Putting God’s Truths into Practice Part 2

Last week we I wrote about how essential it is to take the truths about God that we learn from the Bible and put them into practice. As we do this, God ‘s presence is released into our life and with that presence comes peace, strength, insight and a host of other miracles and blessings. One of the greatest benefits from our faith journey is that as we put God’s truths into practice we draw closer to God. God becomes more and more a dear friend, someone with whom we have an intimate relationship. We then begin to sense and see God’s fingerprints on our lives. The result is that we are better able to hear and be moved by God simply because we know God so much better. Listed below are our takeaways from our recent worship services. These are just some of the truths that we as a congregation have been attempting to put into practice over the past 6 weeks.

  • Being a Christian means that there is a change going on in our lives. We are being transformed into the image or reflection of Christ.
  • This change happens despite us. We are not the force behind it. Nor is it dependent on us.
  • This transformation is for the benefit of others.
  • Jesus demonstrates that vulnerability:
    • is essential to courage,
    • stands at the core of the Christian life
    • invites us to discover the peculiar strength of being open to the needs of those around us.
  • When we live into our identity as one of God’s beloved children – there’s no more need for walls to keep the enemies out because there are no more enemies.
  • Walls – and with them all of the ways we define, describe, and bracket out the “other” – are antithetical to God’s kingdom purposes.
  • Temptation is not so often temptation toward something – usually portrayed as doing something you shouldn’t – but rather is usually the temptation away from something – namely, our relationship with God and the identity we receive in and through that relationship.
  • God joins us in our suffering so that God can bring the comfort that we need.
  • Do not speak on behalf of God
  • Do not desire evil
  • To experience God’s love, love others where it is not deserved.

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