Sylvania Wesleyan Church 1
Sunday Morning 11/1

      • Psalm 139:23NIV2011

  • Happy All Saints Day
    Halloween and the connections
    Saints is not a word we often use in the Protestant church because we often think of the connections to the catholic church and we have a negative view of that.
    What is a Saint
    One Separated from the world and consecrated to God; one Holy by profession and by covenant; a Believer in Christ.
    The challenge comes for us in the idea of who is a saint between the Catholic church and the Protestant church.
    The Catholic church is a smaller group of people who fit into one of these criteria
    Names appeared in Scripture
    Martyrs for their faith
    Individuals who have lived with Exceptional Piety and devotion
    The Protestant church applies the term saint to all Christians, viewing the designation for any believer in Christ both living and those who have died.
    We could easily get into all the broader theological implications that this holds between the two churches but i don’t think we need to go down that rabbit trail
    Let’s focus on our belief system
    Saints are Equal in status and the Mediation between us and God lies with Christ alone.
    All this talk though leads me to a question.

    Do you feel like a Saint?

    How many of us struggle with the idea that we are seen as a Saint in the eyes of others?
    I got news for you. If you are a professing believer of Christ you are a Saint.
    I know that is hard for many of us because we don’t like the idea of what being a Saint means.
    We also might struggle with the idea that we are looked at highly as is often associated with being a Saint.
    Now the Second Question is more for each of you personally that I want to get in your mind.

    Who is a Saint in your life?

    Who is that one person that you look at and say they are a Saint to me?
    Think about it for a moment...
    What makes them a Saint?
    What features or actions about them make them a Saint in your eyes?
    Alright, Now that you have that person in your mind let’s ask a couple more questions
    Have you ever talked to them about how you see them?
    Have you ever asked them to talk to you about how they live their life?

    Talking with the Saints

    This is something that we don’t do well in the Christian Church
    We have lost this idea that we are a gathering a believers that need to help each other along the way
    The best part about the church is that we are not alone in this
    We like to focus on our faith as individuals but the truth is this is a body of believers not only one person.
    This is why the church is so important not just as a place to gather but as a place of encouragement and strength.
    Paul helps remind us of this in his letter to the Thessalonians
    1 Thessalonians 2:9–13 NIV
    9 Surely you remember, brothers and sisters, our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of God to you. 10 You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous and blameless we were among you who believed.
    1 Thessalonians 2:9–13 NIV
    11 For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, 12 encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory. 13 And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is indeed at work in you who believe.

    Paul’s Commitment

    Paul was commited to teaching and guiding the church
    As a Saint we all have this responsibility to help teach one another.
    Pastor Andy I don’t know anything? How can I teach someone else?
    The amazing thing about faith is that we all come from different places and perspectives. We all see things a little differently and we can share our personal experiences and how they impact us in our relationship with God.
    One of the Joys of Multi generational engagement is that the older generations can help the younger from their wisdom and experience and the younger can help the older by sharing new perspectives and thinking
    Paul was committed to those he shared faith with them in spite of the hardship that it might bring.

    We are Witnesses

    The Thessalonians were witness to Paul’s work, as we are witnesses to the lives of other saints today
    What then are we supposed to do with us witnessing these people of faith?
    We keep it to ourselves right?
    This is the reality where the idea of faith being all on our own breaks down.
    As a Body we help support and build each other up.
    We are to live a life as a witness where we share the message and what we have seen and heard.
    Hebrews 12:1 NIV
    1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,
    Those who came before us set the example. We in turn learn from that example. Then we set the example for others.
    Faith is about community as much as it is about our individual belief.
    WE can’t escape the truth that these passages can’t be fulfilled if we don’t share with one another.
    So when your pastor says you need to be at church it isn’t because he wants to have great statistics its because he wants

      • 1 Thessalonians 2:9–13NIV2011

      • 1 Thessalonians 2:9–13NIV2011

      • Hebrews 12:1NIV2011

Sylvania Wesleyan Church 1
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