New Members Class (2)

Growing in Christ

Introduction:

Ask for names.

This morning we are going to discuss Growing in Christ.

As you look at the stage in our main sanctuary, you may have noticed 5 banners.

The middle one is our mission statement

Then you have Know, Grow, Serve, and Go.

Today we are discussing the Grow: becoming a mature disciple.

What does that mean to become a mature disciple?

The final challenge Jesus gives to his disciples on earth is to go and make disciples in Matthew 28.

Being Jesus’ final challenge, we could assume Discipleship is very important to our being a believer.

As a student pastor at BBC, I can tell you, a large part of making disciples for me is an identity issue.

Helping students see who they are in Christ.

But this identity issue isn’t just a teen struggle, it’s likely a struggle we all have.

That’s where discipleship starts.

I think it starts with knowing who we are in Christ.

We all are one of two things. We are alive or dead.

In Christ, we are alive.

Here is the identity question this morning.

We are all either dead, or we are alive in Christ.

Ephesians 2:1–3 “1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.”

1 Thessalonians 5:23 “23 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

That verse says there are 3 parts to man.

Spirit, Soul, and Body.

Body is your physical.

Soul - Mind, will, and Emotions.

Spirit - It’s the core of who we are, dead or alive.

Ephesians 1:7 “7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace”

Romans 5:10 “10 For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!”

2 Corinthians 5:17 “17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”

As elders, we want you to know, a critical part of growing in Christ is starting with this fundamental truth.

We are either alive in Christ or we aren’t.

Assuming all of you in this room are alive in Christ.

I’d like to define discipleship as

Knowing who we are in Christ, helping others know who they are in Christ, with the goal of focusing on what matters in Eternity.

Given that, I’d like to discuss 3 things this morning that contribute to discipleship.

3 parts to being a disciple.

Romans 1:1: “1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God,”

1. First Century names.

a. Slaves/Servants identified with their master.

b. Why Jesus was referred to as “Son of God” was important.

i. His identity was/is God.

ii. In Christ, we identify with God.

iii. We assume the identity of our master.

2. Remove the mask

a. Traditions are good

b. Camden illustration with masks during COVID.

c. If Christ is in us, living through us, one of the first step to growing in Christ is being willing to take off the mask.

d. 2 Corinthians 5:17.

e. Being part of BBC means removing masks.

Being willing to grow with others means being authentic with them.

Don’t be part of BBC always living behind the mask.

Like any church, you can

3. Growing in Christ keeps Eternity in focus.

a. Matthew 6:19-21, Matthew 6:19-21 “19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

b. What does Moth destroy? (clothing, all things cotton, all soft materials)

c. What does rust destroy? (metal, building materials, property)

d. What do thieves steal? (possessions, security, peace)

e. What are the two things moth, rust, and thieves can never remove?

i. Jesus

ii. People.

These are the two priorities we take with us into eternity. Jesus, and the people around us who also love Jesus.

That’s growing in Christ.

Moving our lives towards those 2 priorities.

The best way to grow in Christ is to remember our identity in Christ and be focused on what matters in eternity (Jesus and people).

Ask yourself, what kind of a church would we have if this was our focus? How might our definition of “Grow” change if we lived this way?