Okay... well here are some of my notes from this week.
Well the sermon was on ultimately walking in the light, but doing that with our fellowship friendships relationships ect.
Our fellowship is centered on our relationship with God.
Biblical fellowship requires that we walk in the light. God is light, therefore we must walk in God.
1. Walking in the light is about our direction, not our perfection. It does not mean not sinning, it means God cleanses us from sin.
The Gospel doesn't change our actions, it changes our very nature. We are given hearts that love the light. Only by the power of the Gospel, and it begins with the cross!
The Savior takes our sins and He cleanses us from our sin, if we confess our sins. Walking in the light mus include confessing our sin, being cleansed and forgiven, then turn from that sin by God's grace.
We need to identify specefic sin, then turn from that specefic sin. We have to forgive specefically.
There may be seasons where we make little progress. If we turn from God, and yet we are still believers we will evenutually come back to God f you are truly a believer.
Its not always easy, but you will grow in grace.
Its not a comfortable thing to bring your sin to light... but it's not supposed to be. But if we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins.
We are His children and on that basis we have fellowship. When we see a friend who is a believer we should look and say 'there is a brother/sister that God has redeemed.'
2. Change in our conduct. Only possible with God and a new heart. What does that look like?
1. Practice appropriate self disclosure - let the appropriate people know about sin in your life.
2. Encourage one another - That's a commandment not a choice
3. Refusing gossip, speaking the truth - rumors and gossip have killed so many relationships with people and churches.