Text: Ephesians 5:14 What Paul Says They Needed to Do Go from sleep to being awake — state of alertness Go from death to life — state of salvation Go from darkness to light — state of enlightenment Why They Needed to Do These Things If they were not alert, they were vulnerable (1 Peter [...]

Text: Philemon 1-2 What Exactly is a House Church? Generally smaller (approximately 15-25 members) Typically meet in someone’s house But there is more to the house church movement than the size & location of a congregation’s assembly Two different kinds of house churches — one is connected to a larger church, the other is independent [...]

Text: 1 Corinthians 13:6-7 One Who Simply Believes Error It is expected that our knowledge will grow from infancy to maturity (1 Peter 2:2; Hebrews 5:12-14) Growth can only happen through the teaching of the word (1 Peter 2:2) Error needs to be explained & refuted (2 Corinthians 10:5) One Who Openly Promotes Error This [...]

Text: Acts 14:27 Background of Paul & Barnabas’ Report to Antioch Antioch sent them on their way (Acts 13:3) They had just returned from their preaching trip (Acts 14:26) They gathered the church, not just the elders or a few individuals (Acts 14:27) Benefits of Preaching Reports Preachers are kept accountable — ensuring they are [...]

Text: Romans 14 What We Must Understand As We Begin: Controversy: Does Romans 14 allow ongoing fellowship with those in sin/error? We can understand this (Ephesians 3:4) Scripture does not contradict itself (John 10:35) What Does This Chapter Teach & What Does It Not Teach? Don’t judge others’ opinions by your opinions. NOT: Don’t judge. (v. [...]

Misunderstanding Grace Leads to Error More sin leads to more grace (Romans 6:1-2) Grace is a license to sin (Jude 4) With the grace-unity movement, grace is the basis for unity What is Grace? God’s gift of salvation (Ephesians 2:8) The gospel is the message of God’s grace (Acts 20:24) Grace is not without works [...]

Text: John 15:1-6 The Vine: Jesus He is the source of life He is the source of strength/nourishment He is what binds the branches together The Branches: Christians Individuals, not churches/denominations We must abide in Christ We are to bear fruit The Vinedresser: God the Father Cuts off unfruitful branches Prunes the fruitful branches Grafts [...]

Text: 1 Peter 2:9 A Chosen Race – Galatians 3:26-29 A Royal Priesthood – 2 Timothy 2:12; Romans 12:1 A Holy Nation – Daniel 2:44; Isaiah 2:2-3 A People for God’s Own Possession – 1 Corinthians 6:20; Romans 12:2 What Are We to Do? – “Proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you…” By [...]

Text: Titus 2:11-14 Recognize it is a gift – Ephesians 2:8 Not as a license to sin – Romans 6:1-2; Jude 4 Not as a basis for fellowship – Titus 2:11; Ephesians 5:11 With thankfulness – 1 Timothy 1:12-16 In humble obedience – Psalm 8:3-4; Titus 2:12

What is Fellowship? – partnership, participation; working together in spiritual matters The Basis for Fellowship – 1 John 1:5-7 Being too Loose in our Fellowship – 2 John 9-11 Being too Restrictive in our Fellowship – 3 John 9-10