HOW TO BEHAVE IN GOD'S HOUSEHOLD, THE LOCAL CHURCH - PART 1 (26 OF 44)
Scripture: 1 Timothy 2:1-7
This content is part of a series.
How to Behave in God's Household, the Local Church - Part 1 (26 of 44)
Series: The Church at Ephusus: God's Calling, Empowering, and Instruction for the Church
Patrick Edwards
1 Timothy 2:1-7
Introduction
We all want the Lord to bless our church, for Lake Gaston Baptist Church to grow and thrive. We pray for this often, we strategize about it often; much of what we do is aimed at growth. And growth not just for the sake of becoming a big church, in fact I'd estimate many of you would prefer that we not become some mega-church. Instead, I like to believe that apart from those molecules of pride within us, that our hearts largely desire growth because we desire growth in the Kingdom of God. We simply, and rightly so, want to be used by God in the building of His Kingdom. We desire that He would use us to reach people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We want to make disciples.
But do we really?
When you talk or pray about our church growing, what do you picture? When you think about new people coming to faith, new people joining our church, what do they look like? When you consider our church expanding, what does Sunday morning look like to you? In other words, when you pray about God blessing our church do you find yourself subconsciously asking Him to simply expand and bless what we are already doing? Do you find that what you're asking for and seeking is not for our church to be what God may have for it, but for Him simply to give us more people who are like us?
Maybe I'm being a bit cynical, and I certainly don't mean that we are this way intentionally, but I think if we're honest with ourselves what we picture is our pews being full of people who look like us and act like us. We picture our services as the same, just simply with more people. In other words, I think what we subconsciously desire is for ''church'' to remain the exact same, just for there to be more participants in the way we do church.
What if God's desire, however, was for ...
Series: The Church at Ephusus: God's Calling, Empowering, and Instruction for the Church
Patrick Edwards
1 Timothy 2:1-7
Introduction
We all want the Lord to bless our church, for Lake Gaston Baptist Church to grow and thrive. We pray for this often, we strategize about it often; much of what we do is aimed at growth. And growth not just for the sake of becoming a big church, in fact I'd estimate many of you would prefer that we not become some mega-church. Instead, I like to believe that apart from those molecules of pride within us, that our hearts largely desire growth because we desire growth in the Kingdom of God. We simply, and rightly so, want to be used by God in the building of His Kingdom. We desire that He would use us to reach people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We want to make disciples.
But do we really?
When you talk or pray about our church growing, what do you picture? When you think about new people coming to faith, new people joining our church, what do they look like? When you consider our church expanding, what does Sunday morning look like to you? In other words, when you pray about God blessing our church do you find yourself subconsciously asking Him to simply expand and bless what we are already doing? Do you find that what you're asking for and seeking is not for our church to be what God may have for it, but for Him simply to give us more people who are like us?
Maybe I'm being a bit cynical, and I certainly don't mean that we are this way intentionally, but I think if we're honest with ourselves what we picture is our pews being full of people who look like us and act like us. We picture our services as the same, just simply with more people. In other words, I think what we subconsciously desire is for ''church'' to remain the exact same, just for there to be more participants in the way we do church.
What if God's desire, however, was for ...
There are 21952 characters in the full content. This excerpt only shows a 2000 character sample of the full content.
Price: $5.99 or 1 credit
