Visiting speaker Ross, speaking on the topic of 'The importance and potential of the local church'.

Visiting speaker Mark and Becca, speaking on the topic of 'The importance and potential of the local church'.

Visiting speaker Mike and Jo, speaking on the topic of 'The importance and potential of the local church'. 

THE UNITY OF THE CHURCH
With it's emphases on God's amazing plan to include Gentiles in his family, Ephesians reminds us that ethnic distinctions mean nothing to God and they should mean nothing to God's people (Galatians 3:28). Because God has joined all ethnic backgrounds together in his Church (see 2:14-17; 3:6) believers should respond by warmly welcoming one another in humility, grace, and love, without consideration of ethnic differences (4:1-6). In the church, one's identity is identified only by one's faith in Christ.

Title: THE CONDEMNED NATURE OF HUMAN BEINGS
The awareness of grace that pervades the first three chapters of Ephesians is heightened by Paul's contrasting emphasis on sin and God's judgement upon it. What is true of his readers is true of everyone, since by nature all stand under God's judgement (2:1-3, 12), one of the strongest passages in the NT on how lost humans are apart from Christ.
Since, apart from Christ, human beings are by nature driven by sin and subject to the devil, evangelism is an urgent issue in the NT (Mark 16:15, Rom 9:1-3)

PRAISE FOR GOD'S GRACE

Ephesians is filled with gratitude for the saving grace God has shown to those who believe in Jesus Christ. Solely by God's grace, believers have been chosen, forgiven, called into his family, made his children, promised eternal blessings, and given the gift of his Holy Spirit to mark them as belonging to him forever (1:3-14)
Salvation can never be viewed as something that is earned: it is a sheer gift (2:8-9). As a result, believers know they are called to praise God forever for his amazing grace (1:6, 12, 14)

We're more connected than ever before but in this 5 part series, we'll be looking at what connection to God and each other looks like in everyday terms.

We've received grace but we're also called to be gracious. In this sessions we'll look at how we can be grace-dealers. Healthy communities are only ever as strong as the relationships within in.