"Love and Forgive One Another"

John 13:34-35 and Colossians 3:13

To begin this series, we'll look at the two "one another" statements that are most fundamental to our life together in community, the call to love and forgive one another, and note how they both flow from our relationship with Jesus.

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Community: The One Another Verses

One of the greatest gifts God gives us is the community of the Church. This community supports and encourages us in so many ways. It is also an important witness to the world and an essential tool for ministry as we reach out to those who don't know Jesus and seek to draw them into the Church. Yet, life in community isn't always easy. For that reason, this fall, we'll be looking at what is known as the "one another" passages. To paraphrase Scott Hubbard, the "one another" passages offer a brilliant picture of life together in community, not only under the lordship of Christ but also in the pattern of Christ. Rightly understood, the one-another passages are nothing less than the life of Christ at work in the people of Christ to the glory of Christ. [1]

[1] Scott Hubbard “The Art of One-Anothering; How the Church Loves Like Christ” found at: https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/the-art-of-one-anothering

Orchard Community Church
8180 Telephone Rd
Ventura CA 93004
www.OrchardVentura.org
Contact us at Info@OrchardVentura.org
Orchard's Streaming and Song Select CCLI# 160190

“Worship vs Ritual”

Matthew 15:8, Isaiah 29:13, Psalm 29:1-2, John 9:39

When we’re just going through the motion spiritually, our worship degenerates into an empty ritual because our desire is not for God, so our hearts are not in it. It’s about worshipping Jesus.

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Going Through the Motions (Tent Series)

Our hope is to have vibrant and alive faith. Yet, try as we might, it’s easy to end up going through the motions in our spiritual lives. Sometimes, without even realizing it, we can slip into living our spiritual lives on autopilot, falling into tradition and habit, doing what we think we ought to do, what others expect from us, or simply trying to appease God rather than to really know and love Him. With this series, we’ll seek to look at some of the foundational concepts of faith with fresh eyes and open hearts to avoid ending up just going through the motions.

Orchard Community Church
8180 Telephone Rd
Ventura CA 93004
www.OrchardVentura.org
Contact us at Info@OrchardVentura.org
Orchard's Streaming and Song Select CCLI# 160190

“Conformed vs Transformed”
Romans 12:2 Mark 1:16-20, Romans 8:29

When we’re just going through the motions spiritually, we inevitably begin to conform to the patterns of this world rather than seeking to be transformed and conformed more and more into the likeness of Christ. It’s about becoming like Jesus.

“Good Deeds vs. Serving Jesus”
James 2:14-18, Matthew 23:27, Hebrew 3:6, Ephesians 2:8-10

When we’re just going through the motions spiritually, we may cease to serve God, or we may continue to serve, but since what we’re doing is no longer done by faith, these good deeds fall short of pleasing God and the glory of seeking to build His kingdom. It’s about building Jesus’ Kingdom.

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Going Through the Motions (Tent Series)

Our hope is to have vibrant and alive faith. Yet, try as we might, it’s easy to end up going through the motions in our spiritual lives. Sometimes, without even realizing it, we can slip into living our spiritual lives on autopilot, falling into tradition and habit, doing what we think we ought to do, what others expect from us, or simply trying to appease God rather than to really know and love Him. With this series, we’ll seek to look at some of the foundational concepts of faith with fresh eyes and open hearts to avoid ending up just going through the motions.

Orchard Community Church
8180 Telephone Rd
Ventura CA 93004
www.OrchardVentura.org
Contact us at Info@OrchardVentura.org
Orchard's Streaming and Song Select CCLI# 160190

Today Jimmy Mac, Orchard's Worship Director, shares his faith story.

Orchard Community Church
8180 Telephone Rd
Ventura CA 93004
www.OrchardVentura.org
Contact us at Info@OrchardVentura.org
Orchard's Streaming and Song Select CCLI# 160190

“Living for Self vs. Living for Jesus”

James 4:13-15, Psalm 24:1-2, Romans 12:1, 1 Thessalonians 2:4

When we’re just going through the motions spiritually, we begin to believe we belong to ourselves and live for ourselves rather than remembering that we belong to God and seek to live for Him. It’s about belonging to and living for Jesus.

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Going Through the Motions (Tent Series)

Our hope is to have vibrant and alive faith. Yet, try as we might, it’s easy to end up going through the motions in our spiritual lives. Sometimes, without even realizing it, we can slip into living our spiritual lives on autopilot, falling into tradition and habit, doing what we think we ought to do, what others expect from us, or simply trying to appease God rather than to really know and love Him. With this series, we’ll seek to look at some of the foundational concepts of faith with fresh eyes and open hearts to avoid ending up just going through the motions.

Orchard Community Church
8180 Telephone Rd
Ventura CA 93004
www.OrchardVentura.org
Contact us at Info@OrchardVentura.org
Orchard's Streaming and Song Select CCLI# 160190

Religion vs. Faith

Matthew 13:15, 15:8, Hebrews 11:1-3, 6, John 6:68-69

When we’re just going through the motions spiritually, we can easily slip into religion in the worst sense of the word, which simply means doing religious stuff rather than seeking to have vibrant and alive faith in Jesus. It’s about believing in Jesus.

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Going Through the Motions

Summer Tent Series

Our hope is to have vibrant and alive faith. Yet, try as we might, it’s easy to end up going through the motions in our spiritual lives. Sometimes, without even realizing it, we can slip into living our spiritual lives on autopilot, falling into tradition and habit, doing what we think we ought to do, what others expect from us, or simply trying to appease God rather than to really know and love Him. With this series, we’ll seek to look at some of the foundational concepts of faith with fresh eyes and open hearts to avoid ending up just going through the motions.

Orchard Community Church
8180 Telephone Rd
Ventura CA 93004
www.OrchardVentura.org
Contact us at Info@OrchardVentura.org
Orchard's Streaming and Song Select CCLI# 160190

One Crazy Farmer

Mark 4:1-9 and Ephesians 17-18

In this parable from Mark, Jesus tells about a farmer who sows seed in some strange places where it’s unlikely to grow, but the seed that does grow produces an amazing yield. The point is that God reaches out to everyone, and those who respond experience amazing transformation, which the Ephesian passage describes in further detail.

Orchard Community Church
8180 Telephone Rd
Ventura CA 93004
www.OrchardVentura.org
Contact us at Info@OrchardVentura.org
Orchard's Streaming and Song Select CCLI# 160190

Remember

Esther 9:20 - 10:3
As God's people are saved, they respond with a celebration, the Jewish festival of Purim. It's a celebration of looking backward and remembering but also moving forward. All the stories of deliverance in the Bible, including Esther, foreshadow the ultimate deliverance of God's people through the salvation we have in Jesus. In this way, we can see that the whole Bible really is about Jesus and what he has done. May we remember this as we move forward in our lives.

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Esther: God Behind the Scenes

Esther is the only book in the Bible that doesn't mention God. On the surface, God seems absent from this story. Sadly, that's a familiar idea for many of us. Sometimes, we may feel like God is absent from our lives and world. But the story of Esther reveals that God is always present behind the scenes, often working with great power, even when He may seem albescent to us. Esther is the story of God's loving and sometimes hidden providence, the truth that He is over all things working out His will, and the amazing truth that he uses ordinary, flawed people to accomplish His plans. In the end, through a series of stunning reversals, we find that God is definitely not absent but is, in fact, the central character in this story and that He is always at work for the good of His people and for His glory.

Orchard Community Church
8180 Telephone Rd
Ventura CA 93004
www.OrchardVentura.org
Contact us at Info@OrchardVentura.org
Orchard's Streaming and Song Select CCLI# 160190