NCCF Church Sharing - October 7, 2018

October 12, 201820mWatch on YouTube

Speaker: Church Title: NCCF Church Sharing Date: 10-07-2018 Our Goal as Christians is this: To be an exact reflection of Jesus, the Son of God (Romans 8:29) We do this individually by growing in purity in our personal lives (1 John 3:2-3) We do this corporately by becoming fully functioning members of a local Church (Ephesians 4:11-16)

Summary

The speaker encourages the audience to view difficult people not as the source of the problem, but as an opportunity to improve their own conduct, drawing from Hebrews 3. He emphasizes that true Christian growth involves seeing oneself as part of the issue and actively sowing kindness and encouragement rather than criticism. The message concludes by highlighting God's masterful ability to encourage and love us through various means, using examples from Zerubbabel and Jesus' intercession.

Outline

The message in plain words, in the order it unfolds. Select a time to jump the video to that moment.

Why are people difficult?Hebrews 3:13 shows that people can be hardened by sin, but the speaker realized his own tendency was to blame others rather than asking if he failed to encourage them.Hebrews 3:13

Recognizing pride and the power of kindnessPride is simply thinking we are not the problem while everyone else is, whereas God changes us and others through His kindness and love.

God is a master of love and encouragementEach person's unique experience of God's love reflects His mastery of encouragement and diverse ways of showing care.

Zerubbabel and the signet ringAfter Zerubbabel's temple building was stopped by enemies using a king's signet ring decree, God encouraged him by calling Zerubbabel His own signet ring.

Jesus lives to make intercessionHebrews 7:25 explains that Jesus always lives to make intercession for us, caring deeply about every small problem we face.Hebrews 7:25

The strong encouragement of God's covenantGod gave us unbreakable promises and sealed them through the death of His Son Jesus to give us strong encouragement.Hebrews 6:17–18

Jealousy as a major hindranceJealousy and envy destroy relationships and stop us from encouraging others, acting like a fierce storm compared to ordinary anger.

Jesus' attitude toward His disciplesJesus told His disciples they would do even greater works than Him, showing an absence of jealousy and a pure desire for God's glory.John 14:12

Every part of the body working properlyEphesians 4:16 teaches that the body grows and builds itself up in love through the proper working of each individual part.Ephesians 4:16

The digestion analogy of the bodyJust like hands, teeth, and stomach acids all perform completely different, necessary roles in eating, every church member has a unique function.

Avoiding jealousy of visible ministriesWe should not envy visible ministries like teaching or music when God may have called us to a hidden, behind-the-scenes role like the teeth or stomach.

Staying connected to the HeadThe only way each part of the body knows what to do is by staying closely connected to Christ the Head through personal prayer and the Word.

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NCCF Church Sharing - October 7, 2018

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