Collective Church

We have all sinned.  We all need a saving salvation.  We all have been spared.  It's week 3 of our 4 part series and we're look at how Jesus saves us from suffering and sin through his death.

We're kicking off a 4 part series this week titled "Jesus." Many people know about Jesus but do they really know Jesus.  For four weeks we're taking the time to look at the nature of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ and we begin today by looking at how Jesus SEEKS us.  

We're wrapping up this series today and focusing on Colossians 4:2-6.  In this passage Paul tells us that we should be steadfast with our prayer, but also gives us examples of how we should act as missionaries for Christ.  We'll look at six key things we can pray for as we go on mission with Jesus.

"He who prays as he ought, will endeavor to live as he prays." - John Owen

Key Scripture: Romans 12:1-2

Key Thought: Living on mission simply requires you to align your every day life with Jesus' mission.

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:1-2 ESV 

“So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.”  Romans 12:1-2 MSG 

Aligning Your Everyday Life With The Mission of Jesus 

1. Place Your Life Before God

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” Romans 12:1 ESV 

2. Identify Your Circles of Influence 

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind…” Romans 12:2 ESV

3. Identify Your One’s In Those Circles

“…that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:2 ESV

Key Thought: JESUS MADE YOU FOR A MISSION. 
Key Passage: Luke 5:17-26 NIV

“The mission Jesus had while on earth is now our mission because we are the Body of Christ. What he did in his physical body we are to continue as his spiritual body, the church. What is that mission? Introducing people to God!” Rick Warren 

"Jesus said to them again, '…As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.'” John 20:21 ESV

"Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God."  2 Corinthians 5:18-20 ESV 

 Observations of the Men and Their Paralyzed Friend: 

1.     They identified their one. 

"Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus." Luke 5:18 NIV

 2.     They didn’t let what was in the way stop them from getting their one to The Way.

"When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus." Luke 5:19

3.     They trusted Jesus to do what only Jesus could do.

"When Jesus saw their faith, he said, 'Friend, your sins are forgiven.'" Luke 5:20

4. They didn’t take for granted what they had witnessed. 

"Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God. Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, 'We have seen remarkable things today.'" Luke 5:25-26

When we look at Psalm 103, we can get a picture of the benefits of knowing the Lord.

Forget Not His Benefits:

1. He forgives you (103:3)
2. He heals you (103:3)
3. He redeems you (103:4)
4. He crowns you (103:4)
5. He satisfies you (103:5)

Jesus wants you to join Him in His mission - the mission of saving souls.

"But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God." Acts 20:24 NLT

"As he was walking along the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter), and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. 'Follow me,' he told them, 'and I will make you fish for people.' Immediately they left their nets and followed him. Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat with Zebedee their father, preparing their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him." Matthew 4:18-22 CSB

Three Truths About Fishing For People:

1. Jesus Doesn’t Call The Best, He Calls The Willing

"As he was walking along the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter), and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the sea — for they were fishermen. Immediately they left their nets and followed him. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. ‘ Matthew 4:18,20,22 CSB

2. Jesus Calls Us First To Be With Him, Not Do For Him 

“Follow me,” he told them… Matthew 4:19 CSB 

3. Jesus Calls Us To Be Disciples That Make Disciples

“…I will make you fish for people.” Matthew 4:19 CSB 

"My Father is glorified by this: that you produce much fruit and prove to be my disciples." John 15:8 CSB

"Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20 CSB

“God’s plan for discipleship is not something, but someone.” Robert Coleman

OBSERVATION: Most married couples have good intentions that they often fail to act upon. 

 "No one will be remembered for what they planned to do." Bob Goff

 Three Intentional Marriage Goals

 1. If you think something good, SAY IT. 

 "How beautiful are your sandaled feet, O queenly maiden. Your rounded thighs are like jewels, the work of a skilled craftsman. Your navel is perfectly formed like a goblet filled with mixed wine. Between your thighs lies a mound of wheat bordered with lilies. Your breasts are like two fawns, twin fawns of a gazelle." Song of Songs 7:1-3 NLT  

"The tongue can bring death or life." Proverbs 18:21

 2. If you think something special, DO IT. 

 "Come, my love, let us go out to the fields and spend the night among the wildflowers. Let us get up early and go to the vineyards to see if the grapevines have budded, if the blossoms have opened, and if the pomegranates have bloomed. There I will give you my love. There the mandrakes give off their fragrance, and the finest fruits are at our door, new delights as well as old, which I have saved for you, my lover." Song of Songs 7:11-13 NLT

 3. If you want something different, BE IT. 

 "Oh, I wish you were my brother, who nursed at my mother’s breasts. Then I could kiss you no matter who was watching, and no one would criticize me." Song of Songs 8:1 NLT

The Bible describes your life as a mist (James 4:14). How do you make that short time count with your kids? How can you intentionally invest in them so that they might also live intentionally for the glory of God?

In Psalm 127:3-4 you will find an interesting passage about kids: "Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him. Children born to a young man are like arrows in a warrior’s hands." 

A Biblical Plan For Intentional Parenting 

1. Guide them toward a godly identity 

"So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do." Ephesians 5:15-17 NIV 

"Then the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person. Then the Lord God said, 'It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.' So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep. While the man slept, the Lord God took out one of the man’s ribs and closed up the opening. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib, and he brought her to the man." Genesis 2:7,18,21-22 NLT 

2. Help them develop godly character

Honor

    • Parents (Exodus 20:12) 

    • Those in Authority (Romans 13:7) 

    • Pastors / church leaders (1 Timothy 5:17) 

    • One another (Romans 12:10)

Purity

"Like a muddied spring or a polluted well are the righteous who give way to the wicked." Proverbs 25:26 NIV

God doesn’t seek for golden vessels, and does not ask for silver ones, but He must have clean ones. — Dwight L. Moody

Loyalty

    • Spouse (Malachi 2:15-16) 

    • Friends (Proverbs 17:17) 

    • Church (Acts 2:42-46)

"Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world." James 4:8 NLT 

Integrity

“I will not deny my integrity” Job 27:5 NIV

Gratitude

    • Philippians 4:11-13

    • Proverbs 15:15

3. Lay a foundation for godly community 

"As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend." Proverbs 27:17 NLT

"…bad company corrupts good character.” 1 Corinthians 15:33

4. Point them toward God’s mission

"David had served God’s purpose in his own generation…" Acts 13:36 NIV

Being Intentional: Time after Time

What do we do with TIME?

In his book, Emotionally Healthy Leader, Peter Scazzero says, “We are human beings not human doings.”

“We need to slow down and intentionally embrace being in the presence of God.” PJ Noland

We need to stop “spending our time” and intentionally be in the now of our present time.  

3 POINTS OF FOCUS THAT WILL HELP US BE INTENTIONAL WITH OUR TIME:

1. Set Goals

•               Philippians 3:12-14

“Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me His own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and staining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

•               Romans 12:2

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

2. Know God

•               Matthew 22:34-37

“But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, the gathered together. And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”

3. Love yourself, to Love others

•               Matthew 22:38-39

“This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

•               Matthew 22:40

“On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

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1. Have a mentor or some

Accountability to help us with our time. 

2. Feed the desire (or the goal). If you want to read the Bible more do it. Start reading and be intentional. We can’t stop at words, feed the desire.

3. If you’re not intentional with yourself and your time with the Lord, then you can not be intentional with your neighbor and love them like you should.

4. Verse 40 of Matthew 22...”on these two commandments depend ALL the law and the prophets.” Everything else falls under those things. All of the precious laws and prophets lived intentionally by those commandments.