Equip, Empower, Evangelize Series

The HG will give us what it takes to be effective. He’ll give us leadership, give us the words to say, give us a demonstration of his power, and fruit for our labor.

I am not one bit ashamed of our doctrine concerning tongues, gifts of the spirit, demonstrations, etc. But the whole goal is not just so we can speak in unknown tongues, but the power is mainly designed to help us win souls! And in all honesty, if we never spoke in tongues, danced in the spirit, or had an expression of charisma, if it helped us win souls it would be worth it all!

Here’s the tragedy: I have been in service in multiple amounts of churches where there was messages being given out, folks shouting, etc. but the church never grew. My concern is, are we taking that same HG out with us into the world so we can win the world to Jesus?

EQUIP

Beyond the scope of visiting the sick, counseling, etc. My main task as a pastor is to equip you with the things you need in order to be successful in your Christian walk and also in your service for God. Eph. 4:11-13 "And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of God" Every time you leave here, you ought to feel like you’ve learned something new from the Lord, been blessed, edified, etc. Through the preaching of the word, and personal instruction, my obligation to you is, that you can receive everything you need to be effective in the kingdom service.

Here at Deerwood, I not only want you to be mentally/spiritually equipped, but I also want you to be equipped with tools for service. That’s the idea behind the invitation CD’s and cards. Inviting folks has never been easier than it is for you now. Because all you have to do is give it out. The talking is already done.

**bottom line is: I don’t want anyone to say that Pastor didn’t give us what we needed in order to be a successful, thriving congregation.**

EVANGELIZE

This is the implementation part. This is where you practice what you’ve learned. You see, you can get filled w/ the HG, you can receive the word, etc. But if you don’t run with it/do something with it, it will all be in vain. There has to be a commitment to ministry. There has to be a time when you and I figure out that the only way to get things moving is to step into it and take part. Let’s take this message to our Jerusalem.

Inside our church, there has to also be a commitment to ministry. We need to become involved in our church. If you’re a leader (teacher, worship, etc.) be committed, faithful, dedicated. Make sure you keep in mind that you are not only doing these things before man, but also before God. Think of it this way: if you knew JC himself was going to be in your class, in your service, etc. for the next 6 weeks, would you be prepared, ready, and faithful? You see, because he is there, you just don’t see him with the human eye.

When folks walk in here, let’s minister effectively to them. Let’s reach them for Jesus!

Tonight, I’m asking you to commit yourself to evangelism and church growth!