Stronger Church: Growing Stronger in Core
The Church is equipped with earth-shaking and life-shaping power through the Holy Spirit.
There is a more pervasive scandal that has had the most negative impact on the image of the Church than the money, sex and power scandals of the past and that is not living up to the powerful transforming entity God created the Church to BE and doing the earth-shaking work God designed for it to DO.
The Bible is light on Church structure and heavy on Church Mission.
· Growing Stronger in our Core.
· Growing Stronger in our Purpose.
· Growing Stronger in our Connection.
· Growing Stronger in our Leadership.
Foundation
Matthew 16:13-19 13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” 14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” 16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” 17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock, I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
Foundation
1. Jesus Himself would build His Church on Himself.
2. The Church is movement oriented.
3. The Church faces an oppositional force but not an equally powerful force.
4. The Church has authority.
Identity
Acts 2:37-41 37 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do? 38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.” 40 With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” 41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.
Identity
1 Peter 2:1-5 Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. 2 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, 3 now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. 4 As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— 5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
Identity
1 Peter 2:6-12
6 For in Scripture it says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” 7 Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” 8 and, “A stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.” They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for. 9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
Identity
· Chosen People (not random not isolated)
· Royal Priesthood (with family status and position)
· Holy Nation (set apart with identity)
· New assignment (to declare the praises of Him who called us out of darkness and into His marvelous light)
Foundation + Identity + Position = Stronger Church
Position
The Kingdom of God is what we live in when we live out the Gospel. Jesus instituted the church as a collective to live out Kingdom principles and practices as a reflection of real life and not the empty life Satan tries to sell.
Position
John 17:13-19 13 “I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. 14 I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. (Substance) 15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. 17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. 19 For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.