Renaissance Church

Ephesians 5:5-9

From every direction, the world attempts to bring us into agreement with its way of viewing things. We are told that things the Bible defines as sin are not sin. What people of God have called sin for thousands of years is now denied or downplayed, and in some cases, celebrated. In these verses, God is urging us through the apostle to not be deceived by empty words. The Scriptures not only condemn much of what is considered normal and natural to practice in society—sex before marriage, homosexuality, bisexuality, lusting in the heart, filthy talk, and so on—but God says that “because of these things the wrath of God comes”. We live in a day when good is called evil and evil is called good. Few people seem to realize that there are consequences for sin beyond the grave. This message is essentially about the importance of seeing the seriousness and sinfulness of sin so we do not casually or ignorantly partner with it.

Ephesians 5:4

God is calling us to a different standard even in our casual conversations with one another. So much conversation in locker rooms, at lunch tables, in the break room at work, at social gatherings, and so on, is considered by God to be filthy, foolish or crude. Not only should we never initiate this kind of talk, we should not partner with it. This requires wisdom and will inevitably put a strain on relationships. In contrast to this unsavory language, the Christian should be filled with the new language of thankfulness. This teaching defines the sort of language we should avoid as followers of Jesus and how a new language of gratitude is formed.

Ephesians 5:19

This message is about singing and making melody to the Lord with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs (Eph 5:19). It is part of the preceding verse that exhorts us to be filled with the Spirit. The writer (Paul the Apostle) is encouraging us in one of the most basic and common ways to be filled with the Spirit, namely, singing! This teaching explores how singing from the heart can drench us with the joy of the Spirit. It is an encouragement to fill our lives with songs, to join the innumerable angels in festal gathering (Heb 12:22), to sing to the Lord a new song! Even amidst a pandemic and global problems mounting, we can sing with the choirs of angels — “Glory to God in the highest.” A Savior has come and it is good and fitting to make a joyful noise!

As followers of Jesus, how do we prioritize our love for God, our love for one another, and our love for neighbors in our spheres? Pastor Scott gives a pastoral talk on the most important essentials for Christian living to set us in the right direction for how we live and how we are a church together in 2024.

This first message in the series is an attempt to deconstruct the traditional American church model. Unless we are convinced of it’s deficiency we won’t have the conviction or courage to step into new waters. The message of the gospel does not change from generation to generation, however, methods and models must adapt with the times. The Christian movement in America is in decline. Many churches are dying. May God awaken us to the urgency of making drastic changes in the way we structure church life.