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At some point, most of Paul's letters contain a shift from principle to practical, from doctrine to duty, from orthodoxy to orthopraxy. The book of Ephesians is no different. Beginning with Ephesians 4:1, Paul pauses to say, "In light of all the great theological truths I've just shared, act in the following way." Think back to the profound doctrinal principles he has been developing in his letter to the Ephesian believers:
1. our adoption as God's children (1:4-5) 2. the hope of our inheritance (1:11, 18) 3. the riches of God's grace (2:1-10) 4. our unity with God and with each other (2:11-22) This Sunday at 9:30am, Pastor Larry will begin our transition away from doctrine, as we turn our attention towards how we are to live as followers of Christ, and in response to God's amazing grace. Our sins are forgiven by Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross and now we have been made alive in Christ – but what now? Paul answers that question in Chapter 4. This week we are going to talk about the implications of the grace that God has poured out upon us. We are going to talk about the worthy walk of those who have put their trust in Jesus. Jesus calls us to walk in humility, gentleness, and patience; forbearing with one another in love. Sounds easy – right? Since Jesus has defeated the powers of darkness that enslaved us and we are free from that power – He is able to equip His leaders of His church and the people of His church for the work He has called us to do. We are called to unity and He has called us to mature in His Kingdom and we are all called to a life of serving as we labor to advance the Kingdom of God. Join us this Sunday at 9:30am, as we gather together to worship God passionately, grow to know God deeply and connect with one another authentically. New Adult Discipleship Class Study: Speaking of connecting with one another authentically, make plans to join us after the service at 11:00am, as our Adult Discipleship Class begins a new study in Psalm 119. Psalm 119 just happens to be the longest chapter in the Bible and was authored by King David. Through the words of David, we will experience times when God felt distant, his Word felt dry, and the vibrant relationship David knew seemed to have vanished. In our study of this Psalm, we will quickly discover the power of God's Word in the lives of believers and its ability to provide a warm blanket for the soul. Trunk o' Treat: Mark your calendars for our annual Trunk O' Treat neighborhood outreach event, which will take place on Saturday, October 28th from 4:00pm to 7:00pm and will include food, candy, carnival games, a bounce house, hay ride, pumpkins and more. Please spread the word to your neighbors, friends and relatives. More details coming soon! Thank you for being a church that values prayer. See you Sunday! Doug  Since we launched in March as a replant with the Calvary Family of Churches, Larry Annes and I have been diligently praying that God would send us a young family to join us in our vision to make Jesus non-ignorable in Beaverton and to the ends of the earth. A family to help us as we learn to worship God passionately, connect with one another authentically, grow to know God deeply and to go, show and tell the gospel boldly.
After months of prayer and dialogue with several individuals, we believe God has answered our prayer and provided us with a unique opportunity to hire an Associate Pastor with the ability to lead our Sunday worship, preach occasionally, teach/lead Bible studies and build bridges between Calvary Parkside and our community. I shared about this opportunity last Sunday during our Calvary Parkside Fall Update. Larry and I are excited to introduce you to the Everett family. James Everett, his wife Ali, and their 3 young kids have spent the last 4 years church planting in Bangladesh. Prior to that, they served God for 2 years doing campus ministry. Now, they are excited to serve the Lord in the local church. James is passionate about God's Word, singing, developing music teams to enhance Sunday morning worship services and writing. Ali is also a gifted singer and passionate about children's ministry. Together, they want to make the goodness of God known to everyone. You will have the opportunity to meet James on Sunday October 1st. Until then, please continue to pray for God's discernment and direction for our church. Praying for God's glory to shine through our church! Doug If you're in sales, or if you buy things that others sell (and we all do), then you know that one frequently used and extremely effective strategy for selling a product is called the "before and after" method. Here's how it works: A salesperson demonstrates to the potential customer how bad things are prior to their product arriving onto the scene. Then the salesperson helps the potential customer to see how good things could become if they would just make this "new and improved" product a regular part of their lives. A lot of the time, to make the point, the seller will even show dramatic "before and after" pictures, contrasting the "old that is" with the "new that could be". This is the exact communication technique that the Apostle Paul uses in Ephesians 2 to teach us a huge Biblical lesson. Specifically, Paul is showing us what it is like before Jesus enters one's life, and what it is like after Jesus enters one's life.
Join us this Sunday at 9:30am, as we continue our journey through the book of Ephesians. Beginning with verse 11 of chapter 2, Paul makes a turn from talking about God's incredible plan to reconcile us as individual sinners, to talking about the body of Christ...the church. Paul is moving from the "me" of the Christian journey (from my personal relationship with God), to the "we" of the Christian journey (to our relationship with God and one another as the church). This Sunday is less about you and more about us as the body of Christ. Join us this Sunday at 9:30am as together we grow to know God more deeply. Note: Larry Annes and I want to invite you to stick around after the service, as we share where we see God leading Calvary Parkside this fall. We will meet in the large Sunday School Classroom #1 at 11:00am. Hope to see you there! Gary Sullivan Memorial: Join us TOMORROW, as we celebrate the life of Gary Sullivan. This special time of remembrance will take place at 2:00pm on Saturday, September 16th at Calvary Parkside. Sunday Morning Adult Discipleship. On Sunday, September 24th, we will begin a new study through Psalm 119. Join us at 11:00am, as we take a deep dive into the longest chapter in the Bible. Even the most mature believers face dark times where God seems distant, his Word feels dry, and the vibrant relationship we knew before seems to have vanished. In Psalm 119, we will be introduced to the words of King David who experienced similar seasons of life. Psalm 119 demonstrates the power of God's Word in the lives of believers and its ability to provide a warm blanket for the soul. Calvary Parkside Membership Class: Sunday October 15th @ 11:00am. Sign-up using the Connect Card or stop by the Next Step Table. See you Sunday! Doug When you buy a new car, the dealer gives you an owner's manual that explains what the vehicle is and how the thing works. That's sort of the way we can view the Bible book of Ephesians. It is like an "owner's manual" for the Christian life, given to us by God through the Apostle Paul. Now, as we learned when we initially began our study of Ephesians, the first half (chapters 1-3) contains the doctrinal part. It tells us what the Christian life is by clearly identifying the foundational belief principles of our faith. The back half of the owner's manual (chapters 4-6) is the lifestyle section. It explains how the Christian life works by identifying the framework behavioral practices of our faith.
Join us this Sunday at 9:30am, as dive into Ephesians 2. In this chapter, our attention is directed to the doctrine of our God-provided gift of salvation. This Sunday, we'll discover what God can do when His mercy comes in direct contact with our mess. As you prepare your heart, mind and soul to worship God passionately, let me leave you with this thought: God's love is at the very core of the salvation His mercy provides! Sunday Morning Adult Discipleship. Join us at 11:00am, as we look at the Stories Jesus Told in the New Testament. Jesus spoke in parables so that we can gain a better understanding of who God is, who were are, and his desire for our lives. Our Sunday morning discipleship class is also a great way to connect with one another authentically. Consider joining us and together, let's grow to know God more deeply. Gary Sullivan Memorial: As most of you know, Gary Sullivan, who faithfully served on our church staff for 10+ years, went home to be with Jesus this past July. On behalf of his family, I want to invite you to attend a memorial service for Gary Sullivan. This special time of remembrance will take place at 2:00pm on Saturday, September 16th at Calvary Parkside. Note: This will be the last Sunday to fill-out our Calvary Parkside Volunteer Interest Survey. After this Sunday, our Elders and Deacons will begin the process of creating volunteer teams in order to cover the needs of our church facility, administrative, and congregation. Remember, "Many hands make light work", so if you have not yet filled out the interest survey, be sure and stop by the Next Step table this Sunday and complete the survey. Thank you for prayerfully considering how you can support Calvary Parkside. See you Sunday! Doug |
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