3C's #1

Northside Church

April 16, 2023

Investing in Christ

Good Morning,

My name is Jamey Mills, I am the lead pastor here at Northside Church, it’s always good to be with you.

Praying you guys had a blessed Easter…

To start with I’m going to ask you to write out a couple things…

How did your relationship with Jesus start? What things led you to come to put your faith in Him?

What things has God used to grow you in your faith and to stay firm in your faith?

** scan the qr code… answer a couple questions… I think it’d be super interesting to see how and where we line up.

We are starting a new 3 week sermon series… that dives into what Northside is really all about. The last time we talked about this directly was Feb 16, 2020, which means… this is the last sermon series we did before Covid shut things down…

Which got me thinking about all that Northside has been through in our 3 years of existence.

In so many ways it’s been a tough journey… We didn’t sign up to plant a church like that…

Last Sunday there were about 570 people here… Never… EVER… would I have thought that to be a reality in 3 years. Ever maybe…

I left last sunday feeling full… and it wasn't the #... it was two things.

570 heard the gospel in a few ways… in a way I think they had to consider. Through worship, Sarah, John, Ashley and Addison… deeply blessed!

The staff… teams… nearly 100 volunteers that pulled last week off… the way you all invited folks out… I love my church.

We had 3 wonderful families at our house that afternoon…

I made a new best friend named Morgan.

Easter Sunday I made the comment… Can you imagine… if in humility, His truth, His values, His way, His will shaped our community, our Churches, Our homes… your life and even mine…

How would it change your life? Would it make a difference? Does God know what He’s talking about… is there a wisdom that’s found in Him… a hope that is found in Him that changes the way we do life?

In John 10 Jesus helps us understand who He is and what He’s like by calling Himself… “THE good shepherd”.

Culturally that came with connotations we may not understand… not the same way…

Partially because in this illustration we are the sheep… if you know sheep… you should be slightly offended… unfortunately… in my own life I’ve found it to be truer than I’d like.

Jn 10 tells us

The sheep hear and recognize His voice.

He is known by them.

He knows them individually and calls them by name.

They are known to Him

He leads them

To safety, food, water, shelter… He cares

They follow Him

Trust…

Do those things describe your relationship with Him?

Jesus also mentions that there are false shepherds… people who don’t teach truth, who mislead… who are about the wrong the things

John 10:10 (ESV)

10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

Jesus came to give abundant life… he is the source of it.

A life overflowing… lived to the fullest… Life the way it was always intended to be.

Centered on Him… His truth… His values and those things He brings… Full of things that bring life…

Do you believe that? Do you honestly believe that Jesus came to bring abundant life…

Here and now… and there and then…

Is there even a remote chance… that the one who created life… might have a wisdom for it… something in mind… and even something that He desires FOR YOU… when it comes to being lived out in the fullest?

Do you believe that there is one… that would seek to rob you of it.

To steal, kill and destroy… He’s also called the father of all lies…

Steal joy, identity in Christ,

Kill hope

Destroy you

Galatians 5 talks about it in clear terms…

Our sinful nature and God’s spirit… Those two forces that Jesus talks about are constantly fighting within us… One translation says it this way… no choice is free from the fight.

Jesus came so that we might have life to the full…

We want everything we do to be aimed at helping people come to Know Jesus… and grow into that fullness more and more…

Step into those things that God has provided that bring real fullness

Galatians 5:22–23 (NLT)

Galatians 5:22–23 NLT

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

The fruit… of the spirit…

Evidence of God’s presence…

But also what God is growing in you… His work… His changing in your life.

It’s actually one of the things that led me to choose God… that what God desires and does in me… deep down… who I want to be.

Who wouldn’t want their life, their relationship, or their kids to be marked by these things… by Love, joy, peace, patience, Kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self control…

I feel like God is saying from the very beginning… these things… HIS things are so universally good… that no one can really argue with them.

Stepping out of those things that would rob us of it.

Freedom from those things that rob us of this abundant life.

And it’s not freedom the way we’ve come to know it. I don't think the freedom God desires is to do what you want when you want…

There is a freedom from those things that would rob you of a full life… and of your true identity as His creation…

Things like pride, lust, selfishness, dishonesty, gossip, unkindness, false definitions of what love is, untruth, false identity stuff, spiritual laziness,

Helping people realize their own role within it.

There is an aspect of your relationship with God that is uniquely yours… that requires intentionality.

We want to continually grow… as a church… in learning how to encourage… and create environments and conversations and relationships that encourage people in that direction…. Understanding… that we can plant and water… but it's only the Lord… and honestly seeing Him that causes growth.

God causes growth… but He works with you in that process… and it requires you seeking Him with intentionality.

God Causes growth… and has given us resources that help us lean into it… but there is a role that only you can play. I can’t, your parents can’t, youth youth pastor cant… There is an investment that is yours alone to make…

On 7 different occasions, the book of Hebrews uses some form of… “Draw near to God”

With confidence because of what Jesus has done.

To His throne…

With a clean conscience… because of what Jesus has done, not caught up on our past…

The role drawing near plays in salvation

The role it plays in pleasing God

And honestly, I don’t always feel that way, drawing near to God isn’t always what my heart desires… and I have learned the value of praying for it. That God would give me the heart, mind, passion, and desire… to draw near to Him everyday…

No amount of “doing” is overly helpful without a heart that desires to draw near to God.

No amount of doing is overly helpful without a heart that desires to draw near to God…

That is often the difference between relationship and ritual… between a checklist and connecting with the only one who can do anything about your everything.

The heart of it is not about business or spiritual duty… but drawing near…

There is an interesting passage in Roman’s 10… Paul who wrote it is praying that the people of Israel might be saved… and in the same breath he acknowledges that they have a passion for God… they know about God… but they are misdirected.

They were excited about God… but they weren't living out what God had for them. Such a weird thought… They were bent on earning… and doing… and the point of this passage is about drawing near to Jesus… It’s not simply a yay team God thing.

Here is today’s hard honest question… Do you desire to draw near to God?

The motivation to draw near to God is at the very heart of living out the full and free life God has for you.

That’s what those questions at the beginning were all about.

Through my years of ministry… I thought I’d noticed this too… but it’s always good when you come across others who have done a lot of research and come to the same conclusion…

When it comes to how we know God… and how we grow in our relationship to Him…

While it’s hardly ever identical… There are usually a lot of things in common.

There are similarities in how we come to know God… Almost always involves someone else… a role model, a mentor, an invitation… It almost always involves a pivotal life moment… Something happened that caused us to see God differently…

When it comes to growth… Most people agree that these 4-5 things have proven to be powerful in the lives of most people…

Not to say that other things have not been powerful too.

Time in God’s word… reading it… investing in it.

Prayer

Attending church

Small group type community

Serving others

And studies show that consistency matters. Spending time in the word once a month does not have the same impact that being in the word everyday has.

Showing up to church once a month does not have the same impact as being actively involved every week.

That mindset is where our strategy comes from.

We want every person to come to know Jesus and experience the fullness and freedom that only He brings… and we believe that investing in three key relationships matter.

We call them

The 3 C’s

Relationship with Christ

Relationship with His Church

Relationship with the Community

And we think balance within them is important.

There is a work that God does in us and through us that is unique to these areas… A growth that comes in seeking Him, in investing in His Church, and in serving others.

I have met some… that I would say… the last thing you need is another Bible study… What you really need is to find an area to begin investing in other people.

I’ve even met some that I would say… you are doing so good at investing in your community… but you need to start to put some roots down by investing in your personal relationship with Jesus.

Balance… investing in each of these relationships matters.

There is no substitute for investing in your relationship with Christ… you can serve more to make that happen.

There is no substitute for your relationship with His Church… praying more won't cause the growth in you that you miss out on there.

There is no substitute for serving others…

Two questions I want us to get really comfortable with is this…

Where are you in each of these areas?

What is the next step I need to take?

I want to dive in to the first C

Each C has two things that we use to help define it…

This is what it looks like…

Relationship with Christ

Attend Church regularly

Spiritual disciplines

Knowing that consistency matters.

I have come to realize (in nearly 30 years of ministry) is that this idea of attending church is actually far more important that people realize.

There is something that happens when we come together… learn together… pray together… worship together… that you won’t find anywhere else. When it comes to drawing near to God… there is no substitute for it…

There is something that happens… in God’s heart and among His people when we come together…

Hebrews 10:24–25 (NLT)

24 Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. 25 And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.

Drawing near to God personally… involves drawing near to God together. It is a personal investment in our relationship with HIM.

The Church is referred to as the Bride of Christ, the family of God, the children of God the temple of God… and in that we all get to hear just how important this idea of Church really is to Him… and with that… how important it should be to us. Do we see it and treat it that way.

People messy… people will let you down… I will let you down.

I hate that it happens in the Church… even this one… but it will. There is something that happens in us… when we walk with each other… within it.

And I do think there is something there for the American church that we need to hear.

He was teaching… about the power of His presence, about the value of His nearness and drawing

near to Him, about the power coming to Him and the value of coming together…

The other area of focus here is spiritual disciplines or practices…

I know churches that remove that word discipline… they replace it with words like practices or habits…

I think the word discipline is right… becoming disciplined…

1 Corinthians 9:25–27 (NLT)

1 Corinthians 9:25–27 NLT

All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.

25 All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. 26 So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. 27 I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.

This idea of training… of stretching… in ways that lead to real growth and health.

So many things we could talk about… but just a few that we focus on…

One are of discipline is reading God’s Word.

Would you say you are disciplined here?

God’s word is one one of the major ways God reveals Himself to us… It’s where we get to know who He is, what He’s like, what His desires are for us, and how He interacted with people in the past…

The Bible talks about the power of God’s Word often…

Ps 119: 105 says that it's a lamp to my feet and a light to my path… it gives direction and reveals obstacles.

Ps 119:11 talks about how hiding His word in our hearts helps us in our battle with sin.

Ps 119:9 That it helps keep our hearts and minds pure… turns out what we put in our heads is formative and matters.

Matt 7:24 it’s foundational for the full and free life God desires.

Matt. 4:4 it is food for our souls.

IS. 55:11 It accomplishes everything it was sent out to do…

James 1:22 God’s word isn't something we just hear, we are supposed to act on it.

1 Tim 3:16-17 says the Word is God breathed… HIS WORDS… and that's good for teaching truth, showing us what's wrong, correcting , and training…

And there is this.

Hebrews 4:12 (NLT)

12 For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.

God’s Word is living… and powerful… it’s at work in our lives even when we don’t realize it. It lays us bear before God… and it examines our thoughts and motives.

God’s Word is a big part of how we or How He does soul work in our lives…

Deuteronomy 6…talks about us loving God with all we are, and the role His word should play in our lives. We put it into our minds day and night, as we come and go, we talk about it with family, we write it on the doorpost of our house so we see it… and write in our foreheads so we don't forget…

God’s Words…. Are life.

The full and free life is found in them… God’s Words are formative and powerful….

What we chose to put in our heads matters…

I believe that… and struggle with it all at the same time.

Whatever you put there… produces fruit.

If it’s lust… godlessness… violence…

It's been proven over and over… but it seems like we don't want to believe it.

Daily reading based off sermon every week.

3

Bulletin and online

Would love to start sending this daily to those who sign up via email or text.

30 days; It’s a 30 day overview of the entire Bible. It’s on our website and I have a few copies here… but I will warn you I think we are going to be going through it together in a month or so. but if you don’t want to wait, I won't stop you. It’s designed to have you paired up with someone to meet with weekly, by phone or over coffee… I think the value of talking about these conversations is huge… and worth your investment.

Set reasonable goals… not read the word in a year…

There is a big difference between reading to gain knowledge or to complete a checklist and reading to draw near and even examine my own life and heart before God…

Spending time in prayer is another one..

The Bible has a lot to say about prayer… It’s one of the ways we connect with and draw near to God… and it’s often one of the most underestimated…

The best way I can explain what prayer is like to me...is like air… we need air to live… to sustain… and we need air all the time… and I will tell you that I am nowhere near where I’d like to be in this area of my life.

The Bible has a lot to say about prayer…

What does the bible say about prayer?

Pray without ceasing

Pray on all occasions

Nothing is to small to pray about

Pray for our enemies

We are told be faithful in prayer

It’s something Jesus taught us to do

That God hears our prayers

That the prayers of a righteous person are powerful and effective

And… I love this… it's something that Jesus went way out of His way to model for us. WHY? Because it matters!

Over and over again… we see Jesus going away to pray. He was known for prayer.

So many times we see Jesus withdrawing alone to the mountainside, the wilderness, before others were awake, a stone's throw away…

Even Jn. 17… all of it… is a prayer of Jesus…

Jesus prayed… A LOT.

And I love this…

In Luke 18:1-8

Jesus tells this story…about a judge who did not fear God… didn't care too much about honoring Him… Jesus said there was a widow that came over and over again… demanding justice and the judge ignored… until he couldn't take it anymore.

Isn’t that crazy?

Jesus is inviting us to be annoyingly persistent in our prayer.

He wants to hear from you… even to that degree.

And there is a role in drawing near to God… that only prayer can play. You wont get it by serving others more… by being extra kind…

Practically here is one example

There is a place in scripture where Jesus actually taught people to pray…

Matthew 6:7–13 NLT

“When you pray, don’t babble on and on as the Gentiles do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him! Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us today the food we need, and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.

(NLT)

7 “When you pray, don’t babble on and on as the Gentiles do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. 8 Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him! 9 Pray like this:

Our Father in heaven,

may your name be kept holy.

10 May your Kingdom come soon.

May your will be done on earth,

as it is in heaven.

11 Give us today the food we need,

12 and forgive us our sins,

as we have forgiven those who sin against us.

13 And don’t let us yield to temptation,

but rescue us from the evil one.

Outlined it might look like this…

Pray into the names of God…or into the greatness of God.

Pray about His will and His truth becoming more known and experienced here.

For what we need

For forgiveness

For those we need to forgive

That we wouldn’t fall into temptation

And that He would daily rescue us from the one who longs to see us living our lives in captivity… those things that bind us and keep us from experiencing what God has for us.

Would God have you take a step forward when it comes to your relationship with Christ… what step is it…

Maybe making church attendance a priority

Maybe it's getting serious about being in his word regularly or diving into the 30 day overview

Maybe it's setting aside some time to pray regularly.

Maybe it's praying that God would give you a hunger for His word and for prayer?

There is a step for every single one of us to take…

I want you to know that these are things God has provided for you… to know Him… to draw near to HIM… and that these things are so valuable when it comes to experiencing the full and free life.

Drawing Near to God through coming to Church

Drawing near through His word…

Drawing near in prayer…

Drawing near to God in these things daily… there is no substitute for them.

I am praying for you in this.

Prayer

Communion