Pictures of the Church - Part 2

 This message was preached at Word Of Grace Church on 9th February  2025 by Colin. For the audio & video please click here.  For the worship please click here. 

We’re going through 1 Corinthians looking at the church as a body. We are to be united and are interrelated. 

“Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many. Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? Now eagerly desire the greater gifts. And yet I will show you the most excellent way.” - 1 Corinthians‬ ‭12‬:‭12‬-‭31‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Let’s pray! 

“Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ, and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms,”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭3‬:‭8‬-‭10‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The church is the instrument chosen by God to display his wisdom and glory! The early church broke down every barrier. Every culture has barriers to unity. But Christians welcomed men and women alike. The Greeks excluded slaves, but Christians included them. The Jews excluded gentiles and women, but Christians brought them together around the Lord's table. If you have put your faith in Jesus and trusted in him for your salvation, you are a part of the church. It’s one thing to be placed in the church and then another thing to know how to be in the church. 

We are called to unity. Then there is diversity in this unity. Each of us is unique. We are called to be joined together in our uniqueness and to work together. 

We can have an inferiority complex and consider that you’re not a part of the body because you’re not like someone else. Or you can have a superiority complex and say we don’t need someone. But both are incorrect. Every part of the body is important and plays a meaningful and valuable role. 

It is God who has placed us in the body. We are to function according to our gifting. No part in a body can function on its own. For you to function in your gifting, you need to be connected to the whole body. 

“From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭4‬:‭16‬ ‭NIV‬‬

As we play our role, the body is being built up. We are mirroring the trinity - each person of the trinity is equal yet has different roles and live in perfect unity. Even in the body we need to have this. 

Q. How do we strengthen our interconnectedness? 

1. We need to build meaningful relationships in the body and across the body. We might not be able to get to know everyone but we can get to know many.

2. Encourage one another 

3. Bear one another’s burdens - “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” ‭‭Galatians‬ ‭6‬:‭2‬ ‭NIV‬‬

4. Work together in ministry - look at how you can build up this body of Christ. Example of an organ transplant. The organ needs to accept the body and the body needs to accept the organ. God has given the gifts needed for the church to grow.

Q. What can we do? 

• Ask yourself - Am I isolating myself or am I engaged in the life of the church? 

• Look for opportunities to serve. 

• Let’s be quick to encourage people.

• Let’s look to connect with people here. 

As we do these things, the church grows and the manifold wisdom of God is displayed. 

Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit-filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English-speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that has people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service.  Word of Grace is part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org. 

Pictures of the Church - Part 1

 

 This message was preached at Word Of Grace Church on January 26th 2025 by Colin. For the audio & video please click here.  For the worship please click here. 

Pictures of the Church

Last week we looked at how to become a part of a church. 

The Church of Jesus Christ is not like any other club where you pay thousands and lakhs of rupees to get membership. It is open to anybody who recognizes they're sinners, repent put their faith in Jesus and decide to follow Him. They're born again and added to the body of Christ.

Our salvation is through faith which is called the Justification. But that's not the end of salvation. God now has a plan for our lives which includes becoming His disciples. Many haven't given themselves to obeying Jesus' commands. The Gospel has to transform lives. John the Baptist said to produce fruit by keeping up with repentance. 

None of us are perfect. We're all sinners. There has to be at least an attempt to change our ways. Faith is important but obedience must follow faith. 

Paul says that the Church is the body of Christ. Jesus is the head of the Church and the rest of us are parts of the body. 

1. Unity in the body

When we come here to attend the Sunday service, our whole body is here. We don't leave any part behind. We may have many differences but we are one. If you look around we are all different in several ways. The parts of our bodies are different too. The world divides people based on differences like race, language, region and others. All the wars that take place are because of these differences. 

Ephesians 4:6 NIV - one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

We are united by the Father. 

Jesus' prayer for his disciples is to be one. Before the crucifixion, Jesus prayed that all may be one. 

John 17:21 NIV - that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 

We see that there's deep unity among the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Jesus wanted His disciples to be in that deep unity. 

Galatians 3:28 NIV - There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 

This unity transcends all social, cultural and other barriers.

Why is this unity important? 

* God says so

When we share the gospel, we can't cause them to believe. That decision is with them. There's no forced conversion to Christianity.

John 17:21 NIV - that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.

When we are united, somehow the unbelievers will believe that God sent Jesus. 

John 17:23 NIV - I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

In this verse, the same thing is repeated. 

If we want power in evangelism, we need to work to be one - loving one another and accepting one another. Seeing this, unbelievers will somehow believe that God sent Jesus Christ. 

When we are united, we have Jesus at the centre. That is the common thing. 

So let's have fellowship with one another. 

What can we do to promote unity in our church? 

It starts with greeting one another and then serving, loving, accepting, bear with one another. It is also expressed in doing things together and praying together. 

 

The Bible uses more than 90 metaphors for the body of Christ. From Genesis to Revelation, we see a unified story of God wanting a people for Himself. The story begins in a garden and ends in a city in heaven. Everything will fade, but the church of Jesus Christ will go on forever.

We are the Bride of Christ. Before anything was created, God had a bride in mind for His son.

We have been chosen not because of what we have done but because of what He has done for us.

Who did Jesus purchase with His blood – His body, the church.

What do you value most apart from God, your salvation and your family? It is your body.

Let’s look at 1 Cor 12.

We are far from perfect, but one day, we will be.

Heb 6:2 There are four baptisms – the indwelling of the Spirit at conversion, the baptism of water, the Holy Spirit and the baptism by fire which is suffering.

UNITY

God’s heart is that we all be united Eph4:4.

Ephesians 4:4 - There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called

John 17:21 -  that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.

Our unity helps others see the Father in heaven; therefore, we need to do all that we can to foster this unity in the church.

What can we do to be united in this local church? It is not just intellectual assent but doing what it takes, viz., participating in whatever the church is engaged in, like prayer, Gym groups, training, etc.

We are different but one. The church is the most diverse grouping of people on the Earth. In Christ, there is no Jew, Greek, or Gentile. What brings us together is Christ.

Let us build on unity and build up the Body of Christ.

DIVERSITY

The body is made up of many parts. We have different gifts, and we are all unique.

1 Corinthians 12:15 - Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body.

“I don’t belong” – inferiority complex, and these people can back away from interacting and integrating. We have been placed in this body by the Spirit.

1 Corinthians 12:21 - ²¹ The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!”

 “I don’t need you” is also a mistake if we think we are independent or superior. This is a sin of pride and independence. We need each other, and we cannot survive on our own.

1 Corinthians 12:22 - On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable

The weaker parts (those not seen) are indispensable.

Ephesians 4:16 - From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

The body grows up as each one does its part.

How do we practically work out this diversity? Encourage all who serve.

In India we can see everything that is wrong with everything. Let us be thankful people. It takes humility to encourage someone else.

Ephesians 4:29 - Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

How am I using my gifts to serve the church? How am I building the church?

Do I value that I am a part of the body of Christ? We are privileged people and should not take this for granted. We cannot be ‘alone’ Christians. We have been placed in a body. God uses the church to put His manifold wisdom on display.

Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit-filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English-speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that has people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service.  Word of Grace is part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org. 

Worthy Goals for 2025

 This message was preached at Word Of Grace Church on January 5th 2025 by Colin. For the audio & video please click here.  For the worship please click here. 

Worthy Goals for 2025

When we enter New Year, we make resolutions. We want to believe that the old has gone and new has come. 

As we began the New Year, our hearts need to be filled with gratitude for God's faithfulness. We are all alive today and that's because of God. We need to be thankful to God. Let us look at Philippians chapter 1.

Let us look at some worthy goals to put forward for the year.

Philippians 1:1-2 NIV - [1] Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all God’s holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons: [2] Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul was used by God in an amazing way. He calls himself a born servant. This actually means a slave. We can see Paul's great humility here. 

Let us look at this attitude of humility. As Christians we must cultivate it. According to the New Testament, if you are saved, you are a saint. This letter is addressed to the overseers, deacons and saints. 

Philippians 1:3 NIV - [3] I thank my God every time I remember you.

What a beautiful thing to say. In our lives, there could be people who cause pain when we think about them. 

Philippians 1:4-8 NIV - [4] In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy [5] because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, [6] being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. [7] It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me. [8] God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.

Here we see that Paul was filled with deep love towards these believers. That's a wonderful example to follow. 

Acts 16:6-7 NIV - [6] Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. [7] When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. 

What we see here is that Paul and his companions were led by the Spirit. Discernment was needed to differentiate between right and wrong and also God's will and their will. Going to preach is good but what was God's will?

Even in our lives, we must know the difference between Good and bad and also God's will and our will. That's why we must be connected to God by His Spirit.

Acts 16:8-14 NIV - [8] So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. [9] During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” [10] After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.  [11] From Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, and the next day we went on to Neapolis. [12] From there we traveled to Philippi, a Roman colony and the leading city of that district of Macedonia. And we stayed there several days. [13] On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. [14] One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message. 

For salvation to come, we must go and preach and also God's must touch their hearts to put their faith in Jesus.

Acts 16:15 NIV - [15] When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. “If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us.

Salvation is always followed by baptism which is a public declaration of faith in Jesus.

Acts 16:16-17 NIV - [16] Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a female slave who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. [17] She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.” 

We see that when the demonic spirits we're sharing the gospel. 

From verses 18 to 24, we see that Paul and Silas were arrested and clogged for sharing the gospel.

Acts 16:25 NIV - [25] About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. 

Even in the midst of their trial, Paul and Silas chose to praise God. 

In our lives we are going to face struggles,  trials, sickness and persecution. But we must continue to worship God and praise him. 

Acts 16:27-28 NIV - [27] The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. [28] But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!”

Those days if any prisoner escaped, the jailer was executed. Here, when the jailer realized that the prison doors were opened he thought that the prisoners had escaped. He knew he'd be executed. So he drew his sword and was about to kill himself. But Paul stopped him.

Acts 16:30 NIV - [30] He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

These are the golden words which we long to hear from the unbelievers - "What must I do to be saved?"

Acts 16:31-34 NIV - [31] They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” [32] Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. [33] At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized. [34] The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole household.

After the jailer asked them, Paul and Silas shared the gospel and the jailer and his entire household were saved and baptized. Amazing! 

When they left Philippi, there were just a few believers gathering and Paul was thanking them for their partnership with him. 

We can also partner in 3 ways - 

1. Going

2. Giving

3. Loving 

The Church of Philippi partnered with Paul by finding the gospel. Let us pray for the people who attended the Carols event that God touch them and open their hearts. 

We have to be friends with the unbelievers because Jesus was a friend of sinners.

When we come to faith, that's just the first step but not the last.

It is good that a baby is born but when there's no growth its not good. Similarly, when a new Christian is born, he or she must grow and mature. 

God's Word is our food to grow spiritually. Let us be a people of book - read God's Word. 

Joshua 1:8 NIV - [8] Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. 

As we give ourselves to feeding on God's Word, we will see the difference in our lives. 

One thing that's connected to feeding on the Word is Prayer and the other is Fasting.

Philippians 1:7 NIV - [7] It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me. 

Here we see Paul's love and deep affection for the believers. This is the quality of love God wants to see in His people. 

We must pray that God would help us to love our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.

We must grow more in loving one another. We are all in WIP - Work In Progress.

We all have shortcomings and failures. Till our death, we will have these. But when we sin, we must recognise it, repent and seek forgiveness and keep moving forward so that we may be pure and blameless. 

When you commit a sin, don't be surprised as that's a sign of pride. We must be humble enough to say we're wrong. 

Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit-filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English-speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that has people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service.  Word of Grace is part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org. 

Setting Worthy Goals as a Church

  This message was preached at Word Of Grace Church on January 12th 2025 by Lasya. For the audio & video please click here.  For the worship please click here.

Setting worthy goals as a church

Last week, Colin encouraged us to set worthy goals from the passage of Philippians 1 which includes our personal goals – developing humility, growing in spiritual maturity, striving for holiness. Today we will look at some of the corporate goals that we need to set as the body of Christ. 

Why do we need to set corporate goals? 

When the New Testament refers to church, in 80% of the cases it is talking about a local church. We have this idea that the “church” is this abstract amalgamation of all believers from all times, but when Paul or Peter or Luke talk about the church, they are referring to the church in Ephesus, the church in Philippi, the church that meets in someone’s house… it is not either or, but it is focused on the local with a vision of the global and eternal. We are born on our own, but we are born into a family just as in the natural. This family that we are born into is the church. The church is not an organisation, it’s a spiritual body – it is the fellowship of the redeemed. Romans 12:5 “so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.”

We need the local church in order to obey Jesus. Both the great commandment (Matthew 22:37-39 “7 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”) and the great commission (Matthew 28:18-20 “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”) are rooted in a place. In fact, the promise is that when the holy spirit comes upon us, we will be witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth.  

You and I are here by design to meet the purposes of God in this place and time. So as we step into this new year, let’s look at what is the role of the this church in this place and how do we set ourselves up to obey God. 

Q. What are some of the new year’s resolutions you’ve ever set that have actually stuck? When you reflect on it, what is the difference between the resolutions that stick v. the ones that don’t? Illustrations of gym or eating healthy, etc. 

• Commitment 

• Custom 

• Compelling vision 

1. Commitment. 

Q. What is Jesus committed to? 

Matt 16:18 “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Q. What do we need to be committed to? 

Acts 2: 42- 45 – “And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers...And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.”

So there were some things that the believers were committed to (devoted to) – to the apostles teaching, to fellowship, to prayer, to giving- and they did all this in the context of a community.  

a. Apostle’s teaching – not just doing our bible reading in our personal devotion, but corporately. Do we come expecting God to speak to us through the word each Sunday, or do we go searching online for whoever the latest or most favourite preachers? 

b. fellowship – not just friendship but an intentional togetherness. Illustration – fellowship of the rings. It is coming together for a purpose - for mutual edification. Ephesians 4: 15-16 “speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and help together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work” 

c. prayer – most underused gift of the church is corporate prayer.

d. giving – tithes and offerings belong in the local church first. Giving is beyond this – it is giving of your time, resources, meeting the needs in the church. Many times, the needs are not monetary. Are we a generous community? 

2. Custom – our commitments need to turn into custom 

just saying we are committed to something is not enough. the road to hell is paved with good intentions

Jesus and the disciples had certain customs:

Luke 4: 16 “And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read.”

Luke 22:39 “And he came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him” (prayer) 

Acts 17: 1-2 “7 Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. 2 And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures,”

Acts 2: 46-47 “ 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people”

Q. What are some of our customs? 

Is attending church on a Sunday a custom, it is something that is non-negotiable? Is prayer a custom? Lets look at how to turn our commitments into customs. 

A commitment requires good intention, but a custom requires good planning. Illustrations - how can we make it to church on time/ be there for corporate prayer. 

3. Compelling vision:

Q. What is Jesus’ vision for the church? 

Ephesians 5: 25-27 “25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish”

Revelation 21: 2-4 “ 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place[a] of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people,[b] and God himself will be with them as their God.[c] 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.””

Q. What is our vision? 

Colin will tell us next week. 

But it has to do with being salt and light in this place. it has to do with loving God and loving our neighbours, it has to do with make disciples of the nations starting with NIBM, Undri, Pune and to the ends of the earth. In all this, we are the hands and feet of Christ. when God thinks about the darkness and evil that is prevalent in this area, his answer is, let me send word of grace church there. 

Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit-filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English-speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that has people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service.  Word of Grace is part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org.