Pea Ridge Audio Podcast

As our church begins a new journey through the New Testament letter of Ephesians, we discover that God's purpose for mankind is redemption through the blood of Jesus Christ. Paul wrote that we who believe are chosen by God from the foundation of the world, and this truth is meant to encourage us rather than confuse us.

We cannot follow Jesus alone, though our human nature is to try. He created the church so we could live life in community. We need to be "all in" – meaning we need prioritize life within this community so we can develop Christ-centered relationships that help us grow. It's through these relationships that we can instruct one another in the ways of God.

Only when we are open and honest with one another do we experience true fellowship. While living authentically feels risky and goes against the ways of our culture, it is biblical and plays an important part in our walk with Christ.

God has given us His Word so that we can know Him, and also so that we can faithfully follow Him. We are to use the Bible to counsel one another with His truth. As we give and receive biblical counsel, we grow stronger in our relationship with our Heavenly Father.

What's the difference between pretending to love someone and truly loving them? When we truly love someone, we are willing to sacrifice ourselves for them as Jesus sacrificed himself for us. As we pursue relationships with others, we must follow the example of the early church and give ourselves to efforts of fellowship, care, prayer and fun.

In the first message of this new series, we learn that abiding in Jesus means spending time with him and with other believers. As we are devoted to him individually and collectively, the power of God moving in and through us together is multiplied and His kingdom grows.

How can celebration be a habit? Isn’t it the spontaneous response of our heart to good news? If we consider times of celebration in our lives, most are tied to regularly scheduled events. This is rooted in God's instruction to ancient Israel, to celebrate His goodness through trusting in Him to provide. When we do the same, we can truly celebrate our loving Heavenly Father.

We are wired for worship. Our attention is easily given to people and things as we walk through life, but only God is truly worthy of our worship. Cultivating a life of worship means embracing the truth that we who believe are God's temple, and therefore we can worship Him everywhere we go and in all that we do.

We enter into a relationship with God through confession of sin and trust in the finished work of Christ. And, as we continue that relationship, when continue the practice of confessing our sins to the Lord to maintain a close fellowship with Him. The good news is, when we confess, he runs to meet us where we are and offer forgiveness.

Jesus taught that his followers are to TAKE last place and serve others. Submitting to and serving others is difficult because on some level, we all desire to be great in the eyes of the world. Embracing this discipline means embracing what is true greatness in the kingdom of God.