City Life Starter

The Word: Ephesians 4:14

We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming.

By Danielle Clark

Today’s verse comes from Paul’s letter to the church in Ephesus. In Chapter 4 he says Christ has given each member of the body unique gifts to help us grow our knowledge as believers, e.g. prophecy, teaching, evangelism. He then states that we must grow out of our childish ways to prevent us from adopting bad doctrine or being swayed away by worldly ideals. There are many ways to grow out of childish Christianity; one of these ways is to learn the intellectual arguments behind your faith.

Application

Today’s verse is a great goal for this sermon series. Many of us identify as Christian based on very real, but very subjective, experiences with God. Though these experiences cannot be denied, there comes a time in which every Christ follower should learn the logic and evidence of our faith. This is crucial in our post-modern society that loves tearing apart Judeo-Christian belief with compelling intellectual arguments. In addition, there are often threats of bad doctrine that emerge within the Christian community itself!

As we learn about the evidence of Christ, please do not take a backseat because you may already identify as a Christian. Yes, this is a great series for non-believers who have logical doubts about the Christian faith; however, this knowledge is even more necessary for believers, as we are the ones who the enemy is trying to dissuade and who will be called on by society to defend our Savior. Are you ready?