Well, good-day folks, welcome back to the church.nYC podcast. Thanks so much for joining us.

Wanted to let you know this autumn. We are going to be talking through the idea of spiritual formation.

This series is called Formed. And it is a journey through the key stages of development where someone

goes from being dead in sin into being formed into the image of Jesus. And it's really getting back

to the core concepts that are often overlooked in all the conversations about spiritual formation.

What does election, regeneration, justification, vivification, mortification, sanctification, these big terms,

what do they actually mean for the spirit's work within us, helping us move out of the brokenness

of our sin-stained flesh and into the fullness of life that God has for us?

How do we make sense of our stories in light of the resurrection of Jesus and the kingdom of God?

The word formed, we're taking from Galatians 419,

where Paul talks about being as in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in us.

Romans 8 tells us that we've been predestined to be conformed to the image of the sun.

Those are high theological terms and we're going to make them both practical and meaningful

over the course of these series. Thanks for tuning in. We can serve you in any way. Feel free to reach

out. Let's get back to the podcast. Peace.

Our teaching text is from 2. Corinthians chapter 4, if you'd remain standing while we read God's word. This is 2 Corinthians 4, verses 7 through 18.

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all surpassing power is from God and not from us.

We are hard pressed on every side but not crushed, perplexed, but not in despair, persecuted, but not abandoned,

struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus

so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.

For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake,

so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body.

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