Attend

Manuscript Template

Title:  Attend

Focus Statement:  The church is not an event, it is a people to belong to

Function Statement:  Take the next step of faith by devoting yourself to being an active member of the community of God (the church).

Tweetable Phrase:  

Main Text:  Acts 2:38-47 / 1 Corinthians 12:12-27

Supporting Text:  

Redemptive Closure (point to Jesus):  1 Peter 5:8 / Mark 2:3-5

Benediction:  Psalm 84:10 / Hebrews 10:24-25

WELCOME

Good morning!!! My name is Ryan Hanson, and I have the honor of serving here at The Light KC as the lead pastor. I’m so glad you’re here with us.

‌Welcome to those joining us online. We hope you're doing well and hope to see you in person in the coming weeks.

And a special welcome to those joining us for the first time. We’re so glad you chose to be here.

ME/INTRO - Tension

Can we start by being honest?

The bar of entry to joining a church can be very high for someone who didn’t grow up going to church or hasn’t gone in a while.

Imagine how you’d feel if someone came up to you and invited you to church this way.

Hello, do you want to come to church with me Sunday...

And you can join my small group...

And come to Wednesday bible study...

And sign up for a bunch of service opportunities...

And don’t forget, God loves a cheerful giver, so if you believe in the mission of the church, a “good” Christian would tithe (give 10% of their income to the church) to support that mission...

So, you want to come???

And whereas that sounds ridiculous, that’s what we sound like to a lot of people, even if we don’t say those exact words.

Because in our minds, why wouldn’t we do everything...right?

Attend Sunday worship weekly

Be an active member of a small group

Actively participate in volunteering within the church

Actively participate in serving outside the church

Give regularly

etc, etc, etc.

Let’s be honest, it’s a lot. Especially if you didn’t grow up with it.

I know one time; Andrea and I visited a new church. Typically when you visit a new church, someone from the staff reaches out to you the next week to welcome you, see if you have any questions, and invite you back the next Sunday. That didn’t happen. We did get a call from the church...but it wasn’t to see how our experience was and invite us back. They wasted no time. They said, “we saw you attended and aren’t on our volunteer roster, how can we sign you up to serve, we currently have needs in these areas?”

We were blown away. We didn’t even know anything about this church, and they wanted us to commit to regular service.

I wonder how many people come to church and even if it is not said as bluntly as it was to Andrea and I, they get the same message, “thanks for coming, lace up your boots, time to get to work”

The church has, at times, done a terrible job welcoming people who are not yet ready to commit to everything.

We say things like, come as you are. But the unspoken message is, but let’s get you caught up as quickly as possible.

I know there have been times in my life when I definitely was not at a place to engage with every ministry of the church. I grew up attended church every week with my family though High School and during the later years of High School I was getting pretty discontented with church. The church I attended got in the habit of delivering a message that consisted of a single bible verse and 30ish minutes of pastoral opinion. They told us to bring our Bibles, but it wasn’t necessary, because they weren’t used. The 5th Sundays, were “budget catchup” Sundays that consisted of a report from the treasurer and the same sermon about tithing focused on the 10-10-80 budgeting method put forward by Rockafeller. 10% to the church, 10% in savings, and 80% for living expenses. Complete with painted TV boxes as visual aids. Keep in mind, 10-10-80 may be a responsible way to budget, it is not in the bible.

I was disengaged, and not spiritually in a place to “do” anything expected of a mature Christ follower.

When I started going to college, some friends wanted to attend a new mega church. They met in a mall, and it was the current “cool” church to go to. But at that time in my life, I wasn’t ready to take on the whole list of Christian Expectations. We sat in the back row, stood during worship, but honestly didn’t sing, listened to the sermons, and left. Nobody probably knew we were there.

I was consuming, not contributing.

And at that point in my life, that is all I was capable of.

WE - Tension

Maybe you have been there?

Have you had an experience like I had with the church I visited?

Feeling like you were taking a huge risk even showing up and then being asked to make huge commitments that you weren’t ready for?

Or maybe you grow up in church?

To you, “doing it all” was expected and feels normal.

Maybe you had the best of intentions, but were the Christian too eager to invite someone that you overwhelmed them by setting the bar too high, expecting more of them than they were ready to give?

The truth is, as Christians we know the value in having a strong Christian community.

We look forward to coming to church every week, worshipping together, learning together, doing life together.

We want everyone to have that, so we get excited and ask too much of people before they’re ready.

But...

Jesus didn’t tell us to get people to come to church.

Jesus didn’t tell us to fill people’s calendars with church events.

Jesus told us to go and make disciples.

And discipleship is a process, that takes time.

We can’t expect people to skip steps and instantly become fully devoted followers of Jesus right out of the gate.

In the book DiscipleShift they define discipleship based on Matthew 4:19

Matthew 4:19 NRSV

And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.”

Follow Me

A disciple starts by learning and believing the truth about Jesus

Discipleship starts in the HEAD

I will make you

Discipleship then becomes a process of transformation

The Holy Spirit molding our HEARTS to be more like the heart of Jesus

fishers of men

Finally, discipleship acknowledges that we are saved for a purpose

We were are called to join Jesus on His mission to love and reach the lost

Discipleship is lived out through our HANDS

Discipleship is a process that starts in our HEADS, moves to our HEARTS, and is lived out through our HANDS

Over the next 6 weeks we’re going to go through the Discipleship Pathway that every believer walks as they mature in the faith. It consists of 6-steps.

Attend

Believe

Grow

Serve

Give

Invite

This week were going to focus on the first step: ATTEND

If you missed the previous messages, please feel free go to our website, TheLightKC.org, to catch up.

As we begin, please turn with me to [Acts 2:38-47]

We’ll have the scripture on the screen, but if you have a Bible with you, or Bible app on your phone, I’d encourage you to turn to the passage and follow along. There is nothing that replaces having God’s word in your hand.

AND... if you don’t have a Bible, we have Bibles under the seats. If you don’t have a bible and would like one, please come see me after the service and I’ll get you one you can keep.

Let's dive in.

GOD - Text

But before we see what the bible says about how we are called to ATTEND this community of believers, I think we need to know what Church was meant to be.

Luke breaks this down for us in Acts 2:38-41.

Acts 2:38–41 NIV

Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.” With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.

Luke starts by listing the fruits of a healthy church. If a community of believers is obediently following God’s will and the prompting of the Holy Spirit, these things should happen

People should be REPENTING of their sins

People should be putting their faith in Jesus, accepting the Gospel Message, and SALVATIONS should be happening

People should be seeking FORGIVENESS for their sins

People should be receiving the HOLY SPIRIT and discovering their SPIRITUAL GIFTS

People should be seeking to be BAPTIZED

But Luke doesn’t just list the fruits of a healthy community of believers, he lists the activities that go on within their gatherings that lead to those fruits.

Starting in V42.

Acts 2:42–47 NIV

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

Most of these we are familiar with.

TEACHING

FELLOWSHIP

BREAKING OF BREAD (shared meals and communion)

PRAYER

WORSHIP

But how often do you leave church with a sense of AWE? How often do you see God moving in your life or the lives of others at church?

When Andrea and I went to Israel, we started each day with group devotionals and the pastor leading the trip asked us each to intentionally look for a “God sighting” each day and share the next morning.

It’s amazing what you see God doing when you look.

Do you expect to see God moving?

Do you intentionally look for God intervening in your life and the lives of those around you?

AWE - a healthy community of believers should see evidence of God moving

A church should also be a place that shares the good news of Jesus to non-believers.

I’ve had discipleship questions in the contact card for a while now. Many people submit them each week, and it’s amazing to see how God is moving in your lives and be able to pray for you. But I rarely see anyone answer the questions “Did you invite someone to church this week?” with a “YES”.

If we’re going to be the church Christ intends for us to be, we need to share the GOOD NEWS with those who do not yet believe.

WITNESS

But what really strikes me from this list is how many of these things we can’t do alone.

So many people today say they don’t go to church because they can have a healthy / growing faith without anyone else.

I was sent a social media post that asked people why they don’t go to church. Here are a few of the comments people left

“I can sit at home and read my bible instead of helping run a Sunday business”

“I absolutely believe! God is everywhere!! You don’t need to go to church. He’s not there. He’s in your heart. All you need to do is believe and talk to him. He hears. As do your loved ones that crossed over are with him.”

“If God’s everywhere, he’s at my home then so I’ll save the gas money by not going to church. Me and him can have a cup of coffee here at my place.”

“Once my church offered online service, it was easier and I don’t have to deal with anyone and I can wear a hat at home watching it online.”

In today’s world you absolutely can do a lot without anyone else. You can read your bible, pray, watch sermons online.

But...

You absolutely cannot fellowship or break bread by yourself.

It will be very hard to be in AWE of God if you’re only experience of Him is watching a church service by yourself. I personally see God move most through my conversations with all of you, hearing how God delivered you from struggles, answered prayers, and healed you when you were sick. I can’t get that from my living room.

The church is Jesus chosen vehicle to bring the message of the Gospel to the world.

If we’re going to produce the fruit Jesus intends for us to produce, the church is the primary place where it will happen.

Paul takes this point a bit further in 1 Corinthians 12:12-14.

1 Corinthians 12:12–14 NIV

Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.

Every single one of us is essential for the Body of Christ (the church) to be everything Jesus desires for it to be.

When we separate ourselves from the Body, that is where we run into problems.

Imagine you’re walking out of Walmart with your groceries. You’re walking up to your vehicle, and you see a dismembered foot laying in parking lot. I think we can all agree, that is a clear sign that something terrible happened and that there is a huge problem. THE FOOT IS DEAD. It’s not connected to the body, not getting the oxygen and nutrients it needs to do the things that a foot was meant to do.

By thinking we can do life alone, without a community of believers, we are choosing to be a dismembered foot, separated from the very thing that provides life, slowly dying.

But...

We’re not only hurting ourselves.

Somewhere there’s a body that’s missing a foot, hopping around, unable to walk, let alone run.

The church needs you.

The church needs your gifts, your passion, and there are people within the community that need to learn from your experiences so they can get through the tough time they’re currently in.

But, that being said, it’s human nature to compare.

It’s easy to think the community of believers doesn’t need us, because our gifts aren’t as needed as someone else's.

It’s easy to think that only the public facing gifts are important.

Paul addresses that too.

1 Corinthians 12:15–27 NIV

Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.

We’re all gifted differently and we’re all needed for the church to be everything Jesus intended it to be.

Think of the church like a puzzle. If we are to reflect the image of God to the community of non-believers, we need all the pieces. If some of us leave the community, start going solo with their faith, the community will get an incomplete picture of God’s love, grace, and mercy.

And for those who are solo, it’s very hard to even guess what picture is on a puzzle with only one piece.

We need everyone if we’re going to reflect the image of God to the world as we were commissioned to do.

But we need to be careful...

This verse says that God placed everyone exactly where they need to be.

We want everyone to be fully engaged in the church, in our community of believers, but as we said, discipleship is a process.

God knows this.

For some people, new to faith, just visiting the WEBSITE is a huge first step.

For others, WATCHING ONLINE is huge

Maybe some are only ready to attend a NON-SUNDAY EVENT

Even if people are regularly attending SUNDAY SERVICES, they may not be ready to VOLUNTEER to JOIN A GROUP

As long as we, as a church, are creating an environment, that allows people to grow and take steps forward in their SPIRITUAL JOURNEY, we’re doing exactly what we should be doing.

God can use a WEBSITE, an ONLINE SERMON, or a NON-SUNDAY EVENT to help soften hearts and move people closer to a place where a relationship with Him seems possible.

We don’t want anyone to stay in those places forever, but they serve a very important purpose in the PATH that most take to finding faith in Jesus.

So as a church, we need to be careful not to judge others for how they are currently ATTENDING.

We need to stop only inviting people to ATTEND Sunday services

We need to acknowledge that ATTENDING can take many forms, and each one is part of the path that God can use build His Kingdom.

YOU - Takeaway

How do you view the purpose of the Church?

Have you been frustrated, feeling like well-intentioned Christians are expecting more than you’re ready to commit to?

Have you been the well-intentioned Christian that has expected too much from someone just coming to “check out faith in Jesus”?

If we go back to Acts 2:42, I think Luke has a pretty sobering warning for us all, no matter where we are in our Spiritual Maturity. He writes.

Acts 2:42 NIV

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

Luke writes that the disciples DEVOTED themselves to teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayer.

Are you “devoted” to living the Christian life you’re called to live?

Is your faith the priority of your life, or are you fitting your faith in around everything else you have going on?

Do you come to church only when you naturally wake up early enough, don’t have conflicts with kid’s sports, or other activities you want to do?

Or, does this community of believers come first?

Do you prioritize your time with God every day?

Do you prioritize our corporate worship of God every Sunday?

Do you prioritize listening to and acting upon the promptings of the Holy Spirit?

I think this week, we all need to ask ourselves how are we ATTENDING to our faith?

Are we devoted?

WE / JESUS - Redemptive Close - Call to Action

Jesus says it plainly in a parable he told about a paralyzed man in Mark 2:3-5.

Mark 2:3–5 NIV

Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

We can’t do faith alone.

We need people in our lives to pick us up and carry us to the feet of Jesus when we’re too weak to do it ourselves.

Because it is only at the feet of Jesus that we can find true healing.

Do you have MAT CARRIERS in your life?

Your life may be going well right now, and you don’t think you need church and only come when convenient.

But we all know that life doesn’t go well forever.

Things happen, catastrophe strikes, and unless we have a foundation of faith to rely on get us through those tough times and a community of people to lift us up and support us when we can’t support ourselves, we’re in trouble.

So...

If we’re going to be a disciple of Jesus, the first thing we need to do is ATTEND.

To show up.

To take our place within the community of faith that is the church.

Maybe you’re watching online and right now that is all you can do.

We’re glad you’re here, and we are praying that God helps you take that next step of faith and come join us in person.

Maybe you’re attending sporadically, when you have nothing else going on.

We’re glad you’re here too, and pray that God helps you take the next step in your faith to make this community of faith a larger priority in your life.

Maybe your attend every week, but don’t have any mat carriers in your life.

We’re glad you’re here and pray that God show you a group of people within the church that you can do life with.

No matter how you are currently ATTENDING, remember, God loves you so much, that He wants you to grow, and keep moving forward.

What’s the next step God is calling you to take in your faith journey?

PRAYER 

Will you join me in prayer...

SONG 

Next Step Cards

White Bucket

As we enter into our final song, I want to open the steps up front as an altar to anyone who needs God this week. The steps are open for you to pray to the God who is with you, who loves you, you wants to give you His peace.

‌

You may feel a hand on your shoulder as I or one of the elders join you in prayer.

BENEDICTION 

Hebrews 10:24–25 NIV

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

This week...

Let’s commit to never putting pressure on those investigating faith to do too much with the church too fast.

Let’s recognize that discipleship is a process and each step someone takes should be celebrated.

Let’s not just invite people to Sunday worship services, but recognize that maybe the next step for someone is checking out the website, watching an online sermon, or attending a non-Sunday church sponsored event to meet some people within the community.

But let’s commit to searching our own hearts and wrestling with the question of how DEVOTED we are to our faith.

Let’s commit to making faith the single priority in our lives and working everything else in around that.

Let’s all pray that God shows us this week how we can better ATTEND to our faith.

Quick reminder...

PRAYER WORKSHOP - Wednesday at 6 PM - no “digging deeper” bible study

CARE PORTAL - Thursday at 5:30 - learn how you can be a part of meeting the needs of our community

If you’re new, please stop by our info desk, or see me. We’d love to say “hi” and get you know you a bit better.

I hope you have a great week.

Go in peace.

You are dismissed.

DISCIPLESHIP QUESTIONS (download into APP)

How do you understand the role of the church as a community of believers versus just a weekly event?

What does it mean to you to be an 'active member' of a church community?

How can you balance your other commitments while ensuring you make church attendance a priority?

What personal experiences have shaped your view on church commitment and participation?

In what ways can you take the first step of attending church more regularly in your spiritual journey?