We Are Fellowship August 28 th, 2016

Transcription

1 1 We Are Fellowship August 28 th, Turn to Nehemiah 8 - Recognize & thank Frank Green Operations Director since 2012 Aaron Jones has been hired as our Interim Director - PRAY (Slide) What does it mean to be part of this local church called Fellowship Community Church? What does it say to the world when you wear this shirt? If a co-worker, or a classmate, or even a stranger in the community, stopped you and asked, Hey, what s that church all about?, what would you say? What does it mean to be part of Fellowship Community Church? Who are we? What do we do? If there s anyone who ought to know the answers to those questions, shouldn t it be us the people who make up this church? (TAKE SLIDE DOWN NOW) I think the best place to start in answering those questions is with our stated Purpose or Mission Statement.

2 2 Our Purpose (Mission) On the Wall (SAY IT OUT LOUD) All the ministries of our church are designed toward the goal of making disciples of Jesus. Now before we talk about how we do that, let s think about how NOT to make disciples Youtube clip: Francis Chan. How not to make disciples. (1:59) You don t make disciples by talking about it, or memorizing it, or going to a conference. Those things might help, but you make disciples by doing it! How many churches are actively making disciples? What role are YOU playing in the disciple-making process of someone else or in the lives of other believers? You see, it s not enough just to become a disciple of Jesus, Christ also demands that you and I make disciples of others. Now the best way to begin to do this is to live-out the practices of a disciple of Jesus. You can t pass on to someone what you either don t know or aren t doing. So this is where it begins. In the context of a local church (not talking about personal habits that s a message for another time) there are 3 core practices emphasized in Scripture that should characterize disciples of Jesus things we do together. And we put these on the wall also so we don t forget them because these also help explain who we are and what we do 1. Worshiping Together

3 When we proclaim to the world that, WE ARE FELLOWSHIP, we are saying that we are committed to worshiping Jesus and we do that in the context of a church family. For disciples of Jesus, worshiping Jesus is to be something that we do just like breathing it s every second of every day keeping the focus of our lives on Jesus Christ in a spirit of worship and reverence and obedience. But worshiping Jesus in the context of a church family means we recognize both the example IN Scripture and the command OF Scripture to worship Him with others as part of a church family and we do this on Saturday evenings and Sunday mornings. (Slide) The Bible on Worship And every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple complex, and broke bread from house to house praising God and having favor with all the people. Acts 2:46a-47a And let us be concerned about one another in order to promote love and good works, not staying away from our meetings, as some habitually do, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day drawing near. Hebrews 10:24-25 There is a spiritual power of unity and fellowship that is generated by the Holy Spirit of God when believers gather together to lift up Jesus and to align their lives in obedience to the Word of God. Our philosophy of worship here at Fellowship is built on three pillars: we strive to have worship services that are: 3

4 4 1. Christ-focused = meaning since Jesus is going to be the object of our worship in heaven for eternity it would be a good idea if He were the object of worship right now on earth til we get there amen?! 2. Bible-based = meaning all we do has it s basis in the Word of God, not the traditions of men or religion 3. Spirit-led = meaning God, not the worship leader, or the pastor, is in charge And we have three goals that we seek God for every weekend when we come together: 1. Anticipation Expecting to meet with God Expecting God to move in people s lives Expecting God to move in MY life 2. Participation Calling people to not watch the worship team or to passively listen to someone preach the Word, but to give their hearts in worship of our great God through singing, mental engagement and surrender to the truths and commands of His Word 3. Transformation Seeking God to change lives by being in His presence and through the Holy Spirit moving in our hearts and lives Our desire is to take people vertical in an encounter with the living God! Meeting with God every week in a life-changing way is what EVERYONE needs!!!

5 None of this can happen through human effort. It is only through the power of God that people will anticipate being with Him, and participate in seeking Him and surrender their heart and lives to Him and thus be transformed by Him. This is why we must PRAY! (Together before the services; on our own throughout the week; possessing a spirit of prayer during the services) Fellowship Community Church is not for seekers, or even for followers of Christ. We are FOR God, ABOUT God and all this is THROUGH God to the glory of His Son Jesus. Amen? Can we give the Lord a round of applause?! Let me hone in on the aspect of our services being Bible-based. Look at Nehemiah 8. READ Nehemiah chapter 8. I see a number of examples here that we should follow in our desire to be a church that is Bible-based, especially when we gather together in worship. (SLIDE) 1.) The spiritual leaders placed the priority on the Word of God over everything else. They encouraged everyone to be present to hear it (7:5) They took the time to not just read it but to explain it to the people (8:7-8) They equipped those responsible for teaching it others so that everyone could understand God s Word (8:13) 5

6 6 2.) The people professed a respect for God through their adherence to His Word (8:3, 5-6) 3.) The Word provided the foundation of their worship (8:5-6) Fellowship, every weekend we make God s Word the basis for our worship. In addition, we read it and study it as we gather together. Like Ezra did in Nehemiah s day, we seek to make the meaning of the Scriptures plain so everyone can understand it and apply it to their lives. Your presence here every weekend shows God that you respect Him and you respect His Word. But the opposite is also true. When events and leisure activities and sports become equal options for us during weekend worship services, we re showing disrespect toward God and His holy Word. Why? Because they re not equal! God s Word, read and studied in the context of the church family is to be our priority. That s not a popular view even in churches today, but it s the view of God and the Bible, so I m sticking to it and I recommend you do too! So to say We are Fellowship mean we possess a commitment to worshiping God with the Word of God as our foundation. A second practice we pursue is 2. Fellowshipping Together

7 (Slide) The Bible on Fellowship And they devoted themselves to the apostles teaching, to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayers. Acts 2:42 And every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple complex, and broke bread from house to house praising God Acts 2:46a-47a Like the early church the structure we ve designed where we can be together and grow together in Christian fellowship here at Fellowship, is in small groups. We call them Growth Groups. TESTIMONY: Charlotte Schmidt (SLIDE) This fall s study: Uncommon Community We re going to dig deep into the Word of God so we have a clear understanding of how God views fellowship and how we can pursue and experience the kind of fellowship together that honors God. Through this study we ll be learning about what the Bible says about loving each other, serving each other, forgiving each other, encouraging each other and being devoted to each other. My brothers and sisters, we need this. We need to reclaim the meaning of what biblical fellowship is all about and we need to put into practice together. 7

8 8 If there s any church in Norwalk and central Iowa that models what biblical fellowship is all about it should us Fellowship Community Church amen?! - Sign-ups begin in 2 weeks - It s not hard to lead a group. We ll train you and talk you thru the curriculum, then go find a few friends who can meet when you want to meet and go for it. Stop at the table and talk with Matt about leading a group - We have an expectation and a goal: our expectation is that every member of our church will be in a growth group. What s the point of being a member of a church if you re not going to fellowship with the people of that church? That s what being a member of this church is all about. Our goal is that everyone who attends Fellowship will join a group. You don t have to be a member here to fellowship with us in a group. We DO require that all our leaders are members, but not participants. Now some of you have expressed interest in our INSTE Bible College Groups and that is exciting. Obviously you won t be doing the Uncommon Community Study. But I want you to know that the same biblical principles that are in the Uncommon Community are also imbedded in the INSTE curriculum. So you re not going to miss out.

9 But we need to hear from you today if you are serious about being a part of an INSTE Group. It s looking like we may need to offer 2 certificate groups because a number of you are expressing interest and we thank God for that! So Stop at the table and speak with Matt. We re having an info. gathering about INSTE coming up this week and he can tell you all about it. Now, for time s sake this evening I can only cover one more point when it comes to what it means when we say, We are Fellowship. There s actually a lot more that identifies who we are and what we do when you consider our 20/20 Vision and our Priorities, but that will have to wait for another time. The third practice that we do together is 3. Serving Together Turn to 1 Peter 4:7-11 (Slide) The Bible on Serving: 1. All believers have received a gift as a tool of service (vs. 10a) Spiritual Gift: A graciously given, free, and supernatural spiritual capacity for service granted to every believer by which the Holy Spirit ministers to the body of Christ. In our Growth Groups this fall we re going to assist you in beginning to discover what your spiritual gifts are with a gifts survey. 9

10 10 2. The object of our service is to others in the body of Christ (vs. 10b) 3. We are managers of God s gifts (vs. 10c) 4. Our ultimate motive and goal in using our gifts to serve others is to bring glory to God (vs. 11b). Thank you for serving/assisting with our Norwalk School Employees Lunch while Lisa & I were on vacation. I heard nothing but kind words and good comments. READ THANK YOU OPPORTUNITIES INSERT Let me give you three pieces of counsel: Actions Steps: 1. If you are faithfully using your gifts in service and are fulfilled, stay the course. If you feel God might be leading you to alter the use of your gifts in serving, then pray, get counsel and be open to being used by God in a different way. 2. Once you find your sweet spot guard it and don t become imbalanced by saying yes to every opportunity that arises as this can lead to burn out. 3. If you re not regularly using your gifts in serving then now is as good a time as any to just jump in! Walk around the fair. Talk to our ministry reps. Find out what s going on around here and find a place to serve.

11 MINISTRY FAIR INSTRUCTIONS - Popcorn/tables for your children - Preschoolers will be kept by our volunteers so you can look around at the fair and speak with our ministry leaders STAND / BOW HEADS-CLOSE EYES WORSHIP TEAM SING OFFERING Dave Worship 11