Getting Back To The Basics

OBJECTIVES:

1. Listeners will be inspired to center their lives on the 3 priorities of CTK church.

2. Listeners will evaluate their commitment to the priorities of CTK church.

INTRO:

Just Tuesday night I received a call from a telemarketer asking if I wanted to give a donation to an organization that helps find missing children. Is that a good thing to give money to? Of course. But I said no. Why? Because I have already decided what my priorities are when it comes to charitable giving, and I give regularly to further those purposes.

So what are those priorities?

But before we go there, let’s back up for a minute and read together our mission and vision statements. Our mission statement tells us what we’re called to do as a group of disciples:

Our Mission

To create an authentic Christian community that effectively reaches out to unchurched people with love, acceptance and forgiveness so that they may experience the joy of salvation and a purposeful life of discipleship.

Throughout everything we do as a church, we are balancing the need for being a community (marked by loving relationships and care for each other) with the need to reach out as God’s ambassadors to those who don’t know Jesus.

Next, our vision statement, which identifies the big picture for Christ the King Community Church:

Our Vision

To see a prevailing, multi-location church emerge that will transform the spiritual landscape. This church will convene in hundreds of small groups, with worship centers strategically located in every community.

You may not know, but this vision is taking shape in amazing ways. A quick look at our website shows there are now 11 CTK worship centers in NW Washington (not including those in Skagit County and BC). There is a CTK in Oregon City, OR and Blackhawk, CO.

Mike Unruh, who attends here and who works as part of “CTK Fast Forward”, informs me that he is currently in conversation with about 90 potential church planters around the country who are interested in the possibility of starting a CTK church in their community. It is not far fetched to believe there may actually be more than 20 CTK locations nationwide by the end of the year!

Why is CTK attracting such attention from people who want to make a difference for God’s Kingdom? There are many reasons, but one of them is that we are clear about what we are trying to accomplish, and how we are going to accomplish it.

That leads me to the 3 priorities identified in your program. In order to develop this authentic Christian community that effectively reaches out and will in fact become a movement of congregations that changes the spiritual landscape, we have chosen to commit ourselves to 3 priorities.

As we take a look at these and what exactly they mean, I’m going to ask you to give yourself a grade on how you are doing centering your life on the Kingdom priorities we have established. For our church will only be as successful in fulfilling our mission and vision as the commitment of individuals who choose to make these priorities THEIR priorities.

Our Priorities

1. Worship: We are devoted to worshiping God as a lifestyle.

This means we are not content to simply show up for a service once a week. Imagine a marriage in which the only time you communicated with each other was one hour a week at a pre-determined time! No way! We are devoted to worshiping God as a lifestyle.

• Live a WWJD lifestyle.

Gal. 5:25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon you…”

• Make times of personal and corporate worship a priority.

How often do you forget a meal? Not too often – you start to get a rumbly in your tumbly if you forget. Once you’re in the habit of spending time with God in prayer and Bible reading each day, you’ll find it’s the same way. Just as you need physical nourishment to get through the day, so you need spiritual nourishment by spending time centering on God and His will for your life.

But we also need to make attending worship services with other Christians a priority in our lives. There is something incredible that happens when the church gathers to worship.

You’ve felt it, haven’t you? As we praise his name together in song, the Holy Spirit begins to move among us. Some people laugh. Some people are moved to tears. But there is definitely something supernatural that happens.

And when that begins happening, people lives are changed. God speaks to people about their situations. He brings healing to broken and hurting hearts. And yes in some cases he actually brings healing to physical problems. That’s why the author of Hebrews encourages with these words…