Paul reminds the church of the importance of "waking up" to the reality that we're a part of. It is easy to get lulled to sleep, forgetting the story of redemption that we're caught up in as a part of God's Kingdom.

In Acts 16, we hear the account of Paul's trip to Philippi and how the church began there. The first three converts in the city are all utterly different types of people from different walks of life, showing that the Gospel message is for everyone.

Lent is a season of the church’s calendar that begins on Ash Wednesday and goes through Holy Week (the week leading up to Easter Sunday). It is a season to prepare our hearts for the joy and celebration of Easter, reminding us that the journey to the empty tomb goes through the cross. In this way, it prepares us for the brokenness we inevitably will face in this life. As we practice even small ways of self-denial, we remind ourselves of the true source of peace and comfort: Jesus himself.

Paul tells us that the Christian life is one that has moved from darkness to light. As children of the light, we must remember our identity and strive to walk in the light as we pursue what is good, right, and true.

Paul reminds us of the goodness of God's sexual ethic and the dangers of stepping outside of that ethic. Sex was created as a gift, and it is precisely because it is so wonderful that it must be stewarded well.

Paul instructs the church to be "imitators of God," which, ultimately, is a fulfillment of the very thing we were created for. As his children, we imitate our Heavenly Father. We sacrifice for others as he sacrificed for us. We love others because he first loved us.

The reality of the Gospel leads us into a new life. We are to put off certain behaviors and take on others, not as a way of earning favor with God but as a way of responding to the favor we've been shown in Christ.

One of the marks of our identity in Christ is the commitment that we have to put our sin to death and put on what the Bible calls "the new self." Jesus doesn't just save us from the penalty of sin, but he is also with us, presently, saving us from the power of sin.

One of the implications of the Gospel is that as we all pursue unity together, we will also all be pursuing maturity in Christ together. Paul reminds us that everyone in the church is needed in this endeavor and that it will require a humble commitment to speaking the truth in love.

Paul begins Ephesians 4 with the word "therefore," telling the church that the Gospel demands of us a life worthy of it. We must allow the truth of the Gospel (its doctrine) to inform our lives and relationships (our culture).