Church Strong (His Will)

We have been looking at becoming Church Strong and what each one of us has to do in order to become a strong church impacting our communities with the Gospel. Last week we saw that we have to be people of sound doctrine. We also saw in Titus 2 that sound doctrine is not always the “doctrines” we might think are sound. Sound doctrine deals with being temperate, self controlled, reverent, pure, basically, sound doctrine allows us to produce the fruit of the Spirit which really doesn’t attract any attention to anyone except God. Today we’re continuing with Church Strong.

John 4:31–38 NLT

31 Meanwhile, the disciples were urging Jesus, “Rabbi, eat something.” 32 But Jesus replied, “I have a kind of food you know nothing about.” 33 “Did someone bring him food while we were gone?” the disciples asked each other. 34 Then Jesus explained: “My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing his work. 35 You know the saying, ‘Four months between planting and harvest.’ But I say, wake up and look around. The fields are already ripe for harvest. 36 The harvesters are paid good wages, and the fruit they harvest is people brought to eternal life. What joy awaits both the planter and the harvester alike! 37 You know the saying, ‘One plants and another harvests.’ And it’s true. 38 I sent you to harvest where you didn’t plant; others had already done the work, and now you will get to gather the harvest.”

To Be Church Strong, We Must Do His Will!

Jesus didn’t come to do His own will. If He did, He would not have been able to keep going. No one who does his or her own thing can keep it going. No, Jesus got His “meat” His power to do things and keep going because He was doing the will of the Father who sent Him!

Luke 19:1–10 NLT

1 Jesus entered Jericho and made his way through the town. 2 There was a man there named Zacchaeus. He was the chief tax collector in the region, and he had become very rich. 3 He tried to get a look at Jesus, but he was too short to see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree beside the road, for Jesus was going to pass that way. 5 When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name. “Zacchaeus!” he said. “Quick, come down! I must be a guest in your home today.” 6 Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy. 7 But the people were displeased. “He has gone to be the guest of a notorious sinner,” they grumbled. 8 Meanwhile, Zacchaeus stood before the Lord and said, “I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have cheated people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!” 9 Jesus responded, “Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.”

Jesus Came to Seek and Save!

Jesus came to do God’s will! His will was to seek and save those who are lost. An interesting thing about being lost. When we are lost, we don’t know we are lost so we need someone to seek for us and rescue us. That what Jesus did and that’s what His body, the Church should be doing. Church Strong is doing the will of Him who sent us, Seek and Save those who are lost!

Matthew 28:18–20 NLT

18 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Being Church Strong Means to Go!

God’s will is that no one perish. That’s why He sent Jesus.

John 3:16–17 NLT

16 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.

Jesus came to do the will of His Father to seek and save those who are lost and then commissioned the Church, that’s us, to do the very same thing. We GO into the world and make disciples. We seek those who are lost and teach them about Jesus!

Acts 1:8 AMP

8 But you shall receive power (ability, efficiency, and might) when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria and to the ends (the very bounds) of the earth.

The Holy Spirit Gives the Church Power to be Church Strong!

We get baptized in the Holy Spirit not to be spooky or to be showy, no we receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit to be effective witnesses and to have the power to do the Will of God which is one of the elements to becoming Church Strong. (Share a little about the Holy Spirit baptism)