We Are Stronger Together

Calling All Calvary - The Universal Calling

Calling All Calvary - The Universal Calling

Dave Riddle - 7/16/2023

Key Passage: 1 Corinthians 12

We are the body of Christ

Spiritual Body

Unity (one) + Diversity (many)

• 1 Corinthians 12:27

• We are more than the sum of our parts.

• Multiplication not addition

You are one

1 Corinthians 12:12-13

We are many

1 Corinthians 12:19-20

Functionality

Romans 12:4-8

• One body… but we don’t all have the same function

• We have been given different gifts

• When we don’t live into those gifts we compromise the functionality of the body

Interconnectedness

1 Corinthians 12:15-16

• We are connected and interlocked together.

• We need each other.

• We need community.

Interdependence 

1 Corinthians 12:17-18, 21

• We need each other and we need our differences.

Constructed by God

1 Corinthians 12:24-25

• God has out the body together

• …so that there would be no division in the body

United In Love

1 Corinthians 12:31

• And l I will show you an even better way

• LOVE • 1 Corinthians 13

• Romans 12:9-10

• When one suffers, we all suffer. When one is honored, we all rejoice • 1 Corinthians 12:26

• Philippians 2:4

• James 2:15-16

• John 13:35

Growing Up - Spiritual Maturity

Growing Up - Spiritual Maturity

Paul Trulock - 7/2/2023

Key Passage: 1 Peter 3:8-12

We have the knowledge of the Bible

We have the power of the Spirit

We lack willpower

Growing old is a natural process, but growing up doesn’t come easily.

Unity

• 1 Peter 3:8 - likeminded

• Unity, not unanimity.

• We don’t have to agree on everything, but we should be united despite our disagreements.

• Devoted to the person of Jesus not devoted to programs, causes, or politics.

Sympathetic

• 1 Peter 3:8 

• Romans 12:15-16

• Rejoice with those who rejoice. Mourn with those who mourn.

• Only possible in and through unity.

• Does your concern for others outweigh your concern for yourself?

Brotherly Love

• 1 Peter 3:8

• philadelphos: Loving brother or sister. In a broader sense, loving one like a brother

Compassionate

• 1 Peter 3:8

• splagchnizomai (Greek: σπλαγχνίζομαι) - to be moved as to one's bowels, hence to be moved with compassion, have compassion (for the bowels were thought to be the seat of love and pity).

• Deep compassion and tenderheartedness towards others.

Humble

• 1 Peter 3:8

• Meekness not weakness

• “We never mature when we narrow the use of our efforts, talents, and means to our own advantage.”

Forgiveness

• 1 Peter 3:9

• Not paying back evil for evil or insult for insult.

• Bless those who curse you.

• 1 Peter 2:20-21

• Called to a life of non-retaliation.

Control the Tongue

• 1 Peter 3:10

• Do you want to love life and see good days? Control your tongue.

Purity and Peace

• 1 Peter 3:11-12

All of this is only possible through diligence, discipline, and community. 

Unity

Sunday, June 25
Paul Trulock Speaking on Unity

What is Communion?

Message begins around 30:00

What is Communion?

Dave Riddle • 07/27/2022

Key Passage: 1 Corinthians 11:24-28

Communion: A Jesus-ordained ceremony 

• Baptism is the other “ordinance” that we regularly practice

• Matthew 26:26-28

An Act of Commemoration 

• Remember

  • 1 Corinthians 11:24

    • Remember who Jesus is, and what he has done for us.

  • Exodus 12:2-3, 6-7, 12-14

    • A permanent statute

    • A lasting ordinance

    • Jesus fulfilled the old Passover and, in a sense, instituted a new Passover.

A Gospel Proclamation 

• Proclaim

  • 1 Corinthians 11:26

    • Communion preaches the Gospel.

An Opportunity for Contemplation 

• 1 Corinthians 11:28

  • dokimazō - to test, examine, prove, scrutinise (to see whether a thing is genuine or not). To recognise as genuine after examination.

• Galatians 2:20

• Romans 6:11

A Way to Celebrate Unity

• koinōnia (Greek: κοινωνία) - fellowship, association, community, intimacy, joint participation (the share which one has in anything), communion.

• 1 Corinthians 10:16-17

  • One body (the Church)

  • One loaf of bread (Christ)

• John 17:9-11

A Cause for Hopeful Anticipation

• 1 Corinthians 11:26

  • “…until He comes”

• Matthew 26:29

Jesus Prays for Us

Message begins around 26:30

Jesus Prays for Us

Dave Riddle • 07/10/2022

Key Passage: John 17:20-26

Jesus Prays for Our Unity

• John 17:20-21

  • Not just organizational unity, but a deep, abiding, spiritual unity.

• Philippians 4:2

• Growth and maturity cannot exist in isolation from one another.

• Perfectly united just as God is perfectly united.

  • John 17:22-23

• Our unity is a priority to Jesus.

  • 4 times in this prayer

Why?

• So the world will know that Jesus was sent by God (v.23)

  • ginosko: to know in a deeply experiential way.

We have to care about each other.

• We have to show concern

• We have to be affected

• Our hearts have to break for each other

We have to be involved 

• we have to have relationships

• We have to be present

We have to accept one another

• We have to accept our brothers and sisters in Christ despite our differences.

• Unity in diversity

We have to contribute

• Our faith is not a quest for individual blessings and happiness.

• We belong together in the church of God.

• “The Bible knows nothing of an individual religion” - John Wesley

Ask yourself: “Am I an agent of unity in the body of Christ?”

United So The World Will Know Jesus

Message starts around the 30:00 mark

United So The World Will Know Jesus

01/30/2021 - Dave Riddle 

Key Passage: John 17:21 - 23

Mission:  That The World May Know

• John 17:21 - 22

• Our works are NOT the gospel, but they can hinder or facilitate the gospel.

  • Our unity accelerates the impact of the gospel.

  • Our disunity is a hindrance to the gospel.

    • It tarnishes God’s reputation.

Message: The love of God

• A message that needs to be spoken.

• A message that manifests in our relationships with one another.

  • John 17:23

  • John 3:17

  • Where have you been sent? What is your context?

  • John 13:34-35 - love one another… by this all people will know you are my disciples.

    • 1 John 3:11 - We MUST love each other.

United in Heart & Mind

Message begins around the 24-minute mark

United in Heart & Mind
01/23/2021 - Dave Riddle 
Key Passage: 1 Corinthians 1:10-11

You are all one in Christ Jesus

• A theological scriptural fact

  • Acts 4:32

  • Galatians 3:23

  • 1 Corinthians 12:12-13

• This is what Jesus prayed for.

Unity is our Calling

• 1 Corinthians 13:11

• Romans 12:16-18

• Romans 14:19

• Philippians 2:2

• Ephesians 4:3

• 1 Peter 3:8

• Hebrews 12:14

• 1 Corinthians 1:10

Undivided

• 1 Corinthians 1:10

  • There should be no schism, split, gap, divide…

• 1 Corinthians 1:11

  • There are quarrels among you

• 1 Corinthians 1:10 - Made complete, perfectly joined together.

Is Unity in this church possible?

• The redeemed live as one… are we?

  • Galatians 3:23

• What is God’s calling for me? Not for my brother or sister, but for me.

• Repentance seems to be rare, almost non-existent.

  • How is God calling us to respond?

  • Can we be agents of unity rather than division?

Be Undivided

Message starts around the 30:00 mark

Be Undivided
01/09/2021 - Dave Riddle 
Key Verse: John 17:11

Our Current Reality

• The last few years have been hard.

• Evangelicalism is fracturing.

  • “Not merely dividing but becoming increasingly incomprehensible to each other.”

• Relational dissonance.

• Galatians 5:15 - But if you bite and devour one another, watch out, or you will be consumed by one another.

• The statistics are discouraging.

• The Reality: we all sinners

Our Calling

• The Calling: Unity

  • John 17:11 - …that they may be one.

    • This should be our starting point.

    • Not unanimity, not uniformity, maybe not even union… but absolutely Unity!

The Model

• John 17:11 - …as we are one (Jesus & the Father).

  • Not my will, but the will of the Father. Not my words, but the words of the Father.

    • As humans this level of unity is only possible through the power of the Spirit.

Our Response

• Repent and believe

• Communion: look up, look back, look forward, look around.

  • Koinōnia (Greek: κοινωνία) - fellowship, association, community, intimacy, joint participation (the share which one has in anything), communion.

• Do I have the humility to align myself with God?

Just a Couple More Things...

Just a Couple More Things...

Dave Riddle - 3/08/20

Key Passage: Romans 16:17-23

Caution

• Romans 16:17 - “Now I urge you brothers and sisters to watch out...”

  • “Urge”: parakaleō (παρακαλέω) - to admonish, exhort, entreat, beseech, or beg.

  • “Watch out”: skopeō (σκοπέω) - to take aim at (spy), to consider, take heed, mark.

• Romans 16:17 - watch out for those who create divisions and obstacles...

  • Divisions, disunity...

  • Obstacles: skandalon (σκάνδαλον) - a trap, snare, any impediment placed in the way and causing one to stumble or fall.

• Romans 16:18 - ...such people do not serve our Lord but their own appetites.

  • Serve: douleuō (δουλεύω) - to be a slave, serve, do service

    • Slaves to their own desires

• Romans 16:18 - ...they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting with smooth talk and flattering words.

  • Avoid: ekklinō (ἐκκλίνω) - to deviate; to shun or turn away from, to go out of the way, avoid. 

    • Separate yourselves from such people. 

Encouragement

• Romans 16:20 - The God of peace will soon crush Satan.

  • Not just caution, but encouragement!

    • Victory is on the way!

  • Psalm 8:16 - everything is beneath God’s feet.

• Romans 16:21-23 - greetings from Paul, and his entourage.

  • Timothy: Paul’s protege

  • Tertius: Paul’s administrative assistant.

  • Gaius: Paul’s host

  • A reminder that they are all in this together.

The Apostle's Loving Salute

The Apostle’s Loving Salute

Dave Riddle - 3/01/20

Key Passage: Romans 16:1-16

The Wonderful Messenger - Phoebe 

• Romans 16:1 - I commend to you our sister Phoebe...

• Romans 16:2 - welcome her and assist her as she did the same for me.

• “Servant”: diakonos (Greek: διάκονος) - servant, deacon, helper.

• An important partner in Paul’s ministry entrusted to deliver this important message.

The Gutsy Couple - Priscilla & Aquila 

• Romans 16:3-4a - my coworkers who risked their own lives for mine...

  • They discipled and invested in Paul early in his ministry 

  • Read more about them in Acts 18

• Romans 16:4b - not just significant to Paul, but to all the gentile churches.

The Dedicated Friends - Many people!

• Romans 16:5-15 - a long list of names.

A Few Takeaways from this list of people

• Diversity / Unity

  • Diverse: Both Jews and gentiles.

  • Diverse: Significant class diversity

    • This list includes names that were popularly used for slaves.

    • Also included are people of influence and power, including possibly people in Caesar’s own household.

  • Diverse: among the men there are also 9 women mentioned (4 women singled out for their hard work).

  • United: Brothers and sisters in Christ 

  • United: one church united despite their differences.

• Depth of Relationship

  • These are people who Paul has spent time and served with.

  • Not shallow acquaintances.

• Strength of Character 

  • Romans 16:7 - “noteworthy in the eyes of the apostles...”

    • Apostle: two ways to interpret this word:

      • Strict: the 12 core disciples of Jesus (minus Judas plus Matthias). Paul is often included in this group as well.

      • General: all those sent out by Jesus.

  • A better translation would probably be: “outstanding among the apostles”

    • Missionaries sent out by Jesus, included among the more general definition of the word “apostle”.

What do we take away from this list of names?

• An incredibly diverse list like this reminds us of how the gospel unites us despite our differences.

  • It cuts through our differences and brings us together.

Intro to Koinonia

Romans 12 - Intro to Koinōnia
Dave Riddle - 09/22/19

Key Passage: Romans 12:3-8

koinōnia (Greek: κοινωνία) - fellowship, association, community, intimacy, joint participation (the share which one has in anything), communion. 

Humble, wise self-assessment

• Romans 12:3

• we need to have an accurate assessment of ourselves.

  • See ourselves as God sees us.

A single body; many pieces and roles

• Romans 12:4

• Unity! One body.

Diversity! Many roles.

Deeply connected

• Romans 12:5

• Individually members of one another.
  

Gifted

• Romans 12:6

  • Different than talent

  • Gifts of the spirit

• Speaking gifts

  • didaskō - teaching for transformation.

• Service gifts
  

Grace and Faith are indispensable 

• Romans 12:3