Pastor Michael Adams recasts the vision of LifeGate Church in this Sunday morning celebration.Vision Sunday
Pastor Michael Adams
Sunday, July 1, 2012
www.mylifegatechurch.com
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Sermon Notes:
Vision Sunday 7-1
Big Idea: Taking ownership of our “home” and making sure everyone gets “3 touches”.
Intro:
- The family and the church are the two institutions God established.
- They are the vehicles for life transformation
- The local church is a family and this is our “home”
Ephesians 3:8-10
And so here I am, preaching and writing about things that are way over my head, the inexhaustible riches and generosity of Christ. My task is to bring out in the open and make plain what God, who created all this in the first place, has been doing in secret and behind the scenes all along. Through followers of Jesus like yourselves gathered in churches, this extraordinary plan of God is becoming known and talked about even among the angels!
“A regional church sharing the life-giving message of Jesus with West Georgia and the world”
Ephesians 4:16
He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.
Illus. Cruise Ship verses Battleship
"My church must be a battleship, not a cruise liner. If you are to pierce the darkness and rescue souls lost on the scratch, you cannot be a ship of spectators. Everyone must know why they are on board."
Wayne Cordeiro. Doing Church As A Team
- Every member a minister
- It’s not one person doing 100 things, it’s 100 people doing one thing
Ephesians 4:11-12
New Living Translation (NLT)
11 Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. 12 Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.
"equipping" (katartismos) - comes from the verb” to mend”
- The same verb is used n Mark 1:19 when James and John were in the boat mending their nets The torn nets may have gotten snagged on the rocky bottom of the Sea of Galilee, so these fishermen mended them prior to their next fishing trip.
- They were equipping the nets to fulfill the purpose for which they had been created: to catch fish!
Illus. My dad and sports equipment
- In the same way we are mended/equipped by hearing the Word and being connected to the local church.
- Our purpose isn’t fulfilled by sitting on the “shelf” but rather being thrown into the sea.
1 Thessalonians 2:11-12 (NKJV)
11 as you know how we exhorted, and comforted, and charged every one of you, as a father does his own children, 12 that you would walk worthy of God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.
So What?
People can experience the love of Jesus through “3 touches” whether in our homes, businesses, or churches. All three flow from a heart that is others- focused.
3 Touches:
1. Exhort (Build Them Up):
- Encourage and cheer others on. This is accomplished with a warm, sincere, friendly greeting.
- Always strive to be ‘people-focused’, not ‘task-focused.
- Jesus wants to meet people through you. He wants to cheer them on through you. He wants to move them closer to a life-changing moment through you.
Exhorting Tips:
- Smile and make eye contact.
2. Comfort (Lift Them Up):
- Come alongside others and walk in their shoes, hear them.
- This requires a deeper level of connection.
- Being sensitive to others begins with being sensitive to the Holy Spirit
- What are they saying with theirs words, their body language, their actions. Are they nervous, awkward, confused, mad, hurt?
- God has brought them across your path on purpose. Expect God to speak to you concerning people. Move from greeting them to loving them.
Comforting Tips:
- Comforting begins giving them your name, then hearing their name. Sociologists tell us the most pleasant sound people can hear is their name spoken in a friendly manner.
- Call them by name. Assure them, compliment them, even pray with them if you sense the Holy Spirit’s direction to do so. Go beyond a wave and a smile.
3. Charge (Fire Them Up)
- The word is ‘edify’, not a word we use much. The best definition is a word picture—connecting a dead car battery to a live one to jump it off. We are the live battery! Raise the level of expectation with this touch.
Charging Tips:
- Be excited. Meet people where they are and lead to expect God’s best.
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