Out of the Wild?
You can see them any Sunday – crowds of fans, desperately in need of exercise, watching a small group of players desperately in need of a rest. No, I’m not talking about a football game, I’m talking about how most families practice ministry on Sunday morning and every other day of the week.
Though it may be possible to win a football game with a tiny band of highly trained and exceptionally skilled professionals, Ephesians 4:12 explains that God’s game plan for winning the world to himself involves preparing all of God’s people to serve on his team.
The stakes are simply too high for armchair quarterbacking or playing the “church as usual” game. If you want to see results like those in the New Testament, everyone needs to be equipped to get in the game.
The call to get involved, and engaged in ministry is its own journey of adventure, risk, and discovery—is likewise a calling unsuited to the faint of heart.
Building relationships, and helping men become all they can be for Christ, not just with programs or organizations. Our vision integrates all men into the whole life of the church to share their personal ideas, and provide encouragement that acts as a bridge to close the gap between churched and un-churched. Through the means of grace, and prayer, they will strengthen, and develop critical spiritual skills that will help lead men to get involved in God’s Kingdom purpose.
PUTTING OFF FOR TOMORROW WHAT WE SHOULD BE DOING TODAY
Let’s not fail to take advantage of those opportunities now to “develop our faith” [i.e., to bring it to maturity, to develop Christian character in ourselves, to have Christ’s life actually worked out in us. (Phil. 2:12
Many of believers, nonetheless, continue to think that church work is just for the Pastor’s. Having the opportunity to play a part for God’s Kingdom work is amazing in itself. We have such an awesome capabilities with the members God has charged to our care. Each of us has an essential part serving our Almighty heavenly Father.
OUR CHRISTIANITY IS GOING TO BE PUT TO THE TEST
(1 Sam. 17:26-51)
Many people think of David as a man of faith, and that when he went out to face Goliath, he relied on that faith to get him through - and that certainly is true. But what so many Christians fail to see is that the faith David had was not a blind faith - it was a faith that had been developed. His faith was a developed faith - and it was in the strength of that developed faith that he went out to face Goliath. David had developed his faith years before as a youth tending his father’s sheep on the “back side of the desert” - out of the way where no one could see. He had tested it against a lion and a bear - and he had prevailed. When he finally met Goliath, he was simply walking in the way he had been moving in all of his life.
The path of faith he relied on when he faced Goliath was a well worn path - he knew it well. He was ready for Goliath. It was not blind faith that saw him through, it was developed faith.
Prayer – is one of the most powerful spiritual communication tools on earth. Prayer brings humility and alignment with God. It kills unbelief and brings answers to life’s problems when nothing else works.
It has been well said that prayer is not preparation for the battle - prayer IS the battle. And of all the things we can do to enhance the power and focus of prayer, is doubtless the most potent.
This is where the power is at, because prayer puts us in harmony with an All Powerful Triune God who demands obedience from those who wish to be close to Him.
Deuteronomy 4: 5-14
When it is done for that purpose, it pleases the Spirit of God.
You can go a certain distance in God, and experience many things, without prayer much, but the highest, richest and most powerful blessings always go to those who together with other disciplines, prayer with ceasing unto God.
. What does Spiritual maturity look like?
EXPERIENCED FAITH (pre-school & early childhood)—“This is what ‘we’ do. This is how ‘we’ act.” It is a time of imitation…a child prays the Lord’s Prayer without understanding the meaning of all the words.
AFFILIATIVE FAITH (childhood & early adolescent years)—“This is what ‘we’ believe and do. This is ‘our’ group/church. It is a time of belonging to a group…still a time which centers around the imitation of what the group does.
SEARCHING FAITH (late adolescence)—“Is this what ‘I’ believe?” This is a time of asking questions…not blindly accepting what others have said. This stage of faith is adding the ‘head’ to the ‘heart’ of the earlier states.
OWNED FAITH (early adulthood)—“This is what ‘I’ believe.” This stage only comes through the searching stage. This is the strong, personal faith that one witnesses to and one is willing to die for.
Whatever stages God give us in our “journey of faith development” it is evident that is it at the very core of our lives as Christians. The journey begins in baptism, confirmed with a vow of commitment, strengthened through the means of grace, and ends with entrance into the promised eternal life, as long as we are always in God’s Word, we are in a growth process.
1. Spiritual maturity doesn’t happen ________________
Hebrews 5:12-13 12 In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! 13 Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness.
2. Spiritual maturity doesn’t happen __________
2 Peter 3:18, But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.
3. Spiritual maturity won’t happen without ______________
1 Timothy 4:7 Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly.
. 1. The Bible teaches that mature believers are called ____________.
. 2. The Bible teaches that I cannot be a disciple without being ______________.
. 3. The Bible teaches that the more disciplined I become the more God can use me.
. 4. The mark of a disciple is _______-__________.
Jesus said, “Anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.” Luke 14:27
. 5. How often am I to do this? ________.
Luke 9:23 Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.
. 6. What is involved in cross bearing? Whatever it takes to give Christ_______ _______ in my life.
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Personal Goal: That I will commit to the habits necessary for spiritual maturity, and that I will increase my prayer life, and my reading my Bible, and learn to listen to our Triune God speak to me through it.
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. 1) Christ-centered
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. 2) Helping others to be the people of God before they do the work
of God
. 3) Finding needs and meeting them
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. 4) Start small, slow, and solid
. 5) Minister with the volunteers, not to them.
One program can’t meet everyone’s personal needs. You must also be intentional to recognize what level of growth your at. There are five subgroup levels:
Level 1 - Potential (Evangelism)
Level 2 - Newcomers (Worship)
Level 3 - Attendees (Discipleship)
Level 4 - Equipping (Mission)
Level 5 - Leaders (Serve)
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All Christian men are ambassadors for Christ
WHAT DOES GOD’S PLAN LOOK LIKE FOR ME?
A) Colossians 3:15 - 4:1. What is to dwell in us?________________________
B) (Colossians 3:16) What is to govern ALL that we do?__________________________________________________________
C) (Colossians 3:17) Which areas of everyday life does Paul single out as examples?__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
D) (Colossians 3:18-4:1) For whom is ALL our work to be done?________________________________________________________
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PERFORMANCE Of A CHRISTIAN LIFE
1 Tim 4:12 reveals those areas where Christians are to be examples:
God’s Word - Be careful what you say and how you say it.
Manner of Life- Never forget that people are observing your life.
Love- For God, Christ, and your neighbors.
Spirit- what kind of attitudes do you have? Are you an optimist or pessimist?
Faith- is it weak or strong, little or great?
Men need to affirm themselves through God:
The First Article: Creation
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.
What does this mean? I believe that God has made me and all creatures; that He has given me my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my members, my reason and all my senses, and still takes care of them. He also gives me clothing and shoes, food and drink, house and home, wife and children, land, animals, and all I have. He richly and daily provides me with all that I need to support this body and life. He defends me against all danger and guards and protects me from all evil. All this He does only out of fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in me. For all this it is my duty to thank and praise, serve and obey Him. This is most certainly true.
1) God created me for: ___________________________________
2) God gave me the ability to: _____________________________
3) God’s Holy Spirit motivates
me to stay committed to:_________________________________
4) God has given me the skill of: ____________________________
5) God protects me from all _________________________________
Proverbs 24:5 5 A wise man has great power, and a man of knowledge increases strength; “Wisdom, because it is from the Lord, strengthens people with a mental and spiritual strength which is far more valuable than mere physical strength. Physical strength is of use only in this world, but mental and spiritual strength are of use now, and more especially in the world to come. Wisdom avails where strength cannot, for a wise man can make the strength of the mighty to work against him, (Prov. 21:22; Eccl. 9:14-16). The saying that “The pen is mightier than the sword” is based upon the fact that wisdom is mightier than strength. Someone has well said that “Knowledge is power,” and so the more knowledge and wisdom that we get, the more power we will have at our disposal. Nowhere do we see this exemplified so well as in the case of David and Goliath, (1 Sam. 17).
Notes
Examining your life?
Q) How do I currently exhibit a life of daily Service to God and others?
Q) How can I develop the willingness to be a more disciplined person and realize I have a call to serve?
Q) What blocks the willingness to getting involved from serving my Savior exhibited in me?
Q) How can I initiate serving God, and the discipline myself to carry it out?
Q) What can I do to make my service of love function better, stronger, even in times of uncertainty and stress?
Seize the day - Ideas:
