Psalm 90, Guest Speaker: Pastor Jun Park

Psalm 90, Guest Speaker: Pastor Jun Park

How Can We Trust a 2000-Year-Old Book, Guest Speaker: Rand Cho

How Can We Trust a 2000-Year-Old Book, Guest Speaker: Rand Cho

Better Together: Missional Unity, John 17:20-23

Kids look like and often act like their parents. In Eph. 5:1, Paul says, “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children." Like kids imitate their parents, we are to imitate God. In this message, Pastor Jeff explains why we can't imitate God, why now we can, and what it means to imitate Him.

Better Together: Missional Unity, John 17:20-23

The Work of Our Words (Ephesians 4:29-32) God values what we say and desires our words to build up and give grace rather than destroy others in judgment. 1. Why Our Words Matter When you consider how God created the world, how Jesus performed His miracles, and what our Sunday service looks like, Christianity is a faith that speaks. God cares about what we say and how we say it. We would be wise to avoid corrupting talk because of the damage it does. 2. What Our Words Reveal Our words are little windows into our soul. They are the manner in which we express ourselves through various emotions. Nobody speaks with an absence of any kind of influence but everything we say has roots deep within our hearts. Our words reveal what we treasure, what matters most to us, whether that is Jesus or something else. 3. What Our Words Should Do What we say should accomplish two main things; it should build up others and give grace to others. In building up, we reflect the Holy Spirit that is working feverishly within us to make us more like Jesus in every way, including our speech. In giving grace, we find ways to supply what’s lacking in others, picking them up when they’re down rather than kicking more dirt on them. All of this is only possible when we first rest and receive the grace we’ve received in Jesus Christ. Reflection Questions: 1. What are the ways you’ve been hurt by the words of others? How have you hurt others with your words? Why do you think God cares so much about what we say? 2. What does your language look like when you are angry? Bitter? Frustrated? Sad? Think of a time when your words and emotions have been a manifestation of something going on in your heart. What was the root reason for why you said the things you did? 3. What does it look like to build others up in Jesus with your words? What are ways you can accomplish that? What does it mean to give grace to others with your manner of speech? 4. Can you think of examples where someone has spoken grace to you or you’ve done so to others? How should our forgiveness in Christ inform how we speak to each other?