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* – Hannah Lee
Praise & Worship*- Praise Team and Congregation
Welcome & Announcements – Joey Wang
Sermon “Off with the Old, On with the New” Ephesians 4:17-24 (page 978)- Daniel Chen
Communion – Congregation
Song(s) of Response* – Praise Team
Doxology (Words of Praise)*- Congregation
Prayer & Benediction (Lord’s Blessing)* – Joey Wang
*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 4:15-16 “Grow up…”
- 15 Grow up in every way into Him (i.e. Christ)
v.15a Grow up by speaking the truth in love
Growing to speak both truthfully and lovingly rather than one or the other
v.15b Grow up into Christ, the head
Growing into Christ-likeness rather than simple better versions of ourselves or others.
- 16 Grow up in the whole body
v.16b Grow up by each part working properly together
Growing up seeks to involve and include each member of the church syncing together for the same goal like members of an orchestra playing the same song together
- 16c Grow up by building up in love
Growing in our love for God and others
Who are the people in my life whom I need to speak the truth & in love to? Correspondingly, how might I also need to hear the truth in love from someone else?
How might I need to grow by my recognition and reliance upon Christ as the head or leader of my life?
As a Christ-follower, would I characterize my involvement in my church community as more ‘watching from the sideline’ or being a part of the ‘action on the field’?
If I were to characterize or compare our English congregation or perhaps my fellowship (ie. Saltshakers or Community Group) to an orchestra, how well would we sound? Am I or others in sync with one another?
What do I think our church/or fellowship is best known for? Is the desire for love and building others up something that is evident in my life/the life of our church?
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
- CG Serving Lunch: Community Group is scheduled to serve lunch today. For more information, please contact David Tsao.
- Inheritance Magazine: This month’s issue is now available, “Hands On: Stories About Imitating a Creative God and Finding Beauty in the Creation Process.”
- Baptism Class: Baptism classes meet up this afternoon from 1:00 – 2:30pm in the Church Office. Please contact Pastor Joey for more information.
- Beautiful Day: Next weekend we will be partnering with other churches to help clean up local schools. To sign up, please contact Daniel Chen (youth), Pastor Kenny or Joey.
- 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
- Saltshakers: We will be participating the Beautiful Day Project this Saturday (4/16) from 1-5pm at Prospect High. Sign up is required. For more information, please contact Daniel Chen (dantchen83@sbcglobal.net)
- 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
- Pray that through the “Beautiful Day” service event next weekend we would be a witness to God’s grace and love for the Bay Area!
- 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.
- Pray for the planning and preparations for our upcoming Summer Retreat, as well as our speaker Stephan Williams
- 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” (in depth) 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.
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 29: What is prayer?
Answer: Prayer is pouring out our hearts to God in praise, petition, confession of sin, and thanksgiving.
Passage(s): Psalm 62:8