August 2, 2022
Church 101 | Marks of a New Community
The church at Corinth gives us a glimpse into how the Kingdom landed and found shape in a rather typical First Century Roman city. There was nothing exceptional about the Corinthian church: just believers trying to learn how to walk out of familiar kingdoms of darkness and walk into the Kingdom of Light.
Listen to an audio version of the message
Songs for this week: Spotify
1 Corinthians 7:1-24
Message Questions:
- What, in your mind, are important ‘marks’ of a church? What should matter most to a gathering of Christians?
- Where do you see equality in the church? Where do you see inequality? What more needs to happen for Christians to live out the equality that Jesus won for us?
- How important is it that Christians and churches be steady and non-reactive? What does it mean for each person to “remain in the situation they were in when God called them”(v.24)? Is Paul against advancement? What is Paul concerned about in this instruction?
- How could our church better position our singles for Christian discipleship? Married folk? Seniors? Teens? Children? What is our LORD prompting you to do on this matter?
Share with a friend
Recent Sermons
James 4:6-10 -James knows that the heart of the Christian message is grace. God gives us good that we couldn’t ever deserve. The truth is that we earn and deserve justice and punishment. Thankfully, Jesus took both of those for us and gave us the good he deserved. As powerful as grace is, there is one thing that can re
James 3:1-18 -James is at it again! He has a real concern for the words that Christians use on themselves, with each other and with the world. Our tongues (James' favourite image for our words) can cause such destruction, and they are nearly impossible to control.
James 2:14-26 -James continues to press deep into the muscles and tissues of our faith. Is your faith doing what it was designed to do? Just like you might go to the doctor for a physical check-up, James offers a self-administered faith check-up in this passage. Where do you see signs of life in your faith?
James 1:19-27 - James is direct: angry words, thoughtless words, and religious words don’t have a place in a life of faith. Our words don’t work … but God’s word does! Our job is simply to cooperate with his word.
James 1:1-8 - James gets right down to business! For everyone not currently soaking in a hot tub, suffering is a first order of business. In just a few verses, James explains how trials can grow maturity, how wisdom helps the journey, and how to avoid wasting a suffering experience.
Empowered Baptism is recognized throughout the Church as the beginning of a ‘God thing.’ John’s baptism was a visible demonstration of the start of a new life — clearing out the junk to prepare for what God was about to do. Jesus’ baptism reveals the true heart of baptism: God’s desire to bless and express His delight. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is the start of the Kingdom. Ordinary women and men were now filled with the Spirit of Jesus to continue on the ministry Jesus started.
