Chinese for Christ Church of San Jose
English Worship Service
Worship Service: 10:00 –11:10 am followed by snacks in the Fellowship Hall.
Call To Worship* – Alison Law
Praise & Worship*- Praise Team and Congregation
Welcome & Announcements – Joey Wang
Sermon “Grow Up” Ephesians 4:15-16 (page 978)- Kenny Chan
Communion – Congregation
Song(s) of Response* – Praise Team
Doxology (Words of Praise)*- Congregation
Prayer & Benediction (Lord’s Blessing)* – Kenny Chan
*Please stand, if physically able. Also, please set your cell phones to “silent.”
Please exit through the ‘front’ of the sanctuary at the end of service. Thank you.
Last Week’s Sermon Notes
Ephesians 4:11-14 “Are You Mature?”
- The Spiritual Gifts (vv.10-11))
- In these verses we see a partial list of spiritual gifts. These gifts are verbal/teaching gifts.
- Christian Unity is Diversity not Conformity – we need to be reminded that every Christian has different gifts.
- The Purpose of Spiritual Gifts: Ministry (v.12)
- The Church is Meant to Equip Us (To Do Ministry)
- Everyone is Called to Ministry – not just pastors/elders, leaders, etc.
- Everyone is Called to Minister to One Another (The Church)
- The Goal of Spiritual Gifts: Unity & Maturity (vv.13-14)
- Unity of Faith in the Gospel (v.13a) – our unity is based on the Gospel (who Jesus is and His life, death and resurrection).
- Maturity = Like Jesus (vv.13b-14) – having gone to church for 10 years does not necessarily mean we’re mature. Maturity is marked by our growth in Christ-likeness.
Application
- Explore & discover your spiritual gifts (go to https://goo.gl/wLBH1p)
- Exercise (Use) your spiritual gifts!
- In what areas of your life do you need to grow in maturity (Christ-likeness?)
Christian Unity is Diversity not Conformity –
Growing in Ministry & Maturity not Complacency.
We are glad you are here this morning to worship God together with us! We hope that through this service you would experience God’s blessings to you — and know His love for you through Jesus Christ and the presence of His Spirit!
If this is your first time here, please fill out one the pink cards in the pew and pass onto any of our ushers if you would like us to contact you with more information about our church.
Announcements
1.Baptism Class: Baptism classes meet up this afternoon from 1:00 – 2:30pm in the Duplex. Please contact Pastor Joey for more information.
2.Community Groups: Our small group fellowships for college/post-college (working, single/married, etc) meet weekly on Saturday morning (10am – 12pm) as well as Sunday afternoons (4-6pm). Please contact Pastor Joey for more information
3.Saltshakers: We will be having a joint praise and social gathering with Korean Baptist Church of San Jose this coming Saturday (4/9) 7:00-9:00pm in the Fellowship Hall. For more information, please contact Daniel Chen (dantchen83@sbcglobal.net)
4.VBS: There will be no VBS program this year. Thank you to those that volunteered to help out. Please contact Vanda Chan (vandachan25@gmail.com) if you have any questions.
5.Summer Retreat: Our church wide summer retreat will be 6/17-6/19 at Redwood Christian Park. Our retreat speaker this year is Stephan Williams. Registration forms will be available soon. For questions, please contact Daniel Chen (dantchen83@sbcglobal.net).
Prayer Requests & Praises
1.Praise God for last Sunday’s combined Easter worship service with Spectrum Church! Pray that we would continue to be reminded the Gospel unites people together and empowers us to share the Gospel to all people!
2.Pray for our Baptism Classes. Pray that through these upcoming classes participants would grow in their understanding of the gospel message and know the core essentials of the Christian faith.
3.Pray for the planning and preparations for our upcoming Summer Retreat.
4.Pray for our church’s preparations and coverage for Pastor Joey’s upcoming sabbatical (July-September).
Background & Resources on Ephesians
Who? The Apostle Paul wrote the letter of Ephesians
To Who? Unlike some of Paul’s other letters (1 Corinthians, Galatians, etc.), the letter of Ephesians does not seem to address specific issues but appears to be more a general letter. Most likely, the letter was passed around to different house churches which gathered throughout the city of Ephesus — a major city and trading center (port).
When? 60-61 AD
Where? Paul wrote the letter of Ephesians while imprisoned in Rome.
Why? To remind and encourage Christians in Ephesus of the gospel message. The first half of the letter (chapters 1-3) focuses on the Gospel, while the second half (chapters 4-6) focuses on the implications and application of the Gospel.
Recommended Commentaries on Ephesians
The Letter to the Ephesians (The Pillar New Testament Commentary) by Peter T. O’Brien
& Ephesians (Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament) by Frank Thielman
– The two best “technical” (indepth) commentaries on Ephesians which explores the original Greek language, historical background as well as theological terms. While technical, both these commentaries also point readers to a deeper love of God.
Exalting Jesus in Ephesians (Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary) by Tony Merida and David Platt
– Probably the best “user-friendly” commentary on Ephesians. Short, concise, but packed with helpful insights as well as how Ephesians points us to Jesus.
New City Catechism (from www.newcitycatechism.com/intro.php)
We hope that this will be a tool for us to use in disciplining our children, one another and ourselves as a church community. The New City Catechism is also available online and for your smart phones.
Question 28: What happens after death to those not united to Christ by faith?
Answer: At the day of judgement they will receive the fearful but just sentence of condemnation pronounced against them. They will be cast out from the favorable presence of God, into hell, to be justly and grievously punished, forever.
Passage(s): John 3:16-18, 36