Soma Spokane Sermons

The church in Ephesus was under attack, from both promiscuous licentious people swallowed in culture, and also from religious legalistic Gnostics who were saying salvation is from Jesus and obeying rules. These same forces are alive and well today. And they are moving and powerful and they push the church away from its story. Join that with our own desire to build our own little empire in life and you have a strong danger in the church. Paul moves in his letter in chapter 4 to instruct Timothy on how to have the church stand their ground and move forward into their city. They are to nourish themselves on the full story God’s rescue of mankind and then to discipline themselves for Godliness. To these two tasks, Paul uses the words, train, toil, strive, devote, practice, immerse, and persist. So this week we will encourage ourselves to nourish ourselves on the great epic story of Redemption and Jesus and also to discipline ourselves to godliness.