The Goals Of The Local Church

THE GOALS OF OUR CHURCH

Acts 2:42-47

42 They were devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

43 Reverential awe came on everyone, and many wonders and miraculous signs came about by the apostles.

44 All who believed were together and held everything in common,

45 and they began selling their property and possessions and distributing the proceeds to everyone, as anyone had need.

46 Every day they continued to gather together by common consent in the temple courts, breaking bread from house to house, sharing their food with glad and humble hearts,

47 praising God and having the good will of all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number every day those who were being saved.

INTRODUCTION

• Did you ever hear of a man named Donald Wyman? You may have, but it’s been some years ago when he made the national news. Donald Wyman is from Pennsylvania and he was out in the woods, cutting trees and a tree fell on his leg, pinning him under it. Wyman laid there for an hour screaming for help. Finally, when no one showed up he pulled out his pocket knife and cut off his own leg. Wyman said, “It was a terrible ordeal.” Well, I guess so! That’s almost unimaginable! They asked Wyman how he could do such a thing and he said, “I wanted to live.” It was either cut off his leg and drag himself out of there or lay there and bleed to death. He said that his motivation was his family and God. Donald Wyman did a very drastic thing in order to save himself.

Sometimes drastic situations call for drastic measures. I wouldn’t say that our church is in a drastic situation, but it could sure be better. I’m very much concerned about our church. I want to see the church grow.

• Charles Paul Conn tells of the time when he lived in Atlanta. He noticed in the Yellow Pages, in the listing of restaurants, an entry for a place called the Church of God Grill. The peculiar name aroused his curiosity, and he dialed the number. A man answered with a cheerful, “Hello! Church of God Grill!” He asked how the restaurant had been given such an unusual name, and the man at the other end said, “Well, we had a little mission down here, and we started selling chicken dinners after church on Sunday to help pay the bills. Well, people liked the chicken, and we did such a good business, that eventually we cut back on the church service. After a while we just closed down the church altogether and kept on serving the chicken dinners. We kept the name we started with, and that’s Church of God Grill.”

What is sad about this is that probably no one noticed that they wandered away from their mission. Instead of being a great church, they chose to be a great restaurant instead.

W orship

I nstruction

F ellowship

E vangelism

L ove

I nstruction

F amily

E vangelism

W orship

E vangelism

L earning

L oving

M ission

M agnification

M embership

M aturity

M inister

E xalt

E vangelize

E ncourage

E dify

E quip

LOVE

• Matthew 22:37-39, “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”

• A little girl asked her new neighbor, “Do you go to church?” “Yes, do you?” the new neighbor responded. “We’re Methodists, and I go every Sunday with my mother.” “Doesn’t your daddy go too?” “No.” “Isn’t he a Methodist?” “I’m not sure. MOTHER SAID HE IS A SEVENTH-DAY ABSENTIST.”

• The story is told about President James A. Garfield’s first Sunday in Washington after his inauguration. A member of the cabinet insisted that a cabinet meeting be called at 10 a.m. the following day, which was Sunday, to handle a matter of grave importance.

President Garfield said that he had something to do at that time. The cabinet member insisted that the President break his previous engagement. GARFIELD REFUSED. The cabinet member said, "I would be interested to know with whom you could have an engagement so important that it cannot be broken."

Garfield replied, "I will be as frank as you are. MY ENGAGEMENT IS WITH THE LORD TO MEET HIM AT HIS HOUSE AND AT HIS TABLE AT 10:30 A.M. TOMORROW AND I WILL BE THERE."

• John 13:35, “Everyone will know by this that you are my disciples—if you have love for one another.”

• Eph. 5:1-2 "Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love."