God the Father, because of His incredible love for us, and Jesus the Son, because of His obedience to the Father and His incredible love for us, demonstrated mercy and grace and salvation that is literally "out of this world!"
Those who Jesus chose were chosen "out of the world" and because of that extraction, are hated by the world. The world especially hates Him.
We are to be "in" the world but not "of" the world, and yet we must admit at times, we are quite content to be part of this place. If we are not growing in Him, we risk the very real danger of "standing still" and becoming stagnated. And if we are standing still, we are even more susceptible to sin and temptation.
Pastor Tom shared five key relationships, drawn from our study of John chapters 15 & 16, that need to be taken to heart to keep us from stagnation and stumbling:
- How do we relate to Christ? - John 15:1-11
Stagnation is neither inevitable nor acceptable. - How do we relate to Fellow Believers? - John 15:12-17
Your brothers and your sisters NEED you in the game! - How do we relate to the World? - John 15:18-25
Hostility comes from Whose we are. - How do we relate to Sinners? - John 15:26-16:4
Secure in God's "witness protection program" as we provide a "first-hand" account of Him to those around us! - How do we relate to the Holy Spirit? - John 16:5-15
We are God's mailing address on earth!
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