Christ-Centered Practice

Colossians 3:12–14

12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

I love seeing people try to accomplish extraordinary feats. Apparently, others do too because entire organizations and validation systems like the Guinness Book of World Records exists. I think of old stunt men like Evil Knievel jumping over school buses on a motorcycle and the more recent tightrope walker who stepped across Niagara Falls on a cable. These death-defying feats are hard to watch but also difficult to look away from at the same time. Just a week ago, a friend of mine decided that he was going to do 10,000 air squats in a day’s time. So he got started at 2am in the morning and didn’t finish until late in the afternoon. He went live on Facebook a number of times, and I’m telling you that it was excruciating must-see streaming for sure. The predominant question that’s asked when viewing these types of pursuits is WHY?  Why put yourself through the strain of doing something that is virtually impossible?

Friends, too often this is our approach to difficult feats in our spiritual life as well. Have you ever tried to overcome a proclivity or tried to keep to a discipline just to throw your hands up and say, “Why even try? It’s impossible.” Have you ever stopped trying and then watched as a friend stuck with it and accomplished or experienced what you had written off as impossible? If so, let me share a little secret. If you’ve seen a friend achieve a true spiritual milestone, it actually wasn’t them at all. If this is sounding weird, perhaps it’s time for a verse. Galatians 2:20 explains it best when it says, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Do you you see it? Spiritual victory is a matter of Christ working in us. You see, as we seek to live victorious lives, the bad news is that we can’t do it. However, the VERY good news is that CHRIST will accomplish it in us and through us! Boom! This is the point of our passage this week. In Colossians 3:12-14, we are going to learn the secret to living fruitful lives IN Christ. And man, I cannot wait to walk through this text with you. So please take some time to read the passage and consider the fruitful practices of a Christ-centered life. Once again, the Lord is going to meet us right where we are and encourage us greatly!
Here are the songs we’ll be singing to help you prepare for worship.

Love you, Church!

SUNDAY PLAN
9:00 AM  – Worship Service
10:15 AM – Meet in Small Groups on Zoom
10:15 AM – Guest Connection
10:15AM – Student Prayer (Grades 6-12)
7:00PM – Mission Family Night of Worship

SUNDAY RESOURCES
Everything below and more is available both on our mobile app and on our website.

Mission Kids Resources – Click Here

Sunday Online Only Worship Service at 9:00 AM

Online Giving – mission-church.com/give-now

Friendship Register – Click Here

Bulletin & Notes – Click Here
Zoom App for any device– Click Here (to prepare to connect to Small Group, Student Ministry, and Prayer Online Gatherings – individual links will sent each week by small group and student ministry leaders) 

Need a Small Group? If you are not connected with a Small Group, please click here to email Lisa Self, our Ministry Director of Hospitality & Assimilation.  She will connect you with a group for Sunday morning.

Small Group Discussion Questions

  1. From last week, what’s one bad fruit you worked on pruning from your life? How did being decisive, deliberate, and determined to overcome sin keep you focused and strong?
  2. How does acknowledging the Lord’s love for us and relying on His strength enable us to be more kind, humble, meek and patient? Which of these is your strongest practice?
  3. Seeing that forgiveness is a very difficult and costly thing, how does the Lord’s willingness to forgive us empower us to forgive others?
  4. What does it really look like to elevate love above all?  How can you be more loving this week?

7:00PM – Mission Family Night of Worship – Zoom Link

 

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