Why We Love Belonging To The Church – “Our Purpose” part 2

Jon Beck

My sermon/teaching notes for Wednesday, June 3rd.  Our current Wednesday Summer Series is WHY I LOVE BELONGING TO THE CHURCH. Remember, these are my personal study notes and not a manuscript of the sermon.  To see the sermon each week please visit http://www.fbcap.net

Why We Love Belonging to the Church

Because of our Purpose – Session 2

Reaching Out and Building Up

We accomplish this by reaching out with the Gospel message of Jesus Christ and by building up believers in their knowledge of God and His Word so they can live an obedient and joyful life of service and ministry unto the Lord and His church.

Scripture:

John 3:3 – [3] Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (ESV)

Acts 1:6–8 – [6] So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” [7] He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. [8] But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (ESV)

Romans 1:16–17 – [16] For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. [17] For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” (ESV)

1 Peter 3:13–15 – [13] Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? [14] But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, [15] but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, (ESV)

Ephesians 4:29–[29] Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. (ESV)

Reaching – This is the evangelistic arm of the church and is the means by which God has chosen to bring about His redemptive purpose.  We are called to be active in sharing our faith with those around us that are unchurched and in need of a personal relationship with Christ.  We do not proclaim just any message; rather, we proclaim the biblical message of Jesus Christ…the Gospel.

This involves:

  • Intentionally preaching the Word of God in our worship services and small groups
  • Intentionally building relationships with those in our personal network.
    • (Family members, co-workers, and neighbors)
  • Intentionally getting them exposed to the Gospel message.
    • (Our personal witness, the preaching of the Word, & evangelistic tracts)
  • Intentionally participating in the outreach endeavors of the church.
    • (Our neighborhood, our city, our state, our nation, and beyond)

Building – This is the discipleship arm of the church and is the process by which God brings growth and change to ones’ life.  We encourage this work by placing emphasis on these particular areas of ministry.

  • Worship – To acknowledge God for who He is.  Personal and group worship encourages us to develop an ongoing and growing relationship with God.  Our intent is to bring glory and honor to God through the singing of hymns and spiritual songs in our corporate worship services.  While music and worship should engage the heart and ones’ emotion we should realize that the focal point of each service is to be centered on the worship of God and the preaching & teaching of His Word.  Worship should be both celebratory and reverent.  The point is not whether we are traditional or contemporary, but the focal point is in the words we sing, the spirit of our heart, and goal that we have in mind.  The key is being unified on the focus being on God and not on man.
  • Instruction – The food we need to grow spiritually is God’s Word, the Bible.  The Bible is the central part of all study within the church.  There should be a balance of corporate teaching as well as small groups designed to encourage one to grow deeper in their knowledge and understanding of God and His Word.   It is only with a proper understanding of who God truly is that a life of proper decision making, obedience, and joy can be lived out.
  • Fellowship – Real spiritual growth requires more than just information.  It also requires relationships.  Personal interaction lets us in on the struggles and joys of other Christians and gives us the opportunity to support and encourage each other.

This involves:

  • Growing in our own relationship with the Lord.  We must begin to enjoy growing in our knowledge and understanding of who God is.
  • Being involved with corporate worship each week…make your Sunday worship a priority of the family each week.
  • Seeking out opportunities to encourage others to grow more in their spiritual life.
  • Becoming familiar with the GROWTH resources provided by the church and looking for opportunities to read and distribute them.  (Become a student/reader of good Christian books)

Leave a Reply