Sermon Tone Analysis

1.

The Practice of Honesty

2. The Practice of Order in the Home

3. The Practice of Resolving Conflict Spiritually

4. The Practice of Peacefulness

5.

The Practice of Bearing Holy Fruit

e.

The Christian is to bear the {fruit}    of the Spirit in his daily walk.

Gal.

5:22-23

Galatians 5:22-23

A. The Fruit is a Collective

i.

This list gives nine collective {elements}    of the one fruit of the Spirit.

{karpo.j is Sg; When we’re filled with the Spirit this fruit cluster is produced in us}

B. The Fruit is a Result of Filling

iii.

These godly characteristics are {produced}    through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit.

{they’re not produced by our self-efforts; but by faith & reliance on God; Do people see the fruit of the Spirit in you?}

We cannot will ourselves to love more or find more joy.

We cannot make ourselves be peaceful (calm, non-anxious).

We cannot produce patience in times of crisis.

All of these are the result of one thing: the filling of the Holy Spirit.

Conclusion: We believe that the Christians life is manifested by exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit.

C. We Are Responsible for the Filling

ii.

We are {responsible}    to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

Eph.

5:18-21

{‘be filled’ = impv; the result is singing, thanksgiving, submission, and the ‘fruit’ elements}

The filling of the Spirit is not “blast” that comes out of nowhere.

It is more like a valve that is controlled by the faith we have in God through the Scriptures.

You cannot have the faith without God’s word.

No filling without doctrine.

There are definite signs that Christians are struggling in the battle against such temptations.

Studies by several different organizations suggest that about half of men attending church are involved in pornography (Genung, 2005).

A significant minority of self- identified born-again Christians, particularly those under 35, has cohabited, and divorce rates are just as high among born-again Christians as among other groups (Barna Research Group, 2001).

An estimated 8 out of 10 youth from evangelical Christian homes walk away from their faith by age 23 (Brown 2006).

All of these disturbing trends stem from one common source.

Many Christians are losing the day spiritually because they are not connecting with God through His Word regularly.

For several years now the Center for Bible Engagement (CBE) has researched why so many

Copyright © 1996-2010 The Good News Broadcasting Association, Inc.

All rights reserved.

Someone who engages the Bible 4 or more times a week is:

228% more likely to share faith with others

407% more likely to memorize scripture

59% less likely to view pornography

30% less likely to struggle with loneliness

Not just reading your Bible with your mind disengaged, but focussing on what you are reading for the purpose of knowing Jesus more intimately and actively putting His word into practice.

Americans own Bibles, but never read them.

Along the way, we’ve also revealed major differences in the moral behavior and spiritual maturity of believers based on their level of scriptural engagement.

Specifically, we have discovered through our research large behavioral differences between Christians who read or listen to the Bible at least four days a week and those who engage with scripture less often.

These differences include both moral behavior as well as how prepared the individual is to serve God and impact the world.

The data collected by the Center for Biblical Engagement (CCB) attest to many of these effects.

For example, statistical analyses reveal that, controlling for other factors, such as age, gender, church attendance, and prayer, Christians who are engaged in scripture most days of the week have lower odds of participating in these behaviors:

Getting drunk = 57% lower odds

Sex outside marriage = 68% lower odds  Pornography = 61% lower odds

Gambling = 74% lower odds

What are the consequences of disengagement from God’s Word?

The individual believer is weakened & the Christian community as a whole is weakened.

Copyright © 1996-2010 The Good News Broadcasting Association, Inc.

All rights reserved.

Any of these habits = 57% lower odds

The “power of 4” is evident when we consider that for some of these behaviors (getting drunk and sex outside marriage) examined there is no statistical difference between Christians who read or listen to the Bible two to three days a week and those who do not engage scripture at all or only once a week.

For those behaviors where there is an effect for engaging scripture two to three days a week, the effect is much smaller than for four or more days a week.

More scripture engagement also produces a Christian who is more involved in spreading the Good News.

Controlling for other factors, those who read or listen to the Bible at least four days a week have higher odds of participating in these behaviors:

Sharing faith with others = 228% higher odds

Discipling others = 231% higher odds

Memorizing scripture = 407% higher odds

6.

The Practice of Prayer

A. Prayer Is Essential

The Christian life is to be characterized by continued {prayer}    and dependance upon Christ.

Faithful prayer is {vital}    to the separated life.

{our communication w/God}

1. Pray All the Time

(1) Eph.

6:18 {How often should we pray?

‘Always’ (1 Th 5:17 ‘without ceasing’); How should we pray?

‘In the spirit’ & with spiritual alertness, i.e. according to & in harmony with God’s will (1 Jn 5:14-15); For what should we pray?

‘All the saints’}

Ephesians 6 18

2. Pray According to God’s Word

Praying Scripture back to God

Help me Lord to not walk in the counsel of the wicked.

Help me to not stand in the path of sinners.

Lord Never let me sit in the seat of scoffers!

How do I do this Lord?

Lord Jesus, may I delight in Your law.

Help me to meditate in it day and night.

Lord Jesus I want to be like that tree.

I determine today to plant myself in your Word so that I can draw the water of life from you continually.

3. Pray for Everything

(2) Phil.

4:6 {Don’t worry: Why worry when you can pray!

Everything is worthy of prayer; pray with a grateful attitude and a joyful heart (v4-5)}

Philippians 4:6

(3) What is God’s    {promise}    to us in response to a consistent prayer life?

4. Pray In Faith

ii.

The prayer of faith is {central}    to the Anointing Service.

James 5:13-18

(1) Who initiates the Anointing Service? {the one who is sick (v14)}