Growing with Intention
Shed Value Statement • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Have the value statement and the discipleship path passed out.
Review Shed Value Statement Series we will cover for the next 6 weeks.
Review Last week: Vision & Mission (No Recording) (The Shed’s part in THE Church)
For today and the next 6 weeks, I want to answer the question, “Who are we at The Shed.”
If you’re new here and still trying to figure us out, these next several weeks will be integral to your understanding of the culture that fuels everything we do here at The Shed.
Last week we walked through our discipleship pathway together, leaning in on the fact that discipleship isn’t a class, it’s not a curriculum, it’s not a book…
Discipleship is life lived together, learning and growing into the image of Jesus on the earth.
Jesus exemplified what discipleship is supposed to look like when He spent 3.5 years training, teaching, and walking alongside His disciples before launching them out into the world with this command:
19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,
20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
He told them, do what I taught you… then teach them to do it too…
That’s what discipleship looks like here at The Shed. It’s a commitment of time and resources where we live life together, walking together throughout the week, not just spending an hour together on Sunday mornings.
“We grow disciples in here that embody Jesus out there.” - Discipleship is at the center of what we do and growth is the expected outcome.
If you’re not growing, you’re stagnating…
If you’re not growing, you’re not progressing…
We are The Shed, and the thought process behind all this is that we are a greenhouse where disciples grow…
We grow disciples in here that embody Jesus out there.
And because Growth is the expected avenue that members should be traveling on, each of our six core values are an expression of how we grow…
You will notice, each begins with “Growing”…
Growing with… Growing through… Growing from…
All of these are intended to guide us in and propel us to GROWTH.
These are how we grow…
Growth is an expectation of the body of Christ:
15 but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ,
16 from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.
And how does Paul suggest we do that? Let’s look a few verses prior:
11 And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers,
12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ;
13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.
14 As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming;
15 but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ,
16 from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.
AS A RESULT…
The expected result of what we do in here is growth as we are equipped and it’s Jesus who causes the growth!
So “We grow disciples in here that embody Jesus out there.”
And this is how we do it:
By…
Growing with Intention
Growing with Intention
We grow by aligning every action with God’s mission and vision.
We grow by aligning every action with God’s mission and vision.
(1 Cor. 10:31, Col. 3:17, 1 Pet. 4:11)
Last week we talked about The Shed being part of something bigger than just us… We are a part of God’s ultimate mission: to redeem mankind to himself.
And whatever we do is a part of that mission. Even as individuals, whatever we do either progresses or harms that initiative in our life.
Therefore, it should be said that the first core value that drives our identity at the Shed is that we grow with intention…
Christians should be intentional people.
Flippant, apathetic, casual, luke warm Christianity would rather go with the flow, hope for the best, and take no action.
But I would like to deliver this wake up call to those who would rather take no action: Sitting back and doing nothing is action in itself, but not toward the goal you profess to be in support of…
16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?
If you say one thing, but put no action behind it, you’ve done nothing at all…
No, in this day and age, we MUST be intentional about both the message and the method!
We must be willing to put our money where our mouth is…
We must be able to put our hand to the plow and now look back…
We must be intentional about the growth we are experiencing…
We aren’t just growing passively… We are GROWING WITH INTENTION!
And this is the expectation of scripture that we would live intentionally!
17 Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.
Do ALL!
I think if we looked at what we do on a daily basis this way, it would change the way we interacted with people, it would change the way we view our jobs, it would change our perspective on politics, it would shift our thinking about money, and I think it would even change what we do with our time!
If we are doing it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father, then it would be real difficult to complain about our neighbor…
It makes it difficult to look at the world cynically because we are doing it in HIS NAME!
You can’t whine and moan and complain and still give thanks through Jesus while operating as His representative…
This walk is an intentional walk…
In speaking to the Church at Corinth who had a disagreement about what meats in the marketplace could be eaten or not Paul says…
31 Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
He breaks down the argument, but the conclusion is this: Whatever you do… whatever you eat… whatever you drink…
Whether you decide it’s okay on your conscience or not, the one thing that matters is this: that you act to further the Glory of God!
We must be intentional about every action and responsible for every word…
That no matter what we do or what we say, we are doing it for the Glory of God…
An intentional lifestyle leads to intentional growth…
10 As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
11 Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Can I give you the Eythan Standard Version of that?
Each of you has been given a special gift… It’s special because it’s yours. God gave it to you… and He gave it to you to USE!
SO USE IT!
Use it, not for your own gain, but to serve one another.
This is your responsibility as one who has received as is tasked with distributing the Grace of God!
Each of you, as believers should use what God has given you, because the grace of God is manifold… It is diverse! And the various expressions of Grace are distributed by a diverse and various people…
In other words, you are unique and have a unique responsibility to express God’s grace the way you received it…
Therefore…
When you speak, speak as though you’re speaking a message from God!
When you serve, serve in such a way that shows that God is your strength… Make people ask, “HOW DO YOU DO IT?” So you can answer, “ONLY BY THE STRENGTH OF GOD”
WHY?
So that in all things… In your words and in your actions, GOD MAY BE GLORIFIED!
Recognize that you are Jesus on the earth and it is through your expression of Jesus that God will be either glorified or shamed…
Glorify God through your words and your actions!
Before you say that, ask, “Is God glorified through this?”
Before you act, ask, “Will God get the glory in this?”
Here’s the bottom line: You cannot do any of this if you’re not intentional about your choices!
Do any of these scriptures sound like the authors think these things happen by accident? NO!
They are writing to remind members in the church to act and talk with intention, that God may be glorified through the life of the believer!
James says of those who would hear the word without putting it to action:
22 But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.
YOU”RE DELUDED!
There’s no place for part time, unintentional Christianity…
Christians are to be intentional about everything, because everything is meant as a message that points back to the Glory of God!
Therefore, We grow with Intention…
I’ve just got a few verses I want to share with you that reiterates this point. I’m not going to spend a lot of time on each one, but I want you to see how important intentionality is in the bible:
9 Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him.
It is our ambition to please Him… That’s intention…
14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
I press toward… that’s intention…
24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock.
Hears and acts… that’s intention…
33 “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
What are you seeking? That’s intention…
15 Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise,
16 making the most of your time, because the days are evil.
Intention…
24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win.
26 Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air;
INTENTION…
1 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
RUN WITH ENDURANCE… FIXING OUR EYES ON JESUS…
INTENTION..
33 “Take heed, keep on the alert; for you do not know when the appointed time will come.
8 Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
6 so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober.
13 Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.
20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit,
21 keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.
1 Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called,
3 being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
THIS WALK IS AN INTENTIONAL ONE!
We grow disciples in here that embody Jesus out there!
How do we do that? NUMBER 1:
WE GROW WITH INTENTION!
Growing with Intention
We grow by aligning every action with God’s mission and vision.
Growing with Intention
We grow by aligning every action with God’s mission and vision.
Call Worship Team
Let me ask you… Have you been intentional with your walk with Jesus?
Have you been intentional with what you prioritize?
Are you intentional about the words you choose?
Are you intentional about putting actions behind those words?
Or have you “added” Christianity “on to” your life rather than making Jesus all of life?
Tt’s time to be intentional.
No more just reacting as life comes at you.
No more allowing culture or the demands of life or other people dictate to you what it means to be who God has called you to be…
This is intention…
It’s time to intentionally seek His face…
It’s time to intentionally make Jesus Savior AND Lord…
It’s time to go after Him with everything you are…
It’s time to take up your cross…
It’s time to be who God is calling you to be…
Will you be intentional?
