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 READY THAN YOU REALIZE”

Acts 10:1-8

Sunday, July 26, 2009

ME:     5 YEARS OF CONSISTENT THEMES:

MISSION: All mission really God on His mission:

VISION: Create an Ephesians 4 culture, allow God to create an Acts 2 church

STRATEGY: Come, Love, Go

VALUES: (taken from Eph. 4)

        INTERDEPENDENCE (also 1 Corinthians 12)

        NURTURE AND ACCOUNTABILITY Build each other up…as each part does its work

        COMMON VALUES AND VISION One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and               Father of us all…

        SHARED EXPERIENCES OVER TIME (Pastor with “sheep problems”)

            Amazed at evidence of God’s activity in response to prayer

                  New Life (Ephesians 4 culture; United in Christ)

                  Leslie (God’s glory; United in Christ)

                  Carden in Slovenia (go; reconcile; reaching out in love)

                  Open door for Bellevue Bridge (Go; reconcile; Reaching out in love)

                  Steve and Candace

WE:   Built the bathrooms with cash

           Budget stayed current

           Attendance is up (lost 35 or 40 people to variety of circumstances, still + 6)

           Small groups are thriving and contributing (want to expand them)

           Spirits are high, negative thoughts are all but gone (3 major decisions, all by consensus)

PROBLEM:  God is still not “adding to our number daily such as are being saved”! Stud conversion experiences and asking questions.  How does God “draw”?

GOD:  Acts 10:1-8  Cornelius: Non- Jew (not a member of ABChurch!); highly placed in the community (Centurion in the Italian Regiment – person of influence); saw a vision (three in the afternoon). Peter a head-strong Jew with a passion for Christ.

God’s purpose(s) in everything:

            God wanted to convince Cornelius that he needed salvation

            God wanted to convince Peter that the Gentiles needed to be included

            God wants to convince us

            What’s the VISION God wants to send us?

GOD IS MORE READY THAN WE REALIZE (Greater than He has ever done, waiting for prayer)

WE ARE  MORE READY THAN WE REALIZE (God has been preparing us)

OUR COMMUNITY IS MORE READY THAN WE REALIZE (Sees the “desire of our hearts”)

What God needed to make His purpose effective was OBEDIENCE (know that God was speaking, recognize His voice, respond with confidence).  REALLY BEGAN IN Genesis 12

Genesis 12:13 The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. 2 "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.  3 I will bless those who bless you,

and whoever curses you I will curse;and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."

Romans4:13-17  It was not through law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. 14 For if those who live by law (Jews) are heirs, faith has no value and the promise is worthless, 15 because law brings wrath. And where there is no law there is no transgression. 16 Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham's offspring-not only to those who are of the law (Jews) but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. 17 As it is written: "I have made you a father of many nations." He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed-the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were. What we still don’t have as though we already had it!!

YOU: Truth is: the only people who DO like change are wet babies and they’re not excited about it (Ryan has a fit!) UNITED – GROWING – REACHING OUT!

WE:    Proverbs 29:18  Where there is no revelation (from God), the people cast off restraint; but blessed is he who keeps the law. (NIV)

CLOSE: John Huffman in his book, "Who’s In Charge Here?", tells about Robert Dick Wilson, a great professor at Princeton Theological Seminary. One of Dr. Wilson’s students had been invited back to preach in Miller Chapel twelve years after his graduation.  Dr. Wilson came in and sat down near the front. At the close of the meeting the old professor came up to his former student, cocked his head to one side in his characteristic way, extended his hand, and said, "If you come back again, I will not come to hear you preach. I only come once. I am glad that you are a big-godder. When my boys come back, I come to see if they are big-godders or little-godders, and then I know what their ministry will be."
      His former student asked him to explain, and he replied: "Well, some men have a little god, and they are always in trouble with him.  He can’t do any miracles.  He can’t take care of the inspiration and transmission of the Scripture to us. He doesn’t intervene on behalf of his people. They have a little god and I call them little-godders.
      Then there are those who have a great God. He speaks and it is done. He commands and it stands fast. He knows how to show Himself strong on behalf of them that fear him. You have a great God; and He will bless your ministry."
      He paused a moment and smiled, and said, "God bless you," and turned, and walked out.

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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