Sermon Tone Analysis

Good morning Ambassadors, and a Happy Second Day of Christmas to you!

I trust you enjoyed your partridge in a pear tree yesterday and are having fun with your two turtle doves!

I’m grateful once again to have the opportunity to join you from the pulpit this morning.

Pastor JP and Sandy have made their way to California to see family.

I would encourage you to pray along with me for their health, safety, and encouragement as they are away.

This morning we will be exploring the book of Ephesians together, looking at what I’ve entitled “Ordinary Faith for Extraordinary Times.”

Never would we have thought that we would live in such extraordinary times, but yet here we are.

Every generation in our nation’s history has dealt with extraordinary times, but the information age and the advent of the internet has placed on our society a great stressor that comes with the territory of these incredible opportunities.

My parents lived through the Vietnam War, the Oil Crisis, Watergate, Iran-Contra.

My grandparents lived through World War II and the Korean War, wars which saw involvement from my own family members.

No matter the year or the location, extraordinary times befall us as we seek to live a life that is honoring, beautiful, and obedient to God.

The challenge for us today is to orient ourselves within the will of God and under the Word of God to live lives of bold, yet ordinary faith.

And by ordinary, I mean that in every positive way possible.

The first level of our faith that can be found in the “ordinary” is the Church.

The Church, especially the Local Church, is the community in which we most readily experience the movement and power of the Holy Spirit and the context in which we receive the sacraments and study the Word in community.

It’s the body of believers with whom we align for purposes of spiritual growth, evangelism, and communal worship of God on the Lord’s Day, Sunday.

The challenges that face the modern church, and in our context the modern American church, often stem from a lack of peace.

I give thanks to God that He has sustained our church in the throes of the challenges we have faced over these last 2 years.

I am so incredibly grateful for the generous spirit and faithful hearts that have been a major part of ABC throughout the Coronavirus pandemic.

As we walk through the latter half of the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, I’d like us to observe together 3 levels of Ordinary Faith that will be an aid in withstanding extraordinary circumstances and challenges.

Our first observation is this:

Extraordinary Peace in an Ordinary Church

Let’s look into Ephesians 4 to help us see Paul’s instruction to the church people on how they were obligated to act in living life together.

Paul is not urging a few individuals or the leadership of the Church in Ephessus to walk in a worthy manner - no, he’s charging the church as a whole to this endeavor of faithfulness.

He prescribes for us various attitudes of this walk; such as humility, gentleness, patiences, bearing in love, and EAGER to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Unity rooted in peace.

Bond of peace = tied together in Christ

Extraordinary Faithfulness in an Ordinary Family

Extraordinary Obedience in an Ordinary Believer