Ephesians 4:17-19,23-24,29-30

"With the Lord's authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused. Their minds are full of darkness; they..."

A powerful image of renewal! Pasquale Mingarelli shares pictures and a Bible study to help us remember that spring is the time for renewal

"Instead [of going back to our old way of worldly living], let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be..."

"Dear Father, righteous and holy God, Help me never to be tempted to live as worldly people live: futile in their thinking - darkened in their..."

"Dear Father, righteous and holy God, Enable me to put away completely my old human nature - the former lifestyle corrupted by deceitful desires. Help..."

"Don't grieve God. Don't break his heart. His Holy Spirit, moving and breathing in you, is the most intimate part of your life, making you fit for himself. Don't..."

"...be made new in the attitude of your minds... "

"...and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness."

"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who..."

"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who..."

"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who..."

"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who..."

"Don't use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them."

"And do not bring sorrow to God's Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of...."

"All that the believer has must come from Christ, but it comes solely through the channel of the Spirit of grace. Moreover, as all blessings thus flow...."

Inspirational illustration of Ephesians 4:24 -- ...and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

Inspirational illustration of Ephesians 4:29 -- Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

"Dear Precious Disciple, Paul beautifully described the Father's grace in the first part of his letter to the Ephesians. He emphasized that the..."

So who do you need to be good? Patrick Odum sees a billboard by an atheistic and agnostic group that says many are good without God and he decides he is barely tolerable with God, so there's no hope for him without God!

"Instead [of living by your corrupt sinful nature], let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God —..."

Where can we learn the real truth about living in a conflict filled world? Driver's Ed teaches us that we have to drive responsibly for everyone, not just ourselves!

Where in the world did those horrible computer viruses come from anyway? Sin is like a virus Satan has designed to appear harmless, infect us, spread, and render everything useless and destroy everything.

Can anything good come from rap music? Can a Christian father learn a lot about faith from his rappin' son and the rap he wrote to be sung at church?

Some criticism isn't helpful, it is withering, so how do we deal with it? Rubel Shelly reminds us that unfair criticism is a part of life so we need to rely on our relationship with God to overcome it and we need to not ever become one of those kinds of criticizers.

How deep does our deception go? We live in a world of deception but God has called us to be Kingdom people, people who tell the truth and do not deceive, yet forgive those who confess their deceitfulness to us.

We long for the day when we know fully, even as we are fully known! Ron Rose is back at Black Rifle Coffee Company and visiting with friends about Pentecost Sunday and knowing each other's names.

Aren't we way past too far? Shock jocks have tried to out do each other in shocking, crude, and obscene remarks on radio, TV, and interviews and they have crossed the line and we are the only ones who can do something about it.

"And do not bring sorrow to God's Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on...."

"You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the..."

"And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander,...."

You were taught...to be made new in the attitude of your minds... - Ephesians 4:22-23

Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. - Ephesians 4:30-31

How do we survive in a place and time like this? Phil Ware talks about being stuck in the Land of In-between and how hard it is and some core ideas to take with you as you find yourself in that kind of place.

Jesus calls us beyond the narrow caricatures of grace. Phil Ware continues his series called UNPREDICTABLE about Jesus and his love and grace and call to follow him in holiness and reminds us that grace calls us from sin and death and to a life of holiness.

While we're railing at the candidates, how about we take a look in the mirror? Rubel Shelly reminds us that it isn't just the politicians who use harsh and unfair speech.

Are you telling it straight with God, or bending the truth a little? Bill Denton introduces us to a new word, communifaking, and also challenges us to communicate truthfully.

Have you learned this important spiritual skill? We need to learn that there is a time to be silent.

So what's the real issue behind this issue? Rubel Shelly takes on the issue of a recent suicide because a person's recent sexual escapades were shown online without his permission and Rubel reminds us that the issue is about gossip and both fact and intention for sharing news matters.

When is free speech not exactly free? Rubel Shelly shares his feelings and insights into civility and free speech in politics, sports, and real life.

Just a few words and our presence can make all the difference in the world! Ron Rose reminds us that a few words and our physical presence can make all the difference in the life of someone else, just like Al Ware made a difference in Ron's life.

How well are you at listening and being heard? Messing up his communication with his wife, Paul learns the lesson of the importance of good communication.

Let's worship today, praising God and asking for the help of the Holy Spirit as we seek to respond to people as Jesus did! Demetrius Collins and Phil Ware lead us in online, virtual worship through words and music using YouTube videos to help us understand how to give fitting replies to others in different conversation contexts.

So what are you doing holding on to that in your heart? We hang on to so much unnecessary and unhelpful stuff that we need to let go and forgive.

God's holiness and grace call us to live our lives to bless others with what we do and what we say. Demetrius Collins and Phil Ware lead us in a virtual, DIY, worship through words and music using YouTube videos to praise God for his holiness and grace and call each other to use our lives, our speech, and our actions to bless others.

Can you really forgive? Forgiving others when they have truly hurt us is the hardest grace of all.

"Dear Beloved, Learn to wait and think before you speak. Give the Holy Spirit an opportunity to guide your conversation instead of being thrust into....."

Not only can we begin the New Year as a fresh start, but we can also be made new — from the inside out — each day as we follow Jesus! Demetrius Collins and Phil Ware lead us in virtual worship through words and music using YouTube videos and inviting us to continually be made new from the inside out.

Preparing my mouth for marriage... and beyond! Byron Ware reminds us of the vital importance of how we communicate both in the words we choose to say, not speak, and the non-verbals we use as we speak them.

What difference does a little criticism really make? Criticism hurts even when, or maybe especially when, it is dressed in pretty packages and given to us over a long time.

When giving up something is winning for everyone! Rubel Shelly tells about the Ike story that touches the heart and reminds us what sports are supposed to be about.

Is an apology offered before the fact really an apology? Joey Cope describes his difficulty in dealing with someone who is critical and negative and who begins his statements with an apology.

What do we do when our partners are involved in email relationships? Joe Beam deals with the challenging issue of improper email relationships.

So what's the big problem with all this self stuff? When we put self in the middle of everything, then everything becomes about I, me, my, and mine, and not about God and we mess up our self-absorbed lives.

My own lack of forgiveness toward others can shut off the flow of God's forgiveness to me. Phil Ware with Grady King give us insight on Jesus' example and command to forgive others as we pray for our own forgiveness.

We've allowed our modern definition of faith to be drained of depth and turned into a shallow kiddie wading pool of little more than mental assent. Phil Ware reminds us that faith as understood in the New Testament was much more robust than what we often call faith today.