Devoted

Manuscript Template

Title:  Devoted

Focus Statement:  We are called to be DEVOTED to the mission of Jesus Christ; to “Seek and Save the Lost” (Luke 19:10).

Function Statement:  We are called to embody the gospel; to be formed, to belong, to be changed, to live differently, and to be sent.

Tweetable Phrase:  The church is a Spirit-filled people devoted to living out Jesus’ mission to seek and save the lost.

Main Text:  Acts 2:42-47

Supporting Text:  

Matthew 28:18-20 - Go and make disciples

2 Corinthians 5:18-20 - We are Christ’ ambassadors given the task of reconciling the lost back to God

Luke 15:1-7 - We are called to go after the lost just like a shepherd goes after a lost sheep

Redemptive Closure (point to Jesus):  Matthew 22:37-40

Benediction:  Romans 12:9-13

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

Has anyone been invited to join something under false pretenses?

This happened to me once.

Andrea and I were looking for a church, and we showed up one Sunday to check out a church that had been recommended to us.

I made a mistake in wearing a World Vision Marathon t-shirt.

I got cornered by some guys who started asking questions, which very quickly turned into an invite to join their workout group.

It was called...

F3 Nation - which stands for FAITH, FELLOWSHIP, and FITNESS

It honestly sounded pretty good. A Christian workout group.

They explained to me what it was. A group of guys that meet at 5:30 AM 1x per week, no matter the weather at a parking lot and workout for an hour.

They do bootcamp style workouts. They told me where and what day they meet and said it would be great to see me.

I thought this could be good. I could do some bootcamp style circuit training, which isn’t too hard, and meet some new people.

The next Tuesday morning I set the alarm irresponsibly early, woke up, and went to the designated parking lot by 5:30 AM.

When I got there, I quickly learned I did not have all the relevant information.

The first thing they said was “welcome, did you bring your cookie”

Now in my mind, I was thinking this (tollhouse cookie), which didn’t make sense for a workout group.

[Image: Tollhouse cookie]

Feeling a little confused I said “I’m sorry, no, I didn’t realize I needed to do that.”

They assured me it wasn’t a problem, they had an extra.

It was at this point I was very confused.

My confusion didn’t last that long when they showed me the “cookie”

It was a 42-lb cinder block.

[Image: Cinder Block]

They must have realized I was lost by the look on my face.

It was then that they explained what they were really going to do that morning.

They said, 1/2 a block down the sidewalk was the Grand Rapids-Stairs. Over 130 steps straight up the hill.

Here is a picture of the stair case I took with Ellie during a training run for one of her 1/2 marathons.

[Image: GR-Stairs]

They said they take their “cookies” on their shoulders like 1980’s boom-boxes, jog over to the stairs, and walk up and down them for an hour. They said they try to get up and down 4-5 times.

This sounded horrible, but I was trapped.

I picked up the cinder block, put it on my shoulder, and started jogging.

I walked up the stairs, and down the stairs, up the stairs, and down the stairs.

I did this for an hour. I honestly don’t remember if I made the 4-5 times goal.

Somehow I didn’t die, but believe me, I felt like death.

We then jogged back to the parking lot and got in a circle, stated our names, ages, and “nick names”.

I wasn’t told I would be given a nickname by the group.

When it was my turn, they asked me about myself.

I told them I grew up playing hockey, specifically center, and every year I coordinated a team wide bet to see who could break their shoulder pads by hitting someone the hardest.

I was clearly trying to steer my nickname in a favorable direction after hearing some of the other nick names that were given.

I was assigned Rhino, which was my high school nick name, so I was okay with that.

They went around the circle, gave a quick devotional and prayer, we left.

It was then that it hit me. I couldn’t drive home.

My legs were so destroyed from the cinder block stair exercises that when I sat down in the car my legs were shaking violently.

The only way I could make it home was with cruise control.

I used the +/- to drive the entire way home.

I was invited to a nice friendly men’s group that happened to workout.

I was duped into a hard-core fitness group that I was not prepared for.

It turns out there are F3 groups all over the country. When I got down here, they called me to see if I wanted to join the local group.

The first time I joined them in Kansas was for a “new year’s” run. They were running 20.26 miles to ring in the new year.

The invite said, “all paces welcome - no drop”.

When I showed up, they said to keep on schedule, we were running 8:30 / mile and won’t wait for anyone who can’t keep up. Duped again.

I went to one more meeting, this time at a park. This time they actually started with a bootcamp style workout as promised.

It was all going well until the leader saw picknick tables in the gazebo. He then walked us over and led us through endless picknick table squats. If you didn’t know picknick tables at parks are crazy heavy. I struggled driving home that day too.

I haven’t completely given up on the group as they are good guys, but going is brutal. Since the picknick table experience, I haven’t been back.

WE - Tension

Have you ever been invited to something that turned out to be vastly different than what was described to you?

This is frustrating when it is a social event, but it can be eternally damaging when it deals with the church and faith.

During this series, we have been walking through the book of Acts to understand how the early church was formed, how they lived out their faith, and what we can learn from their example.

In week one, we looked at Acts Chapter 1 where we saw that, like the disciples, we need to learn to wait on God’s timing.

Last week, we looked at the first half of Acts Chapter 2 where we saw that we need to stop relying on our own power, but instead be filled with and rely on the power the Holy Spirit offers.

We saw in Acts 2 that when the disciples relied on the Holy Spirit’s power they were able to Boldly Proclaim the gospel and 3,000 people put their faith in Jesus. They were successful in inviting others to believe in the message of the Gospel.

But, now what.

The challenge they faced, and the danger we face, is inviting someone to church, to faith, and to a life following Jesus and have it come off as a bait and switch, where the reality of what faith, church, and community with fellow believers doesn’t match what we led them to believe.

Scripture is full of images use to describe the church and the people of God. Each giving a glimpse into the type of community God calls us into and the life God calls us to live.

The church is compared to:

Branches on a Vine - John 15:5

Olive Tree - Romans 11:17-24

Field of Crops - 1 Corinthians 3:6-9

Building - 1 Corinthians 3:9

Harvest - Matthew 13:1-30

New Temple - 1 Peter 2:4-8

Holy Priesthood - 1 Peter 2:5

God’s House - Hebrews 3:3

Pillar and Bulwark of the Truth - 1 Timothy 3:15

Body of Christ - 1 Corinthians 12:12-27

But if we’re not careful, we can use examples like these, or others, to help people understand what the Kingdom of God is, and what being part of a Church is like, and only give them a partial view or heavily redacted view based on what we like most about the church we’re a part of.

Today we’re going to look at what the disciples did after inviting the people in Jerusalem to belief in Jesus as their LORD and Savior, to help the 3,000 people who joined grow into disciples within the church.

Today, I pray the Holy Spirit shows us how we can better live out the call to invite and help people new to the faith not have the same experience with church that I had with the F3 workout group.

Today we’re going to try to answer the question, "What is the purpose of the church and what should one expect of a church when they walk through the doors?”

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 2:42: Sanctuary Bible Page # 884]

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 - HEAD

Please turn with me to Acts 2:42.

We’re picking up right where we left off last week.

The Disciples had just received the Holy Spirit, were empowered to speak in other languages so everyone could understand the good news of what Jesus had done for them, 3,000 accepted Jesus as their LORD and Savior, and they were baptized.

Now the disciples had to figure out what to do next.

Which is a very important, and risky decision.

In the NIV Application Commentary the commentator writes that.

P. 994 - Experience in evangelistic ministry shows that during the first few days after a commitment has been made to Christ, Satan will do all he can to ensnare new believers into his traps. They will face doubts regarding what has happened to them and be tempted to sin, sometimes even succumbing to it. This will make them fear that they do not have the strength to make it spiritually. Then they will face persecution and ridicule. They will become discouraged over the behavior of other Christians, and sometimes even become discouraged with God since he does not seem to answer their prayers...Thus, like newborn babies, new believers need special care during the first few days of their spiritual life.

Making a decision to follow Jesus and choosing to attend a church is huge, but if the members of the church do not welcome and shepherd the new believer well, they could be worse off than before they believed, growing bitter to faith and distrustful of churches.

Let’s read what the disciples did to shepherd the new believers into the Kingdom of God in Acts 2:42.

Acts 2:42–47 “42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 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, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”

The early church was DEVOTED on three things

Ministry to God

Ministry to other Believers

and Ministry to the World

These are the things that someone new to the faith should experience when attending church for the first time .

Ministry to God - Worship

The first thing that identifies a faith community / church is their Ministry to God.

Verse 47 makes it clear.

Acts 2:47 “47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”

If we, as a church, aren’t regularly and visibly worshipping and showing gratitude to God for all He’s done for us and through us, anyone who comes to visit will get a very skewed image of what a Christian is.

Paul in Colossians 3:16 echoes the call to make worship and giving thanks to God a regular aspect of our Christian lives.

Colossians 3:16 “16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.”

To anyone who observes a Christian’s life or visits a church on a Sunday one thing that should be clear from the start is that we Love God and are grateful for all He’s done.

We are called to live out what Jesus identified as the greatest command in Matthew 22:37

Matthew 22:37–38 “37 Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment.”

To someone who comes through the doors of this church, The Light KC, I hope that our love for God is crystal clear. Through our focus on worship during the service, to the emphasis we put on reading the Bible during daily devotionals and joining discipleship groups to learn more about God and His plans for our lives, I pray that we are currently and continuing to grow as a community who very outwardly shows it’s Love for God.

But we can’t just do this as a community...

...How do you reflect your love for God to the non-believing people in your lives?

Would someone who casually observes your life even know your are a Christian?

Ministry to other Believers - Disciple

But a faith community can’t be known just for it’s Ministry to God.

We all know that each and every one of us has periods in our lives where we need help.

We need community.

The second thing that identifies a faith community / church is their Ministry to other Believers.

And this was a priority within the early church. Acts 2:42 reads.

Acts 2:42–45 “42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.”

The people within the early church loved each other.

They “did life” together.

They put each other’s needs before their own.

And they helped each other for a reason.

Colossians 1:28 “28 He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ.”

The early church knew that Jesus commissioned the church to “go and make disciples”.

The church was responsible, with the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit, to guide everyone toward becoming FULLY MATURE in Christ.

Their discipleship process was

Listen to the Apostle’s teaching

Engage in Fellowship

Break Bread with fellow believers

and Prayer

The process we laid out last fall very similar to this, just arranged a bit more linear to help us identify which next step God is calling us to personally take

Attend

Believe

Grow

Serve

Give

Invite

To someone who comes through the doors of this church, The Light KC, I hope that our love for each other is crystal clear. That they can see

the genuine love that we have for each other

the genuine care that show each other when someone is in need

the genuine desire to “do life together”

The early church wasn’t event-centered—it was life-centered.

We have events, but the goal of the events is to give us opportunities to

get to know each other

spend time together

serve each other

serve with each other

Where are you at in the path of discipleship?

Are you growing closer to, or farther away from, becoming fully mature in Christ?

How are you helping others within the church take their next step of discipleship?

Ministry to the World - Evangelism / Missions

The third thing that identifies a faith community / church is their Ministry to the World.

The early church was intentional in their witness. Acts 2:46 reads.

Acts 2:46–47 “46 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, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”

You’ll notice that even though they believe in Jesus, they still met at the temple, a place full of Jewish people who did not believe in Jesus.

I don’t think this was a mistake. They went to the places where non-believers lived and sought out relationships with those non-believers.

The early church didn’t only hang out with people who believed exactly as they did, they followed Jesus’ example and hung out with everyone.

And God honored their witness, by adding to their number daily.

We are called to do the same.

Matthew 28:18 reads:

Matthew 28:18–20 “18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.””

Every believer is given the task of making disciples.

It’s not just for pastors, or those who have the spiritual gift of evangelism.

It is the task of each and every one of us who considers ourselves follows of Christ.

Because Christ commission each and every one of us.

2 Corinthians 5:18 reads.

2 Corinthians 5:18–20 “18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.”

Each and every believer is given the task of

reconciling non-believers back to God

being Christ’s ambassador - representing Christ to non-believers

YOU - Takeaway - HEART

How often do you talk to your non-believing friends about your faith?

How many non-believing friends do you have?

Do you live a life that could be described as Christ’s ambassador - representing Christ to non-believers?

Jesus is clear. In Luke 15:1, Jesus tell us the Parable of the Lost Sheep. It reads.

Luke 15:1–7 “1 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. 2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” 3 Then Jesus told them this parable: 4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.”

A few months ago we had Daryl Cripe come in and challenge us with the concept that each of us should have a ONE.

He defined a ONE as someone

who is not currently in a relationship with Jesus

who lives near you

who is your friend

that you rearrange your life for

that you do life together

that we keep sharing the gospel with and inviting them to faith UNTIL they find the hope, strength, and peace that God offers

Do you have a ONE?

Are you regularly witnessing to and praying for your non-believing friends?

If you don’t have any non-believing friends, this is a call to start praying God shows you people in your life that He wants to use you to minister to.

WE / JESUS - Redemptive Close - Call to Action - HANDS

I pray that every time someone walks through the doors of The Light KC they can clearly see us living out both of Jesus greatest commandments.

Matthew 22:37–40 “37 Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.””

To someone who comes through the doors of this church, The Light KC, I hope that our love for those who don’t yet have a relationship with God is clear. I pray that we never become a church where everyone who comes already believes in Jesus. I pray that we have many in attendance who are just attending, seeking, asking questions, and experiencing an authentic community of people who

Love God

Love each other

and Love the outsider

So I ask you?

Are you just attending church… or being formed by it?

Are you consuming… or participating?

Are you holding back… or fully devoted?

So what is church?

What expectation should you give someone when you invite them to come with you on a Sunday?

The church is not:

A building

A program

A weekly event

The church is a Spirit-filled people DEVOTED to becoming like Jesus as we

Worship God

Actively engage in personal discipleship

Serve those who don’t yet believe.

Church is not something you attend—it’s a people you become part of.

And I am so glad to be a part of this community.

PRAYER 

Will you join me in prayer...

SONG 

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 

Romans 12:9–13 “9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13 Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.”

This week...

Let’s not be a people who share our faith with ulterior motives

Let’s not give incomplete pictures of what faith in Jesus is and what His church is like as a “bait and switch” to trick people into coming

Let’s be like the first century church, FULLY DEVOTED to

Worshipping and Praising God for who He is all the blessings He generously gives us

Ministering to other believers, helping them walk the path of discipleship

Ministering to the world, being intentional in where we go and who we build relationships with. Having at least ONE person in our lives that we are “doing life with” that does not yet believe in Jesus Christ as their LORD and Savior, that we are praying for, sharing our faith with, inviting to “come and see” what God has done in our lives and our community at church, and what we know God wants to do for them.

Let’s be a church that is instantly recognized as a community that LOVES GOD and LOVES OUR NEIGHBOR

Quick reminder...

Digging Deeper Bible Study - Wednesday at 6:30 PM - Programming for all ages

Student Ministries Escape Room - Tonight at 6 PM - Middle and High School

2nd Friday Movie Nights - Start May 8th - Great way to invite your friends and neighbors - 1st Movie is Zootopia 2

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

If you’d like to get more information about taking your next step of faith, fill out the card in the seat back and give it to me or turn it in to the info desk.

I hope you have a great week.

Go in peace.

You are dismissed.

DISCIPLESHIP QUESTIONS (download into APP)

How can we practically show our devotion to God in our daily lives?

What does being devoted to Jesus' mission look like for you at school or among friends?

In what ways can we create a welcoming atmosphere for newcomers in our church?

How can you start conversations about faith with your non-believing friends?

What steps can we take to ensure that we are effectively making disciples in our community?