Distorted ImagesDistorted ImagesDistorted ImagesDistorted Images

PassionPassion

What’s my passion?What’s my passion?• Family• Faith• Attitudes and Motivations

The ChurchThe Church

Psalm 61:9 (TNIV)Psalm 61:9 (TNIV)

““Zeal for Your house Zeal for Your house consumes me, and the insults consumes me, and the insults of those who insult You fall of those who insult You fall on me”on me” ForgivenForgiven RedeemedRedeemed RestoredRestored EmpoweredEmpowered

Stereo-typical Stereo-typical ViewsViews

IneptInept BigotedBigoted Out-modedOut-moded FanaticalFanatical LiberalLiberal Right wingRight wing

Four ImagesFour Images

““The local church is the hope of The local church is the hope of the world” the world” – Bill Hybels– Bill Hybels

Jesus is the hope of the world – Jesus is the hope of the world – the local church is means by the local church is means by which Jesus is expressed to the which Jesus is expressed to the world enabling people to find world enabling people to find hopehope

Four ImagesFour Images

BuildingBuilding BodyBody BrideBride ArmyArmy

BuildingBuilding

““You also, like You also, like living stones, are living stones, are being built into a being built into a spiritual house to spiritual house to be a holy be a holy priesthood, priesthood, offering spiritual offering spiritual sacrifices sacrifices acceptable to God acceptable to God through Jesus through Jesus Christ”Christ”

1Peter 2:5 (TNIV)1Peter 2:5 (TNIV)

GrowingGrowing Linked togetherLinked together FoundationsFoundations Comfort, Comfort,

warmth, warmth, protectionprotection

InvestmentInvestment

How is the How is the building building growing?growing?

BodyBody

““For just as each of For just as each of us has one body with us has one body with many members, and many members, and these members do not these members do not all have the same all have the same function, so in Christ function, so in Christ we, though many, we, though many, form one body, and form one body, and each member belongs each member belongs to all the others.” to all the others.” Romans 12:4-5 (TNIV)Romans 12:4-5 (TNIV)

Everyone Everyone neededneeded

Disabled?Disabled? Inferior – feel Inferior – feel

we don’t we don’t belongbelong

Superior – put Superior – put people offpeople off

Value Value diversitydiversity

BodyBody

““Submit to one another out of Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ” reverence for Christ”

Ephesians 5:21 (TNIV)Ephesians 5:21 (TNIV)

““No one hates his own body but No one hates his own body but feeds and cares for it, just as Christ feeds and cares for it, just as Christ cares for the church. And we are cares for the church. And we are members of his body” members of his body”

Ephesians 5: 29-30 (NLT)Ephesians 5: 29-30 (NLT)

BrideBride

John NewtonJohn Newton

““Jesus my Shepherd, Brother, Jesus my Shepherd, Brother, Friend, My Prophet, Priest and Friend, My Prophet, Priest and King”King”

““Jesus my Shepherd, Jesus my Shepherd, Husband, Husband, Friend…”Friend…”

BrideBride

““Your Maker is your husband – the Lord Your Maker is your husband – the Lord Almighty is his name”Almighty is his name” - - Isaiah 54:5 (TNIV)Isaiah 54:5 (TNIV)““I will make you my wife forever, I will make you my wife forever, showing you righteousness and justice, showing you righteousness and justice, unfailing love and compassion. I will be unfailing love and compassion. I will be faithful to you and make you mine, and faithful to you and make you mine, and you will finally know me as the Lord”you will finally know me as the Lord” - - Hosea 2:19-20 (NLT)Hosea 2:19-20 (NLT)John the Baptist & Jesus John the Baptist & Jesus ““For I am jealous for you with the For I am jealous for you with the jealousy of God Himself. I promised you jealousy of God Himself. I promised you as a pure bride to one husband – as a pure bride to one husband – Christ”Christ” - 2Corinthians 11:2 (NLT) - 2Corinthians 11:2 (NLT)

BrideBride

““You are all sons of God through You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptised into you who were baptised into Christ have clothed yourselves Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” in Christ Jesus”

Galatians 3:26-28 (TNIV)Galatians 3:26-28 (TNIV)

BrideBride

““Husbands, love your wives, just as Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her to make her holy, Himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.other blemish, but holy and blameless.This is a profound mystery – but I am This is a profound mystery – but I am talking about Christ and the churchtalking about Christ and the church” ”

Ephesians 5:25-27 & 32 (TNIV)Ephesians 5:25-27 & 32 (TNIV)

ArmyArmy

““For our struggle is not against flesh For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms”heavenly realms”

- - Ephesians 6:12 (NIVUK)Ephesians 6:12 (NIVUK)

““Don’t let anyone capture you with Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ”of this world, rather than from Christ”

- Colossians 2:8 (NLT)- Colossians 2:8 (NLT)

ArmyArmy

““For though we live in the world, we For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christthought to make it obedient to Christ ””

- 2Corinthians 10:3-5 (TNIV)- 2Corinthians 10:3-5 (TNIV)

Points to PonderPoints to Ponder

““Everyone has sinned and fallen Everyone has sinned and fallen short of God's glorious standard, and short of God's glorious standard, and all need to be made right with God all need to be made right with God by his grace, which is a free gift. by his grace, which is a free gift. They need to be made free from sin They need to be made free from sin through Jesus Christ. God sent him through Jesus Christ. God sent him to die in our place to take away our to die in our place to take away our sins. We receive forgiveness through sins. We receive forgiveness through faith in the blood of Jesus' death”faith in the blood of Jesus' death”

- Romans 3:23-25 (NCV)- Romans 3:23-25 (NCV)

Points to PonderPoints to Ponder

““But I have this complaint against But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first! Look how other as you did at first! Look how far you have fallen! Turn back to far you have fallen! Turn back to me and do the works you did at me and do the works you did at firstfirst ””

- Revelation 2:4-5 (NLT)- Revelation 2:4-5 (NLT)