Sermons on Spiritual Disciplines
“In this passage, Paul shares that he has been praying for the believers in Ephesus. So what is it that Paul has been praying? He prayed that they would be 1) strengthened in the inner man, 2) comprehend the measure of God’s love, 3) know God, not just know about Him, and 4)to dream big dreams for God. These are essential steps for becoming one of Christ’s disciples.”
Last week, we were studying from the first half of Galatians 5. We learned that we have freedom in Christ, but that there’s a paradox in that the freedom we have in Christ is the freedom to do what is right. The problem is that we often choose to do what we want rather than…
In the previous chapter, Timothy is encouraged to follow the pattern of Paul’s life in Christ Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit. Now in chapter 2, Paul challenges him to pour himself into others so that he can multiply the ministry by entrusting it to others. He closes this section by sharing three analogies of what faithfulness looks like in a believer. A faithful believer is single-minded in his commitment, disciplined in his actions, and diligent in his work in the ministry.
As we consider the moral and spiritual issues we face in our culture today, it is essential that we return to a biblical concept for influencing our families and children. The moral and biblical lessons we are imparting to our children and families need to be taught in those every day, teachable moments wherever you are and whatever you’re doing. To do this, we must demonstrate authentic faith in every aspect of our lives!
As we continue through this passage in Deuteronomy 6, we discover that the modern church has incorporated a great deal of secular psychology and parenting methods into the ministries of our churches. Churches today have taken on the responsibility of teaching the Bible to children and students through age-graded programs and special ministries designed for specific age groups, but the Bible is clear that it is the responsibility of parents to teach the Bible to their children. So what should parents do to teach their children?
We have a responsibility to communicate the gospel effectively. That means that we need to use whatever method is most effective whenever we are sharing the gospel. In our text this morning, we will see that the Apostle Paul used at least three methods for communicating the gospel. The Bible relates the responses to the gospel message too. We need to imitate the Bereans in the way we approach the teaching and examination of God’s Word.