Prayer & Worship | Participation in Christ

The Big Idea: Being a Christian is not a belief system, it is a transformational way of being you.

Christianity is an “EXISTENTIAL” thing.

We all know about “BORN AGAIN.”

John 3:1-8
Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling
council. 2 He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has
come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”
3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born
again.”
4 “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter
a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”
5 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are
born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You
should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it
pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is
with everyone born of the Spirit.”

1 Corinthians 10:1-23
For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all
under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. 2 They were all baptized into Moses in
the cloud and in the sea. 3 They all ate the same spiritual food 4 and drank the same spiritual
drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. 5
Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered in the
wilderness.
6 Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as
they did. 7 Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: “The people sat down to
eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.” 8 We should not commit sexual immorality, as
some of them did—and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. 9 We should not test
Christ, as some of them did—and were killed by snakes. 10 And do not grumble, as some of
them did—and were killed by the destroying angel.
11 These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on
whom the culmination of the ages has come. 12 So, if you think you are standing firm, be
careful that you don’t fall! 13 No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to
mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But
when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.
14 Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry. 15 I speak to sensible people; judge for
yourselves what I say. 16 Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation
in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ?
17 Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all share the one loaf.
18 Consider the people of Israel: Do not those who eat the sacrifices participate in the altar? 19
Do I mean then that food sacrificed to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything? 20 No, but
the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be
participants with demons. 21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too;
you cannot have a part in both the Lord’s table and the table of demons. 22 Are we trying to
arouse the Lord’s jealousy? Are we stronger than he?

Galatians 2:20
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in
the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.