So
where do we go from here??
4.
are you giving to the mission?
So, the big question is where do we go from
here in 2018??
·
Peter
had just preached a sermon of a life time
·
Proclaiming
the Gospel boldly
·
And
all of a sudden, a church off a 100 became a church of 3000
·
And
they didn’t sit back and say, “look at us” or “we don’t want this many people”
·
They
dug in and kept doing the lords work!
Acts 2:42–47 (ESV)
42And they devoted themselves
to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the
prayers.
43And awe came upon every soul,
and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.
44And all who believed were
together and had all things in common.
45And they were selling their possessions
and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.
46And day by day, attending the
temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food
with glad and generous hearts,
47praising God and having favor
with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who
were being saved.
WE are all family
Mark
3:32–35 (ESV)
32And a crowd was sitting around him, and
they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers are outside, seeking you.”
33And he answered them, “Who are my mother and my brothers?”
34And looking about at those who sat
around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my
brothers!
35For whoever does the will of
God, he is my brother and sister and mother.”
(Video)
Is
your Church your Family??
So what is family??
Today we
live in a world where family is disconnected, dysfunctional, broken, divorced,
absent and even abusive. We live in a world where when you say family to some
it brings a rush of horrible memories, hurt, anger and sadly for some no
memories at all!
So when we
say that the church is a family what are we even talking about???
·
I
want you to look to your left and right, because for you this is family!!
Does it feel like family???
·
Does
it feel like a business
o Are you trying to get at much as you
can for as little as you can
o You don’t pick up your trash when you
leave
o You leave the counters in the coffee
bar a mess, or the bathroom
o Do you just get your coffee, flop your
butt in a chair, and leave when your done
o Do you complain about things in the
church
§ Are you the one that knows every fault
in the church
§ Are you the person that sees every
mistake that everyone makes
If I just described you then this is
not your family, it’s a business!
·
When it feels like family
o Your giving way more than your getting
(in time and money)
o You stick around after church hand pick
up the trash that everyone else leaves behind
o You straighten up when your done
o You are walking around talking to new
faces and making feel welcome
o You don’t complain you do!
§ If its broke you fix it
§ If someone is struggling you pray for
them and try and help
You do all
this, because this is your family
·
Yes
there annoying
·
Yes
they get on your last nerve
·
Yes
they hurt you sometimes
o But in your family, you always come
back, you always try and you always invest
HOW do I make this church feel like
family?
1. Serve
1
Corinthians 12:12 (ESV)
12For just as the body is one
and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one
body, so it is with Christ.
Are you waited on or served??
·
You
want to be in the family you have to stop being served and start serving others
·
That’s
what your savior did!
·
He
said I come to serve not be served
·
He
washed feet, feed the homeless, calmed the storm, healed the broken, comforted
many and transformed his family.
·
What
are you doing for yours??
·
I
am not talking about doing things that make you look good, I’m talking about
things that help others
Why serve??
Luke
22:27 (ESV)
27For who is the
greater, one who reclines at table or one who serves? Is it not the one who
reclines at table? But I am among you as the one who serves.
·
What
better way to get to know your family than to serve next to them
·
Get
plugged in!
o Find a team and get on it
o Look for a upcoming project and show up
o Stop hiding behind the it’s too big, or
I don’t know anyone
o Talk to the team leader, talk to the
lay pastor
o It amazes me to see people and their
attitudes when they are truly serving in the church Vs folks who don’t
o Their lives are better, there marriages
are stronger, and they have folks to turn to
Loving people isn’t easy!!!!
Being
involved with people is
·
time
consuming,
·
messy,
·
and
complicated.
These are
the very reasons why community is such a big part of God’s plan to transform us
into the image of Christ. Living in community pushes us to die to ourselves.
There will be times when loving others and allowing others to serve and love us
will feel like death, but this is the pathway to real life in Christ. The more
we understand our own hearts, the more we see that it takes a work of God’s
grace to transform self-absorbed individuals into a community of love. Being in
redemptive relationships shows us our need for change and helps bring it about!
2. We Give! That’s right
I’m talking a money, Benjamin’s, cheddar, green backs!
Acts 2:45 (ESV)
45And they were selling their
possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had
need.
So why Give??
·
Obedience
·
It
all belongs to God anyway
·
What
better way to figure that out than to give to him first
What does Jesus say about it???
·
First fruit
o The first check you make out
o The first penny you spend Goes to him
through His church
·
Cheerfully
o Give with a glad heart
o Give gladly knowing God is in control
and will use it for his good
o I use to take $75 bibles to jail
·
Sacrificially
o You give something up
o For a single mom $5 is a lot
o For some 10% is nothing
o You need to give something
·
Regularly
o Not when the church finally does
something right in your eyes
o Not when you have extra
o But on a regular basis (weekly,
monthly, what ever it looks like to you)
Ultimately
it’s used to reach the lost, from coffee, to lights, to sound, to arena events,
to bibles for the kids. Its all used to reach the lost!
Do you even know the needs of your
church???
·
How
many of you if I ask what does the church need could answer that question?
·
What
would it take to pay off the debt we owe?
·
What
can you do to make an impact?
To get rid of our debt
·
Let’s
say we have 250 family’s attending we all agree that sounds fair right??
·
So,
let’s say these 250-family’s want to pay off the debt in 2 years’ time
·
That’s
$83.00 dollars a month over and above what you are giving now!
·
Doesn’t
sound like much now does it??
·
Let’s
break it down further
·
That’s
16 $5 value meals a month per family
·
Or
41 $1.99 sodas
·
Or
$2.76 a day
How crazy
is that, so my question to you is what is one souls worth???? If your family,
you give to help the family meet its goal! To meet its needs.
How much
have you given? To help us continue to do what God has called us all to do???
So you don’t think family is important!
Think again!
God wants
you and needs you to be a part of his big old messed up family! For you to
learn and grow, to love and laugh. We will never be perfect, we will disappoint
you and hurt you, but just like my family growing up we will always be there
for you! So jump on in to the old Station Wagon and lets take her for a
spin!!!
Giving and Serving
Matthew
6:19–24 (NIV)
19“Do not store up for yourselves
treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in
and steal.
20But store up for yourselves treasures
in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not
break in and steal.
21For where your treasure is, there
your heart will be also.
22“The eye is the lamp of the body. If
your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light.
23But if your eyes are unhealthy, your
whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness,
how great is that darkness!
24“No one can serve two masters. Either
you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and
despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
Where is your treasure?
·
Are you
storing it all up here?
·
Are tied
to things more than Jesus?
·
If
things matter more than Jesus your heart will never truly be his!
Stewardship
·
Do
you see yourself as a steward of God’s wealth?
·
How
is that tangible or not tangible in your life today?
·
Where
are you tempted to see your possessions as yours and not God’s?
·
What
conflicts does the idea of stewardship raise up in you?
·
Where
do you need to grow in you stewardship?
·
What
can you start doing today to be a better steward?
Money and Worship.
·
How
is money related to worship in your life?
·
Where
do you see money/things competing with Jesus for glory in you your life?
·
What
things have you sought after for joy but left you wanting after you possessed
them? What do see as the highest purpose for the use of money?
·
How
does your concept of money need to change for you to realign your worship with
God?
Prayer:
Take time to Reflect and meditate on the death of Christ.
·
Praise
God for his faithfulness and generosity.
·
Pray
for correction where it is needed in regard to stewardship.
·
Pray
that the money we steward is converted into souls won for Jesus.
Do you worship God or money?
·
To truly
serve, money has to be a secondary issue
·
To truly
give your heart has to belong to Jesus
·
Are you
giving first fruit or the leftovers?
·
Are you
part of the family?
