Our mission:

to lead people into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ, for the good of our community and the sake of the world.

"neighbor"

Luke 10:25-37

Do you have a heart that cares for people?

How do we let our community know that God is FOR them?

FOR our community... who we are when we gather, and who we are when we go.

#1) Be FOR four families

#2) Be FOR our community partners

#3) Invest-and-Invite

If our church ceased to exist, would anyone in our community notice?

#forhancockcounty

Message by Bob Crosthwaite, Pastor Emeritus

John 10:1-10

What voices are you listening to?

Do we recognize the voice of Jesus when there are so many others?!

Each one of us matters so very much.

Isaiah 49:16

What voices are familiar or unfamiliar to us?

Where He leads us, may we follow!

All the way... to the cross of Jesus, and to God's heaven, our eternal home.

**Listen to the Voice

The Bible is our standard.

God: revelation = self-disclosure > speculation

Spiritual gifts are our ministry tools.

abilities distributed to every believer by the Holy Spirit, and empowered by the Holy Spirit for the common good of the body of Christ.

Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, Ephesians 4, 1 Peter 4

Every member is a minister; every member is equipped for service.

Servanthood is our operating style.

See: span of care

Our definition of success is NT community.

Forgive, Accept, Care, Encourage, Submit

The way we treat each other is a reflection of how we think about God.

Small groups function as basic church.

Life change happens best in small groups.

Children and youth participate fully in church life.

FCF should be culturally relevant while remaining biblically-based.

For example: environment, music, preaching

Excellence honors God and inspires people.

- bringing the best we have to offer.

Lost people matter to God.

Luke 19:10

Luke 15

John 2:1-11

God can, and does, intervene in our lives at any given moment.

He provides us with exactly what we need.

There is always a part for God to play.

God always saves the best for last.

Practical Take-Aways:

1) If Jesus could do this... what situation in your life could possibly be too complex or overwhelming for Him?

2) Jesus knows our situations.

3) Jesus is the master of every imaginable situation.

Ephesians 3:20-21

It is a great comfort to know…

that nothing catches God by surprise,

and nothing limits His ability to intervene in our lives.

Your setbacks could be God's set-ups!

THESE THINGS WE MUST DO:

#1: Keep the vision clear.

#2: Get everyone engaged.

Nehemiah 4:6

committed to the future

a significant mission

what we need people to do

What you are doing really matters!

#3: Make our gatherings meaningful and memorable.

Acts 2:43

#4: Pace ourselves.

1 Corinthians 9:24

We need you!

Galatians 5:22-23

Does the message of the Church matter?

These Are The Days!!

We are to treat each other in the church the way that God has treated each of us in Christ.

the “one anothers”

Galatians 6:2

1 Corinthians 12:12-27

When we care for one another...

we are caring for the Body of Christ.

we enable the Body to more effectively fulfill it’s mission.

no one is expected to carry someone else's burden alone.

if you don't let the body care for you, we all suffer.

pastoral care > span of care > congregational care

CARE TEAM:

grief support

medical recovery

home repair

crisis support

donors

Isaiah 60:1-7

The implication of Isaiah 60 is that no matter how negative your PAST or PRESENT status may be, God can make you rise and shine!

1) WHY rise and shine?

It is:

a command

of the Lord

our Lord is the light

a sign of life

2) HOW to rise and shine

Connect with Jesus

Consume God's Word

Commit to God's service

Cultivate righteous living

Call on God's promises

...and Give God Glory!

John 12

Luke 22:4-6

Luke 22:19-20

THE new covenant

**See Jeremiah 31:31

Types of covenants:

1) bilateral parity agreement

- between equals

2) suzerain / vassal treaty

- not between equals (i.e., monarch / subjects)

3) promissory covenant

- unilateral, conditional

- one party binds itself to an obligation for the benefit of the other party

**See Genesis 15:17

Jesus:

"...the new covenant in MY blood."

"It's on me. It's FOR you!"

The ORDINANCES:

sacrament: believed to infuse grace by their administration

ordinance: symbolic expression of our allegiance to Christ

BAPTISM & COMMUNION

baptizo: to dip, immerse, dye

Matthew 3

What about my church tradition?

Did my baptism count?

The meaning of baptism:

1) identification with Christ

2) symbolic of His death and resurrection

3) represents a cleansing

NOT part of the salvation process

NOT about joining a church

"An outward reflection of an inward connection!"

Galatians 5:22-23

- not a to-do list

- what the Holy Spirit wants to produce in us

- developing a heightened sensitivity to his leadership

LOVE

1 Corinthians 13

Love for God and others was central

to Jesus’ vision of how to be human.

JOY

happiness ≠ joy

John 15

Grace is an undeserved gift, and

grace leads to gratitude, and

gratitude gives way to joy.

PEACE

shalom — complete or whole

Romans 5:1

Philippians 4:6-7

PATIENCE

What if God is developing something in us in the waiting?

The tension in your life right now could be the focal point of God’s activity in your life.

KINDNESS

Kindness is seeing people.

Kindness is a one-size fits all policy toward

all people in the recognition that all peopleare made in the image of God.

**Kindness towards ourselves...

GOODNESS

Good is a relative term.

Our goodness is determined by the very fact that we were created by God.

1 Timothy 4:4

It is the desire of the Holy Spirit to awaken goodness in us.

FAITHFULNESS

...God's faithfulness evidenced in us

Allowing the Holy Spirit to grow faithfulness in us:

1) take stock of our ability

2) act on our opportunities

3) take note of our accountability

GENTLENESS

...an expression of God's grace

...our witness to a harsh world

SELF-CONTROL

Galatians 5:17

Self-control is to be free from the tyranny of our automatic responses.

“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and freedom.” | Viktor Frankl

____________________________

Galatians 5:25

Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.