The Champion Virtue of the Believer who has gone deeper is Gratitude. Gratitude is at the core of every Spirit filled, Christ follower. How could we ever be anything less than grateful? At its root, gratitude grows out of humility and it opposes pride. The believer who is truly growing deeper will manifest gratitude to a greater and greater degree. 2 Corinthians 4:15 speaks of God's grace coming to more and more people - and the result is great thanksgiving, overflowing thanksgiving. The longer you walk in the way - the more your gratitude should show.
This series focuses on the identity, purpose, equipping, and work of the Church. The Church is the body of believers (local and global) who confess Christ as the Messiah and follow him. This series seeks to build enthusiasm for the church and lift up the value of joining God in His work through the Church.
There is a theme of Kingdom reversal that runs throughout scripture. God reverses or flips the typical world order. The principle of reversal also characterizes the very nature of the church. In 1 Corinthians Paul speaks of God’s calling of the Corinthians in their low state. However, God used them instead of the powerful.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus announces his purpose regarding the Law. He did not come to erase or minimize the law of Moses, but rather to fulfill it. He then makes a series of “you have heard” statements. He addresses the common teaching around anger, integrity, and love in these statements, but then shows how each of these should be fulfilled in the Kingdom of God. Jesus’ words are to be the foundation of how we live as believers. In our world, the common understanding of anger, integrity, and love are centered around what is best for “self.” What would it be like if believers lived according to Jesus words? “But I say…” These are words to live by.
