Jubilee Class

Pastor Leonard DeWitt February 22, 2015

“HERE IS WHAT IT TAKES”

Introduction

Christ is building His Church. Each of us who have received Him as Savior and Lord, is a part of His Church. His plan is to grow His Church through us. Please remember – HE HAS NO OTHER PLAN! He has set before us certain principles that must be followed for us to become the church He wants to build.

LESSON

A.  We must preach and teach God’s truth.

  1. We must know the truth. (John 8:32)
  2. We must believe the truth. (1 Cor. 9:16)
  3. We must speak the truth. (1Tim. 2:3-6).
  4. We just live the truth. (1 Cor. 14:8; 1 John 2:24-25)

B.  When we meet, it must be to worship our Great God. (Psalm 29:2)

Note: Worship happens when we yield all of our nature to God. (Psa. 95:6-7)

Note: In true worship -

1.  The leader is prompter.

2.  The congregation are the performers.

3.  God is the audience.

Note: When we worship –

1.  Our goal should be to bring glory to God. (1 Cor. 10:31)

2.  We should consciously express our gratitude for His goodness.(Heb. 12:28-29; Psa. 100)

3.  Our goal should be to please Him. (Rev. 14:7)

C.  The Church Must Be Guided By Christ-centered Spirit-filled Leaders. (Eph. 4:1; 1 Tim. 5:17)

  1. A leader’s life must exhibit purity (Prov. 16:2; Psa. 24:4)
  2. A leader’s life must exhibit sincerity. (Matt. 23:1-3)
  3. A leader’s life must exhibit humility. (Phil. 2:3-5)

D.  Each of us must give God our very best in every area of service. (Eccl. 9:10; Col. 3:23-24)

Motto: “Since the Church bears Christ’s name, we must give Him our best.” (Col. 3:17)

E.  Christ’s Church Must Go Forward By Faith. (Heb. 11:6)

1.  We must keep our eyes on God. (2 Chron.20:10-12)

2.  We must listen for God to speak. (1 Samuel 3:10)

3.  Never forget that all things are possible with God. (Matt. 19:26)

4.  Our faith must be bold. (Prov. 29:18)

5.  Our faith must be willing to take risks. (John 14:13-14)

Quote: “We’re going to try something so big that if God isn’t in it, it will surely fail.” Bill Beauchamp.

F.  Christ’s Church Must Radiate Unity and Harmony. (Psa. 133;1; Eph. 4:3)

1.  Listen to Christ’s prayer for the church in (John 17:20-21)

2.  God hates the one who sows discord among the membership. (Prov. 6:19; Titus 3:9)

3.  Consider what happened after the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost. (Acts. 2:38-47)

G.  In Christ’s Church Everyone Should Participate and Support its Ministries. (1 Peter 2:5,9; Matt. 28:19)

1.  God’s plan has always been for the leaders to train the members for the work of ministry. (Eph. 4:11-12)

2.  God’s ordained purpose is for each of us to be a priest to serve God. (Rev. 1:5-6)

H.  Christ’s Church Must Continually Engage in Fellowship

1.  The church was devoted to fellowship (Acts. 2:42)

2.  Authentic fellowship is motivated by the Holy Spirit and keeps the church healthy. (1 John 1:7; Rom. 5:5)

3.  When we love one another, God lives in us and His love is made complete in us. (1John 4:12)

Note: “Jesus motivated the diverse group of twelve disciples to sacrifice their egos in service to each other.” Bob Russell. (Matt. 20:25-28)

I.  Members of Christ’s Church Must Learn and Exhibit the Joy of Stewardship. (1 Tim. 6:17-18)

Note: Are you aware that Jesus actually talked more about stewardship than any other subject?

1.  Consider the truth of (Luke 16:13)

2.  Giving generously to God’s work can transform your life. (Mark 10:21)

3.  You can’t out-give God. (Acts 20:35; Luke 6:38)

J.  Christ’s Church Must Be Passionate about Reaching Lost People. (Matt. 28:19-20)

1.  The primary purpose of Christ’s church is found in Luke 19:10.

·  It is very easy for a church to lose her focus and dabble in many things.

2.  We must never forget there is only one way for lost people to be saved, (John 14:6; Acts 4:12)

3.  Reaching the lost must be a cooperative venture. (1 Cor. 3:6)

CONCLUSION

Any congregation that will embrace and commit to these principles will experience the favor of God, corporately and individually. Let’s determine to be the Church rather than just do church.

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