Opening Scripture: “for in Him we live and move and have our being” (Act 17:28)

There are 3 things our lives are most influenced by:

• Our identity
• Our Value
• Our purpose

There is an all-out assault on what we believe about who we are, how much we are worth, and why we are here.  What we have discovered is that the only voice that matters about these three critical areas of our lives is Jesus’.  There are many lies that if believed will compromise and even cripple our ability to live life the way Jesus said we could live it.  We want to do something about that.

Over the past 3 weeks Pastor Shannon has emphasized the need for us to be connected with each other as a church.

• We do life in Community not solitude.  We grow in circles, not rows.  We cannot grow unless we are planted.
• Unity is never measured by size but how well each piece fits together.
• God will not stop in the refining process until He sees His own reflection.

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. (Colossians 1:15-18)

• The maker of Heaven and earth has taken extraordinary measures to clear they way for you and I to meet with and fellowship with Him. And He calls you “beloved”.
• The value of an object is determined by what another is willing to pay for it. Your value to Him is immeasurable.  Jesus died on the cross for you!  There is no higher price that could be paid for you.
• Your purpose is revealed when you are in His presence.
• Many of us are afraid to try to connect with each other at a higher level because we don’t know how to do it! I am proposing to you this morning that you and I don’t have to know how to do these things if we know someone who does and are willing to follow instructions.  The good news is that many of us here this morning do know someone who knows how to do all this and more, His name is the Holy Spirit, and He is always available.  The Bible says the Holy Spirit is the “one called alongside to help”
• The Holy Spirit knows how to help us connect with each other and with Him! He speaks in our own personal dialect so we can understand the instruction He is giving us.  He can and will show us to connect with one another at a meaningful level and become a church that has a powerful and positive impact in our community.

 If we claim that we experience a shared life with him and continue to stumble around in the dark, we’re obviously lying through our teeth—we’re not living what we claim. But if we walk in the light, God himself being the light, we also experience a shared life with one another, as the sacrificed blood of Jesus, God’s Son, purges all our sin. (1 John 1:7)

Conclusion

•  What is the Holy Spirit saying to you through this message
• Obedience is the key! We can get instructions all day long but if we don’t act in obedience on what He says we will be no better off than if we had never heard Him speak!