• Fifth
Sunday after the Epiphany.
with Hebrews 10:19-25 and 1 Corinthians 1:1-9
with Hebrews 10:19-25 and 1 Corinthians 1:1-9
www.FirstChurchBville.com
@FirstUMCBville @kerrfunk
•
Last night there was a fundraising dinner for Marshall
United Methodist Student Ministry. Sixty or eighty people from a variety of
backgrounds and ideologies, yet they shared their common heritage as alumni and
Methodists.
• Some things we have in common with each other in body of Christ:
- New birth. Through Christ we’ve been able to walk away from the past.
Christ has done for us what we could not do for ourselves.
- New birth. Through Christ we’ve been able to walk away from the past.
Christ has done for us what we could not do for ourselves.
- We share the
unity of common faith in one Lord.
- The indwelling of
the Holy Spirit.
- Shared mission:
to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them and teaching them to
obey.
- The hope of the
return of Christ:
Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.
Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.
- The final
reckoning. We are servants and heirs and will stand before God.
• None of us exist (or thrive) in solitude.
• God calls the church into being as a fellowship
- By the resurrection of Christ: we join Peter in confessing and
proclaiming Christ as risen Lord, acknowledging power of Christ in our lives to
bring transformation.
- By the message of Christ crucified --
- not by might but by love and sacrifice
- not by wielding power but by earning authority
- We are Christ’s because we were chosen
- not by might but by love and sacrifice
- not by wielding power but by earning authority
- We are Christ’s because we were chosen
- By the gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost and through
fellowship.
Anyone in Christ is a new creation.
Anyone in Christ is a new creation.
- By the witness (martyr, testimony) of believers.
• The UMC meets in less than two weeks in Special General Conference.
But before then and while it’s happening and after that we are the church, a
fellowship of believers.
God
calls you today by a resurrected, living Christ, by his precious Holy Spirit, and
by the testimony of his children. He calls you today because he needs you to
help him reach others. God is honest and faithful. You can show your trust in
him by putting your faith in him today.
•
Hymn 381 Savior, Like A Shepherd Lead Us
Hebrews
10:19-25 (CEB)
19 Brothers
and sisters, we have confidence that we can enter the holy of holies by means
of Jesus’ blood, 20 through a new and living way that he opened up
for us through the curtain, which is his body, 21 and we have a great
high priest over God’s house.
22 Therefore,
let’s draw near with a genuine heart with the certainty that our faith gives
us, since our hearts are sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies
are washed with pure water.
23 Let’s
hold on to the confession of our hope without wavering, because the one who
made the promises is reliable.
24 And
let us consider each other carefully for the purpose of sparking love and good
deeds. 25 Don’t stop meeting together with other believers, which
some people have gotten into the habit of doing. Instead, encourage each other,
especially as you see the day drawing near. ò
1 Corinthians
1:1-9 (CEB)
1 From
Paul, called by God’s will to be an apostle of Jesus Christ, and from Sosthenes
our brother. 2 To God’s church that is in Corinth: To those who have been
made holy to God in Christ Jesus, who are called to be God’s people.
Together
with all those who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every
place—he’s their Lord and ours!
3 Grace
to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
4 I
thank my God always for you, because of God’s grace that was given to you in
Christ Jesus. 5 That is, you were made rich through him in
everything: in all your communication and every kind of knowledge, 6 in
the same way that the testimony about Christ was confirmed with you. 7 The
result is that you aren’t missing any spiritual gift while you wait for our
Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. 8 He will also confirm your
testimony about Christ until the end so that you will be blameless on the day
of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, and you were called by
him to partnership with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. ò
No comments:
Post a Comment