6 Keys To Building A Church

It’s going to be a special day today. Today is a celebration of a new beginning for Abundant Life Baptist Fellowship. It’s going to be a fresh beginning where everybody is going to be involved.

Pastor Paul is the Senior Pastor, so he has a lot of responsibility, I have been asked to head up the mens ministry and the Families and Marriage ministry. There is nothing more important to me than to see men, to see couples come to know Christ. I want to see families repaired. Lisa heads up the women’s ministry Pastor Micheal will be taking care of the youth and My wife will soon be given an area to help with.

This all starts by the uplifting and building of ABL. It all starts with you, the body of ABL. I believe we are all here for a reason. I believe God has hand picked each and every one of us to be members, builders of ABL.

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What I would like to talk today about are the keys to building a church. I got keys in my pocket. Well keep them in your pocket. What I am talking about, is what does it take to build a church?

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PSALM 127:1

#1 First and foremost, God. The very first thing that happens when it comes time to build a church is God. Now let me clarify before we get started. I mean a church as a body of Christ. As a part of the body. I don’t a church as a building, because that’s all this is, is a building.

JEREMIAH 1:4-8

#2 So, what does it take to build a church? It takes God. It takes a calling of God. One of my favorite verses in Jeremiah, Chapter 1. “ I knew you in the womb, I called you before you were born. Do not say that you are a child that you do not know how to speak, for I will speak for you. And you will go and build up nations and crush nations, and you will speak my word. That’s paraphrasing, but that’s what it takes. It takes God to start the process.

Well, since it’s a new beginning for Abundant Life, lets keep it here. Pastor Paul has told the story before, of how he came to this area. It takes a man of God.

So, first it takes a plan. God has the plan. Second it takes a man, to act on that plan, to feel the calling of God. So now Pastor Paul has felt that call, and now he’s here.

#3 Then what? It takes a foundation. And the foundation isn’t the concrete slab we are on, the foundation isn’t the walls around us, the foundation is you. The foundation is the core group of people that have been here. That’s who needs to take on responsibility to build the church.

Pastor Paul can only do so much. We are called men of God and we can do anything through him who strengthens us. We can do anything through Christ who strengthens me.

What about you guys? The foundation of the church is the congregation. The body of the church is the congregation.

Abundant Life has reached a stagnation point. And its time for us to stir up the water.

There is a dam. There is a dam at the door. And only the salmon, like us who have been here, keep coming back. So we are like the good fish, we keep coming back to fertile ground.

But there is a dam, that other fish can’t come in. Why can’t the come in? We are not working at it. It is up to us as a body that we don’t reach a point of stagnation. We all need to grab a piece of wood. We all need to take the word of God and stir up the stagnant waters. Stir up the river. We need to let the river of live flow from Abundant life. We need to go out into the community. Not only are you the foundation, but you are also the river. And you are the boat that brings them in too.

JOHN 4:35

#4 We need active members. We need members that are going to love god. Ones that seek the word and bring other people in. Pastor Paul and I have been talking, as we grow, we are going to need people to help. And who can help? The people who have been here. The people who have been faithfully coming. Who better. Who would god bless more.

So we need active members, who care. Ask what can be done to help. Ask Lisa, Diana, Pastor Paul or myself, not in that particular order. Say, hey is there something I can do for the church.