So where do we go from here??
Are you giving to the mission?
WE are all family
Mark 3:32–35 (ESV)
32 And a crowd was sitting around him, and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers are outside, seeking you.”
33 And he answered them, “Who are my mother and my brothers?”
34 And looking about at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers!
35 For 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 as 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 you're 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 You're giving way more than you're getting (in time and money)
o You stick around after church and pick up the trash that everyone else leaves behind
o You straighten up when you're done
o You are walking around talking to new faces and making them feel welcome
o You don’t complain you do!
§ If it's 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 they're 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)
12 For 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)
27 For 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 an 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, their 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 money, Benjamin’s, cheddar, greenbacks!
Acts 2:45 (ESV)
45 And 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, whatever 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 asked 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 families attending we all agree that sounds fair right??
· So, let’s say these 250 families 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 soul 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???
Tithing changes you the quickest
· The 6 years before I started attending TCC in those 6 years I made approx. 1.35 million dollars
· I had no money to show for it
· I was up to my ears in debt
· Bankrupt
· Broke
· No car
· No house
· Nothing
We started tithing, on my $22,000.00 dollars a year
· Things started to change
· Needs started to be met
· And we have never looked back!
NOW
· I now have more money in the bank then I have ever had
· I am debt free
· I don’t worry about money
· I always have what I need
· And I always put God's needs ahead of my own
· And I make less than I have ever made in my life
God won’t provide you with everything you want, but He will cover your needs when you’re obedient to Him!
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