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I want to welcome you again this morning.
First, to those joining us online, we are so thankful for our online technology that allows you to be a part of our church family today.
I also want to welcome those who may be joining us for the first time today. I hope your time with us today is encouraging and helpful, and I look forward to meeting you.
I would also say if you are new to our church today, it would be helpful for you to know that we practice a form of preaching called “Expository Preaching”.
What that means, is we believe the Bible is best taught by taking books of the Bible and then breaking them down from beginning to end, chapter by chapter, verse by verse. Our goal, to better understand not only what God’s Word says, but what it means in our lives today.
Currently we are doing that through the NT book of Acts, however just for today, we are going to step out of the book of Acts and address an important subject matter. A subject matter that I believe is essential for the future growth and development of our church.
Essential because I believe God is getting ready to do something big in and through our church, and I want to be ready when He does.
And when I say future growth, I’m not just talking about numeric growth. Because while numeric growth for a church is important, there are other aspects of growth that must take place for a church to be ready for God to use it. Specifically our growth and development as Christ followers.
In fact, I would say this is one of my major concerns as we move forward as a church family. Because yes we are growing numerically. There’s no doubt. And to be honest, I’m blown away by it with everything we’ve faced with Covid 19.
However, while I welcome the numerical growth, long term numerical growth won’t really matter if we aren’t growing deeper spiritually as a church body.
And that concerns me because I really do believe God has raised up MCF to be a light in darkness. To be a church that is going to leave a lasting impact on this community and this region. But for that to happen it’s going to take more than numerical growth. It’s going to take spiritual growth as well.
Now you might be thinking, “Pastor, are you saying we aren’t a spiritually mature church?”
No, I’m not saying that. What I’m saying though is moving forward if our spiritual growth doesn’t match our numeric growth, that eventually we could become an ineffective church for Jesus. And I don’t want that.
Think of it like this. Many of you have sons and daughters that you have raised. And isn’t it true that part of raising them is to not only nurture their physical growth, but also their mental and emotional growth as well? Because the last thing you want is an 18 year old who is acting like a toddler. Or a 40 year old who is acting like an 18 year old, right?
But unfortunately that’s what happens in a lot of churches. Yes they grow numerically, but their spiritual growth doesn’t match their physical growth. And then 10-20 years goes by and a church that should be a powerhouse for the gospel is still acting like a newborn church.
And as a result, instead of reaching the lost, they’re fighting over traditional versus contemporary worship. Or instead of focusing on how to reach a new generation, they’re fighting to keep church the way it’s always been.
The same is true for a lot of Christians who have been Christians for 10,20,30 years but still act like they’ve only been saved for a couple of years.
And as a result, instead of leading other people to faith, they’re still acting like they just came to faith. Instead living for Jesus they’re still living for the world.
To be honest, I see it all the time.
With that said, today I’d like to take some time to talk about spiritual growth and maturity and what that looks like for our church because I believe God is calling our church to get ready for what He’s about to do. But in order to be ready, we have to be committed to growing in our faith.
And so what I’d like to do today is go to the book of Hebrews 5 & 6 where the writer of Hebrews addresses this very issue in the early church.
And let me say this, my goal this morning isn’t to shame anybody or make anybody feel like they’re not a good Christian. My goal is to actually challenge you to grow in your faith. Something we should all be committed to doing regardless of how long we’ve been a Christian or attended church.
With that said, let’s go to Hebrews 5 as the writer expresses his concerns for the lack of spiritual growth he sees in the early church. Beginning in verse 11 look at what he says:
11 About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. 12 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, 13 for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. 14 But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.
What I want you to notice first is the writer begins by expressing the challenge he’s facing with these believers. And the challenge is he wants them to grow in their faith, but he’s finding it difficult to lead them to maturity. Why? Because he says they have become dull of hearing.
So, a great question would be, “What does he mean by that they are dull of hearing?”
Does it mean they think what he’s saying is irrelevant so they’re just tuning him out? You know, kind of like a teenager does when mom and dad are trying to give them instruction and they just turn their head and roll their eyes.
Does it mean that what the writer is saying doesn’t make sense and its going over their head? Is it because his teaching is too intellectual or sophisticated?
Is it because they’ve actually lost their hearing? Is he maybe dealing with an older crowd? Does he mean this literally?
Actually it’s none of those reasons. And we know that because the word translated “dull” comes from the Greek word “nothros” which literally means “lazy”. And the word translated “hearing” comes from the Greek word “akoe” which literally means “to learn”.
And so the idea here is that it’s difficult to teach them because they are “lazy to learn”.
In other words, they are unwilling to make the effort it takes too grow in their faith. They’re a bunch of lazy Christians.
So, a great question would be, “Why are they lazy?” It could be for a number of reasons:
It could be growing in their faith isn’t #1 on their priority list. There are just other things in their life that are more important.
It could be they don’t want to take the time it would take. They don’t want to spend extra time reading the Bible, praying, or going to an extra service during the week.
It could be they just don’t care about growing in their faith. Yes they’ll go to church now and then, but anything beyond that, their not really interested in it.
Or it could be that they’re just lazy. Yeah they love Jesus, but they’re just unwilling and unmotivated to do what it takes to grow spiritually. It’s just too hard.
But whatever the reason, they’re not doing what it takes to grow in their walk with Jesus. And as a result, it’s hard for the writer to move them forward spiritually. Because every-time he talks to them or gets up to preach, it’s like it’s falling on deaf ears because nothing spiritually changes in their life.
To be honest, this is probably one of my greatest frustrations I’ve experienced as a preacher, and it’s been magnified curing Covid. To get up on a Sunday morning, preach my guts out and then watch as people do nothing to make a change. Do nothing to grow in their faith. Do nothing to apply what the Bible says to their lives.
Sure, they might have some initial good intentions. They might leave the service saying, “Yeah, that really spoke to me. I’m going to make a change”. But then a few days go by, and they get lazy. And before they know it, they’re back into their same old pattern.
Or to meet with someone one on one, give them Biblical counsel, and then watch them continue down a destructive path as they continue to make the wrong choices. It’s frustrating and it’s disheartening.
And the reason its frustrating is because more than anything you want them to grow in their faith. You want them to mature. You want them to become all that God’s called them to be. But for whatever reason, it’s not happening, and their lifestyle is the evidence of it.
That’s why the writer goes on to say this:
“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...” Hebrews 5:12a (ESV)
The writer is like, “You know what, at this point, you should be a teacher teaching others, but instead you need somebody to teach you, because nothing has changed.”
In other words, you should be showing people how to read their Bible, but you’re not even reading your own Bible.
You should be leading people in prayer, but you’re not praying.
You should be modeling a Christian lifestyle, but instead you’re back at the bars and living it up on the weekends.
You should be modeling a Christian marriage, but instead you’re mistreating or stepping out on your spouse.
You should be modeling Christian single-hood, but instead you’re sleeping with your girlfriend.
You should be modeling Christ like behavior, but instead you’re acting like a jerk around town.
And it so frustrates the writer that he goes on to say:
“You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child.” Hebrews 5:12b-13 (ESV)
He’s like, “You know what, spiritually speaking, I guess you need to be breast fed again, because you’re not ready for solid food.”
Some of you are like, “Pastor, I can’t believe you just said that?”
I didn’t say it, the Bible said it. And it’s the reality for the person who refuses to grow in their faith. Because instead of becoming a mature Christian who is committed to growth, they are still acting and living like a baby Christian. Someone who is unskilled in the word of righteousness, and honestly couldn’t lead somebody to Jesus if they wanted to.
Why? Because they’re lazy. Because they haven’t taken the time or seen the importance of spiritual growth. And as a result, they remain in an infant state of their faith.
Now, I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be that kind of Christian. I don’t want to be a Christian whose been saved for 5 -10-20 years but I’m still acting like I just got saved.
I don’t want to be a church that has been around for 25 years but we’re so focused on ourselves that we aren’t leading anybody to Jesus or making a lasting impact.
Instead, I want to be a Christian that is eating solid spiritual food and growing in my walk with Jesus. And I want to be a church that isn’t just growing numerically, but we are growing people deeper in their faith.
So, a great question would be, “What does it take for a person or a church to move from milk to solid food?”
Thankfully the writer is going to tell us, and in doing so he’s going to do a couple of things:
First, he’s going to give us some steps to maturity. In other words, what it takes to move from milk to solid food.
And second, he’s going to issue a warning to those who would choose not to take the steps.
Sounds fun, right? Aren’t you glad you came to church.
So, let’s get started with the steps to maturity, and the first step could be stated like this: In order to move from milk to solid food
1. I must be commited to spiritual maturity.
Look at what the writer says:
14 But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.
Couple of things I want you to notice here.
First, the writer says solid food is for the mature. Meaning, it’s for those who are committed to maturity.
Second, he says those who are committed to maturity have gained their powers of discernment.
So, what does that mean? Is this some kind of super power a Christian is supposed to get somehow? Not exactly.
The phrase “powers of discernment”, is a complex phrase that is meant to imply a host of abilities a Christian should be growing in and modeling as they mature.
For example, the Christian is to have an intellectual understanding of their faith. Meaning, they understand what they believe and why they believe it. They know what the Bible says.
With that, they should have a growing understanding of biblical morality. Meaning, they are continually shedding their old life as they grow in their faith.
Which means, they understand premarital sex is a sin, so their no longer engaging in it.
Or they understand going out and getting wasted is sinful and ruins their witness, so they’re no longer going to the bars.
Or they understand standing around gossiping at work is not something a Christian should do, so they’re avoiding those relationships and those conversations.
That kind of stuff.
On top of that, they are attaining a spiritual sense that directs them into what is right and what is wrong. A sense that is a result of the Holy Spirit’s leading and guiding in their life.
What that means is, as you grow in your faith, you should be able to walk into a situation and know exactly what is right and wrong. Or when faced with a temptation, automatically you should have the ability to recognize it for what it is and overcome it.
This is what the writer means by “powers of discernment”. It’s a set of abilities that a Christian attains and grows in because they are in a continuous state of spiritual growth.
The question then is, how do you get those powers? It’s easy. All you have to do is be to be committed to maturity. Because look at how the writer says you get these kind of abilities:
14 But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.
Notice he says this growth comes from “constant practice”.
The idea here is that it has come as a result of repeated activity over time that produces a desired outcome.
Let me explain it like this.
A few months ago I watched a movie with the Rock and Kevin Hart. The movie starts out with the Rock as a teenager in high school whose a little nerdy and overweight, while Kevin Hart is the star athlete.
The movie then jumps 20 years ahead where the Rock and Kevin Hart run into each other again. But now the Rock is the Rock and Kevin Hart is a nerdy accountant. So Hart says, “What did you do! You’ve lost like 200 pounds. You’re a beast! I’ve gotta know!”
The Rock says, “I did one thing. I worked out everyday for 6 hours a day for the last 20 years.”
That’s it.
And what was true for the rock, is true for a Christian. The fact is, if you want to be a mature Christian, you have to be committed to repeated daily actions that lead to maturity.
So, a good question would be, “What are those repeated actions?”
Here are a couple to consider:
For one, a commitment to reading God’s Word on a daily basis would be a great place to start. To be committed to take 30 minutes a day reading your Bible.
Now, you might say, “30 minutes a day pastor. I’m not sure I have time for that?”
Well, let me ask you this then, “Why don’t you have that kind of time to read God’s Word?”
Is it because you’re unwilling to get up an extra hour before the day starts? It’s just too early?
Is it because you’re unwilling to cut something else out of your life that you think is more important, like maybe Facebook, Netflix, or Hulu?
What’s keeping you from having enough time to read God’s Word?
Because I’m telling you right now, if you read your Bible 30 minutes a day just for the next 30 days, it would literally transform the way you think and would put you on a new level of faith, let alone what it would do if you did it for you over the next 20 years.
Another activity would be to spend 30 minutes a day in prayer. 30 minutes in the presence of God spending time with Him.
Now, again you might be thinking, “Wow pastor. So along with 30 minutes of Bible reading, you want me to spend another 30 minutes praying?”
Yes. And I would even say that’s bare minimum, but it’s a great place to start. Because once you get into the presence of God and begin to experience time with Him, what you’re going to discover is that 30 minutes isn’t going to be enough.
So, you have a choice, spiritually speaking, you can be little nerdy Kevin Hart or you can be the Rock.
Here’s the bottom line. If you want to grow beyond where you are, you have to start doing activities that will take you further.
It’s just like somebody like the Rock who has spent 20 years focused on shaping and growing his body. How did he do it? He went to the gym everyday. He kept adding more and more reps and adding more and more weight. He kept pushing himself beyond where he’d been.
And again, the same is true for us spiritually. Because if you want to become a spiritually mature Christian, you have to be committed to maturity. You have to be committed to a daily routine that is growing you deeper.
This leads to a second step we need to be willing to take. Because In order to move from milk to solid food:
2. I must move past elementary thinking.
Look at what the writer says:
1 Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, 2 and of instruction about washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.
The writer says in order to grow spiritually we must leave the elementary doctrine of Christ.
So, what does that mean? Thankfully he tells us, and he gives us three examples.
The first example is stated like this, “not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God...” Hebrews 6:1b (ESV)
What the writer is referring to here is a persons initial point of salvation. That moment when you recognized you were a sinner in need of a savior. That moment where you confessed your sins and asked for forgiveness. The moment when you became a Christian.
And what he’s saying is, “You have to move past that.” In other words, that can’t be the only thing that now defines your faith.
Think of it like this. When a young person moves from 2nd grade to third grade, they don’t spend their third grade year relearning what they learned in 2nd grade, right? No. Instead they build on what they learned in 2nd grade. They move beyond the initial foundation and begin to add to it.
You see the problem for some Christians, is they never move past their initial salvation. In fact, it’s all they hold on to.
And the problem is, if that’s all you have in your relationship with God, then your spiritual growth is going to be limited. Because it has to be more than one Sunday you raised your hand or you went forward and made Jesus Lord. Because while that’s great, you have to move past that. You have to move to the next grade. You have to build on that decision.
But the problem is that’s where a lot of people stay. They never move past it. They never pick up their Bible. They never spend anytime in prayer. They don’t make church a priority. They just hold onto that moment when they raised their hand or came forward. And it’s the only thing that defines their faith.
And I feel bad for Christians like that, because typically their the ones who always feel the need to get resaved. Always the ones who raise their hands again or come forward again as they keep reliving initial salvation.
Or their the ones who act like spoiled baby Christians in the way they behave, but if you challenge them, they’re quick to say, “I’ll have you know I’ve been a Christian since February 8th, 1962. Who do you think you are questioning me young man.
Listen, you have to move past your initial salvation and be willing to move forward. You can’t stay in second grade forever.
This leads us to the second example of elementary thinking we need to move past. The writer puts it like this:
“…and of instructions about washings, the laying on of hands...” Hebrews 6:2a (ESV)
In this example the writer is referring to two important moments in the life of a Christian.
The first moment is Water Baptism. That’s what he’s referring to when he says “washings”. And it’s a key moment in the life of a believer because it signifies two important acts.
The first act is an act of obedience as the new believer follows the command of Jesus to be baptized. This command is found in Matthew 28 where Jesus says:
19 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,
In the Greek, this declaration by Jesus is in the command form. Meaning He’s commanding that we be baptized. So it’s an act of obedience.
Secondly, it’s an act of declaration. Because when a person gets baptized, not only are they being obedient, but they are publically declaring their new faith in Jesus. A physical example of a spiritual reality as the old is washed away and the new is born. It’s a celebratory moment.
So, what’s the problem? Why is the writer saying we need to move beyond that?
He’s saying just like your salvation, this can’t be where you stop. Yes it’s important. But it doesn’t save you and it doesn’t necessarily grow you spiritually.
But again, this is where a lot of Christians get stuck and for different reasons.
For some Christians who grew up having been infant baptized, they get stuck because they see their baptism as what saved them. They see that moment, that they don’t even remember, as all they need to be right with God.
The problem is, infant baptism doesn’t save you. It’s not what makes you a Christian. If anything, it’s a starting point. A moment where your parents made a decision to raise you to know Jesus. A wonderful moment. But a moment you have to move past and build upon. It can’t be what defines your faith.
The same is true for adult baptism. Because unfortunately I see a lot of Christians who follow through with Biblical baptism, but they don’t move forward from there. They just stay there. It was their stopping point. They were saved and they got baptized, and now they’re good to go.
Sorry, not how it works. You have to move past water baptism. You have to move from the 3rd and to the 4th grade. You have to move past washings.
Not only that, you need to move past the “laying on of hands”?
You say, “What’s that all about?”
This is the second moment for the new believer, and it’s what you might call spiritual baptism.
In pentecostal circles we call it the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Another way to say it would be the empowerment of the Holy Spirit.
We’ve talked a lot about the empowerment of the Holy Spirit in the book of Acts. And what we’ve learned is there are two works of the Spirit in our life.
The first is the work of salvation as He enters you when you put your faith in Jesus and begins a work of transformation literally turning you into a different person. Jesus calls it being Born Again.
The second is a work of empowerment where the Holy Spirit empowers you for ministry by giving you spiritual gifts that you will begin to function in.
And the reason the writer refers to it as the “laying on of hands” is because in the NT when people recieved the empowerment, typically somebody had laid hands on them and prayed for them to receive it.
We see an example of this in Acts 8 where Luke writes:
17 Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.
And so this is what the writer is referring to as he references the empowerment and gifts of the Spirit.
And while that’s a good thing and something all believers should seek, for some people it becomes the stopping point, and this is especially true of Pentecostals. Why Pentecostals? Because a lot of pentecostals tend to get stuck at the gifts and they never grow past it.
This is what Paul was dealing with in the church at Corinth. They were a church full of the gifts but low on love. A church full of the gifts, but full of sexual immorality, backbiting, gossip, and division.
Paul summarizes it like this:
10 I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. 11 For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers.
You see while it was a church full of the gifts, it was a church full of strife that was actually pushing people away from Jesus. And in Paul’s view, they were acting like infants. In 1 Corinthians 14 he writes:
20 Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature.
Unfortunately I’ve seen this happen many times in pentecostal churches as emphasis is given to the gifts but not Christian maturity.
As a result, people think because they can speak in tongues or prophesy, that they’re somehow more spiritual or mature than other Christians.
Guess what, not true. And I know that because I’ve grown up in the Pentecostal circle and I’ve seen some Christians who can speak in tongues but act like the devil.
In fact, I’ll never forget the first year I was at MCF, we did a Daniel Fast. And to be honest, it was new to the church, and not everybody embraced it. But what surprised me the most is there was an individual in the church, who was known for speaking in tongues, who told me they weren’t going to do the fast. When I asked them why, they said, “I’m not going to give up my soda and cigarettes for 21 days.”
And that’s all I needed to know about their spiritual maturity.
All that to say, you can have spiritual gifts, but that doesn’t make you mature. That makes you a 5th grader in the faith with a lot of room to grow.
This leads to one more example, as the writer says we need to move past:
“the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.” Hebrews 6:2b (ESV)
What the writer is referring to hear is what we might call “end time prophecy”. Which is something a lot of Christians get focused on.
And that’s not a bad thing. The truth is, we need to be aware of what Jesus says about the last days. We need to be aware of what the book of Revelation says. We need to be attentive to the signs of the times. In fact, I had the though the other day, what if “Get Ready” means, Jesus is coming back soon. Wound’t that be amazing.
But what happens is some Christians, not all, tend to get overly focused on this, to the point that this all they talk about, study, and focus on is end time material.
And as a result, they begin to think they have a maturity and understanding that other Christians don’t have.
A great example of this would be a church like Bethel in Redding California. They’re a church that’s part of a movement called the New Apostolic Reformation.
And what they believe is that God has given them special knowledge and understanding concerning the future that nobody else has. In fact, some of the key leaders in that movement claim they’ve been too heaven. Others claim they’ve had visions where Jesus specifically ordained them above others. One of them even claims God gave him a new chapter to add to the gospel of John.
And the list of whacky goes on. And to be honest, I really think they love God and have good intentions. But they’ve missed the boat on what Jesus wants us to be focused on. How do I know? Because Jesus himself said not to get too focused on this.
Listen to what He tells the disciples right before his ascension as they start focusing on end time stuff:
6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Notice what Jesus says they need to be focused on. First, getting filled with the Spirit so they can be empowered for ministry. And second, leading people to Jesus.
Why should that be our focus? Because when Jesus comes back, it’s game over for anybody that didn’t put their faith in Jesus. And the mature Christian understands that. They understand, while I’m excited for Jesus to come back, I also recognize when He does, a lot of people aren’t going to be ready. So, I have to do everything I can to lead them to Jesus.
Remember I said, “What if get ready means Jesus is coming back soon?” My next thought was of all the people I love and care for who don’t know Him yet. And how sad would it be, if somebody you cared for wasn’t ready because you weren’t ready to tell them the truth.
MCF, if we want to get ready, we have to move past elementary thinking. We have to graduate to a new way of thinking. Because if we don’t, we won’t be ready, and frankly, God isn’t going to use a church that isn’t ready.
And this is where the warning I told you about comes in. Because listen to what the writer says next:
3 And this we will do if God permits.
What the writer is implying here is that for some, it might be too late to get ready.
Why is it too late?
What we need to understand is this phrase, “If God permits”, is meant to point us back to the book of Exodus as God leads the children of Israel through the wilderness and to the promised land. A journey that was meant to get them ready for all that God had for them. A journey that was supposed to be short but turned into a 40 year endeavor.
Why 40 years? 40 years because for most of it they refused to get ready. In fact, it got so bad and they became so disobedient, that at one point God told them that they would not enter the promised land and would die in the wilderness, but that their children would enter it.
Here’s what this is saying to us. If we’re not willing to get ready, if were’ not willing to go deeper, then we could very well miss out on what God is getting ready to do. Like the children of Israel, we could be standing at the edge of the promised land but forbidden to enter.
To be honest, I think we are beginning to see this happen. I believe that’s part of what Covid has done and is doing. It’s pruning the Church. Pruning churches that aren’t ready and won’t ever be ready. Pruning people from the church who are just playing games. It’s separating the chaff from the wheat. While at the same time sending a warning to the rest of us that we better get ready or we could be next. Because God’s not messing around.
Because He’s looking for a church that is ready, not a church that is dull in hearing.
He’s looking for a church that is mature and not still drinking milk.
He’s looking for a church that wants to move past elementary thinking and grow deeper while at the same time growing outwardly.
The question then is, “How do we do that?”
As we close this morning I’d like to give you several suggestions on how you can get ready and start growing deeper.
#1 - for some of you, in order to get ready, it starts with getting saved. It begins with you putting your faith in Jesus and making Him Lord of your life. And the truth is, there are some in this room right now that need to do that. And you know who you are. So, here’s what we’re going to do. If that’s you, I want you to get up right now and come up front. We have some mature believers up here that are going to pray with you and help you make this first initial step.
#2 - for some of you, in order to get ready, the next step for you is to get baptized. It’s time for you to take that step of obedience. It time for you to come publicly come out and proclaim your faith in Jesus. So, here’s what I want you to do. On Sunday, September 27th, we are doing baptisms at MCF. So, what I want you to do, grab the next steps card in your sermon notes, and check the box that says you’re getting baptized, and then drop it in the box on the wall on your way out. Because it’s time to take that next step. There’s no more, “Let me think about it” because there’s nothing to think about. You just need to be obedient and do it. It’s your next step to getting ready.
#3 - All of us need to get ready by going deeper. How do we do that? Two ways:
First, today I’m issuing a 30 day challenge. 30 days where you and I will spend 30 minutes in the word and 30 minutes in prayer. An hour of your day focused on God’s Word and being in His presence. 30 days where you will go deeper in your commitment to spiritual growth than you’ve ever gone before. And if you’ll do this, I can promise you that not only will you go to a new level spiritually, but as a church, we will deepen our impact in this community in a way we didn’t think was possible.
Second, in your sermon notes you have a handout with two sides. One side says Ministry Team and the other Connect Group. Turn to the side that says Connect Group.
Here’s the truth, if you want to go deeper, you have to make a commitment to something beyond Sunday morning. And here at MCF we have several opportunities for you to do that.
If you’re new to faith, you need to sign up for the starting point group. A group designed to help you grow in your new faith.
If your a seasoned Christian, you need to be in a connect group or a Bible study. You need to take time during the week where you surround yourself with other believers and walk through a bible study or curriculum together. Yo’ll see on the handout we have existing connect groups, we have a Wednesday women’s study, and we have Wednesday night classes with one class focusing on Christian parenting and the other on How to read your Bible.
And if one of those nights or times won’t work for you, then there’s opportunity for you to start your own group. A great place to start for some might be a family group. A group where you lead your own family in a weekly devotion or bible study. Or, you may want to start a group with a friend or some other couples where you weekly meet together to grow in your faith.
And so what I’m asking you to do is sign up to grow deeper and drop the card in the box on the wall as you leave today.
Finally, in order to grow deeper, we all need to get more involved.
In order to do that, turn that card over to the side that says “Ministry Team”.
The fact is, in order to grow deeper, you have to start growing in your gifts. A great way to do that is by joining a ministry team at MCF. As you can see on the handout, there are a number of ways for you to get involved. My challenge to you today is to select one and start moving forward as you begin to minister too and serve others.
Now, you might say, “Pastor, I’m not sure what I’d be good at or what my passion is.”
That’s ok. Because on Saturday, September 12th, from 9-noon, we are doing an all volunteer training, and at that training we are going to do a gifts assessment so we can help you discover your spiritual gifts and put you in a place where you can begin to not only grow personally, but begin to impact others.
So, again, check a box, get involved, and get ready for all that God is going to do.
I close with this. Yesterday morning my wife and I were talking about what it means to get ready. In the midst of that she had a word from the Lord that she quickly wrote down on our bathroom mirror. And it’s a word I think we need to hear and consider as we leave here today.
Denise’s Word.
Church, I want to be ready. I don’t want to be off focus. I don’t want to miss what God is about to do. And so my prayer is that you not leave hear today dull of hearing. But that you would leave here with a desire to get ready.
Let’s Pray