New year, New you
Same Jesus!
2018
Acts 2:42–47 (ESV)
42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.
44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common.
45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.
46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts,
47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.
1st thing we need to do is make our church healthier!
42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.
· I like to call this tightening up the four walls!
o We must evaluate if we have the right classes
o Enough bible studies
o Things for every maturity level
o Do we do enough on Sunday morning (our party) to make guests welcome?
· What do we need to do with the facilities?
o We need to finish the kids building
o Do we need more events that our church can attend
§ Where can you get plugged in
§ Where can you help to make our church more well rounded
· We need good solid expository preaching
· And basically, getting ready to welcome more people in and expecting God to send us more every week
· And we all need to be a part of this!
2nd we have to start working and learning together!
44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common.
· How do we come together?
· How do we get one common goal?
· We do that by making sure all our spiritual needs are meet
How do we do that you ask?
We look at the different segments of growth we all walk through spiritually and make sure we are fitting the needs of all segments!
There are four segments
Exploring Christ: The people in this segment have a basic belief in God, but they are unsure about Christ and His role in their lives.
· They need activities
· They need fun
· They need fellowship
· They need this to start building trust and relationships
· Salvation is not about a prayer, it’s about a relationship with Jesus and His people
Growing in Christ: The people in this segment have a personal relationship with Christ. They’ve made a commitment to trust Him with their souls’ salvation and for eternity, but they are just beginning to learn what it means and what it takes to develop a relationship with Him.
· This is new believers and represents most of our church congregation
· They need small groups
· They need bible studies
· And they need a place to serve
· If you’re in this segment get plugged in and get involved
Close to Christ: The people in this segment depend on Christ every day. They see Christ as someone who assists them in life. Daily, they turn to Him for help and guidance for the issues they face.
· These folks have a solid growing relationship in Christ
· Instead of being fed they need to be feeding others
· If you’re in this segment step up and lead a small group or bible study
· You should be a member of the church and on a consensus team somewhere
Christ-Centered: The people in this segment would identify their relationship with Christ as the most important relationship in their entire lives. They see their lives as fully surrendered to Jesus and His agenda, subordinating everything to His will and His desires.
· These people should be leading the direction of the church
· Looking at the church's needs not their own
More questions?
· What segment are you??
· What do you need to be doing to help yourself grow?
· Show up on Wednesday for a class?
· Get plugged into a small group?
· Lead a small group?
· Get on a team?
· Become a member?
3rd We must support the church and those in it!
45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.
· There is no reason when there is a body of committed believers that the church should struggle
o It shouldn’t struggle to support the pastor
o It shouldn’t struggle to support the mission of the church
o It just should never happen
· In the state of the church address, you will hear more but here are a few of the facts
o 20 families supported approximately 85% of the financial burden of this church
o our budget is that of a traditional church of less than 100
· if you are a regular attendee of this church you should support your church
o regularly
o specifically, when needed
o sacrificially
o joyfully
· if you can’t support your church and its mission, why are you here???
o These are tough questions, you need to ask yourself
Hebrews 5:11–13 (NLT)
11 There is much more we would like to say about this, but it is difficult to explain, especially since you are spiritually dull and don’t seem to listen.
12 You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s word. You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food.
13 For someone who lives on milk is still an infant and doesn’t know how to do what is right.
4th we have to build relationships in the local church, we need a local church and we need to belong to it!
46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts.
· What does it mean to be a member of a church?
· Publicly
o We acknowledge we are a member of the church publicly
o Through baptism
o Regular attendance
o And participating in the business on the church
· Socially
o We form our relationships in the church
o Our social calendar revolves around the church
· Affectionately
o Our close relationships come from the church
o The people we call family are in the church
o We lovingly help and hold accountable the people in the church
o My dad always said “be around the people you want to be like”
§ That sometimes means changing your friends
§ That sometimes means walking away from some folks
§ But take it from me it works
§ I have been with rich people and found money
§ I have run with rebels and been a rebel
§ I have run with outlaws and been an outlaw
o But the most rewarding change in my life is when I surround myself with true believers in Christ!
§ Not Sunday social butterflies
§ Not “blessed” Christians
§ But true heartfelt, bible believing, Jesus followers!
· Financially
o We support the mission and needs of the church
· Ethically
o We live a life that will not bring shame to our church
o We strive to hold other members to that standard
· Spiritually
o Our spiritual growth comes from the church
· SUBMITTING TO UGLINESS
o We are about the ugly business of living our ugly lives together
o And helping others with their ugly lives
