The Believer Is Equipped Series

Get In The Game

“The Believer Has Been Equipped”

Good morning and thank you for choosing to worship with us today here at Central.

It is our desire that you enjoy the warmth and fellowship of the people of God, that you have a life changing experience with God, and that you discover the plan He has for your life.

Let’s make our profession together, this is my bible, God’s holy word, it is a lamp …

Humor:

“She Bought Me Another Dog” Pepper Rogers, coach of UCLA’s football team suffered through a poor season back in the 1970’s. He came under intense criticism and pressure from alumni and fans. Things got so bad that he felt as if all his friends were gone. “My dog was my only true friend,” he said. “I told my wife that every man needs at least two good friends–and she bought me another dog.”

VIDEO CLIP

Opening Statement:

The job of the church is not to impact the church, but our job is to impact the world.

It’s like a huddle in a football game. 70,000 people don’t pay $50.00 a ticket to watch the Texans huddle. What if you went to a Texans game and for 2 ½ hours you watched 11 men stand in a circle and talk? That’s not what you paid for or why your there!

67,000 people pay $50 a ticket to see what is the difference the huddle makes. What they want to know is, after having called the play in the huddle, does it work on the field?

The challenge for the church is not what we do when we call our play in our Sunday morning huddle, but what we do when we leave our huddle and head to our Mission field.

1 Corinthians 12:4-11, 27 NIV

There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.

7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.

27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.

You may ask, pastor, how does all of this apply today?

Verses 8-10 remind us that the believer is equipped.

Verses 11, 27 remind us that EVERY BELIEVER is equipped, that we are a part of the body of Christ, and that it is time to “GET IN THE GAME.”

You do not want to get in the game without being properly equipped.

Ephesians 6:13

Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

1. We Need to guard our minds.

If we are going to get in the game, we are going to be butting heads with satan, therefore we need our helmet.

Have you ever seen someone who has had their bell rung, they can’t think straight, they can’t make proper decisions; they loose the ability to make good use of their minds.

As believers, if we are going to get in the game, we must guard our minds.

Whatever you allow into your mind is what will come out when it gets squeezed.

Romans 8:6-7 NIV

The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace;

In the armor of God, our minds are guarded through salvation.

How can this be? How can you just change?

Because whoever is in Christ Jesus is a new creation.

A new creation is just the same as a new born baby.

Babies do not have un-Christ like characteristics of flaws.

They are not natural born thieves, immoral people, alcoholics, drug addicts, cursers, killers, or any other bad characteristics.

I’ve never been to the hospital and seen a new born baby with a cigar sticking out of its mouth.

Non Christ like flaws happen when people stop guarding their mind and begin entertaining wrong thoughts, ideas, and persona’s.

What is the best way to guard our minds?

ILLUSTRATION

Goodyear. Strainers, filters.