Deeply Together

Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God's people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. (Ephesians 2:19-22 NIV)

1)build in the foundation v19
-Jesus is the center of our life
-he is the chief cornerstone
-church should take its very being and character in Christ

~Knowing Christ intimately
-To be built strongly together, we must know Christ intimately
-when we are close enough to God, we see
Him closely

Jesus gave them this answer: "Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. (John 5:19 NIV)

-knowing him so intimately that we pick up and learnt from him
--just like how children learn from their parent
-sharing characteristic with god

~what He stands for
-passion, conviction, values, perception, love,
-passion for Jesus, passion for people, passion for the great commission

2) joined together in Christ (v20-22)
-meant to be joined together in all sense, theoretical , practically, and mentally
-church is inter-dependable body like puzzle
-fit together
-all races, from all walks of life

For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; (Romans 12:4-6 NIV)

The church grow not by mechanical means but by life-giving work of the Holy Spirit

-joined together as one
-stretch out w others to be part of the family
-a place of belonging

3)purposes for Christ (v22b)
-the house is God purpose;
-church is place God power is revealed
-miraculous scene can be seen as we grow
-church, a place of hope surrounding community