INTRODUCTION
• SLIDE #1
• It is time for a new year! Here we are, standing at the door of 2009. How did your 2008 go? Was it a good year? Do you wish you could live it over again? Are you just glad it is over?
• I am looking forward to the New Year because it is an opportunity for us as a church to build on the past year. It is a chance to maybe do some of the things that we let slip by in the past year. Somehow the words, “New Year” have a fresh ring to them.
• How did we do as a church last year? We had 8 people give their lives to Jesus and we have 31 other people transfer their membership to our church. That is a total of 39 mew faces at FCC! That is over 3 per month.
• I do not know about you, but I think that is really good. Can we do better? Yes we can. Should we be content with that? No. Not until all are saved! What will it take for us to build on that?
• Did the people who already belong to Christ grow over the past year? I believe many did. Can we help them grow even more? Yes we can.
• I am excited to be a part of First Christian Church. We have a lot of great people in this church. I love each one of you. Each one of you are gifted in a unique way to help this church grow and to help each person grow closer to Jesus. This church is a winner!
• I believe our church is on the verge of doing even greater things for the kingdom of God. What is it going to take for us to be able to do that?
• Why is it important for the church to be successful? Because every day people in our fine community, our family and our friends are dying without Jesus. We must be successful; the dying world is depending on us to do so.
• What I want us to look at some keys for us to have a successful 2009.
• These keys will help each of us individually and to have a successful year and they will help the church also be successful.
• These things go hand in hand since the church is made up of people. How we do individually will have an effect on how we do as a church.
• If none of us who make up the church are successful in our walk with Jesus, the church will not win new souls to Jesus. If our personal lives are all a mess, the life of the church will be a mess also.
• Today we are going to look at some keys to help us. Most of these keys for success come to us from Acts 2:42. Why go there? The early church in the book of Acts was very successful. It grew in number and in Spirit.
• God has given us a blueprint for success in His word.
• This is one of the reasons the Restoration Movement started in the mid 1800’s. The church had gotten off course. It got hung up on man-made stuff. The clergy in many cases became nothing more than another political system. Many of the churches were getting stale.
• Many preachers decided to go back to the Word of God as their guide. That is why are church is here. We believe that answers to life’s questions are found in God, not man.
• When I look at our church, I see a great potential for having a deep impact on our community. As I look into the eyes of many of you I see the same thing potential in your life also.
• Let us consider some keys to having a successful 2009!
• Let’s read Acts 2:41-43 together.
• SLIDE #2
• Acts 2:41-43 ( ESV ) 41So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. 42And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43And awe£ came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.
• SLIDE #3
SERMON
I. MAKE PRAYER A PRIORITY
• The context of this verse is that Peter had preached his great sermon on the day of Pentecost. 3,000 people gave their lives to Jesus and they were immersed into the kingdom of God. This was the beginning of the church.
• One of the things that the early church did was devote itself to prayer.
• Notice we are told “they”, that is the people who were a part of the church were devoting themselves to prayer.
• This was something they did all the time!
• Prayer was such a vital part of the success of the church that in Acts 6 when the church leaders were being over burdened with taking care of the physical needs of the church, look at what they did.
• SLIDE #4
• Acts 6:4 ( ESV ) 4But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”
• The leadership wanted to devote time to prayer.
• If we are going to succeed, prayer is one of the keys. Without prayer, we are without power. Jesus spent a lot of His time in prayer to the Father during His ministry.
• Was Jesus busy? Yes. Too busy for prayer? NO. Are you busy? Yes. Too busy for prayer? NO!
• Why did Jesus spend so much time in prayer? Because it was important. If Jesus made time for prayer, I think I better do so also.
• Prayer needs to be a central part of your life and the life of the church.
• I hope that you are praying for those on the prayer list during the week and that you are spending time in prayer each day throughout the day.
• SLIDE #5
• 1 Thessalonians 5:17 ( ESV ) 17pray without ceasing,
• Many times we make a mess of things then we ask God to bless it. We need to go to Him first; it would save a lot of heart ache. I believe we act before prayer because we know many times that what we want is not really good for us, but we want it anyway.
• I hope that we all will commit to making prayer a priority in our lives. I appreciate it when our leadership takes time to pray about important decisions before they make the decision.
• Prayer is so simple, but so neglected. I used to wonder why God would not open doors for me in the factory to share my faith. One day I for whatever reason, I started praying about it. What do you know, the opportunities came. They were always there; I just did not see them.
• How many people are you trying to win to Jesus? How many of them are on your prayer list? What about your children, lost family members. We need to pray about more than Aunt Jane’s health, we need to pray for her salvation!
• SLIDE #6
II. BUILD ON THE FOUNDATION OF GOD’S WORD
• Acts 2:42 says the church was also devoted to the Apostles teaching. This was the word of God.
• SLIDE #7
• Look at what Jesus says in Matthew.
• Matthew 28:20 ( ESV ) 20teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
• Matthew 7:26 ( ESV ) 26And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.
• We MUST be people of the Word! The Word must guide our lives and decisions!
• The church must be built on the foundation of the Word. The Word of God is our authority. When we step outside of it, we have no authority.
• Too many Christians live their lives without incorporating God’s Word into it. We do things because they “feel” right or because we “want” to do it. We do things because “our friends” tells us to do it.
• We do what “everyone” else is doing. We wonder why God does not bless us when we do not do what He asks us to do.
• One of the keys to success in your life is know the Word of God and putting it into practice in your life.
• God gives us the Word for our benefit. God gives us the standards of conduct for our own good, not to be a killjoy.
• We need to know God’s word. What we think does not matter unless it lines up with the Bible.
• At FCC we offer Bible Studies, Sunday School classes and we encourage study groups in our Connection Ministries. We want to help feed the hunger!
• I hope that all of us on an individual basis will devote ourselves to study of the Word!
• SLIDE #8
III. BUILD A STRONG SENSE OF COMMUNITY (FELLOWSHIP)
• Our Acts passage says they devoted themselves to fellowship. What is that? The word means to “have something in common” or “to strive for a common goal.” To be one in action.
• Do you know how many people out there are lonely?
• Do you also realize that many people who start coming to church do so to connect with other people?
• Do you know what pushed me over the edge to the point that I seriously considered Jesus? Getting around other Christians. (EXPLAIN)
• We need to build a strong sense of community with people when they come to our church. We want them to belong. When they feel a sense of community, they will see us live our lives and they will want to believe what we do, then they will behave life God wants them to.
• We must be careful not to put behavior first.
• 1st Christian Church in Vandalia, MO let me feel a part of things. They treated me with love and concern. They did not try to clean me up; they loved me and let God clean me up. When I said and did dumb things, they did not make me feel dumb.
• If we make sure our church is a place where everyone feels welcome, they will eventually believe and behave.
• This is why the Connection Ministries were started. We want people to be involved in one another’s lives.
• This church is FULL of wonderful, loving people. Let us commit to spending more time together this year.
• Spending time together is something that gets people to want to study together and come listen to the preaching. When people see we really care for them, they will want to be a part of the kingdom of God.
• I want to ask each of you to commit to getting more involved in each other’s lives this year. Not only will the church benefit, but you will benefit greatly.
• We need each other for encouragement and accountability. This is why groups such as TOPPS works for people losing weight. This is why AA uses a group setting.
• SLIDE #9
• Hebrews 10:24-25 ( ESV ) 24And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
• Finally
• SLIDE #10
IV. HAVE A VISION FOR WHAT GOD CAN DO
• This last key is not in the text, but I think it is very important. I want to ask you, when you look around what do you see?
• SOME would see a church of around 200 people that has been running about 150 or so for the last ten years. Some would say they see some nice people and a nice building.
• As you look at your life right now, what do you see?
• I tell you what I see. I see a church that is positioned to take this community by storm. I look out here and I see a lot of loving people, I see a lot of gifted people. I see a lot of people who care for each other.
• I see a church that could reach 2 to 3 times its’ current size because of the untapped potential of the each of you.
• When I look out I see what God can do with each of you.
• When I used to look in the mirror, I saw a waste. A waste of potential. I thank God that Maurice McNeely looked at me and saw a PREACHER. I saw wasting my gifts, Maurice saw a preacher with potential.
• What am I talking about?
• I am speaking of seeing things for what they can be, not the way they are!
• I am talking about VISION.
• When this church was built, it took vision. We cannot look at what we are now, but what we can be as we partner alongside God!
• What can God do with this church? ANYTHING! What can He do with you? ANYTHING! We sell ourselves and First Christian Church short if we do not look at ourselves and the church with VISION!
• I am thankful I bought into the vision Maurice saw for me. Will you buy into the vision I see for this church and for you? Maybe you have a better one.
• Don’t be tied to the way things are now, see them for what they could be with God!
• VISION!
CONCLUSION
• A new year is right around the corner. What are you going to do with this New Year? Let us make 2009 a year we will never forget!
• Let us live life with no regrets!
• Let’s make prayer a priority, let us build our foundation on the Word. Let us build a strong sense of community and let us have a vision for what God can do with us!
• How are you going to start out 2009? How about starting it with Jesus. (INVITATION TIME)
