SAVED… FROM WHAT?
The common expression Christians use to describe their decision to follow Jesus by telling others they are “Saved” has deep roots in the Bible but fails to connect with those outside our own faith. All through scripture we see Jesus as the hero, the Savior, the Messiah who comes to rescue his people from their sin, death, and more specifically, from the flames of Hell. Unfortunately, this story seems to be uncompelling to the watching world who sees Hell as a fairy tale where you might find a Wicked Witch or the Big, Bad Wolf. Our opportunity as Christians is to demonstrate to others how faith in Jesus truly rescues us from life’s pitfalls, fears, damaging emotions of shame and guilt, and countless other negative experiences that steal our joy. We are saved, or delivered, into an abundant life with the hero of the cosmic story of humanity – Jesus!
Law VS Grace
Tied to our understanding of how we receive salvation and if the idea of perseverance of the saints is the age old question of the law vs grace. One side says, “Salvation is by grace and grace alone.” The other side counters, “That idea leads to lawlessness. God’s righteous standard in the Law must be upheld.”…
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Swinging the Pendulum Too Far
Speaking of Law vs Grace, the issue of equality is in the news again and proposed legislation may have a significant impact on the American church going forward. This is a challenging read as we wrestle with how to be loving and grace-filled while holding onto our beliefs.
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You’ve Been Lied To: “Just Pray this Prayer”
In this message from Pastor Brent digs into why we don’t push people to “pray this prayer” at Ashworth. He exposes the many problems this lie has created as our goal was converts rather than true disciples.
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Sunday’s Message in Song
If you listen to the words of this catchy song I listened to all last week, it is exactly what our message on Sunday was about.
I was blinded by the devil, born already ruined
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Stone-cold dead as I stepped out of the womb
By His grace I have been touched
By His Word I have been healed
By His hand I’ve been delivered
By His Spirit I’ve been sealed
Message Discussion Questions
We hope the message from each Sunday sticks with you beyond the Sunday morning worship service. Take a moment to consider the questions below, and even better, talk to somebody (who attends the church or doesn’t) about them.
- In what ways are you tempted to ADD the saving work of Jesus? Jesus PLUS Knowledge? Jesus PLUS Good Deeds? Or Jesus PLUS Obedience?
- When you think about the non-Christians in your life, do most of them seem to not NEED a Savior, not WANT a Savior, or not BELIEVE a Savior exists? What does that say about the culture we live in?
- Take a moment to thank God for the incredibly generous and loving gift of freely given grace – of his favor to adopt us into his family. Meditate on what it means that God rescued and delivered you from sin, shame, death, judgement, fear, and bondage.
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