Growing in the Lord
Church. On purpose! • Sermon • Submitted
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Introduction
Introduction
11 as you know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you, as a father doth his children, 12 that ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory. 13 For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe. 14 For ye, brethren, became followers of the churches of God which in Judea are in Christ Jesus: for ye also have suffered like things of your own countrymen, even as they have of the Jews: 15 who both killed the Lord Jesus, and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they please not God, and are contrary to all men: 16 forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they might be saved, to fill up their sins alway: for the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost.
Churches have a purpose. Often times we struggle to find our purpose, however God is gracious to us. He has listed out in Scripture the main foundations for the Church. Many time we will make it about issues that really Christ Himself minored on. We ought to be majoring on the majors. Are using the tool of the church correctly?
Last week we dealt with the first purpose of the church, connect people to God. Win them to both yourself and to Christ.
Are we supposed to grow? Are we supposed to grow in a healthy way? How do we? We eat correctly and exercise. Speaking of those things, I hate Broccoli. Ashley has done such a wonderful job at home. She knows that I hate broccoli. She also knows that I need broccoli more than doughnuts. So she prepares vegetables knowing that I will mix them with some other portion of the meal. This weekend she made some sort of Mexican slow cooker meal. It was fabulous! She also made some broccoli, so I did the only reasonable thing. Puree the broccoli and mix it with the good stuff. I need healthy things so that I can live a healthy life. A child needs healthy food so he can grow in health. He also needs to avoid the things that are detrimental to his health, like doughnuts.
Believe the Word
Believe the Word
For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.
Believing
Believing
I Thes. 13-
Believing
He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
Someone has said that the gospel is not the kind of message that man would invent if he could, nor is it a message that he could invent if he would. The Thessalonian Christians sensed the supernatural truthfulness of the gospel Paul preached as the Holy Spirit brought this conviction home to their hearts. When Christians share their faith, they do not merely give their particular viewpoint on life as one among the endless variety of human theories. They announce the divinely revealed truth of God, a word from God.
Work of the Word produces fruit
Work of the Word produces fruit
Work of the Word produces fruit
Work of the Word produces fruit
remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father;
For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.
Worthy Walk
Worthy Walk
Behave Worthy
Behave Worthy
as you know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you, as a father doth his children, that ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory.
I Thes. 2:11-12
To grow in health, a Christian must model his life after holiness, walking worthy of the gospel he received and the Christ he serves.
Word Conscious
Word Conscious
Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more. For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus.
A healthy church is comprised of holy individuals who desire to please God, not follow a list of rules. They are to abound more and more. What are some of those commandments? Love God, love others. But also. . .
I Thes. 2:13
For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.
For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: that every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour;
I Thes. 4:
Believing
But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another. And indeed ye do it towards all the brethren which are in all Macedonia: but we beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more; and that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you; that ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing.
I Thes.
These guys had a corner on the brotherly love market. Even so, increase in that. Think of companies like P&G, Apple, Google even Microsoft to some very low degree; they like to advance. Really they have all “arrived.” They are all successful. What makes them different than companies that have a great run and then close down? Comfort. In many ways these companies have decided not to be comfortable with where they were, the have sought to both get better and innovate.
Work of the Word produces fruit
As a Christian we are to always abounding personally. We cannot just coast. We must always strive to be ever stronger in the Lord. Personally, individually we grow which causes the ministry here to grow stronger as well. We will never be a long term healthy ministry with out long term personal growth!
3 Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 4 No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier. 5 And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully.
Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father;
For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.
For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.
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Build Each Other
Build Each Other
I Thes. 5:19-22
Quench not the Spirit. Despise not prophesyings. Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil.
Before Christ goes to the cross, the disciples are arguing over who is the greatest. So Christ admonishes them on the value of servitude. Based on Simon Peter’s actions and words Christ deals with him specifically by correcting him and then directly challenging him. Christ directly challenges him to strengthen the others. Are you strengthening anyone?
31 And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: 32 but I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.
24 And there was also a strife among them, which of them should be accounted the greatest. 25 And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors. 26 But ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve. 27 For whether is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? is not he that sitteth at meat? but I am among you as he that serveth. 28 Ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations. 29 And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me; 30 that ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
31 And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: 32 but I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.
As with the companies we had mentioned earlier, they grow their business by innovating and continuing to be purposefully uncomfortable with mediocrity. That is a core philosophy at many of these companies. It is their culture. What is our culture? Are we happy with mediocrity? When we do things here, do we let it be said, “it’s for the church, that’s good enough.”? I hope not. It is not good enough. This place should have culture of excellence in everything. From how we clean the bathrooms to how we share Christ. How the lobby looks to our personal discipleship.
Before Christ goes to the cross, the disciples are arguing over who is the greatest. So Christ admonishes them on the value of servitude. Based on Simon Peter’s actions and words Christ deals with him specifically by correcting him and then directly challenging him. Christ directly challenges him to strengthen the others. Are you strengthening anyone?
Before Christ goes to the cross, the disciples are arguing over who is the greatest. So Christ admonishes them on the value of servitude. Based on Simon Peter’s actions and words Christ deals with him specifically by correcting him and then directly challenging him. Christ directly challenges him to strengthen the others. Are you strengthening anyone?
Mediocrity is not a grace that God gives, it is a pit into which Christians fall and live. We often see our personal pit of mediocrity and expect other Christians live their lives within the boundaries of our mediocrity.
Can we destroy a culture of mediocrity? Lets get and grow a culture of purposeful discomfort so that we can continue to innovate and invest in this ministry.
I Thes. 5:
And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.
Growth takes FAITH!
And there was also a strife among them, which of them should be accounted the greatest. And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors. But ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve. For whether is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? is not he that sitteth at meat? but I am among you as he that serveth. Ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations. And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me; that ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: but I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.
Have we as a church come to the place in our faith where we can say “Lord, I trust you with my personal growth, I trust you with the growth of this ministry and I trust you for the future of this ministry?”
Conclusion
Conclusion
I wonder who would say today, “Rodney I want to pray for my personal growth. I want to pray for the growth of this local ministry.”
Are you purposefully uncomfortable with your spiritual growth?Are you purposefully uncomfortable with the spiritual growth of this ministry?