Illuminate - Introduction
There is no doubt what is the most well-known scripture verse from the Christian Bible. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” These famous words were spoken by Jesus to an inquisitive religious leader named Nicodemus. Their larger conversation is powerfully captured by the first twenty one verses of John's third chapter and is the foundational text for Sunday's service.
The only problem with a text like this is there are so many possible themes to choose from. It was in this dialogue that Christ spoke of being "born again," referred to the classic Old Testament story of the brazen serpent, as well as gave us Christianity's most noted verse.
The particular line we will take this week grows out of verses nineteen and twenty:
"The light from heaven came into the world, but they loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. They hate the light because they want to sin in darkness. They stay away from the light for fear their sins will be exposed and they will be punished."
With the help of another New Testament book, I John (also attributed to the Apostle John), we are going to examine the incredibly important idea of truthful living. What does it mean to "walk in darkness" or to "walk in the light"? We are going to ponder sub-themes like confession and what constitutes true Christian fellowship. You might be surprised where these texts take us; I'm sure you'll be encouraged. This is one of my favorite concepts in the entirety of scripture and I can't wait to share it with you.
Helping me this week is one of my favorite singers in the world, Anthony Evans. Anthony grew up in Dallas under the ministry of an incredible pastor and preacher/teacher, his father, Tony Evans. Anthony now lives in Nashville, traveling full-time, ministering in song at some of America's greatest churches. On the rare occasion he's not out singing, he makes GracePointe his home. I've been looking forward to having my friend sing for us for a good while now, and I'm really excited that this Sunday is it!
As always, it is a good thing to gather and worship our God.
See you Sunday,
Stan
The only problem with a text like this is there are so many possible themes to choose from. It was in this dialogue that Christ spoke of being "born again," referred to the classic Old Testament story of the brazen serpent, as well as gave us Christianity's most noted verse.
The particular line we will take this week grows out of verses nineteen and twenty:
"The light from heaven came into the world, but they loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. They hate the light because they want to sin in darkness. They stay away from the light for fear their sins will be exposed and they will be punished."
With the help of another New Testament book, I John (also attributed to the Apostle John), we are going to examine the incredibly important idea of truthful living. What does it mean to "walk in darkness" or to "walk in the light"? We are going to ponder sub-themes like confession and what constitutes true Christian fellowship. You might be surprised where these texts take us; I'm sure you'll be encouraged. This is one of my favorite concepts in the entirety of scripture and I can't wait to share it with you.
Helping me this week is one of my favorite singers in the world, Anthony Evans. Anthony grew up in Dallas under the ministry of an incredible pastor and preacher/teacher, his father, Tony Evans. Anthony now lives in Nashville, traveling full-time, ministering in song at some of America's greatest churches. On the rare occasion he's not out singing, he makes GracePointe his home. I've been looking forward to having my friend sing for us for a good while now, and I'm really excited that this Sunday is it!
As always, it is a good thing to gather and worship our God.
See you Sunday,
Stan
Labels: Illuminate, Jesus, Light
posted by Clear Head Space | 4:51 PM
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