Theme: New Year/Preaching the gospel (Church Growth – April 9, 2017)

Devotion: Matthew 5:16

Title: Advancing the Church’s Mission

Introduction:
Good morning to every one of you, before we begin, let us first have a word of prayer…
Today our message serves as the rallying call for all of us at the start of this year. Let us
not get caught up on just remembering all of our shortcomings and failures of the last year, lest
the days ahead pass us by. Let us learn from them and let us dedicate to God the whole of our
year, all of what we will do, for the glory of His name alone. Let us take action so that we might
not waste any of the precious time that God gives us. There are many things to consider as we
move forward, in our personal life, in our families, but let us also place at the center the
important purpose that God has given to all of us through the church. We are not just individual
Christians working separately, but we are all joined together and united as one in the body of
Christ. If we want to start this year on the right foot, then let us consider carefully the purpose
of the church, and our place as Christians in the church. That is why the title of our message for
today is Advancing the Church’s Mission.

Exegetical Idea: We believe that God made the church and that He had made it with a clear
purpose. We Christians have been blessed by God to be grafted into His family but at the same
time we are also given the responsibility of fulfilling the mission of the church as children of
God while we are still here on earth.

Proposition: Brothers and sisters in the Lord, let me propose to you that if we desire to bring
glory to God this year, we must fulfill the command of Jesus Christ, and pursue the goals that
our Lord has set forth for His body, the church.

Interrogative: What does the bible tell us?

By this time we already know that the church was founded by none other than our Lord Jesus
Christ, and He is the only head and leader of the church forevermore. The church is a collection
of individual believers of Christ, those who have been brought out of darkness into His light.
1Pet.2:9 It is also Jesus who set forth the purpose of the church: primarily to bring glory to God
through the work that He has given to us. Matt.5:13-16 We see and understand what the early
NT believers did at the beginning of the church. Acts2:42 the church is God’s agent to the
world, it is how the nations are being reached. As Christians, our existence and mission is
closely tied to the purpose of the church, and we cannot continue if we were to go apart from
it. As members of the church, and as members of this local church, let us do the work that God
has set before us, let us fulfill His command and move forward confidently this year in our
service for the Lord.

I. Rooted in God’s word – 2Tim.2:2

 As any physical body needs nutrients, so a spiritual body needs sustenance as well. The
foundation of our spiritual lives is dependent on the spiritual food that God provides for us
through His word. 1Pet.2:2 For the church to continue, it needs to be anchored and rooted in
the teachings of Jesus Christ, through the word of God that has been made available to all of us.

A. The gospel of Jesus Christ

There is no teaching and doctrine of greater importance than the gospel of Jesus
Christ. It is our turning point; it is the start of the Christian life, and through faith and
belief a person is born again in the spirit. It is the reason why we are even here today,
and the main reason why we do what we are currently doing: it is because of who Jesus
is, and the importance of what He has done. The apostle Paul preached and taught and
admonished many things in accordance to the word of God, but the importance and
prominence of the gospel was never missing from His message. 1Cor.2:1-2 If you are a
true Christian, the gospel is one thing that you should be very well versed in and
accustomed to. Your whole Christian birth and life rises and falls on the gospel, and if
you understood it, then you can also proclaim it. It is nothing to be ashamed of:
Rom.1:16 For it is only through this gospel that anyone can be saved. It is not opinion,
nor a deliberation, it is the truth of God shown to all of us. The seriousness of this
matter is seen in Gal.1:8-9: there is no other gospel other than that of Jesus Christ.

B. Our duty of discipleship

Remember that the mandate of the Lord was never just proclaiming the good
news, but of making disciples of all nations and people. It is not enough that we acquire
listeners of the word, of which there are many, but to lead people to place their faith,
trust, and life in the living God. To have committed followers of Jesus Christ, and not
remain just visitors and attendees. How do you think Christianity has survived this long?
Aside from the guidance and power of God, it is because of Christian men and women
who have dedicated themselves fully to the Lord were faithful in their work for the
advancement of the gospel. This is the importance of discipleship: 2Tim.2:2 we have
been built up by those who have come before us, and now the message of the gospel
has been entrusted to us, and soon will come the time of those who will come after us,
and they will safeguard the same message that they have received from us. This ensures
the expansion of God’s kingdom, as God desires for men to be saved. 2Pet.3:9

Application:
The stability of the church can be measured by how deep our foundation is in the Word
of God. There is no shortcut, no easy way out of this task. If we want the church to flourish this
year, all of us have a responsibility to grow deep in our understanding of bible. Once we have,
only then can we accomplish all of our tasks set before us. Our teaching and preaching must be
centered on the word of God alone. While we have opinions, traditions, styles and methods
taken from experience and from the world, nothing is of greater importance than
understanding and following the revealed will of God in the bible.

II. Persistent in prayer – 1thess.5:17

 Prayer provides all of us Christians the necessary link to reach God. What was hindered
and formal before in the OT is now a privilege to every child of God who calls out to the Father.
While the gospel is the means with which we are able to enter into a meaningful relationship
with God, prayer now is the means with which we are able to continue in our relationship with
our loving God. No wonder the mandate of Paul concerning prayer was this:1Thess.5:17

A. The backbone of the church

In any church, before there was even a hint of any form of ministry and work,
there was already prayer. Sometimes, even before a church is born, prayer was already
present and being offered to God. Even in the early life of a Christian we notice this: as a
new believer, you might not be able to teach in front, or serve at once in the ministry,
but any real Christian can pray immediately at once. It is a great blessing to be able to
call out to God and know that God hears us. Prayer is the backbone of the church
because before we make a move or decide on a decision, we submit everything to God
in prayer. Prayer was given great importance at the beginning of the church
age:Acts2:42 And was given great importance by the early church leaders: Acts6:1-4
Prayer is not just important for a new church, but remains of utmost importance
especially for those churches still in service for decades like we are. It is the most sacred
duty of the whole church to pray. Eph.6:18ASND The church needs more Christians
committed to the ministry of prayer; we need our prayer warriors.

B. Shows our faith and dependence on God

God commands all of us to pray:Phil.4:6-7 God wants all of us to come to Him to
depend on Him and trust in Him in everything. Like a loving Father, God waits to hear
our concerns, ready to listen to our requests, ready to accept our confessions. It is a
great blessing to be able to talk to God, and on top of that, to be able to talk to God
anytime, anywhere, and about anything. Even the Lord Jesus Christ, blameless and holy,
devoted much of His time here on earth in prayer, modeling to us an example to follow.
When we pray, we cannot help to humble ourselves in the presence of a Holy God. We
have to admit that we are lacking and weak in many ways, but we also affirm that our
God is mighty and able to do more than we could ever think of. Praying also reminds us
that it is not our will, but God’s will that is to be so. There is an abundance of help,
comfort, wisdom, guidance, and strength that is waiting to be tapped, accessible to all
of us through our prayers. 1Jn.5:14-15

Application:
Prayer shows our faith and dependence on God alone, and not on our own ability or our
own ingenuity. A single prayer offered to the most high is worth more than a lifetime of man’s
planning and ability. Prayer is not just for a special few, but is given for all believers: it is for the
whole church. A prayer filled church is a church that is assured to succeed.

III. Abundant in giving – 2Cor.9:6-8

One principle that Christians should not fail to live out is the giving that is evident in the
life of the church. Giving was given importance in the NT churches and is mentioned even at the
start of the church. Acts2:44-46 It came naturally to the believers, who all partook of the same
spirit. Most of the time, our ears perk up on the idea of receiving, but are quick to dismiss when
it is time to give. Let us make an effort to change that today. Giving is important in our personal
life, and just as important in the church.

A. Our God has blessed us

Our basis on giving (as with all other things) is founded on the truth that our God
is a giving God. God is rich, the richest among all for He owns everything in this world.
Yet God is not selfish. He gives freely to whom He wishes. He abounds not only with
earthly riches (which is without measure) but also in love. He gives wisdom to those
who asks it of Him:Jam.1:5 More than these, God is so generous that He gave His only
begotten son, as a redemption for our sins. Jesus sacrificed Himself freely and willingly,
for us to be invited to a new life with Him. 2Cor.8:9 No other blessing can top this one.
Our God has blessed us so richly and so deeply that we cannot even pay Him back no
matter how long or how hard we try. Now that we have the blessings of God in our lives,
we seek to bring glory to God by imitating His generosity. As God has blessed us, so
should we be a blessing to others. Our response to God’s blessing is to share these
blessing to others as well. It not only shows our own giving, but reflects our God who is
the abundant giver of all things.

B. Be generous in all things

Giving is emphasized in the bible so many times, maybe because it is natural for
us people to be selfish and self-centered. Now that we are Christians however, we must
be characterized by our generosity as well, more so within the body of Christ. Primarily,
we give back to God through our tithes and offerings, with which the Church is able to
continue and exist. We give to those who are in need as well. But giving does not start
and end with money. It begins in our hearts, for God does not just look at the amount,
but of the attitude, unseen to most, but visible to our God. He wants us to give
abundantly, but at the same time, the principle of sowing and reaping is also in
effect:2Cor.9:6-8. Those who give out of the abundance of their hearts will not be
neglected by God. But more than finances, we should be generous of anything we have
in our life: the time, the talents, the abilities, the gifts, that God has bestowed to each of
us. Parting ways with money is easy: are you willing to be a cheerful giver regarding your
life? Luke12:48b

Application:
Our generosity reflects the generosity of the God who loves us and saved us. Giving is an
indispensable part of the Christian life. God wants us to show our generosity to others, sharing
with them the blessings that we have also just received from God. God blesses us to be a
blessing to others. (sa tingin niyo ba lalaki ng ganito ang church) Let us be wise with all of the
resources God has entrusted to us.

IV. Purity in living – 1Thess.4:3-8

 Lastly, to ensure that our church continues to fulfill the purpose of the Lord and do it
well, it needs to have members who are living pure and holy lives. Our Christian living is the
culmination of our faith in God, and what we learn from His word. Believing God and following
His will will always have the outcome of holy living. It is God’s will that we live in holiness, and
not in unrighteousness anymore. 1Thess.4:3-8

A. Leave the old nature behind

I always think of living as a Christian in two important steps: both are just equally
important however. The first step is: setting aside all of the former things in our old lives
which revolved around our old nature. All of us lived according to the sin in us and in the
passion of our flesh and desires. This is how the gentiles live, this is how the sinners live,
and this is how the unbelievers live. Eph.4:17-19 But now those who are in Christ have
no excuse to live like this anymore. We are told to put off our old selves. v.20-22 I like
the word disown, because it carries with it the idea of severing all connections and
refusing acknowledgment. (di ko kasama/kilala yan) Reject it, abandon it, renounce it,
and deny it. We need to see and acknowledge for ourselves the destruction that our old
life and nature were bringing us to. Not just because others told us, or because we
heard of it. Until you yourself realize the predicament you were in, you will not take this
principle in all seriousness. But I hope that all of us do. The body of Christ will always be
held back as long as there are disobedient people in it.

B. Exhibit Godly living

And step number two: putting on the new self, the new life that has been given
by God through Christ Jesus. You can’t go directly to step two if you don’t continually do
step one. And it is useless to do step one, if you won’t follow it up with step no.2. This
life which was impossible in our old nature, is now accessible through Jesus who gave
Himself for us, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit as well. v.23-24 As Christians, godly
living is the only way to go forward and continue in our faith. In v.25-32, we see the
pattern of taking off and putting on into action as we learn and are reminded of how we
should exhibit godly living that would glorify God. Remember that we do not reach out
to others through our intellect and mastery of knowledge. We do not appeal to them
using human psychology nor by our skills. We preach Christ who was crucified on the
cross, was buried but raised on the third day. This same Christ who saved us changed
our life for the better. We preach this Christ with the testimony of our changed life. We
reach other people with the word of God that has the power to transform. But we
ourselves must first be transformed if we are to proclaim the gospel to others.

Applicaton:
Purity in living is concerned from the depths of our hearts, to the outward actions that
we make. It is concerned with our thinking, our values, our morals, our speech, our actions. It
affects even our choices of clothes, entertainment, and hobbies. As a church, we stay on our
guard against all impurity inside our ranks, rebuking, admonishing, and disciplining if need be,
and we build each other up to godly living which glorifies God. (binigay ng ating Panginoong
Hesus ang buhay niya para sa atin na nasa iglesia, at wag kayo papayag na masira ito dahil lang
sa kasalanan at kapabayaan.)

Conclusion:
For my conclusion, as we are preparing for all the challenges and goals of this year, let
us keep in mind the important things we must do so that the work of the church is
accomplished. All of us Christians have a part in this, so we must be responsible to fulfill the will
of God for us and for the whole body of Christ. let us work hand in hand then, even if we are
different ministries, different civil status, different ages, and let us then do our part. What we
do personally, affects the whole church collectively. If we make sure to follow diligently what
we have heard from the message this morning, we can be certain that the mission of the church
for this year will truly succeed. All of this of course, for the glory of our great God. To God be
the glory!