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May 12, 2019

The Church Speaks the Gospel

Passage: Ephesians 4:11-25

Speaker: Josh Kwasny

Series: General

Category: Grace Brevard

Keywords: community, gospel, love, truth, witness

The Gospel is “Good News” - news that needs to be heard.  In Ephesians 4 God is calling His people to “speak the truth in love.”  The church is a “gospel fluent” people - speaking Jesus into the stuff of everyday life.  

Order of Worship

PRELUDE: King's Speech

CALL TO WORSHIP: Colossians 3:14-17

READING: 1 John 3:1,16,18-20

MUSIC: 

PRAYER: The Spirit’s Work

LEADER:  O Holy Spirit, move upon our hearts again with the good news of Christ.

ALL:  Be our Illuminator, Reminder, and Sanctifier; making known the beauty of “it is finished.”

LEADER:  Work in us the never-ending truth and grace in Christ; finding volumes in His living Word.

ALL: Deepen these saving lessons and lead us by gratitude in the way everlasting.

CENTRAL TEXT: (read before Message) 11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. 17 Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. 18 They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. 19 They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. 20 But that is not the way you learned Christ!— 21 assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, 22 to put off your old self,  which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. 25 Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.

MESSAGE:  The Church Speaks the Gospel

ILLUSTRATION: A Quiet Place

RESPONSE: Prayer

BENEDICTION: 2 Corinthians 13:11

11 Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURES:

  • Romans 10:14-17
  • Romans 1:18-25
  • Hebrews 12:24-25
  • James 3:1-12
  • 1 Corinthians 13:1-13
  • Psalm 19:14
  • Ephesians 4:29

MEDIA:

DISCUSSIONS QUESTIONS:

  1. How is it that we use words in an effort to create good records for ourselves?
  2. What does it mean to “preach the gospel” to our hearts?
  3. How might hearing the gospel (a good word) daily spoken to our own hearts, free and compel us to do the same for others?
  4. We are called to speak the truth in love.  What does that mean? Give an example.
  5. The word “falsehood” (4:25) point to the idols we tend to worship.  How does “speaking the truth” help to put those idols aside?

QUOTES:

  • Remember not only to say the right thing in the right place, but far more difficult still, to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment. - Benjamin Franklin
  • Words can sometimes, in moments of grace, attain the quality of deeds. - Elie Wiesel
  • “Noise, the grand dynamism, the audible expression of all that is exultant, ruthless, and virile--Noise which alone defends us from silly qualms, despairing scruples, and impossible desires. We will make the whole universe a noise in the end. We have already made great strides in this direction as regards the Earth. The melodies and silences of Heaven will be shouted down in the end. But I admit we are not yet loud enough, or anything like it. Research is in progress. - The Screwtape Letters (C.S. Lewis)
  • Kind words do not cost much. They never blister the tongue or lips. They make other people good-natured. They also produce their own image on men’s souls, and a beautiful image it is. - Blaise Pascal

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