On Mission Week 1: Why Does The Church Exist?

Evaluations

Every year at New Life we would have year end evaluations

I’m a visionary person so these were like green lights for me to dive into the depth of dreaming big!

Evaluations are not only meant to be seasons of vision

They are meant to be seasons of diagnosit.

What are we doing that is working…what are we doing that isn’t?…

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Does church work?

I find myself looking at the efficacy of the American church with a dichotomy of perspective.

On the one hand I understand that there is an element of user-ease that we have to carry in order to experience growth.

On the other hand I see the flaky nature of individuals who have gone to churches that call for little commitment.

WHAT PERCENTAGE OF THESE INDIVIDUALS WILL BE IN HEAVEN?

A presentation of the gospel that doesn’t cost you anything is a presentation of a false-gospel.

We can’t commingle holiness and humanity…if we want to inherit holiness we have to submit our humanity in surrender.

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The church is not what it ought to be

The church has become an outlet for bible flavored motivational speeches, positive message rock music, and somewhat like minded positive thinkers…

BUT THIS IS A SHELL OF WHAT IT WAS INTENDED TO BE

Constantine and the Roman Catholic church began the processing of turning an organism into an organization.

Before this organization the DNA of the organism got into every person who was effected by it’s message.

Paul planted 14 churches

All of them had similar levels of efficacy

The early church didn’t run a play they relied on power.

2 Peter 1:16 NKJV

For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty.

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Transition to meat

When I say I want us to be a church that is on mission…I don’t mean that I want us to be a church with a compelling mission statement.

I want us to be aligned with the Word in such a way that we accomplish the mission that was set before the church from the beginning. …

Why does the church exist?

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1. The Church Exists to Host the Gathering

Ephesians 1:22–23 NKJV

And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

The church is not the building

One of the greatest misconceptions of western theology is that of the church being a place you go to.

The church is something we are a part of.

The primary purpose of church buildings is to facilitate a place where the ekklesia…the church…the body…can gather.

The beauty of the gathering is the fact that it helps us in a variety of ways. {LET ME MENTION 2}

(a) It encourages us that we are not alone.

It can get easy to take on the false perspective that no one else is living holy.

It can become easy to take on the mentality that everyone is doing it. {SIN}

That’s why we are dedicated to being a church that is biblically commited…

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Choose who you anger

I have made numerous people mad because I have made statements that are offensive to our culture.

But we will be a biblically commited church.

Because I want to create a space where the remnant of bible believing Christians can find solace.

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(b) It provides accountability for us

A man left to himself will always go in a direction that is not beneficial.

Scripture tells us that our ways are right in our own eyes.

I’ve discovered that I can be wrong about things sometimes…

The best way to fix what’s wrong in your life is to surround yourself with people who have gotten it right.

If all I have are my eyes my perspective can be off. {STYLE CHOICES}

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2. The church exists to Propogate the Gospel

Romans 10:12–15 NKJV

For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!”

Preaching is one of the crown jewels of the churches existence

While there are other avenues wherein preaching can take place…the church is the primary venue, especially within western culture wherein preaching takes place.

It is my goal as I preach to always deliver biblical truth that is laced with gospel hope.

Every thing this Word calls us out of, is enabled by the fact that Jesus died.

The gospel should be a primary part of our gatherings because you never graduate from your need for the gospel.

I was saved twenty-seven years ago and I still find myself in need of the promise of the gospel.

A christian that says we are too gospel heavy is hungry for religion and we will not fill that appetite here.

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I long to preach the gospel in an accessible way.

It is my job to preach the gospel in such a way that you are made aware of your eligibility for it’s power.

I also must teach the gospel in such a way that you can communicate it’s availability.

Ephesians 4:11–13 NLT

Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.

The church is built as the saints are equipped and do the work.

The reason we push serving to such a high degree is because it is a really practical way to get this principle into practice. {PLUG SERVE 101}

A church wherein a small group of people are accomplishing the tasks is unbiblical.

THE PEOPLE ARE TO DO THE WORK OF THE CHURCH!

We preach the gospel here so you can carry the gospel there.

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3. The church exists to evangelize the globe

Mark 16:15–16 NKJV

And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.

Matthew 24:14 NKJV

And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.

Jesus intention for the gospel was never for it to be a regional reality.

When the church was birthed on the day of Pentecost…the resulting organism did not stay in Jerusalem.

The outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost was sacredly strategic.

The entire world was in the city.

The three thousand souls saved on day one and the coutless souls saved in the ensuing days were from around the world.

_______ The missionary movement was present from the very beginning of the church.

We must view the New Testament church as the prototype.

The original apostles were world travelers

Thomas Parthia

Andrew Scythia

John Asia

Peter appears to have preached in Pontus, Galatia, Bithynia, Cappadocia, and Asia Paul, Jerusalem to Illyricum, Rome

The evangelization of the world was not supposed to stop.

Evangelizing the world is the current calling of the church!

While many of us are not called to leave the US, some may be

Even those of us who are not called to go are called to support.

We are a part of the Assemblies of God because of world missions

Currently we support two missionaries.

Jordan Wright

Rachel Williams

Story of Preaching in Snellville: Missions Church

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4. The church exists To Show His Glory

When we gather we do so for the purpose of community

When we gather we do so for the purpose of the gospel

When we gather we do so for the purpose of evangelizing the globe

But primarily, when we come together corporately it is so that we can engage in an atmosphere where the presence of the Lord is manifest!

The book of Acts is filled with everything I have talked to you about.

Peter preaches the gospel in Acts 2 and the same pattern follows in the ensuing chapters.

Missionaries are sent throughout the book of Acts

Relatinships are built throughout the book of Acts

But the preceding act to all of these is a room that is commited to pursuit and met with presence.

Acts 2:1–4 NKJV

When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

We are are a presence dependent church!

if He’s not here I don’t want to be either.

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