A Church in Action
What is the Church • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 2 viewsFellowship and Discipleship in the Church
Notes
Transcript
“A Church in Action”
Introduction
· Last 3 months-What is the Church?
· 2 Foundational Functions of the church
· Why it exists in the world? Evangelism
· Why is exists as a gathered community? Discipleship
· We’ve looked at many Scripture references during this time
· Encourage you to go back to bulletins and YouTube
· I am also happy to get you those Scriptures. Just ask
· With all we’ve looked at in Scripture, everything was built on the Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20
· These 3 versus tie both evangelism and discipleship together.
· Go and make disciples – Sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with unbelievers
· Teach them all I have commanded you – Discipleship
· 4th and the last sermon concerning fellowship and discipleship in the church
· In fact, this is last sermon in our series “What is the Church?”
· Title: “A Church in Action”
Prayer
State of the church
· Many Christians in America don’t identify with a local church
· They believe you can still be a Christian even if you don’t go to church
· Technically, this is true. However, it would be like saying I can be married but not live with my spouse.
· The Bible teaches us that the church is a family, a body, and the bride of Christ.
· If you are not an integral part of the local church, you are without the family, a spiritual orphan.
· You are also separated from the body, like being just a foot without every other part.
· And you are like a bride who never sees the groom.
· As Christians, we are called to be part of the local and universal church.
· In Matthew, Jesus says, “On this rock I will build my church” not I will make a bunch of believers living individual lives.
· The church is a visual representation of Christ and the Kingdom of God on earth.
1 Peter 2:9 – Put yourself in this reality
9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
Review from last time
· God made men and woman to be relational people.
· Why we meet as a community of believers
· This relationship as a community and our fellowship with each other is actually a picture of the perfect unity and fellowship of the Triune God.
We looked at what our discipleship and fellowship looks like in the church from Philippians 1:27-2:11
· We learned that to have a healthy, effective church, we must have “Mind of Christ”
· We receive this mind when we come to faith in Jesus through the indwelling Holy Spirit.
· It is the Spirit who reveals the Mind of Christ to us and empowers us to live out this mindset.
· Philippians 2:6-11 (The Hymn of Christ) showed us what this mind looks like.
· Overview from Hymn of Christ
· Jesus is our perfect example of humility, of selflessness, and self sacrifice for others.
· We walk in a manner worthy of the Gospel as we emulate the attitudes and actions of Jesus.
· We let go of selfish ambition and conceit and insteadputting others needs and interests ahead of our own in all humility.
Today – An indepth look at:
The attitudes, characteristics, and actions of a healthy church as it relates to fellowship and discipleship.
1st - What our fellowship should look like
Colossians 3:12-17
12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Next - Discipleship
Ephesians 4:11-16
11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ.
We also study the Word of God ourselves that we would be strengthened and maturing in the faith.
In turn, we disciple others in the same way, that they too would be strengthened and maturing in the faith.
2 Timothy 3:16-17
16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
Colossians 3:16
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
Conclusion
Illustration
· Pilot checking things off before take-off
· Many Christians check the box to please God
Quote: Allistair Beg for self-examination
Do you give priority to God’s voice? Do you let His word be the priority among all the voices you listen to? Or do you give Him an hour on Sunday and assume that will be enough to hold you over for a week? The Almighty God calls His people to allow their minds to be renewed, transformed by exposure to and meditation upon His holy Word.
When we're saved, God calls us not to an isolated pursuit of individualistic faith but to communal belonging in His forever family. The church is that family, made up of believers across time and space, gathered together to worship the Lord and proclaim His good news.
Let’s examine ourselves
Is this the view we hold of the church, or is going to church a box to check to please God?
Prayer
Next week: Book of Colossians