GROW
#BecomingTheChurchHeIntended
HEY… LISTEN…
It’s true God is BIGGER than you think He is…
AS DAVID – wrote in Psalm 145…
Great is the LORD! He is most worthy of praise! No one can measure his greatness. – Psalm 145:3
AND B/S – because of that greatness (that bigness) your doubts and fears (got any) do not scare HIM!
I MEAN – talk about some seriously good news!
R/L – “God is bigger than you think He is”
NOW - I would like to start off with some words breathed by God and written by a Jesus-follower named Peter.
Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work. impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear.
For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.
He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.
Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart. For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.
For, “All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord endures forever.” And this is the word that was preached to you…
Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk,
so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. – 1 Peter 1:17-2:3
SO THAT – by it you may what… “GROW UP in your salvation.”
R/L – “we need to grow up”
Prayer
OKAY – so, we are in this series called…
AND – I know, we have been in this series for a long time…
IN FACT – today is our 11th conversation. AND – I am thinking that we will have about 5 more after this one.
AND LISTEN – that means that we will have spent 30.769% of our Sundays in this room (in 2019) talking about The Grove, talking about you and I becoming the CHURCH He intended.
BUT – here’s the deal
IF JESUS - really is who He said He is and if He really does have intentions for HIS Church…
THEN I - am so okay with that number.
BECAUSE – who we are and the MISSION we are on is the most important thing taking place on the face of the planet.
REMEMBER – as we said last week…
There are eternal destinies that are tied to Maple Grove becoming the church that Jesus intended.
Not so fast… I mean, really think about that statement?
Is it… is it true?
Listen, it is… IF - what we say we believe, is true…
THEN – for many people…
and I am not sure how many (100’s, 1000’s)
whether or not they spend their forever in an awesome and amazing place called HEAVEN…
OR - they spend their forever in a terrifying, dark and horrific place called HELL.
IS TIED TO – Maple Grove, to we who sit in this room becoming the church that Jesus intended…
YOU KNOW – I think God wants us to feel some of the weight of this very uncomfortable, yet undeniable truth.
HEY – let’s read the following passage together… and we will take turns… I’ll let you all go first.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Anybody like that verse?
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
That is another good one
Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. – John 3:16-18
QUESTION – did you hear what you just read?
whoever does not believe stands condemned already
There are eternal destinies that are tied to Maple Grove becoming the church that Jesus intended.
MGCC THAT – why this series is so important, so essential…
AND – that is what I am so okay with that number, 30.769%...
OR – an even higher number if the Spirit so leads us!
NOW – so far in this series we have seen that the church that Jesus intended IS…
• His Body, His Bride, His Family, His Flock, God’s Temple
• The promised messianic kingdom, The ‘Called Ones’
• The hope of the world
ALL – pretty significant and important stuff, amen?
AND – we have also seen that the church Jesus intended is made up of people who have both died to and daily deny themselves….
‘Crucified followers’ NOT fans, who are fully devoted to…
• The apostles teaching
• The fellowship
• The breaking of bread
• And to prayer
AND SO - that is where we have been… and that is what we are PURSUING as a church…. To become the church that He intended.
AND LAST SUNDAY – we began a series of discussions about how the church that Jesus intended is made up of men and women… who are living there lives on MISSION.
AND UNDERSTAND – as we look at Scripture, we are going to find that our MISSION, both as a church… AND AS – individual Jesus followers who have surrendered their lives to Christ… for the most part is in is alignment with the mission Jesus had when he wore flesh and walked the earth…
Seek the lost – make disciples – show compassion
BUT – here’s the deal… (and I think we all know it)
Living our lives on MISSION is not something that is just going to happen automatically. INSTEAD – it takes intentionality, it requires a plan…
NOW – several years ago (back in 2014) we with the help of a leadership coach, developed a plan… a good plan, a biblical plan, a plan that shows the path for PURSUING a life on MISSION…
AGAIN – the plan was good, it was solid, it was biblical, it was legit. HOWEVER – for various reasons the execution was not.
AND SO – last week we pulled that plan off of the wall…
AND – we began dusting it off…
AND – I have been asking the HS to blow His fresh wind and fire into both it and us!
UNDERSTAND…
• IF – God created you, and He did
• IF – He is the very reason for your existence, and He is
• AND IF – He really does have thoughts, intentions and plans for your life, and He does.
THEN – it makes total sense that a life lived on MISSION must begin with BELONG, with belonging to Him.
AND LISTEN – belonging to God requires that we in faith surrender our lives to HIM…
Acknowledging HIM, as our God, Savior and Lord and being be born again.
MGCC – a life lived on MISSION begins with BELONG…
Belonging to God through faith and surrender…
(Maybe some in this room) need to do this…
BUT LISTEN – BELONG, according to Scripture does not just stop with belong to God, but it also means belonging to a local church body.
I. GROW, The Facts
First of all GROW…
A) It’s A Good Thing
Grow (verb)
• To increase in size by a natural process
• To expand; gain
• To increase in amount or degree; intensify
• To develop and reach maturity.
• To come to be by a gradual process or by degrees; become
AGAIN – GROW is a good thing.
As kids, we were all pretty excited about growing up… “I am 3 ½…”
AND - as parents it is exciting to see our children grow
(NOTE - A SHOWED A BUNCH OF FAMOUS PEOPLE AS KIDS AND THEN AND AS ADULTS... ASKED PEOPLE TO GUESS WHO THEY WERE FROM BABY/CHILD PICTURES)
HEY – did you notice that when all of those people grew up, that they didn’t look the same…
In Like Manner when you grow up in your salvation, you will not look the same either.
And just what will that ‘bigger grow up us picture’ look like?
WELL - I think Paul describes it really well in Galatians 5.
But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. – Galatians 5:22,23
And one more thing about GROW being a good thing
Not only do you get bigger when you grow, but so does God
YOU SEE - you will find that He is bigger than you thought he was.
AND – a big God is a very good thing!
GET IT?
Okay, the second fact about GROW…
B) It’s Not Automatic
AND - I think we all know that this is true right?
I MEAN – if spiritual growth was automatic then everyone would be mature right?
BUT – such is not the case.
YOU SEE - the truth is, people can grow old without growing up. Spiritually.
Spiritual growth does not just happen once you are saved, even if you attend services regularly. Churches are filled with people who have attended services for their entire lives, yet are still spiritual babies. – Rick Warren (The Purpose Driven Church)
AND – listen this problem of ‘baby Christians’ is not new.
IN FACT – the early church battled the very same thing.
You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s word.
You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food. For someone who lives on milk is still an infant and doesn’t know how to do what is right. – Hebrews 5:12,13
C) It Takes Discipline
Spend your time and energy in training yourself for spiritual fitness. Physical exercise has some value, but spiritual exercise is much more important, for it promises a reward in both this life and the next. – 1 Timothy 4:7,8
Question, how important is physical exercise to you?
WELL – how much time and energy do you put into it.
What does Paul say is more important?
“spiritual exercise is much more important”
But it will take time and energy and that’s the rub, right?…
(Hamlet… crucial difficulty or problem)
Why is it more important?...
“it promises a reward in both this life and the next”
This life – live the life you were created to live…
Next… Spiritual growth
D) It Is Not A Point In Time
NOW – Paul makes that pretty clear in the second chapter of his letter to the Philippian church.
Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. – Philippians 2:12,13
NOW NOTICE – that it says ‘work out’ not ‘work on’ your salvation.
UNDERSTAND – there is nothing you can add to what Christ did for your salvation. Paul in these verses is talking about spiritual growth to people who are already saved… TELLING THEM – to work out so that God can work in.
UNDERSTAND - saying spiritual is a point in time is like saying physical fitness is a point in time.
It’s like saying because we were once fit and in shape, then we will remain fit and in shape.
I know from personal experience that is a LIE!
But we all know that physical fitness is not something we achieve once and for all. It’s something we must continually pursue. It requires exercise and a healthy intake of the right diet. It’s not a point in time, but a continual pursuit. Likewise, spiritual growth is meant to be a continual pursuit of our relationship with God and others. – Andy Stanley
E) Has Only One Standard Of Measure, Love.
One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’
This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 20:35-40
Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. – Romans 13:8
I suspect that if someone had asked the apostle Paul or the apostle John about his spiritual life, his first question would have been, “Am I growing in love for God and people?” The real issue is what kind of people we are becoming. – John Ortberg
B/L – if you want to know if you are growing spiritually simply ask yourself… have I grown in my love for others and for God.
F) Has Only One Aim - To Becoming Like Jesus, in order to Bring Glory To God
As the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him and reflect his glory even more.
- 2 Corinthians 3:18
For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. – Romans 8:29
YES – that is the ultimate goal and aim of GROW and of living a life on MISSION…
To become more and more like Jesus!
GET IT?
What if, for one day, Jesus were to become you?
What if, for twenty-four hours, Jesus wakes up in your bed, walks in your shoes, lives in your house, assumes your schedule?
Your boss becomes his boss, your mother becomes his mother, your pains become his pains?
With one exception, nothing about your life changes. Your health doesn’t change. Your circumstances don’t change. Your schedule isn’t altered. Your problems aren’t solved.
Only one change occurs. What if, for one day and one night, Jesus lives your life with his heart? Your heart gets the day off, and your life is led by the heart of Christ.
His priorities govern your actions.
His passions drive your decisions. His love directs your behavior.
What would you be like?
Would people notice a change?
Your family—would they see something new? Your coworkers—would they sense a difference?
What about the less fortunate? Would you treat them the same?
And your friends? Would they detect more joy?
How about your enemies? Would they receive more mercy from Christ’s heart than from yours?
And you? How would you feel? What alterations would this transplant have on your stress level? Your mood swings? Your temper? Would you sleep better? Would you see sunsets differently? Death differently? Taxes differently?
Any chance you’d need fewer aspirin or sedatives? How about your reaction to traffic delays? (Ouch, that touched a nerve.) Would you still dread what you are dreading? Better yet, would you still do what you are doing? Would you still do what you had planned to do for the next twenty-four hours?
Pause and think about your schedule. Obligations. Engagements. Outings. Appointments. With Jesus taking over your heart, would anything change? Keep working on this for a moment.
Adjust the lens of your imagination until you have a clear picture of Jesus leading your life, then snap the shutter and frame the image. What you see is what God wants. He wants you to “think and act like Christ Jesus.”
YES – God loves you just the way you are, but He loves you to much to let you stay that way, He wants you to be just like Jesus.
SO – does anyone here want to look more and more like Jesus?
WELL – for that to happen we will require that we develop and embrace some habits that will help us to GROW more and ore into His likeness.
II. Grow, The Habits
Definition of a habit
• “A continual, often unconscious inclination to do a certain activity, acquired through frequent repetition.”
In other words you do something over and over again until you do it without even thinking about it.
For example – when I shave I always start with the left side of my face… I don’t know why it is just a habit.
When I put on a pair of paints I always put the left leg in first.
I don’t even think about.
In fact to start with the right leg would require me thinking about it.
• “An established disposition of the character.”
In other words habits establish Character.
Sow a thought, reap an act.
Sow an act, reap a habit.
Sow a habit, reap a character.
Sow a character, reap a destiny.
NOW – beginning this morning we are going to talk about 6 habits that if you embrace them and live them out, you will GROW…
AND UNDERSTAND – these are time tested habits… sometimes called spiritual disciplines that people have practiced for centuries.
Today we will introduce 3 of them
Next week we will talk about 2 more
And one August 25th we will talk about the final habit
NOW – these six are not the only habits (and you can always adopt others) but listen, if you embrace these habits you will grow up in you salvation and that is a very good thing.
Amen
AND LISTEN – on 8/25 we each will have the opportunity to commit to all or at least some of these habits.
AND – on that day we will also talk about several keys to
starting and maintaining good habits
NOW – I know we don’t have a lot of time left, but the 3 habits we are going to wrap up with this morning…
Do not need a lot of explanation…
YET – they are essential to YOUR GROWTH into Christ-likeness.
GET IT?
A) The Habit Of Regular Church Attendance
One sunny Sunday morning, Henry Jones awoke to find his wife standing over him, shaking him by the shoulder. "You have to get up," she urged. "We have to get ready for church.”
"I don’t want to go to church," he replied. "I want to stay in bed.” Crossing her arms over her chest, his wife demanded, "Give me three good reasons why you should stay in bed and not go to church." "OK," he answered.
"First, I don’t get anything out of the service.
Second, I don’t like the people there.
And third, no one there likes me.
Now can you give me three good reasons why I should go to church?"
His wife responded, "First, it will do you some good.
Second, there are people who really do like you.
And third, you have to go, you’re the pastor!
So, get up and get dressed."
One author I came across during my study said the following…
There is a disturbing trend I am noticing in churches. The trend is the decline in percentage attendance. In other words there are less people attending each church service in comparison with the number of people who call the church their home.
For years a good percentage would be around 75%. Three out of every four people would be in church on any given Sunday. Now that number may well be 50% or even worse.
A popular Christian motto is, “You don’t go to church, you are the church.” While I get this sentiment in some ways, it can lead to an unhealthy view, pitting “being the church” and “going to church” against each other. If we are truly the church, then we will surely get together with other believers regularly. We cannot “be” the church if we don’t “go” to church.
Church never refers to an individual, lone-ranger Christian who goes about his or her Christian duties, never gathering together to worship with other believers.
BUT LISTEN – Christians not developing the habit of regular church attendance is not new.
Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.
And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people are in the habit of doing, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near. – Hebrews 10:23-25
…let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people are in the habit of doing. – Hebrews 10:25
QUESTION – do people ever get in the habit of not going to church?
OKAY – let me give you some good reasons why you should embrace the habit of regular church attendance.
God says so
God tells us (commands us) in his Word to “not neglect our meeting together as some are in the habit of doing…”
God says you should attend church regularly.
And understand there are always blessings with obedience and consequences for disobedience.
Remember the church is the “bride of Christ.”
If you love Jesus, you will love the things that he loves—and he loves the church like a husband loves his bride.
The church is important to God, so it should be important to us.
1) It Is What Jesus and the early church did
Luke 14:6 says, "Jesus went back to Nazareth, where he'd been brought up and as usual he went to the meeting place on the Sabbath."
The Bible tells us that "as usual" or another translation of the Bible says "as was His custom" Jesus went to the place of worship.
AND – in the New Testament we that the early church met on the first day of the week (Sunday) for prayer, reading of Scripture, communion and collecting an offering
2) It Is a Positive Example
When you go each Sunday, you're setting an example. You are setting an example that other people notice. It is an example that becomes an inspiration for others.
People who are trying to make their lives better, people who want a positive change are going to be impacted by an example of someone who is committed to regular church attendance.
For those of you who are married, it's a positive example to your spouse.
For those of you that have children, it's an absolutely positive example for your kids to know that on Sunday you go to church.
For the people around you, whether it's your friends or your co-workers, whether it's your family, when they see that you have a commitment that is leading you to living a better life - that is a positive example that other people can follow.
Some awesome and powerful stuff happens when we gather together
• We get to praise God together
• We get to experience the movement of the Holy Spirit together… (lives in us individually and moves among us collectively)
• We hear truths from His word that change our lives
• We get to take communion and remember His sacrifice together
• We to give and receive encouragement.
We all need encouragement. Life is hard. Life is difficult. We all run into various kinds of challenges; health problems, financial issues, conflict within our families. We have an opportunity to encourage one another and that is part of what church is about.
Don't come occasionally to church. Don't just come when you feel like it. Make regular church attendance a priority and let it be a good habit that becomes a part of who you are. Nothing does more for your spiritual health than regularly being in church. Being in a church service is irreplaceable. It is a moment in time and once it's gone, it's gone forever. There will always be competition for your time and other things that you could do on a Sunday. But these are really good reasons you should regularly attend church.
B) The Habit Of Doing Life Together (Community)
UNDERSTAND – we were created for community, because we were created in the image and likeness of the eternally relational God.
It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a companion who will help him. – Genesis 2:18
And we Were RE-CREATED For Community
Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. Ephesians 2:20
We are in this struggle together… - Philippians 1:30
Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah. – Acts 5:42
In a future message we will go into more detail about this concept of community.
But let me briefly mentioned our life group mission statement which is - Share Life, Pursue and Invest In Others
Share Life - Create an environment for significant, transformational relationships to occur.
‘Relationally Healthy’ life groups focus on these areas:
• Environment: We will create a safe and loving place where members feel freedom to share life’s joys and risk sharing deep struggles.
• Our Stories: We will hear, value, and respect each person’s story.
• Care: We will seek ways to care for one another through encouragement and prayer, as well as challenging and serving each other.
Pursue God
Dedicate ourselves to knowing God and being transformed into a devoted disciple of Jesus.
‘Spiritually Healthy’ life groups encourage one another to grow closer to God by pursuing involvement in 3 specific environments:
• The Row – is our Sunday gatherings where we grow closer to God through worship, biblical teaching and the opportunity to serve others.
• The Circle – is where we grow closer to God with a small group of people, doing life together forming transformational relationships.
• The Chair – is where we grow closer to God by spending personal time with Him through solitude, prayer and reading the word.
Invest in Others – create a culture where we actively pursue reaching beyond ourselves
‘Missionally Healthy’ life groups equip and encourage group members to pursue people outside the group and outside the faith:
• Invite: We will encourage each other to have a spirit of openness and hospitality (in our homes and in our group) to those who do not know Jesus or simply need a friend.?
• Share: We will ‘pray for one’ and encourage each other to develop relationships with people in our circles of influence with the hope of engaging them in spiritual conversations.
• Serve: We will find ways to serve someone (as a group or individually) in need in our local community in such a way that fosters an on-going relationship.
C) The Habit Of Spending Time In God’s Word
Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. – 2 Timothy 2:15
All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 17 God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work. - 2 Timothy 3:16,17
Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ. – Romans 10:17
Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth. – John 17:17
1) Read God’s Word
Read it…
• regularly,
• respectfully,
• humbly,
• expectantly…
2) Study God’s Word
NOW - the difference between studying and reading the Bible is when you study you use a pencil.
The secret of effective bible study is knowing how to ask the right questions about the text you are reading. The following acrostic will help you remember the types of questions to ask:
E - is there an error to avoid?
C - is there a command I need to obey?
A - is there an attitude I need to change?
P - is there a promise I need to hold onto?
E - Is there an example to follow?
3) Memorize
Pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life – Proverbs 4:20-22
It will help you - resist temptation, make wise decisions, give you strength me when your under stress, comfort you in difficult times
How To Memorize God’s Word
Pick a verse that speaks to you.
Say the reference before the verse.
Read the verse aloud many times.
Break the verse into natural phrases.
Emphasize key words when quoting the verse.
Write out the verse on an index card.
Get a partner so you can check each other.
THIS WEEK – I want to challenge you spend time in God’s Word,
and do those 3 things.
Ephesians (has 6 chapters)
Read a chapter each day…
Study it by asking and answering at least one of those ‘escape’ questions
And memorize at least 2 verses
