Fulfilling Our Mission: Save the Lost, Grow the Saved

Let’s pray

This morning is our 3rd and final message in our Why Church sermon series. Week 1 was looking to God’s Word to see this place..CCC...a local church was established by Jesus in God’s Word and God Himself appointed positions within the local church.

Last week we looked at unity....how as Christians we are all members of the Body of Christ....the spiritual church as well as unity within the local church body

God cares about unity

Today we are looking at the works or ministry of the church from a Biblical perspective and applying that to this body CCC

Here at CCC we have a motto Save the Lost, Grow the Saved

it was here before I was called to CCC and I believe it sums up what churches...local bodies...ekklesia...are called to do.

Save the Lost, Grow the Saved

With that in mind I want to look to God’s Word on what that looks like

Save the lost Grow the saved came from Jesus’ teaching......no not really a teaching but Jesus’ charge....Jesus’ expectation.....Jesus’ marching orders to us......He gave us a mission.....a commission......

Matthew 28:19-20

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Matthew 28:19–20 ESV

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

The way to make disciples is through salvation and the only way to grow in Christ is through discipleship

With that in mind I want to look at 4 things required to Save the Lost and Grow the Saved which is the mission that Jesus gave us

It Takes Every Single One Of Us

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II Corinthians 12:14-16

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2 Corinthians 12:14–16 ESV

Here for the third time I am ready to come to you. And I will not be a burden, for I seek not what is yours but you. For children are not obligated to save up for their parents, but parents for their children. I will most gladly spend and be spent for your souls. If I love you more, am I to be loved less? But granting that I myself did not burden you, I was crafty, you say, and got the better of you by deceit.

All Christians have been equipped to do specific jobs....ministry

All are equal and all are important

We as humans want to give jobs and ministries different levels of importance or status or value

we feel some are more valuable than others

most would say or agree the pastor has the most important ministry in the church

FALSE!!!!!!!

He has a specific ministry but not the most important

One of the first things I do in a new restaurant is go to the bathroom......yes I am getting older so I never pass up a restroom but I am also going for a specific reason....if they dont clean the restroom what in the world does the kitchen look like

Same for a church imagine if you had never been to church and you walk in our doors. You have been greeted by everyone you meet....great thing.....you have been shown where the coffee and food is before service.....if you have kids someone talked with you about what to expect there....you may retreat to the bathroom because you are a bit overwhelmed.....if while in that bathroom it smells.....it is dirty....it is not clean.....you then wonder if they dont care enough to keep their facilities clean how can they care about me and no matter what happens or how well I preach or the girls sing that person is done and out and will probably never return

how important is cleaning the bathroom???????????

That same thing applies to all jobs inside and outside of the church

It takes every single one of us

Here is something else to think about

each of us

you and me have specific jobs....ministry to do

if you arent here that ministry doesnt get done

someone else misses out because you were not here to minister to them

the opposite is also true....when you are not here you steal someone else’s opportunity to minister to you

Absence steals ministry

II Corinthians is not the only time God address this in His Word

Ephesians 4:11-16

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Ephesians 4:11–16 ESV

And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

God here explains why it takes all of us doing our God given ministry

Look at

Ephesians 4:14 ESV

so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.

If you are alive and saved you are under attack and that is just by the Christian media and entertainment

Just because something or someone claims to be Christian....author...musician....speaker..preacher...movie...etc it doesn’t mean that they are or that they are Biblically correct

I love Christian music and as a pastor I love true biblical preaching but as a more mature Christian I don’t take them at their word

I consult God’s Word

I look at their fruits

I seek and investigate so the Holy Spirit can lead me in discernment so I am not tossed by waves or carried about by every wind of doctrine

satan also attacks us as Christians

satan knows scripture better than most of us put together but it is a mystery to him.....he knows it...has head knowledge but can’t understand it because scripture is only taught by the Holy Spirit and without salvation one does not have the Holy Spirit

if you are not checking God’s Word for yourself to discern you will fall for deceitful schemes

Not everyone who claims to be Christian or doing Christian work is a child of God....they are wolves in sheep’s clothing looking to devour the weak Christians

They are cunning

they carefully craft deceitful schemes to deceive and lead people to their father satan and way from God the Father

It takes us all

When you hear something that is wrong you are to correct in love and truth

Grow The Saved

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I know

I am driving some of you nuts right now....the motto is Save the Lost Grow the Saved and here I am talking about Grow the saved first instead of second

It will be okay.....I do have a method to my madness most of the time

Until you commit to being grown....your evangelism will not be very successful

So I want to speak to it before saving the lost

also a church full of babes in Christ cant grow because they need grown themselves

what does it mean to grow?

Hebrews 5:11-14

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Hebrews 5:11–14 ESV

About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.

This should convict some....maybe even many here in this room or watching online

If you are a pew sitter

someone who only comes to church to consume........

someone who only comes to church to be fed........

someone who only comes to church to be taught

someone who only comes to church to be ministered to

then you are on the milk.....a babe in Christ

pastor joshua I have been saved and a member of this church for 25 years....good for you but you are on milk....God just said so!

You move from milk...salvation....to meat....maturity by obedience and application.....by doing the Word!

if you are saved you have a ministry....are you doing it? Your ministry is not sitting in the pew by the way

Pastor joshua I want to move from milk to meat

i want to grow

wonderful!!

Praise the Lord!!!!!

you realize that is from Him right

Lets look at how

Colossians 3:16-17

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Colossians 3:16–17 ESV

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

God through Holy Spirit uses us to help grow each other

Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly

that is scripture....Gods Word

dwell means to live in.....be at home

richly means abundantly and extravagantly

Let scripture....God’s Word live in you....be at home in you....abundantly and extravagantly

is that you????

Seek God in His Word all day everyday

does it dwell in you

is it at home in you

is it the first, middle, and last place you turn to

is your life built upon it

when you talk with people here at church and even outside of church is the Bible the topic?

you hear someone struggling because they are trying to call the shots or have unrepentant sin in their life....do you say well I will pray for you or do you talk about what God says in His Word and point them to scripture?

Our everyday language must be biblical

do you have to quote scripture....not word for word but truth and principles you must talk about in everything

the heart of scripture must fill you and your communication

it goes beyond just your communication it must be in EVERYTHING

You are to do EVERYTHING word and deed in Jesus name

Everything you do must be governed by and bring Him glory

EVERYTHING

That is how you grow and lead others to grow

Save the Lost

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Matthew 28:19

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Matthew 28:19 ESV

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

Jesus’ mission for you is bring the Gospel to all nations

you are a missionary

you are a preacher

you are an evangelist

how you share the Gospel is as unique as you are but as a Christian you must share the gospel

this comes from your own personal growth

Jude 1:20-23

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Jude 20–23 ESV

But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. And have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.

You must keep focused on Jesus and Holy Spirit ......that is growth

When you do that and realize His mercy you have mercy on the lost

you and I were lost

you and I were sinners

some still are sitting among us

Christians.....we found Jesus and were ran over by the grace train.......Jesus has way more mercy than you have sin!!!!!!!

We know that to be 1000% true so who are we not to show mercy to the lost

because of Jesus’ great love and mercy for us we show love and mercy to those who doubt and save them...snatching them out of the fire!!!!!

people wrestle with who Jesus is

people wrestle with God’s Word

people are led astray

people are deceived by false teachers

people need you to help explain the Truth

if you refuse to share the Gospel

If you refuse to share Truth

if you hate someone so much that you are comfortable with them going to hell so you stay quiet and keep the Gospel to yourself you must question if you truly met Jesus or not

It is that serious

First in your life you have to reject sin

then you stand on Truth

then in love and mercy you share the Gospel....the Truth...snatching the our of the fire!!!!!!

Are you a firefighter or an arsonist.......those are the only two choices Church

Must Be Present

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Hebrews 10:24-25

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Hebrews 10:24–25 ESV

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

As is the habit of some

listen I know things come up.....

you get sick

you are out of town

you go on vacation.....you should still go to church on vacation by the way.....I love visiting other churches when I get the chance

what is being talked about here is being lazy

i cant get up

i am too tired

i need a break

i need to rest

you are rejecting Jesus and His Word and His people

it is a choice

I love our live stream and the ability to reach many throughout the world that we can’t reach from this pulpit however I hate it at the same time because many use it as an excuse not to fellowship......we looked at this last week in unity......you and I cant be unified when you are watching from your couch because you dont feel like being here...

your brothers and sisters here cant fellowship with you when you are on your couch because you need a break......you have had a busy week.....you are just tired.....Jesus felt all of those things but he never mailed it in and set on the couch

you need time away

you need time to rest and recover in Jesus and He shows you how to do that in His Word but using the live stream as an excuse to not be here in person is not what God called you to do

Look at scripture here

how in the world can you stir up one another if you are not with one another

how can you encourage one another if you are not with one another

Church is not about you it is about ministering to others....do you get filled absolutely

do you get ministered to absolutely

but you are here to stir up others to love and good works

you are here to encourage others all the more as you see the Day....Jesus return approaching

Your brothers and sisters in Christ need you here

The lost who God draws to us need you here

I want to look at one final ministry that is not done enough here at CCC

James 5:13-15

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James 5:13–15 ESV

Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.

To truly save the lost and grow the saved we must stand on scripture as a church and individuals

this should be happening much more often in a Bible preaching, Bible teaching and Bible living church such as ours

Notice it is the sick that are to call the elders

are you sick

are you broken

come ask for prayer and the elders will anoint you and pray over you as we are told to do in the Bible

what stops this

pride

your pride

they will know I am sick

they will know I am broken

newsflash we already do just waiting for you to follow God’s Word

If we are growing

if we are seeking prayer

if we are driven by prayer and God’s Word and the power of a praying congregation the lost will flock because they are looking for what we have

Church I love each and every one of you so very much

I desperately want CCC to be a beacon of light into a dark world

Nevada is overrun with addiction

Nevada is overrun with the lost

Nevada is full of those who seek their kingdom and their frortune

Nevada is full of dead men and dead women walking headed to hell

It is time that we truly become a Bible living church

it is time that we take what we have outside of these walls

it is time we are the CHURCH

I dont want more programs

I dont want more ministries

I want men and women growing everyday in Christ and living out the calling He placed on your life

It is time we stop being comfortable with sinners dying and going to hell and fight for them

are you with me?

invitation