DISCUSSION: Conclusion

[Chapter Author: Collin Hansen & Jonathan Leeman]

“You Don’t Get the Church You want, but Something Better.”

Matthew 25:21 ““His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You were faithful over a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Share your master’s joy.’”

[[Matthew 25.14-30 — Parable of the Talents; vv. 21//23]]

ENCOURAGING REMINDERS

“I needed to hear that”

P. 139 — “You Don’t Get the Church You Want, but Something Better.”

P. 143 — No one gets the church they want.But everyone gets the church they need.

P. 144 — You may not get the church you wanted. But you get the church you never knew you needed.

P. 146 — “Third he [Peter] wants us to see that Jesus has built something beautiful—us, the church.”

1 Peter 2:4–5 “As you come to him, a living stone—rejected by people but chosen and honored by God—you yourselves, as living stones, a spiritual house, are being built to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”

1 Peter 2:9–10 “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”

PP. 146-147 — “That’s a lot going on in your little ol’ church when the sound system doesn’t work, you’re meeting in a parking deck because you’re not safe from disease inside, the kids are whining for food, Sister Bethel snore through the benediction, Brother Jim posted something dumb on Facebook, and the pastor put in a C+ effort on sermon prep because he had a funeral and three unexpected hospital visits. When you rediscover church, you’ll see the beauty where much of the world sees only rocks.”

CLUELESS CONCEPTS

“I’m not sure what this means.”

CHALLENGING CONSIDERATIONS

“I’m not sure I agree.” [Or, “I’m not sure I’m ready to.”]

MSG — “And so my Claycomo Baptist Church brothers and sisters: ask not what your church can do for you—ask what you can do for your church. … What can I do for my church’s refocus and renewal?”

1 Peter 2:9–10 CSB

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.