Grace Sagola Church

Being part of a family isn't easy - but then again, not worth doing is ever easy.  We have a hidden warning at the end of Philemon through the providence of God's progressive revelation.

A healthy church needs more than just a one-hour-a-week gathering. A healthy church needs personal community that goes beyond the 4 walls of the church building.  A healthy church needs intentional reunion for the refreshment of our souls.  

The follow-through is always the hardest.  It's one thing to know that you're bound together in the family of God with others in the church, but it's a whole other thing to put your money-where-your-mouth-is and intentionally dig in deep into fellowship and Christian community. 

Paul's message to Philemon isn't for Onesimus's sake alone - it's actually to help Philemon. The evidence of our Christian faith is only seen when put the world's standards behind those of our Creator. It is our Creator who gives us our lasting identity in Him. 

The Christian community was always designed by God to be more than just a "community".  As there are many such "communities" in our world, all defined by shared values and identities, the Christian community was supposed to be a family of God. 

God's design for our growth in Him includes a commitment to one another in love, fellowship and encouragement.  For the church to experience and express this as a whole will require small manageable groups of families, whose relationships can grow deeper beyond the 2 hours of accessibility of a Sunday morning worship service... these are called Life Groups at Grace. 

One of the essential mechanisms for our growth and encouragement in the faith is the Christian community. Paul's interaction with Philemon reveals many of these characteristics that we can learn from today. 

The sending of disciples on mission was determined by the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. If we too are to be sent, we also must learn to be led by the Spirit. 

One of the most difficult aspects of being sent is submitting to the one who sends you. We are most secure when we are in the center of God's purpose and calling, no matter where He sends us. 

Our true opposition in this world is not the men and women we are sent to, rather it is the unseen enemy that opposes the glory of our God.  We are protected from this deceiver by grounding our understanding upon God's Truth! 

The task of being "sent" begins with following Jesus. 

God's intention for the commissioning of missionaries was to function through the local church by leading of God's Spirit.  When this happens as designed, it helps grow those believers who "hold the reins" in their participation with the mission of God. 

The commissioning of the disciples by Jesus serves for the church as a lens to see and understand the unfolding plan of God.  He has chosen to dispense the message of salvation through those equipped and sent with orders. 

The nature of Jesus' commission from the Father will help us in our understanding for how Jesus' disciples are also sent.  We will see that at the foundation, Jesus is sent to display what the Kingdom and rule of God looks like on the earth. 

There are some certainties when it comes to the nature of mission work in a fallen world. Jesus gives his disciples a required strategy for their success as they are sent out like sheep among wolves. 

The most grievous action in history was the murder of Jesus.  The horror of the cross could only be transformed by the love of God - that the cross of Christ would serve as our guiding light.

The Ascension of Jesus allows for the intercession of Jesus.  His return, in the presence of God the Father, is what activates His work of atonement on the cross.  Jesus' blood applied is what substantiates His advocacy for sinners like us

The gathering of God's people in worship is described as a Temple... a place where God dwells by His Spirit.  What does it mean for our individual and corporate lives to be God's temple on earth? 

How should we think about being "raised" in The Rapture? 

God's new creation will be a place where He is in full control, and where we enjoy full fellowship with Him.  A portion of the new creation is offered to us in the new birth in fellowship with the Spirit. 

The central hope of our faith is the resurrection.  And the evidence for this hope is found in the empty tomb.  Because Jesus lives, we will live. 

The Christian's identity must be anchored in Jesus as Lord.  When it is, there is a gracious work of the Spirit to retrain the mind and our affections after God's will, purpose, and plan. Today we will see how Paul instructs the church to do just that.  

The soul has been gifted as life to the human having been raised from the dust.  But the soul has also been lost in our rebellion.  It is the grace of our God that can protect and persevere our wayward souls through His Son, and in the process sustain the work of redemption to remake our very souls in conformity with His will. 

How do we identify a follower of Jesus? The answer isn't easy; it's obvious, but it isn't easy. The feature characteristic of one who follows Jesus is an evidencing of the love of Jesus.

Imitation is tricky word.  It can refer to a faithful reproduction or false forgery.  In our call towards discipleship we taught to pattern our lives after our Lord - to imitate Jesus.