Christ Community Church Ct

Our world is full of racial and ethnic tension that seems to transcend our greatest attempts at reconciliation, yet in the Gospel we find the grace and the power to overcome our differences and find our common connection in Christ.

The Flood is a story of epic proportions, a global expression of God's commitment to both justice and compassion. So how does it apply to our lives today? (And what does the science say about a the possibilities of a global flood?)

God created mankind as the pinnacle of His creation, to rule over the earth ... but, tragically, we fell. And that Fall affected the very fabric of God's perfect creation, affecting every one of us every day. So what hope is there for a fallen world? And how should we live in it?

If you're God, what's the first thing you do after you create the universe? What's the next item on your "To Do" list?

Adam and Eve started a chain-reaction of unrighteousness. Neither Abraham, judges, or kings could lead God's people to recover the righteousness that was lost at the Fall. Only God Himself was up for such a task, so Jesus was born. Jesus came to make unrighteous people right before God. He came to live the life none of us could live, and in His advent we see the righteousness of God who wants His people to be like Him.

Humility was one of the defining marks of Christ's Advent. We see it in how He came. We see it in how He lived and served. And we see it in how He died. Though He was God, He was willing to take on the form of humanity, serve us, and then die in our place. That kind of humility is an example for us to marvel at and a model for us to imitate. So how can you and I live like Christ this week? How do we live with this kind of humility?

You will probably speak about 300,000,000 words in your lifetime. You will hear far more. How many of those words caused wounds? How many brought healing? In James 3.1-12, we get the privilege of listening in on James' warning and encouragement to his scattered congregation, apparently suffering from unity-destroying words. Listen in on what God has to say about the seemingly unlimited power of the tongue.

The Bible is clear: faith alone is what saves us, yet the faith that saves us is never alone. It is always expresses itself in our good works towards others. So how much good is your faith doing in the lives of others?

Anyone who sets himself up as “religious” by talking a good game is self-deceived. This kind of religion is hot air and only hot air. Real religion, the kind that passes muster before God the Father, is this: Reach out to the homeless and loveless in their plight, and guard against corruption from the godless world.

Faith is a private experience with a public expression. Who we are, what we believe, and how we encounter God WILL reveal itself through our actions!

There is one truth, one idea, one concept, one conviction that shapes everything else in our journey with God.

How sure is our hope in Christ? How confident can we be in our salvation and eternal future?

The journey of following Christ is tough and not everyone that says they are a believer continues until the end. So how do we as a church respond to that? When people leave, what does that say about their faith? Were they really ever a believer? Did they somehow lose their relationship with God? Did they ever have one? How can we know?

We are defined by our passions and known by our pursuits. Those things that consume us and those desires that control us identify on the outside what is real and taking place on the inside. What passions identify you? And as followers of Christ, how should we be marked by our desires?

As followers of Christ, our lives should be marked by obedience. We ought to be known by our continual willingness to say "YES" to Christ. We won't do it perfectly (thankfully, God's grace is enough to cover our sin). But if we are genuine believers in Jesus, there will be a consistent, long-term pattern of growth and righteousness that reflects Christ to our world.

As followers of Jesus, love is to be one of the defining marks of our lives. And not just any love but a love like God's ... a self-less, sacrificial, life-altering love. God showed that kind of love to us in Christ. Now we are called to display that love to the world. So how's your love?

As believers, we have been sent. We are here to represent Christ and display His Grace+Truth to our world. So how can you do that today? What does that kind of life look like?

Homosexuality is one of the most controversial issues in our culture and political environment today. So how does the church respond in Grace+Truth? What does the Bible say about our sexuality and how do we demonstrate God's kindness in our actions and conversations about it?

We live in a culture consumed with wealth and materialism. Yet $$$ does not define us, and our stuff (cars, houses, etc.) can never satisfy us. So how do we treat $$$? How do we respond to our culture's pursuit of wealth with Grace+Truth?

All major world religions are fundamentally different, so they cannot all lead us to God. Either one of them is right, or none of them are right. But Jesus' life and teaching seem most convincing and at least most unique. He claimed, "I am the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father except through Me," - John 14.6. Jesus alone preaches a WAY of grace, offers a verifiable historical event (the resurrection) as proven TRUTH, and LIFE that quenches our soulthirst in ways that nothing else can. How can you respond to our pluralistic culture with grace and truth?