State of The Church 2021

Intro:

[Main Question] What is The Gathering’s mission and How do we fulfill it?

New Member’s Class - I was planning the new member’s class and thought that we could all benefit from looking at our vision/mission and preaching through how we go about fulfilling it.

This sermon isn’t about The Gathering; it’s about Christ. We are not a brand and we are not hoping to franchise. You are not a live TV audience for our self promotion. This is a Church. And this is a sermon about Christ.

The Church is the pillar and buttress of the truth. What is happening here is not going to happen anywhere else in our society. Do you think that it is happening in our universities were in our schools or in our businesses?

1 Timothy 3:15 (ESV) — 15 if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth.

Preach with texts and punchy/sticky truth why we do what we do at The Gathering.

Greeting/Hospitality -

What is the aroma of our church? Sometimes we can get used to a smell and we don’t realize that it really stinks, like coming home after vacation and realizing that your house has a weird smell to it. Or sometimes you walk into a room and you can tell that the people who were in there have been arguing - you can just feel the tension, right?

What about us? What is it like here?

Acts 2:42–47 (ESV) — 42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

Like Moses’ face was radiant because he had been with God (Ex. 34:29).

At The Gathering, Christ makes us into a warm and hospitable family.

Worship/Singing -

We are designed for worship. All people are. We will praise and promote and give our attention and energy to the things that we find valuable and most valuable in this life. And for the Christian, that of course is exclusively in Christ.

We worship because God is worthy.

We don’t sit back and listen to a soloist, we worship as a congregation. Congregational singing is encouraging - literally “give courage to” each other as we go through life together.

We choose songs that exalt Christ, not ourselves.

You won’t see a fog machine or a light show. In our age of entertainment culture and in our age of emotions as the rubric of truth, we are intentionally focused on having our hearts and minds shaped by songs that are tethered to God’s word and God’s self-revelation.

Ephesians 5:19 (ESV) — 19 addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart,

At The Gathering, Christ is supremely valuable and most worthy of our praise.

Preaching God’s word - exposition

2 Timothy 3:16 (ESV) — 16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,

Preaching isn’t a lecture. It isn’t a performance. It’s more like a declaration. Our best preaching is when we declare rightly what God, through His revealed word, says.

We do this primarily through what is called expositional preaching. In a nutshell, it means that whatever the point of the text is, is what the point of the sermon should be. In other words, we don’t just decide on a topic or idea and then find scriptures that fit our own agenda (often taking the verses out of their context). We don’t want to shape the Bible to our wills, we want to be shaped by God’s will. And so most of the time we will be covering large enough portions of scripture (usually going verse by verse) to see the context and setting enough to gain an accurate understanding.

At The Gathering, we believe God’s word to be truth that sets us free.

Prayer

Acts 2:42 (ESV) — 42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

Hebrews 7:23–25 (ESV) — 23 The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, 24 but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. 25 Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.

Christ is our High Priest. He is interceding for us. Some think that they can pray to Mary or other saints in order to get to God. We emphatically do not. We have direct fellowship with God given to us by Him through His Son. We pray in Jesus’ name and no one else’s. And we love this and relish this and delight to bring Him our needs and ask Him for strength and mercy.

At The Gathering, Christ alone intercedes for us.

I’d like to cover a few specific aspects of life at The Gathering in brief detail. I’ll go a bit quicker

Having kids in the service with us

We believe that some of the best lessons a child can learn would be to watch their parents worship.

Far too often our society farms out our children to the care and instruction of others. There are many, many families who rely on “children’s church” as the sole source of spiritual formation to their kids. We believe that that primary obligation lies with the parents.

That being said, we also (beginning next Sunday) want to teach our children well. On the first Sunday of the month we do hold a separate gathering for children with a message tailored to their age. We want them to ask questions and wrestle with the grand story of the Bible and their world with sharp and engaging lessons precisely aimed at their young hearts and ears.

We also love to hear the sound of babies in the service. We understand if you need to step out - there are two rooms available to you if you need them (the sermon audio is playing in both).

Communion every service

The gospel is central to everything we learn from scripture. Of all the lessons and truths that we will meditate upon, we can always make our way to the cross where we are reminded that Christ conquered, Christ delivered, Christ purchased, Christ fulfilled, Christ was merciful, Christ was just, Christ on our behalf.

It’s like a cooking show - you watch and your hungry but you don’t get to taste. We want every member to be reminded - to taste and partake - of the meal that God prepares for us from His word.

Giving generously to missions

Taking care of orphans and widows (Beacon and Lifeline ministries)

Taking care of each other’s needs

How could our church love and support its members? Maybe we could help some of our students or members who wanted to go into a trade school - maybe we would pay for the training?

Small Groups

Acts 2:46–47 (ESV) — 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

Fellowship of faithful men

There is so much responsibility for men to lead their homes and pastor their homes.

Many men abdicate their responsibility in these areas.

Why we don’t have a lot of programs at the church

In scripture, engagement with

Hospitality

Tactics: Taking Berlin by taking Normandy beach - taking Normandy beach by taking Omaha beach. Finding useful and manageable targets.

Your responsibility and our equipping

Charge to our people:

What is the cook say during the war, he is fighting by peeling potatoes

As a church member what you notice is likely to be what your gifting is.

Most of your body is blind. Most of you is not an eye. You should be thankful for that, but you should be aware that there are so many more parts doing work than just the eye

Stop feeling guilty - where God has placed you is where God has assigned you

Final ambitious charge and communion:

Confession:

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10, ESV)

Have we be afraid to work?

Have we looked down on our gifts and work and station?

Have we been jealous of others?

Have we been competitive?

Assurance of Pardon:

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:4–9, ESV)

Communion