United In
Christ · Growing In Grace · Reaching Out In Love
Sunday Morning Sermon Summary
Note to the visitor:
These are Pastor Paul’s sermon notes from
Sunday Morning. They probably
won’t make much sense if you weren’t in the service. Feel
free to contact
Pastor Paul
if you’d like more detailed information. For past sermons, please visit the
Sermon Archive.
MORE CONTEMPORARY:
So easy a caveman can do it: GEICO
►UNITED IN
CHRIST? ►GROWING IN GRACE? ►REACHING OUT IN LOVE?
It’s on the wall, it’s on the cover of our bulletin every week;
Last
week Gerald asked “What do our words mean when we pray.What do we want God to
do”?
What
does our slogan mean?
How serious are we about it?Is it just words?
What does it mean to
be united in Christ?
We’re
not just united, we’re united IN CHRIST: Position,
purpose, passion
WE:Growing in grace:
What does it mean to grow in grace?How do you do that? Anybody ever thought about it?
In my backyard I have plants that
won’t GROW and plants that won’t STOP GROWING
After 8 years my trees are too
big, and there are too many of them.
I
have two plants that are crowding out the ones around them.A lot is out of control.
I
still have two big empty spaces.
I
have 7 or 8 Crepe Myrtle trees.AFTER I pruned them one year Jule found a web site that said
pruning crepe myrtles was really CREPE MURDER!
ALL GROWTH IS NOT GOOD
GROWTH.
My sisters come to visit and my
yard improves
I
really need an expert landscaper to come and redo everything and
keep it going; to help me find plants that grow around Eucalyptus trees, in this
part of the country…
COME, FOLLOW ME – LOVE EACH OTHER –
GO, MAKE DISCIPL
►United
in Christ
►Growing
in grace
►Reaching
out in love
WHAT’S THE STRATEGY? WHAT DO WE MEAN: “Growing in grace”?
ALL GROWTH IS NOT GOOD GROWTH: Just growing won’t help.We need to grow in
grace.
What
does growing in grace
look like?How do we get
that kind of growth?
►Step 1:Accept the gift (Spiritual GPS) “follow the leader(s)” “lead
the follower(s)”
►Ephesians
4:11-13He (Jesus) is the one who gave these
gifts to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists,
and the pastors and teachers. 12 Their responsibility is to equip
God's people to do his work and build up the church, the body
of Christ, 13 until we come
to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God's Son that we will
be mature and full grown in the Lord, measuring up to the full
stature of Christ. NLT
Role ofapostles
(missionaries), prophets (preachers), evangelists, (all 3 move
around: common values and vision), pastors and teachers (life
guides, stay put: nurture and accountability).
Job description
(“Their responsibility”): “equip and enable the saints (all of
them)” to do the work and
build up the church.The job is not to “do His work and build up the church” – that’s
the job of the saints! Leaders provide equipment and
opportunity.
►2 Timothy
2:2 And the things you have heard me say
in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will
also be qualified to teach others.
NOTE: “measuring up to the full stature of Christ” is only possible
for the church.
Individuals will never fully measure up – it takes all of us to
fully represent Christ to the world.
►“Men
will know you are my disciples if you love one another”
(Jesus: John 13:35)
All of us need to see the goal of our spiritual lives to be
reliable, able to teach, determined to reproduce ourselves (make
disciples)
►Step
2:
Set the destination (Growing in grace has a destination)
►Ephesians
4:14
Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the
waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the
cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.
Mile
Markers
►Step
3:
Determine the path
►Ephesians
4:15-16 God wants us to grow up,
to know the whole truth and tell it in love — like Christ in
everything. We take our lead from Christ, who is the source of
everything we do. He keeps us in step with each other. His very
breath and blood flow through us, nourishing us so that we will
grow up healthy
in God, robust in love.
(from THE MESSAGE)
►Direction
determines destination
(Not enough to KNOW the truth – tell it in love!)
►Peter’s
advice: 1 Peter 3:15-16 But in your
hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an
answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that
you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear
conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good
behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.
►NEXT:
Growing in grace is what we need to do to make reaching out in love
possible
1. Set apart Christ as Lord
2. Be prepared
3. Reach out lovingly
►Colossians
1:27 To them (the church) God has
chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this
mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
.
Legend:
Green:
Mission and Vision Blue: Illustrations and quotes
Red: Scripture
Note to the visitor:
These are Pastor Paul’s sermon notes from
Sunday Morning. They probably
won’t make much sense if you weren’t in the service. Feel
free to contact
Pastor Paul
if you’d like more detailed information. For past sermons, please visit the
Sermon Archive.
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"I am not ashamed of
the gospel of Christ, because it is the power of God for the salvation
of everyone who believes..." Romans 1:16 (New International Version)
