Sermon Central
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How Churches Grow
Contributed by Stephen Aram on Oct 24, 2019 (message contributor)
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1. Part 1: Know What We're Here For: Maturity
Contributed on Oct 24, 2019
Churches that aren't clear on their purpose for being can hardly be effective. Our goal is maturity in Christ.
One of the deepest joys that I have ever experienced in all my life is the joy of watching our children turn into adults. I guess I always pretty much figured that would happen some day. But then, there were those times when they were upset with each other over the silliest things and the ...read more
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2. 2: Equipping The Saints
Contributed on Oct 24, 2019
Some people are content for church to be a spectator sport. But church works best when everyone gets out of the stands and gets into the game of ministry.
Would all the ministers of the church please raise their hands? You all know I’m the minister with my name on the sign. Are there any other ministers? I see hands going up. Let’s see some more. Let’s see more and more until every hand is up. If you are in God’s family, you are called to be a ...read more
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3. 3: Building Up The Church
Contributed on Oct 24, 2019
Do you neglect your soul all week, then come to church, expecting to be filled up? Or do you nourish your soul all week and come to build up others?
The Bible is full of different images to try to explain what the church is like and how it works. For example, the Apostle Paul often talks about the church as a building. But he didn’t mean a building made of wood or brick or stone. He meant a figurative building in which the members of the ...read more
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4. 3: The Church Is A Living Body
Contributed on Oct 24, 2019
We need to rise above seeing the church as an institution and see the warm heart of love that really makes us the church
We are continuing in one of the Bible’s most comprehensive pictures of the church, a picture of a church that will meet many of the deepest longings in our hearts for rich and deep relationships, but a joyful and effective church. And there is so much in it to build that it takes a while to do ...read more
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5. Ligaments In The Church
Contributed on Oct 25, 2019
Our culture suffers from profound loneliness, but God calls us into a church family with rich relationships.
You’ve heard me talk about my days of playing basketball years ago. I was never a star, but I had a lot of fun. There could be several reasons that I was never a star. There were a couple of minor problems, like I wasn’t especially good at either shooting or dribbling a ball. But another ...read more
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6. 5: Speaking The Truth In Love
Contributed on Oct 25, 2019
Churches can become deeply dishonest as we fear to talk about the deepest longings and pains in our hearts. We grow when we dare to be honest together.
Back in 1997 a Jim Carey movie came out called Liar, Liar. Carey plays the title role. He is an attorney, a very successful attorney. But the movie opens with his little boy at school on the day when the children are giving reports on what their fathers do, and his son announces, “My daddy’s a ...read more
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7. Speaking (And Hearing) The Truth In Love
Contributed on Oct 25, 2019
It can be scary to be really honest with one another. Here are some guidelines to help us get started.
Two summers ago Kathy and I headed to northern Wisconsin for a vacation week. One of our stops was a day of white water rafting on the Wolf River. It was late in the season and the water was low, so it wasn’t as fast and splashy as the springtime might be. But the low water brought another ...read more