Hill Country Bible Church Dripping Springs Sermons

It is only through the Holy Spirit that we can find the power and boldness to share the gospel. When we have a right view of reality, walk in the Spirit and commit to prayer in evangelism we will see great things happen.

We can feel inadequate when sharing our faith. Our reasons are varied; we lack training, we feel intellectually inferior or we do not handle opposition well. Yet, sharing our faith is a Biblical mandate. More than once Jesus promises the Holy Spirit will work within us to let God's glory be displayed through our imperfection.

Grace without truth leads to tolerance of sin. Truth without grace leads to legalism. In describing the incarnation, John tells us that Jesus was “full of grace and truth”. These traits dwelt in Him inseparably, not paradoxically. We are to be the same.

Our words bear witness to our inner character; our spiritual maturity, our thoughts, and our feelings. They have power to destroy or build up. Ultimately the motivation for our words should be to honor God.

A tree produces its own type of fruit. Jesus uses this metaphor show that our words, like fruit, tell us the state of our hearts, the tree. To tame the tongue our need is different than merely filtering our speech. We must depend on God’s grace to transform our hearts and make us the right type of fruit-bearer.

Words, both online and spoken, play a crucial role in our witness. As Jesus' disciples we must let our changed hearts shape the way we communicate.

The appeal of a “false gospel” was as strong in the Corinthian church as it is in the western church today. Are we Christian or counterfeit? The ultimate test is to examine and confirm the presence of Jesus Christ in us, individually and communally. His presence confirms we are, indeed, His disciples.

Paul was the spiritual father of the Corinthian church. However, he was forced to defend the faith in Corinth because he was not as smooth and appealing as that of the false teachers. In doing so, he shows how a true servant of Christ carries out ministry.

Discouragement is common. How often we are discouraged can be an index for our spiritual maturity. Being discouraged all the time shows that we have not yet learned how to deal with challenges in a God-honoring way. Too little or no discouragement shows us not caring or detached from those around us.

When people boast about their accomplishments or credentials, the motivation is generally self-centered. We can find that tedious. Even worse, though, boasting leaves no room for God to be glorified. Instead, we are called to boast about something unlikely, things that show our weakness.