We had lovely praise and worship before moving into the Pastor’s sermon continuing in
the Culture Shift series.
First we looked outside the church to note the Point: We must lead people by our lives, to the real Jesus of the Bible.
The second week Pastor noted the need for a shift within the church with the Point: Every person most positively contribute to a culture of KINDNESS.
Week three discussed setting priorities in our lives with the Point: The only way to truly worship God is to find all our satisfaction in Him.
Church shouldn't be walking with the world (although it might be very good if the world were walking with church). Yet, we need to be within the culture to help change it.
Satan wants to keep people from worshiping God and it is important for us to make worship a Lifestyle, not just Sunday service.
If you walk in uninvited to a private club you feel like you don’t belong but that attitude changes if you are invited as a guest. Belonging to an exclusive club is touted as something special, of extra value and the public is encouraged to pay extra. But exclusivity shouldn't be part of the church.
In the old testament, God's people were select, special, set apart. But that changed in God’s Christ based church. Those who believe in Christ have the right to become children of God, part of a new family. John 1:6-13. We receive a new identity; we become part of the family of God.
There is always a tension, a pull back to former culture. 2 Corinthians 5:13-15. Our culture changes but you can distinguish families by various identity markers such as: outwardly demonstrative or reserved; patriarchal or matriarchal; blessed or depressed; abusive or loving. But God is in the business of breaking family chains. 2 Corinthians 5:16-20.
The Point: The church, the family of God, have been made ambassadors of Christ.
Who are you? Ambassadors are supposed to go to others seeking to make a connection, carry a message. Our message to the world is “Come to Jesus; Come Back to God”.
What makes a healthy family culture? We may have an imperfect church, an imperfect pastor, and we may be imperfect people. Even so, we learn to love one another. We open wide the doors to the narrow gate. We don’t have to “become” first, it is okay to belong first.
Belong, believe, become.
Who are you? We (the church) are family, not an institution.
Invite someone to sit with you. Commit and invest. What will you do as an ambassador?
I couldn’t find this with lyrics but this lively song fits the message today.
Verses for Today:2 Corinthians 5:17-20 (NIV)
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.
John 1:12 (NIV)
12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—
Lord, I pray that you will strengthen me and use me as an ambassador for your message.
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