Let's choose to...
Come Together • Sermon • Submitted
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Intro and Engage
Intro and Engage
Do you ever feel like you don’t know why you’re doing something? Sometimes you get committed to sometihng and then ask why? why am I doing this, over and over? Or maybe, you’re in a bit of a lull, like we spoke about last week - Searching for something more.
We are in a sermon series, which is annual theme | Come Together | Going through the Book of acts | How did they Live together | Face challenges | How that applies to us today |
And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common.
Key Verse | Last week spoke on being Devoted | Devoted to the one who matters most | We are the branch, connected to the vine | Our mission is to be the branch | Out of that place, with the help of God, we can be devoted to each other and to community |
This week, I want to speak about starting with the end in mind | Choosing to do…one thing, per week that wil lead to a life fulfilled by God, walking WITH God, living a life FOR God.
Today - Start with the end in mind, and that end, is a full relationship with God.
Title: We will choose to walk close to God
My Hope: Throughout message | You will be stirred to be intentional for God | To understand the WHY we do the things we do FOR God | and you are stirred up to action - and understand the end, is a beautiful relationship with God. And you will choose to walk close to God.
**Prayer**
Guitar | Mate said start with smoke on the water| What a boring Song | Pulled up metallica song | He said I was crazy | I was crazy | Gave up
Do you ever want somethin so bad, but you don’t know how to get it? The problem is, we want these things, but we don’t know how to start…small. We don’t keep the end in mind. **Get rich quick schemes**
The problem is, we want these things, but we don’t know how to start…small. We don’t keep the end in mind.
Live in an instant gratifying socieity, everything is now. but, great things are built from Consistency.
For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good.
So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.
Paul had desire | Let;s look at this desire | over, and over, creating a habit. So we are going to look at what the early Church did | get close to God| and then we are going to apply it |
What’s the end? I want to be like King David | In wilderness | Running from Saul | Scared | In a valley, not on the mountain | Maybe you’re here|
psalm 63:1-4
O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for you,
as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,
beholding your power and glory.
Because your steadfast love is better than life,
my lips will praise you.
So I will bless you as long as I live;
in your name I will lift up my hands.
Look at the trust | Look at the desire | This is my end - This is where I want my heart posture to be toward the Lord. Early Church shows us activities that bring us close to God |
And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
First thing |Picture, 3,000 jews, gentiles just heard Peters sermon, hungry for more, they had a desire -
Apostles Teaching; Dual meaning here - Greek word Didasko - it has this meaning The Word of God and of instruct | teach from doctorine | instructions, be explained, inform, | It was the way the apostles passed the teaching, run the church, made decisions - There was this community, the apostles knew the needs, teaching was relevant | I can honestly say I have so much love for you | For transformation | Jesus has done a work in my heart | I want to see that done in others | There is something about receiving teaching that is specificaly for a community, if God is in it | I do believe I have been called to Teach | Love | Spiritually protect | Pray for | grow | and God willing, I will do that to the BEST of my abiltiy | It says that leaders are the ‘watchdogs of your souls’ | It means there is something here for you, in this message |
Comes back to Discipleship, that need to be discipled | I have people to keep me acwcountable, to learn from, grow from | We should all want that | Why? Not as strong as we think | Real enemy
2nd meaning is the actual Word of God
Obviously talking about the Word of God - The word of God does what:
It provides you DIRECTION
Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light to my path.
2. It pushes you toward Sanctification; Set Apart
Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.
3. It is your offensive weapon against th enemy.
and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,
The disciples Devoted themselves to this | There is power here | Let’s get hold of it.
So what do we do? We choose to do 1 thing - Implement 1 thing | James 1:22
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
Waht do we know? Listening to the Word does nothing, doing the word brings Change
We choose to change - We choose to Impliment 1 thing - 1 thing from each Sermon | or from the Verse of the day | From the Bible, that you are going to change in your life | what is it? It might be this? | examples - Conviction. Make it small.
We choose to.. Change.
2nd thing - Devoted to the Fellowship | Koinonia | Interesting word;
that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
Talk about this type of fellowship | What is super interesting;
comes from the greek word; Koinonikos = Generosity.
Quick note: Generoisty not about what you HAVE | It’s about the HEART | If you are not generous with a little, you will not be generous with a lot.
You know this - Poor people that are stingy, and rich ppl that are stingy | Poor that generous /Rich generous etc | Rich man in luke 12 | Rich get richer | he said “What do I do?” - I know, give more; no,
luke 12:18
And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.
And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.” ’
Why, did he do what he always done? Becuase more money doesn’t make you more generous | If you want to be generous when you have more | Be generous when you have less | If you want community, true community, start by being, generous - Generous with your time | Resources | What God has given you may be for someone else |
Who are we? We are faith-filled, spirit lead, truth seeking warriors of God who are irrationally generous | Why? Because Jesus was extremely generous to us |
The Lie - If I am generous, I will lose more.
The Truth
Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord,
and he will repay him for his deed.
The Lie - If I am generous, I will burn out.
The truth
Whoever brings blessing will be enriched,
and one who waters will himself be watered.
Lie: God has not given me enough to give;
Truth
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
If you want to feel koinonia, feel fellowship, feel a part of something, choose to be generous. Generous is not what we do, it’s who we are. Generous with your time, resources, money.
What is the 2nd thing we are going to do?
We are going to choose to commit to eachother. 1 Person | Text | Be with | Share a mean | Offer help | 1 person. be intentional. Who can you help? We are going to choose to…connect.
Ok, last 2 things was the breaking of bread and to the prayers;
Lord’s supper and meals with each other | Tells us = worshipping church | later says temples and homes | Awe and Joy came upon them
*Show Picture* - This is what we are trying to create - Multi-Generational | Everyone eating from one table -physically/spiritually | Look at the diversity | Look at the conversations that are happening | out of this | Relationship is formed | We have other opportunities - Get connected | Gerlind who faithfully served has started primetimers | Treva, who we have journeyed with, prayed with, social committee | There is koinonia happening | I want you all to be a part of it |
What are we going to do? Interesting = Hunger and lonliness kicks off same chemical in our brain | Something about eating together |
We are going to choose to…eat together | Share a meal | I’ll let you cheat - do it in Church | Be a rebel have 2
4th thing - We are going to choose to…Pray faithfully | Time | Plan | Place
do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Application
Application
Why should we do these things? | Closer to each other, closer to God | We start with the end in mind | We start small - David fell, got up, fell, got up | We start small.
Who are we? We are faith-filled, spirit lead, truth seeking warriors of God - We are Spiritual Contributors, not Spiritual consumers and we will be connected to the Vine - to Life Source | So we will;
Choose to change - Impliment 1 thing from sermon or Bible | Examples: Anxious for Nothing | Love wife like Christ loves church | The Tithe |
Choose to commit to each other - Be generous with time | Text 1 person for the week | Be with someone | Come to connect group | Connect when you don’t need it so people are there when you do.
Choose to eat together - Why, sometihng about sharing meal | eating together | Fellowshipping
Choose to Pray Faithfully - We will get a time | Plan | Place
Put a reminder in phone | Sticky Note | Find a way to remember | You will…gauranteed, get closer to God | Something else will happen | You will find yourself, in community | You will find yourself loved | Accepted | Valued Connected | Protected by your church family | But we need to COME TOGETHEr, and do it TOGETHER | One table | One Community.
Last week - 148 hours in a week - How will you spend them
Close
Close
One Choice - in each of these areas - Maybe you need to make one Choice now | If Christ Follower, maybe it’s to commit | Give it your all | Maybe you have been convicted | Maybe it’s time for you | to get prayer | to change your life | to step into what God has for you ] If not a Christ follower | Maybe you need to make a choice | Let me tell you about God’s Choice
**PRAYER**
**Song**