Understanding Our Purpose Together
The church is meant to be more than just a place where we attend services – it’s meant to be a unified body of believers growing together in Christ. Understanding this purpose is crucial for every Christian’s spiritual journey.
What is God’s Vision for the Church?
God’s vision for the church involves three key elements:
- Equipping believers to reach their full capacity in Christ
- Building unity in faith and knowledge of Jesus
- Developing maturity so we can effectively serve one another
How Does God Equip His Church?
The church helps believers in three ways:
- Discovering spiritual and natural gifts
- Developing those gifts with Christ-centered purpose
- Deploying gifts to serve both the church and world
This isn’t just about spiritual gifts used within church walls – it’s about developing all our talents to serve God’s purposes wherever He places us.
What Does Unity in the Church Look Like?
True unity involves:
- Doctrinal unity – aligned with biblical teaching
- Relational unity – loving despite differences
- Evangelical unity – shared mission to spread the gospel
- Communal unity – experiencing life together
How Do We Grow in Maturity?
Spiritual maturity is marked by:
- Stability in faith and beliefs
- Ability to speak truth in love
- Understanding our role in the body
- Contributing to others’ growth
Speaking truth in love is particularly crucial – truth without relationship can hurt, but truth spoken from genuine care builds up.
Spiritual Awakening: Understanding Your New Identity in Christ
When we accept Christ, we become a new creation, but many Christians struggle to fully embrace and live out this new identity. Understanding what it means to be spiritually awakened and transformed is essential for growing in faith.
What Does it Mean to Be a New Creation?
Being a new creation means being united with Christ and spiritually reborn into a new person. We take on Christ’s identity and reality – his death becomes our death, his resurrection our resurrection. However, while we are spiritually new, we still have our old mindset that needs transformation.
How Do We Deal with Our Old Life?
The Bible says our old lifestyle of sin has been put to death in Christ. This requires:
- Recognizing ungodly behaviors and tendencies
- Replacing them with Christ’s characteristics
- Actively putting sinful patterns to death through obedience
- Being aware of worldly influences that can pull us back
What Does Living a Spiritual Life Look Like?
Living spiritually involves:
- Walking by faith, not by sight
- Setting our minds on heavenly things rather than earthly pursuits
- Trusting God’s promises even when circumstances don’t align
- Finding contentment and purpose in God rather than worldly success
- Rejecting worldly ways and renewing our mind through God’s Word
How Do We Renew Our Mind?
Renewing our mind requires:
- Daily study of God’s Word
- Exchanging our old beliefs and thoughts for God’s truth
- Creating new neural pathways aligned with Christ’s identity
- Letting go of old experiences and memories that don’t align with our new identity
- Consistent work and effort to transform our thinking
Life Application
This week, examine where you’re living from – the realm of the flesh or the realm of the Spirit. Ask yourself:
- What do I value most – earthly pursuits or spiritual growth?
- Am I walking by faith or by sight in my daily decisions?
- What old thought patterns do I need to actively replace with God’s truth?
- How much time am I spending renewing my mind through God’s Word?
Challenge: Commit to spending daily time in God’s Word specifically focused on understanding your new identity in Christ. When old thought patterns emerge, consciously replace them with biblical truth about who you are in Christ.