Instruments of Sanctification, Part 3 | Sunday, October 31, 2021

Welcome to Cross Connection Church online! We're so grateful that you're joining us today. Before we get started, we want to let you know that if you're interested in any information about Cross Connection Church, you can check out our website at lifeinconnection.com.

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Now, let's take a moment to reflect on the beautiful name of Jesus Christ. What a beautiful name it is, the name of Jesus Christ, my King! Nothing compares to this. What a wonderful name it is!

What a wonderful name it is! Nothing compares.

In the messages in this series leading up to today, we have talked about how we, who are in Christ by faith, have been saved and justified. Jesus, on the cross, dealt with the penalty and the punishment of my sin, your sin, and all of our sin. He dealt with it there on the cross. He who knew no sin became sin for us. In this exchange, where He took our sin upon Himself on the cross, He transferred to us His righteousness. He took the righteousness from His account and put it into your account.

This is exactly what Paul the Apostle writes about in Romans chapter 4 when he talks about Abraham, the father of the faith, to whom God imputed or imparted righteousness when he trusted in God. This is all the way back in the very first book of the Bible. The consistent teaching of the Scriptures, from the very first book of the Bible, Genesis chapter 15, verse 6, all the way through to the very end, is that Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him as righteousness.

So, if you have trusted in Jesus Christ and in His finished work on the cross in your place—Him taking your sin upon Himself and taking the penalty and punishment for your sin upon Himself there on the cross—if you've trusted in His finished work, then God has accounted to you, He has transferred to your account righteousness by grace through faith. You are saved.

That's what the New Testament book of Ephesians chapter 2, verse 8 says: "For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." So, by grace through faith, you are saved, past tense. You are positionally righteous before God as God sees you. If you've trusted in Jesus, He sees you clothed in Christ's righteousness.

Because of His grace and the riches of His love, He has promised that you and I, who have trusted in Him, will be with Him in His presence for eternity.

God has promised to bring us into His presence and to transform these lowly bodies, these mortal and corrupt bodies, so that they will be conformed to His glorious body. At that point, we will be saved from the presence of sin in eternity. This is what the Scripture speaks about when it refers to us being glorified.

We have been justified, saved from the penalty and punishment of sin. We shall be glorified, saved from the presence of sin. So, we are saved, in the past tense, from the penalty and punishment of sin, and we shall be saved in the future from the presence of sin.

However, in the gap between justification and glorification, we need to consider what is happening during that period of time. Perhaps it is a long period. Maybe you trusted in Christ Jesus when you were a child or when you were a young man or woman, and now a lot of time has gone by. You are still not in the presence of the Lord, glorified. So, what is happening in this intervening time between the moment you were justified and the moment you will be glorified?

In this gap between justification and glorification, we are, at this moment, being saved. That is what the Scriptures talk about. We are being saved from sin's power, and we are being saved through sin's power, using the theological term of sanctification.

So, we have justification and glorification, and this period in between the two is sanctification. Here we are in the gap, and during this period, we are working out our own salvation. God is working in us to will and to do His good pleasure. Those words come from my two favorite verses in the Scriptures, Philippians chapter 2, verses 12 and 13. There, the Apostle Paul says, "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to do His good pleasure."

That is what is happening right now in this gap. It is in this period that we are empowered by the enabling power of the Holy Spirit to develop the disciplines of a disciple. That is why I have called this series we have been going through for the last several weeks "The Disciplines of a Disciple." God is enabling and empowering us by His Holy Spirit so that we can discipline ourselves as obedient followers of Jesus Christ, to grow in Christ's likeness and to be sanctified.

He has enabled and equipped us by His Holy Spirit. He has given us equipment or tools that God desires we would use to grow in maturity, to become more like Jesus. This is really God's design for you if you are a Christian. He wants to make you more and more into the likeness of His children. He adopted you into His family at justification.

You can read the New Testament book of Ephesians, chapter 1, which talks about how, because of what Jesus did on the cross on our behalf and our trust in Him, we have been forgiven, adopted, redeemed, and accepted into His body. We are His kids; we are His children, the children of God. But He wants to make us more and more into the likeness of His kids, to impart His nature to us so that we would become fruitful in Him.

This fruit that we have from God in our lives should be shown forth to the world, so that other people would see this good, acceptable, and perfect work of God in our lives. We might be a witness of God's grace, a witness of God's mercy. People should see that in you—that you are gracious, that you are merciful. They should see God's love in you, God's peace in you.

I talked a lot about this in our message last time. If you were here with us, one of the outcomes of the last 19 months of chaos in the world—through COVID, politics, the economy, and all the other issues—has been a lot of anxiety. But for the person who has trusted in Christ, one of the witnesses to the world is that they have God dwelling in them by the Holy Spirit, His empowering, His enabling, His peace, and His rest.

God wants me to be a witness to this world with His grace, His mercy, His love, His peace, His joy, His kindness, His patience, His goodness, His faithfulness, and His self-control being worked out in my life. He desires that these things would increasingly be abundant in my life so that other people would see them.

Over the last two weeks, we have been talking about some of the tools that God has given to me and to you so that we would be more likely to produce fruit or grow to maturity. We already know that we have the Holy Spirit, who is our Helper. He is the one who enables us and empowers us to do what is necessary.

Pleasing to God, so God is working in us by His Holy Spirit, willing us to do those things that are pleasing to Him. He also gives us equipment or tools so that we can work out our salvation with fear and trembling.

In the last three messages of this six-week series, we are looking at three of these tools. We talked about two of them in the last couple of weeks—things that God has given to us so that we can grow in Christ's likeness. The two things that God has given to us, as I said, are essential for our sanctification. They are very simple tools that make it more likely that we will be transformed from glory to glory by the Spirit of the Lord, as Paul writes in one of his letters to the Corinthians. From glory to glory, we are being transformed by the Spirit of the Lord into the likeness of God's children.

The first tool that God has equipped us with is the Word of God. The Word of God is living and powerful, as stated in Hebrews 4:12. The Word of God works effectively in our lives to bring about sanctification. Jesus, on the night that He would be betrayed, prayed to the Father in John 17:17, "Father, sanctify them by Your truth; Your Word is truth." The Word of God is useful in our lives for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness, so that the man or woman of God would be thoroughly equipped for every good work, as found in 2 Timothy 3:16-17.

God has given us His Word so that we would use it. Because God's Word is so essential and effective, that is one of the big reasons why we at Cross Connection Church preach and teach it every single week. We value it highly here at this church, and we hope that you will also begin to value God's Word. Make it a regular part of your day, spending some time listening to God's Word, reading God's Word, meditating upon God's Word, and maybe even memorizing it.

I know a lot of people will tell me that they don't have a very good memory, but I believe that if you take some time to read through even just one verse and think about it regularly every single day, you will begin to hide God's Word in your heart. It will start to do a work in you, and you'll keep it coming to mind whenever you need to think upon God's Word. So, be listening to God's Word, reading God's Word...

Studying God's Word and meditating upon it is essential. Memory is rooted in God's Word, and as you engage with it, God will use His Word in your life to bring about this sanctifying work. We have the Helper, the Holy Spirit, who enables and empowers us to walk in ways that are pleasing to God. God has given us tools, one of which is the Word of God. As we work out our own salvation, we are called to study to show ourselves approved unto God as workmen, rightly dividing the Word of Truth.

In 2 Timothy 2:15, the Apostle Paul emphasizes the importance of this study: "Study to show yourself approved unto God as a workman that is not ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth." In that very same passage, Paul talks about exercising ourselves toward godliness. Therefore, in this workout routine, we should exercise ourselves toward godliness by using this first tool, the Word of God.

The second tool that God has given to us for our sanctification, which we looked at in our last message, is prayer. Through prayer, we grow closer to God. We bring God our praise and our thanksgiving, as well as our petitions and supplications. We come to Him and ask for Him to take care of the things we need and sometimes even to give us the things we want. We also come to God to confess our sins, and when we do, we receive His forgiveness.

John writes in 1 John 1:9 that if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. So, we come to God with praise and thanksgiving, with petitions and supplications, and with confession, receiving His forgiveness.

Prayer invites God's presence into our lives. It not only invites His presence but also His peace. Paul, in Philippians 4:6, says, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God." The outcome, the result, is that His peace will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus.

Prayer also invites God's power into our lives. A great man, I believe it was D.L. Moody, said, "Where prayer is focused, power falls." When you begin to focus your prayers in your own life and in the lives of others through intercession, you will start to see God move in a powerful way.

Today, many are lacking in wisdom. The Scriptures say in James chapter 1, "If anyone lacks wisdom, let them ask of God." God is the one who gives us wisdom. When we come to Him in prayer for wisdom, we should remember that seeking wisdom is a good thing. I've had many conversations with people in recent weeks about making decisions regarding work, school, moving, or whatever it may be. They come seeking wisdom, which is commendable. Hopefully, I am a wise person, but if I am, it is only because I take heed to the Word of God.

If you are lacking in wisdom, ask of God, and He will answer. If you are lacking in rest, ask God. If you are facing temptation or trials, come to God in prayer. Prayer should be my first inclination when I encounter difficulties, trials, temptations, or hardships. I would say that those who are predisposed to prayer experience God's peace to a greater degree than those who are not. If prayer is your first response when confronted by challenges, you will find that those issues are resolved much faster than if you do not pray.

The Word of God and prayer are essential for our sanctification. Interestingly, these are also identified by the Apostle Paul as offensive weapons in the Christian's armory. In Ephesians chapter 6, the Apostle Paul discusses the armor that Christians have in the spiritual battle. We do not wrestle against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers. Paul writes in Ephesians chapter 6, verse 16, "Above all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench the fiery darts of the wicked one, and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God."

In verse 18, he adds, "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints." The Word of God and prayer are weapons in our warfare against the world, the flesh, and the devil. The Bible says that we have three foes that we are battling in this life: the world, the flesh, and the devil.

The devil is real, and if you are going to engage the world, the flesh, and the devil, then the Word of God and prayer are weapons in our warfare against these forces. We have talked about these two tools that we have been equipped with or given to bring about transformation, or to make it more likely that we would grow in maturity as followers of Jesus and become disciplined disciples.

Today, we are going to talk about our third and final tool that God has given to us. He has given us the Holy Spirit to enable and empower us, and He has provided us with tools to help us grow in Christ's likeness. I want to make it clear before I discuss this final tool that there are not only three tools; there are many other things that God has given to us to equip us so that we can grow more in Christ's likeness. He has given us everything that we need to live this life in a godly manner.

This is what Peter writes in 2 Peter 1:3. I mentioned this last week. It says, "According to God's divine power, God has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness." So, everything that we need to live this life in a godly manner has been given to us through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue. By these, we have been given exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these, we may be partakers of the divine nature. Remember, God wants to make us more like Him; He wants to impart His nature to us.

How does He do this? By the work of the Holy Spirit, by the work of His Word, through prayer, and some other tools as well that God has given to us. Through these things, we may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

There are other tools by which we are equipped and sanctified, aside from the Word of God and prayer. We could talk about fasting, service, or Sabbath. Sabbath is a tool that God has given to us, taking time for rest, silence, solitude, sacrifice, or simplicity. We could also discuss worship. There are many other things that are sometimes referred to as spiritual practices or spiritual disciplines, and I’m sure in the future we will talk about some of them a little bit more.

However, in this series, we are really just focusing on three tools that God has given to us: the Word of God, prayer, and then we have one final tool that we will focus on in this series—the disciplines of a disciple. I believe...

That it incorporates a number of these things when we talk about Sabbath, service, sacrifice, worship, and simplicity. All these sorts of things come into this third and final tool that we're going to be discussing in the close of this series. Without making a ton of fanfare about it, I'm simply going to tell you what this third and final tool is: the church is crucial in our formation as disciples.

The church is crucial in our formation as disciples. This is key. I believe that we are each saved and justified individually when we put our trust in Christ Jesus and confess Him as Lord. Each one of us individually needs to come to a place where we acknowledge that we have fallen short of God's glory. We acknowledge that we have sinned and that the wages of sin is death. We come to the personal and individual recognition that Jesus died for us, for our sin, and that we need to put our trust in Him.

This is very key. We are each individually saved or justified when we put our trust in Jesus Christ and confess Him as Lord. However, I would say that we are being saved or sanctified in many ways as a body. We are being sanctified as a group, corporately, as the Church of Christ, in His Church, in His body. So, we are saved individually as we trust in Jesus, but God is doing a work of sanctification in us as we are gathered together as the body.

The man who is the founder of Methodism, the great theologian John Wesley, said that there is no such thing as a solitary Christian. Though you can develop the discipline of solitude as a Christian, I don't think that you can survive, or especially thrive, as a Christian in solitary confinement. We need one another as a body, joined together as a family, as the Church, to be able to truly grow in Christ's likeness.

We were created by God, as we say here at Cross Connection Church, to live life in connection with God and with one another. God created us to be connected with Him and with one another, and in so many ways, that happens within the body of Christ, within the Church. The Apostle Paul wrote again in the book of Ephesians, in Ephesians chapter 2.

He writes this to the church that was in the city of Ephesus. Ephesians chapter 2, verse 19 states, "Now therefore you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God." The household of God is another term for the church. So, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone.

In Him, the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In Him, you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. We are saved by Jesus Christ, and when we are saved by Him, we are joined together as His body. We are members of the household of God, and we are being built together for our growth into what He ultimately desires us to be.

If we are to grow into what God desires us to be in Christ, then we need the fellowship of the body. We need the body of Christ, the church. I think the gathering together of the people of God is essential for our sanctification. The term "church" is an old, ancient word that means the gathering, the assembly, or the congregation. The word that is translated as "church" in the New Testament is the Greek word "ecclesia," which was used in Koine Greek or Greek culture to refer to a gathering or congregation of people.

The church is not just a place; it is not a building. I was about to say it is not just a building, but it is not a building at all. This is simply the gathering place of a people who are the church. It is not a place, not a building, not an organization, and not a business. It is not some 501(c)(3) corporation. The church is the gathering of the people of God; it is the congregation of the people of God.

Why does the congregation or the gathering of the people of God come together? They come together for worship. They come together for fellowship. Fellowship is communing with one another in relationship, sharing with one another, and caring for one another. All those things fall under the word "fellowship." The church gathers together for evangelism, for service, for outreach, for mission, for encouragement, and for study.

Recreation is important for spending time with one another and enjoying each other's company. However, we ultimately gather together to be united with Christ and to grow in Him. Writing to the church in Ephesus, Paul addresses this in Ephesians chapter 4. He states that Jesus gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors, and some teachers.

Why are there church leaders within the church? Paul explains in verse 12 that these leaders are for the equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry, for the building up or edifying of the body of Christ. This is to continue until we all come to the unity of faith, to the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. According to Paul in Ephesians chapter 4, God in Christ Jesus has gifted the church with leaders for the corporate equipping and edifying of the body of Christ. This is to bring us all together to maturity, to unity, and to become more like Jesus.

Not only should we strive to be more like Jesus, but we should also aim to be a better representation of Him in this world. I bring all these points up because, if you were with us when we started the "Disciplines of a Disciple" series about eight weeks ago, you may remember that I mentioned a significant reason for this series. When I look at the state of the church, I feel compelled to address it.

Every year, the president gives a State of the Union address. In the fall of 2021, after 19 months of COVID shutdowns and chaos in the world—through politics, economics, and various challenges—I feel that the state of the church in the West has been revealed. This period has brought to the surface our need to become more like Jesus. It has exposed our flesh, our disunity, and the fact that we are divided from one another. It has highlighted that we are not the best representation of Him in this world.

As a pastor and teacher, I feel the weight of this responsibility. Ephesians chapter 4, verse 11 states that Jesus gave some to be apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. At the very least, I fall into that category, whether or not I fit into the others is for someone else to determine.

To decide, I am a pastor and teacher, and God has called me to equip the church, the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ, until we come to maturity through unity. We are a better representation of Jesus in this world. That is why we have been going through this series: so we can grow in Christ's likeness.

Jesus has given all these people to the church to bring about this growth, and that is why we need to be a part of the church. We should grow in Christ's likeness. Why should you go to church? Why should you be a part of the church? Well, for worship, fellowship, encouragement, and all the other things we do when we gather together as a church.

Among all of those reasons, perhaps at the very top of the list is so that we would be transformed and sanctified; that we would grow in maturity, grow in unity, and grow in Christ-likeness, becoming a better representation of the body of Christ in this world.

So how does God transform and sanctify us, who believe in Him, who have been justified, and who have the hope of being glorified? How does God transform and sanctify us in this gap within the body of Christ, within the church? It is within the church that we encourage one another, challenge one another, and exhort one another to live and grow as followers of Christ.

When we gather together, one of the ways we grow in Christ's likeness is by encouraging, challenging, and exhorting one another to live as followers of Jesus. The author of the book of Hebrews in the New Testament said it like this in Hebrews chapter 10, verse 24: "And let us Christians consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much more as you see the day approaching."

Notice what the author of the book of Hebrews says in that passage. He states that we need to consider one another; we need to be considerate of one another. As we are considerate of one another and as we gather together, assembling together, verse 25 says we should not forsake the assembling of ourselves. As we assemble together as the church, the ecclesia, the congregation, we need to be considerate of one another, stirring each other up, challenging, and exhorting one another to love and to good deeds.

To Timothy, the Apostle Paul wrote these words. Timothy was a young...

Pastor and the Apostle Paul is trying to equip and encourage a young pastor, and he writes this in Second Timothy, chapter 2, verse 22. He says, "Flee youthful lusts, but pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart." If you have a Bible, you might want to circle those words: "with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart."

I would suggest that one of the implications of this verse is that we need to be with those who congregate and assemble together—those people who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. Those are Christians. When we are with those who call upon the Lord out of a pure heart, we are gathered together as His church, as His body. It is in that context that we are able to flee youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace.

We are joined together as the church, and it is within the church, as we gather together as the people of God, that we love one another, serve one another, comfort one another, pray for one another, and speak truth to one another. We encourage one another, build one another up, bear one another's burdens, and honor one another. We are devoted to one another.

There are dozens of passages in the New Testament that are called "one another" passages—passages that explicitly say these words that I just mentioned: pray for one another, comfort one another, serve one another. The most repeated one is "love one another." We see that constantly. Build one another up, stir one another up; there are many of these "one another" passages in the Scriptures.

Where do those things happen? They happen in the context of the gathering of the people of God, which is called the church. We grow as individuals and as a church as we work out the "one anothers" of Scripture. This is what we are called to do when we gather together as the people of God. As we are praying together, using one of the tools of sanctification, and going through the Scriptures together, using another one of the tools of sanctification, we encourage one another, serve one another, love one another, pray for one another, and comfort one another.

Another aspect of love and good deeds is that we grow as individuals and as the church. As we work out the "one another" commands of Scripture, if you desire to grow in Christ's likeness—which is a fundamental desire of a Christian, given by God when you put your trust in Him—you must be committed to a local church. You must gather together regularly with the body of Christ. You cannot be a solitary Christian. As John Wesley said, there is no such thing as a solitary Christian. We must be in fellowship with one another within the body of a local church, and it is in that context that we begin to grow.

When I say that if you want to grow in Christ's likeness and in maturity as a disciple, you have to be committed to a local church, a question arises: What does it look like to be committed to a local church? I could honestly do an entire series on that question alone, as it has many different paths to explore. That question alone might be a series someday. However, in the time I have remaining today, I want to break it down into seven things—seven ways that you can see if you are living life in connection with God, His church, and the world.

You may or may not know this, but hopefully, you are connected to Cross Connection Church. Our mission, or vision, here at Cross Connection Church is life in connection with God, one another, and the world through Jesus. So, how can you tell if you are living life in connection with God, His church, and the world through Jesus Christ? Here are seven steps to a life in connection. This is how you can be committed to this church or any church, but you need to be connected and committed to a church so that you will begin to grow in Christ's likeness. The church is a vital tool for our sanctification.

The first step of seven in how you grow in a life of connection is to know the vision. What do I mean by that? The first step of knowing the vision is that you know...

What is your church? The church that you are, shall we say, a member of? We don't have formal membership here at Cross Connection Church, but we have people who have plugged in, and they are part of this body.

So, how can you live life in connection with God, with His church, and grow in Christlikeness? The first step is to know the vision. You need to know what your church is all about. You need to understand its biblical purpose, mission, vision, and values. It is important to recognize that they are on a biblical purpose, mission, vision, and values. Some churches are committed to things that have nothing to do with the Bible, so you want to ensure that you know what your church is all about. You need to know that they are a church with a purpose founded in the Bible, fulfilling the mission of the Bible, and aligned with the values of Scripture.

You need to know that the church you are a part of teaches and adheres to the Scriptures and the principles of Scripture. It is essential that the church has qualified elders—biblically qualified elders—who are committed to a biblical theology. So, the first of seven steps in living life in connection with God and His church is to know the vision. All of these things come under it. You need to know that they have biblically qualified leaders who are committed to a biblical theology, teaching the Scriptures, and fulfilling the mission of the church as outlined in the Scriptures.

The second thing you need to do is worship together with the church. You need to regularly gather with the people of God to honor God and worship. We worship God here at Cross Connection through song, through the Scriptures, through prayer, and through communion. There are many different ways that we gather for worship. Here at Cross Connection, we have regular weekly worship gatherings.

Because of everything that has happened in the last 19 months, we have also established a digital gathering online through what we are doing on YouTube. It is not really the same; I don't think it's perfectly ideal. However, if you are not able to gather together for worship in a room like we do here on Sunday morning, then this might be at least a beginning step to move in that direction.

So, the first thing is that you need to know the vision of the church and understand what that church is all about, ensuring that it is built upon the Scriptures. The second step is to worship.

With that group of people on a regular basis, we worship through song, through the Scriptures, through prayer, through communion, and through giving.

The third of seven steps is that you need to connect with community. When you're connecting with community, you are committed to joining with the people of God outside of the weekly worship gathering. You do that in small groups. Here at Cross Connection Church, we do that in our connect groups. If you go to our website, lifeinconnection.com/groups, you will find more information about our connect groups. However, that's not the only way that we connect with community within the body of Christ.

We worship together corporately on Sunday mornings, and then we get together throughout the week as the family of God. I have a connect group that I'm a part of, and my parents have a connect group that they participate in. The other pastors here at the church have connect groups, and our elders have connect groups as well. Many of the people who attend this church have a group that they connect with regularly.

These connect groups do not only meet during their regular meetings in homes a couple of times a month; they also gather with their church family. They connect with community many times throughout the week or the month. I do that with those who are part of this church family on a regular basis. We gather corporately together on Sundays, but then we meet at other times.

Sometimes that could be getting together with a group of people for prayer, like we have a prayer group that meets on Wednesdays. You might gather with someone a couple of Mondays or a couple of mornings a week for prayer. Alternatively, you could go on a hike or a mountain bike ride with other brothers or sisters in the church, or you might go out to dinner with some people or have them over to your home for dinner. You are connecting with community within the church when you join together with other Christians outside of the regular worship gatherings on Sunday mornings.

The first step in being committed to a church is knowing the vision and understanding what the church is all about. The second step is to worship regularly together with the body of Christ. You gather corporately to worship God through song, through the Scriptures, through sacrificial giving, and through service. All these different ways contribute to your connection.

The third step is to connect with community. The fourth step, which has some subcategories, is to love one another. I have already listed the "one another" commands of the New Testament.

There are more than 50 instances in the New Testament where we are reminded to love one another. This message is repeated many times, but it also includes caring for one another, praying for one another, comforting one another, encouraging one another, exhorting one another, and counseling one another. All these "one another" commands in Scripture emphasize that we love one another when we actively engage in these actions. We are called to do unto others as we would desire that they do for us.

One of the ways we express this love for one another is through our commitment to a church. First, we need to know the church and its vision. We worship together corporately, and we are committed to community. Then, we love one another.

How do we love one another? One way is through service. Here at Cross Connection, we encourage everyone to join a service team. You will never grow faster as a disciple of Jesus than when you are connected to a team serving Him. Ask anyone who has served or is currently serving here at the church—whether on the parking team, the ushers or greeters team, in children's ministry, youth ministry, the tech team, or the worship team. There are so many different ways to serve on a team. When you begin to serve, you will find that you grow more rapidly in your faith alongside other Christians.

Another way we love one another is through outreach. If service focuses on those within the church, outreach is about serving those outside of it. It involves meeting the needs of the community beyond our church walls. Sometimes we refer to this as missions or outreach, especially when we leave our home community to serve in a foreign area. Outreach is how we meet the needs of our community and connect with the world.

At our church, we say that our vision is life in connection with God, one another, and the world. So, how do we connect with the world? As a church, we meet the needs of our community through outreach. Some of the outreach initiatives we are involved in include a camp that serves abused and neglected children and a monthly cleanup of the street our church is on, Seven Oaks Road. We are committed to helping out with various outreach efforts.

In the community called Interfaith or with the Children's Hospital down in San Diego, there are many different ways that we are serving through outreach. We love our community, and we love one another through service and outreach.

Finally, we love one another through giving generously, or what we might call sacrifice. I put this one last on purpose because, while it is important, it is also the one that people sometimes have a hard time with. One of the ways that you show your commitment to a church is by understanding the vision and what the church is all about. You worship with that church regularly, you are connected to the community, and you love one another through service, outreach, and giving generously.

Sacrifice is giving of what you have to meet the needs of others. One of the ways that we do this as a church is by giving every single week. Pastor Mark has a saying—I'm not sure that he originated it, but he was the first person I ever heard say it. He said, "The last thing to get saved is a person's wallet." That might bother some people, but there is truth to it. We often have a tight grip on our possessions. This may not only be money; it could be your car, your house, or even your children, whom you might think of as possessions.

We hold on to these things tightly and become committed and devoted to them. In reality, God needs to be the one to whom we are committed and devoted. Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount that you cannot serve two masters; you will love one and hate the other. You cannot serve God and money.

One of the ways we show our devotion to God and to His church is by giving generously. There is a whole topic on tithing and offerings, but I won't get into all of that today. I will simply say this: you can gauge whether or not you are committed to a local church in these seven areas. Do you know what the church is all about? Do you know who the leaders are? Do you know that they have qualified leaders who have a biblical theology and teach the Scriptures? Is the church fulfilling a biblical purpose?

You should worship with those believers regularly, not just gathering on a Sunday morning for 40 minutes and then leaving. You need to be connected to the community within that church. You are loving one another through service and outreach.

Service through outreach and through giving generously are seven ways that you can know whether or not you are connected to the body of Christ, to the church.

To close all this up, you may ask, "Is there a passage of Scripture that really shows an example of this? A gathering of people who were worshiping together, connected to one another, loving one another, serving one another, outreaching, and giving generously?" The answer to that question is yes; it's found in Acts chapter 2.

If you open your Bibles to Acts chapter 2, beginning at verse 42, we read this: "And they continued steadfastly." Who was it that continued steadfastly? It was a gathering of more than 3,000 new believers who had just put their trust and faith in Jesus. The church continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine, in fellowship—communing with one another, caring for one another, sharing with one another, and taking care of one another. They continued in doctrine, in fellowship, in the breaking of bread, which is both hospitality and communion. We will talk about communion another time. They also continued in prayers.

The result is this: "Then fear, or reverence, came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles." Now, all who believed, all the Christians, were together and had all things in common. They were sharing with one another, selling their possessions and goods, and dividing them among all as everyone had a need. They were giving generously to one another.

Continuing daily with one accord, they gathered together corporately in the temple and then broke bread from house to house. This is connected to community. They ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all people. The Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.

This is the perfect biblical example of exactly what I am talking about here in this passage. God saved you as you trusted in Him, just like those 3,000 people—or maybe even more than 3,000 people—there in Acts chapter 2 who trusted in Jesus after the gospel was preached to them. They were justified; they were saved. You trusted in Jesus after you heard the gospel. You were justified; you have been saved from the penalty and punishment of sin, and you have the hope of being with God for eternity and being glorified.

But now, in the gap, you are being sanctified, and God has given us the tool of His Word to bring about transformation and sanctification. He has given us the tool of prayer to bring...

About transformation and sanctification, God has given us the gift of being a part of the church, which is a tool for sanctification. We need to know that the church we are a part of has a biblical theology. They study the Scriptures and have qualified leaders. You need to worship regularly with them. They gathered daily in one accord within the temple corporately, and they were connected to the community from house to house. They gathered together with one another, were hospitable to one another, cared for one another, and loved one another by serving, by outreach into the community, and by giving generously.

All of these things, if you commit to being a part of the church and connecting with the church, will lead to God bringing about great growth in your life. It will be evident to you and to others. You will see the fruit of the Spirit begin to increase in your life: love, joy, peace, gentleness, kindness, and self-control. All these things will grow in your life unto an overflow to other people.

These are the disciplines of a disciple. First, you put your trust in Jesus Christ, receive salvation, and become a disciple. Then the Holy Spirit is in you. The Holy Spirit empowers and enables you to walk in a way that is pleasing to God. God gives you tools, which the Holy Spirit enables you to use, to grow in Christ's likeness and to work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, knowing that God is working in you to will and to do His good pleasure. Those tools are the Word of God, prayer, and the church.

It is my hope that we, as a gathering of believers here at Cross Connection Church, would continue to grow in Christ's likeness in a way that honors God. So, Father, I pray for anyone who is listening to this message and for the church that will be gathered here on Sunday morning. I pray, God, that you would continue a work of transformation and sanctification in us to make us more like You.

I pray that here in North San Diego County, Your church at Cross Connection would be an example, a light shining in a dark place, a city set on a hill that cannot be hid. That people would see in those who call this church their home the evidence of Your Spirit dwelling in us. God, help us to be a people who have love, joy, and peace overflowing, long-suffering, patience, kindness, self-control, and faithfulness. Lord, may these be the hallmarks of Your people who are part of Cross Connection Church. Lord, make this what our character is like. Lord, manifest Your glory through us, Your church, we ask.

This is in Jesus' name, Amen.

I am wonderful. The praise of Your glory is profound. Yours is the glory. What a powerful name it is, the name of Jesus Christ! What a powerful name it is! What a powerful name it is! Yours is...

Is the name of Jesus Christ my King. What a powerful name it is, and nothing can stand against it. What a powerful name it is! What a powerful name it is—the name of Jesus.

Thanks for joining us for our online service today. As we close, we would love to invite you to our on-campus service here at Cross Connection Church at 8:30 and 10:30 a.m. every Sunday. Also, if you'd like more information about Cross Connection Church, make sure you check out lifeinconnection.com.

It's Pastor Garrett here, and we have a couple of announcements for you this week. First of all, if you were lucky enough to grab one of these Operation Christmas Child boxes, we need it back by November 7th, which is next Sunday. So don't be late! Don't leave it in your car or at home; bring it back to the church. You can also bring these back during the week, as we are open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Please bring these by the church before they are due so we can get them on the road.

If you're thinking, "Man, I wish I could have grabbed one of these," just go talk to Pastor Nick in the back after the service. We have a couple of these left over. I can't promise you that you'll get one because they might already be gone, but we do have a few left out of the 200 total that we've handed out. Pastor Nick can explain to you how you can also be part of this amazing outreach.

For the rest of you, if you don't have a Christmas box to turn in and you don't desire to fill one up, we would ask you to be on your knees praying for the kids who are receiving these boxes and for all the traveling these boxes are doing to get to their destination. There are many ways you can be involved with this ministry.

The next announcement is about Christmas cards to our missionaries. At Cross Connection Church, we support a lot of missionaries around the world, and we would love it if you would take a couple of minutes to write them a card.

Take a few minutes of your day to write a card for our missionaries. You can simply sign up at events.lifeinconnection.com. You can send a card of encouragement, just saying, "Hey, keep the faith! Keep doing what you're doing. Stay strong out there." The mission field is tremendously difficult.

We also have a couple of families on the mission field that have kids. If you, as a family, would like to get together with your children, this is an awesome opportunity for you to write a Christmas card with them and get them involved. They would love to receive a letter from you and your kids while they are out there on the mission field.

Again, please sign up at events.lifeinconnection.com, and let's support our missionaries.