us to be a people moved by the Holy Spirit - who actually pray for each other, who don’t play it safe, but follow in the direction that the Spirit is leading.

John 14:15-20, 25-26; 15:26-27; 16:7-15

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Judgment isn’t something we talk about all that often. But if there is a new heaven and a new earth coming, what we do in this life matters.

We are called to social holiness, and that means not standing in judgment over one another, but raising one another up.

2 Peter 3: 8-15a

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Lance looks at the Ascension of Jesus, and the mission Christ left us on earth. We are the body of Christ. We have to live that!

We’ve been given the power to fill every thing in every way with the heart of Jesus. And we’ve got work to do.

“We cannot lament the way of the world if we are not doing anything about it!”

Ephesians 1:17-23, 2:4-7

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