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Here we are, in week ten of our study on what it means to be the church. When I and our other leaders first envisioned this series, we wanted to press pause on the series we were in in 1 Samuel so that we could intentionally hit the reset button for us as a church.

This is week nine of our series entitled “The Family”. In this series we have been studying the Bible to see what it means to be the church and to see what God has called the church to do. Over the course of this series we have talked about making disciples, being devoted to God, learning to become more generous, becoming united, being the gifts that God has designed us to be, speaking truth in love, and pursuing transformation together in the context of biblical community.

Over the next two weeks we will be studying what it means to be holy. It shouldn’t surprise anyone that God would call his church to be holy. In fact, this is made explicitly clear in verses 15 – 16 of our text where it says, “as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’” If you claim to be a Christian, to be a member of God’s bride, the church, then you are called to be holy just as your bridegroom is holy himself.

This is week seven of our series entitled The Family. In this series, we are studying the Bible to learn who God has called us to be and what he has called us to do as a church family. Up until this point we have learned that we are called to be a disciple making family, a devoted family, a generous family, a united family, a gifted family, and a truth filled family. This week we are going to study what it means to be transformed.

Here we are in week six of our study regarding what it means to be the church family. We have spent the last five weeks focusing on different aspects of who God has called the church to be and what God has called the church to do. We’ve learned that the church is called to be a disciple making community, a devoted community, a generous community, a united community, and a gifted community. This week we’re going to be thinking about what it means to be a truth filled community.

How often do you look in the mirror and recognize the gift that you are to everyone around you? Listen, I get it, seeing yourself as a gift probably feels a little awkward. You might even be concerned, that to see yourself as a gift could be prideful. But the opposite of that could be equally prideful, especially if God says that you are a gift.

This week marks the fourth installment in our series on what it means to be the church. Up until this point we have studied what it means to be a disciple making church, a devoted church, and a generous church. Today we will be looking at what it means to be a united church. Look at the text with me.

This is the third installment in our series on what it means to be the church. In the first installment, we studied what it means to be a disciple making church family. In the second installment, we studied what it means to be a devoted church family. This week we are looking at what it means to be a generous church family.

Let me start us off with a question today. What do you think it means to be the church? It should not be a stretch to say that the church is not a building or a program, it is a group of people who have been saved and sent by Jesus.

We are beginning a new series today entitled, “The Family” and my aim with this series is for us to hear from God’s Word on what it means to be the church. I have spoken often in my preaching about the shortcomings of the church in the west as well as the unbiblical influence of a westernized, consumer-driven society.