People who believe in Jesus should act differently than people who do not believe in Jesus. People are actively following in the way of Jesus will, in fact, be different. However, the issue is, we all have a flesh and past that will be with us until we pass from this earthly life. In the text this week, the apostle Paul calls us to "put off" that way of life - almost like clothes, so that we can put on the "new man" that lives in us already.

Pastor Ethan Riddle from Hope Church Stokes County delivers a message on Ephesians 4: 7-16. As we continue reading through Ephesians, we find that Paul discusses the gifts God gave to the church and the importance of uniting as the body of Christ to work together for His good.

Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, Catholic, Lutheran, Pentecostal, Church of God, Church of Christ... and that is just to name a few! So many denominations, and so many schools of thought - is it possible then to get along? How? Why should we even try? We'll discover this week that we may be many in number, preferences, and opinions, but we are also one in Jesus Christ.

Paul once again covers his beloved Ephesian brothers and sisters in prayer. And yet once more, he doesn't flutter about with fluff and non-particulars. Instead, he lovingly intercedes for them to the Father through the Spirit by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. He writes this specific prayer down, so that now, we modern-day believers can gain much needed encouragement, insight, and helpful correction in our own lives. It's all about Jesus!

Last week, the Apostle Paul painted a structural metaphor for us made up of walls and houses. This week, it's all about the mystery of God. Specifically, how God mysteriously works behind the scenes, creating unexpected beauty with unsuspecting (and many times, undeserving) people. How did God bridge the unbridgeable divide between Jews and Gentiles? With this mysterious plan and beautiful body called, "the church."

This week in the book of Ephesians, Paul is involved with the tearing down of walls and the building of houses. Just as with the remodel of any structure, it must get worse before it gets better. Paul reveals just how bad it was for us outside of Christ, then he leads us into the beautiful body that now exists and continues to grow in Christ Jesus.

Based on our reading of Ephesians, there is no doubt the apostle Paul loved this group of believers, and it's evident by his letter. After presumed dead by his Ephesian family, they received welcome news that Paul was, at the time, still alive and actively thinking and praying for them - what an encouragement that must have been! This week, we pore over Chapter 2: 1-10 where Paul breaks down the most important doctrine in The Holy Book. That is, the what, why, and how of salvation!

This week, we are starting a brand new series out of Paul's letter to the Ephesians. This book towards the end of the Bible is rich with sound theology, teaching, and encouragement. This book will no doubt bless us in many ways as we navigate through it together.

We are ending our sermon series, "Twisted Scriptures," with a sermon on how to study the Bible. As we end this series, we discuss ways to study the Bible through Scripture, observation, application, and prayer. May we all seek to be more like Jesus as we learn more about Him through His Word.

What can a Christian do? What can a Christian not do? What substances can a Christian partake in? What festivities can Christians partake of? At the end of the day, should they? Are these the right questions, or is there a bigger question we should be asking? We attempt to answer these questions and more with this continuation sermon of "Your Body is a Temple."