3-18-2012 Sunday Service, Week Number Two

There’s an old saying in church planting.  If you don’t get super crazy about week one, then you won’t be super dejected after week two.  In other words, for all the joy we had when 36 people came to church on March 11th, our first Sunday, we can’t let the second week results which usually drop off (16 people) get us down.  This is to be expected. What we are excited about is that we were able to worship with friends. The  awesome reality is that we are now going to be doing Sunday services where we’ll be able to preach the gospel and over time, have an impact on a city that has been in numerical decline for years.  Thanks everyone who came week one, week two, or both weeks!!!

I’m thankful that we were able to praise Jesus.  Redemption Fellowship will be all about a great Savior who rescues broken sinners from their sin and selfishness.  The three core values are gospel, community, and mission.  All three will be emphasized.  This week we focused on mission as we discussed the Great Commission (God’s marching orders for the local church) in Matthew 28:18-20. Many times the emphasis in the great commission is on the imperative, make disciples, and while making disciples is at the center of the great commission we also discussed there are bookends (indicatives or declarations) that fuel and motivate  this disciple making process. Without the bookends we often crumble under the fears and pressures of life

What are the bookends.  In Matthew 28:18 it speaks of Jesus having all authority. This is the first bookend.  He has dominion over all aspects and spheres in our current world.  People, events, life, death, good and bad are in his control,and yet the crazy pressure of our culture to be busy often clouds our thinking and this hampers the disciple making process.  He also promises in  Matthew 28:20b to be with us always.  This is important because we often fear people more than we fear our amazingly strong and powerful savior who has called us to enter into other peoples lives and put them before ourselves for their growth and God’s glory (Philippians 2:2-3).

Without the bookends holding us up we either become dejected or self righteous in our great commission work.  There’s nothing worse than a proud Christian patting himself on the back for all the good he is doing God.  So when we keep the bookends at the forefront of our thinking, the great commission becomes an overflow of our love for God.

This week as you read your bible and encourage yourself, before you go to the imperatives  (the commands in the scriptures) find the indicatives.  These are descriptions of what God has done for us, who he is, and who we are as a result of HIS work FOR us.  When you do this, the inspiration to obey all he has asked us to do for his glory Matthew 28:20) will become sweet and savory!!!  Go ahead and try this?  I think you’ll enjoy your bible reading much more when your focus FIRST on God and not yourself!!!