First Church Charlotte

November 22, 2020 | Pastor Nathan Elms Our souls are exposed to a toxic environment... • God has made a way of escape from this toxic environment of everyone doing what is right in their own eyes. In fact, this is the way of the believer. • Sin (spiritual rebellion) creates both a toxic nature and a toxic environment. This is imaged in death following sin (toxic nature) and banishment from Eden (sin creates a toxic environment... God says, not here... ruin your own world) • Repentance is us turning away from ourselves and saying, “Forgive me for what I’ve made of myself... and my world” • Baptism of water and spirit is the transformation of heart and soul. Having turned away from this world, our hearts are changed to desire another world, a better world. • Spiritual maturity is the nurturing of a spiritually healthy inner world while we survive a toxic world of sin and self. • Spiritual mission is to demonstrate this way of a spiritually healthy soul to the world around you... that others might see... So wh