Posted in Bible, Fellowship, Godly speech, Gospel, Life in the Church, Relationships, Sanctification, Sermons, Unity
Sunday's sermon from Ephesians 4:25 was about the need to be godly truth-tellers if we are to build strong relationships in the church. This is part of "putting off" sinful behavior and "putting on" godly behavior.
We are to "put off" falsehoods of different kinds–the falsehoods about ourselves and other people. We are to "put on" truth-telling–speaking the truth about the gospel, my sin, your sin, the Word of God. The reason we do this is because "we are members one of another." Because we are united in Christ as the people of God, we are committed to the welfare of each other and we want to create an environment where it is safe to tell the truth. I won't mishandle your truth, and I will trust (risk) that you won't mishandle my truth.
Here are some self-evaluation questions we asked for each of these three points:
Put Away Falsehood
a. Are there ways we are in some way hiding behind falsehoods?
b. Are we creating an image of ourselves which simply isn't true?
c. Are there habits of speech we have that damage the reputation of others?
Speak Truth
a. Are there specific ways we need to be better truth-tellers?
Because We Are Members One of Another
a. Am I helping this church be a safe place for people to tell the truth?
b. Am I taking enough risk to have true relationships?
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