Sermon List

The Christian life described in the Bible doesn't make sense unless someone is connected to a church. In our day, church membership is one of the primary ways someone can join a congregation and live on mission with that specific church body. But what is membership, and why is it important? Join us for a special conversation between the City of God Staff on this issue.

What does a mature Christian look like? We all have some idea of what it means to take our faith seriously, but in 1 Corinthians 3:1-3, Paul gives us one of the best pieces of evidence that we're growing in Christ. Are we waging war against our sin? Are we becoming increasingly obedient to Jesus? One of the best pieces of evidence that we are progressing in the Christian life is that we are walking with the Spirit as our lives are transformed.

For many people, the Christian life feels like a long list of do's and don'ts. They've been led to believe that life in the church is about following a list of rules, and because of this the emotion they most often associate with their faith is guilt. It always feels like they should be doing more. However, that's not how Paul framed following Jesus. Rather than focusing on the rules, Paul pointed people to Jesus and the overwhelming amount of grace he made available. Once someone realizes how much Jesus has done for them, the Christian life becomes a delight motivated by love.

Tyler St. Clair is a pastor and church planter at Cornerstone Church in Detroit, MI.

Everyone is searching for significance and meaning. The culture tells us that we can find it in a few commonly accepted places, but once we've accomplished what we're supposed to we're left just as empty as were before. Humanity seems to be looking for something, and in order to find it, maybe we need to look where no one else is looking. In 1 Corinthians 1:18-2:5, Paul reminds the church that the message of the cross sounds foolish, but as surprising at it sounds, it's the only place we can find what we're searching for.

It's not hard to convince people that we live an increasingly divided culture. This could give the church an incredible opportunity to show our world a better way. Jesus calls his followers to be a family known by their love for one another. Unfortunately, many have often found just as much division in the church, if not more, than they found in the culture. What would it look like for the church to become a place known for its love in the midst of diversity? Paul gives us some guidance in 1 Corinthians 1:10-17.

The church is imperfect place. Many people know that by watching it from a distance or experiencing it first hand. With all of the church's faults over the last 2,000 years, isn't it easier simply to distance ourselves from it? However, we can never abandon the church because as Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians, it is God's church. He purchased it with his own blood, and if we love God we will love the church. Paul reminds the Corinthians in this section that regardless of what they're dealing with God has given them a new identity, a new power, and a promise to sustain them.

Lots of Christians want to serve God, but it's easy to feel like something we're not capable of. However, in Acts 3, we're given a simple picture of what it looks like to live on God's mission. The Apostle Peter saw the person in front of him, met his immediate need, and used that as an opportunity to point him to Jesus. As followers of Jesus, we're called to do the same. What does it look like for us to be a church that loves Jesus and loves people?

When Jesus is asked "Which is the great commandment in the law?" he quotes Deuteronomy 6. For Jesus, the Old Testament law could be summed up in the command to love God. In "Loved & Loving," Pastor Eric walks through Deuteronomy 6 asking two important questions. How can we know that God loves us and how can we respond in love to what God has done? The answer to both of these questions is to remember what God has done for us and to respond in a spirit of gratitude.

In 1 Timothy 1:12-18, we read how thankful Paul was for what Jesus did in his life. Paul knew that he was a sinner deserving of judgment, but instead, Jesus gave him undeserved mercy. This realization led Paul to a life marked by thankfulness, worship, and mission. Why do our lives seem to lack these qualities? Is it because we don't see how desperately we needed the grace of God ourselves?