Tuesday, January 31, 2023

Get Committed Part 6

 

This message was preached at Word Of Grace Church on January 29th 2023  by Colin D'Cruz. For the audio & video please click here. To listen to the worship please click here.

GET COMMITTED - PART 6

Word of Grace church history:

In 2002, Colin, Navaz, Andrew and Jessica moved to Pune to build up and strengthen a church. At the right time, God spoke to us and we came here in June 2002. We’ve been here for the last 20 yrs. Pune is a city where people come to study or jobs and move away. But God continues to send people. Our vision is this - to make disciples. God gives us different capacities. But the function is the same. We are called to take the life of Christ within us, to deepen it, grow it and share it. God has called us here, so we have invested our life in making disciples of Jesus Christ. We are not alone. Word of Grace church is a part of New Frontiers International. This became 16 spheres and we belong to a sphere called regions beyond. Regions beyond is led by Steve O . In India, we are led by Franco who leads one nation church in Mumbai. 


Why are we a part of regions beyond? It strengthens us and we are able to reach places that we are physically unable to reach by ourselves. 


What are we expecting from every member of the Word of Grace? 

  1. You need to be part of a GYM group. 

  2. Growing in all these areas of discipleship like hospitality 

  3. Commit to growing spiritually. We want to help each one of you grow spiritually. Once a month we have In-Depth Discipleship training(IDT). All our leaders have attended that and have a solid foundation because of that. Be part of something like this to build yourself up.

  4. Build relationships with one another. 

  5. Serve in some capacity. We are not a restaurant, we are a family. If you have health in your body, praise God and offer your body as a living sacrifice. 

  6. Giving - God expects you to give your tithes and offerings. Tithe means 10% of your income. That is the starting point. We don’t pay tithes, we bring them because it belongs to God. He says to test him in this and that he would pour out a blessing over us. In addition to this, we have 'works' among the poor. Once a year we take a special offering called gift day. This is for giving towards the mission, Regions beyond, etc. 

  7. Prayer - there is so much persecution in India. Our battle is not against flesh and blood. So we want to be praying for people. 

  8. Reaching out - all of the church is our training. And this training is for the purpose of making disciples- so that we can reach out to people and share the gospel. It is for their benefit. We’ve got to go into the world and befriend people so that we can share the light of Jesus to the dark world. In the way we speak and behave we bring light to the world and God will use us. But do not become like the world. 

  9. Be discipled by someone in the church. Jesus is very clear about the model of discipleship - he had 12 who were discipled by them and they in turn discipled others until now. 


 Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit-filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English-speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that has people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service.  Word of Grace is a part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org.  

Get Committed Part 5

 

This message was preached at Word Of Grace Church on January 29th 2023  by Colin D'Cruz. For the audio & video please click here. To listen to the worship please click here.

GET COMMITTED - PART 5

Matthew 28:18-20 “And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."” - Matthew‬ ‭28‬:‭18‬-‭20‬ ‭ESV‬‬


You and I, if we are believers, we live under the highest orders by the highest authority to go and make disciples. We also spoke about the different stages of growth as a believer- seeker, infant, child, young adult and parents (mothers and fathers) 


An infant's life is characterized by ignorance. As a child, however, there is some growth and began to read their bible.  They are only concerned with themselves, their comfort and well being. They are not committed to serving even though they might do some things. Young adults have grown spiritually and have moved from being self-centred to others centred. They have grown in maturity and progress. They are committed to serving. Fathers and Mothers not just care for people but give birth to people through the gospel. These are the four discipleship stages. It will be good to assess where you are and see how you can grow. Children will always think they’re adults, so you need others also to speak into your life and progress in the area of growth. The focus should be on growing. 


There are milestones in our journey. We looked at 3 milestones: 

  1. Personal worship

  2. Public worship

  3. Heart worship

You will find more on these in part 2 of the series. 


  1. Being part of a small group: when you are a part of a church, you are not a part of an organisation, you’re a part of an organism. During the week we meet in small groups where we get to know people at a more deeper level - to care and share, to challenge and support, to confide and confess, to rejoice and weep, and to be accountable to each other. Personal growth does not happen in isolation, it happens in the community. Where do we find small groups in the Bible? “And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts,” ‭‭- Acts‬ ‭2‬:‭46‬ ‭ESV‬‬. At Word of Grace we have a few gyms ( house groups). We are starting an online gym for people who are unable to make it to any of the gyms. Over the years our small groups have cared for one another very well. 

  1. Loving one another: A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this, all people will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another."”‭‭ - John‬ ‭13‬:‭34‬-‭35‬ ‭ESV‬‬. We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.” - ‭‭1 John‬ ‭3‬:14-‭15‬ ‭ESV‬‬. Love is expressed in connecting with one another. We’ve got to be people who are loving one another. Let’s connect with one another intentionally. 

    1. Love involves practising hospitality. One of our key values is to express love through offering hospitality. Whether you are married or single you can be hospitable. Let’s be biblical. 

    2. Having authentic relationships - to have deep friendships. The Bible has 51 or more one another’s. Practising those is showing love to one another. We are not perfect but we’re making an effort to grow. 

  2. Obey the word of God: “"If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”‭‭John‬ ‭14‬:‭15‬ ‭ESV‬‬. A growing disciple is one who is feeding on the word, meditates on the word and is transformed through obeying the word. This should be happening on a regular basis. “For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.” ‭‭James‬ ‭1‬:‭23‬-‭25‬ ‭ESV‬‬. You want to be blessed. Read the word and do what it says. Sometimes culture is very different from what the Bible says. But we need to adjust our life to reflect the word of God. 

  3. Servanthood: “Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him with her sons, and kneeling before him she asked him for something. And he said to her, "What do you want?" She said to him, "Say that these two sons of mine are to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom." Jesus answered, "You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?" They said to him, "We are able." He said to them, "You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father." And when the ten heard it, they were indignant at the two brothers. But Jesus called them to him and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles Lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."”‭‭Matthew‬ ‭20‬:‭20‬-‭28‬ ‭ESV‬‬. This is the principle of the kingdom. The way to greatness is through serving. If you want to be first, you have to be a slave. Jesus modelled it himself and calls us to follow him in the same way. If you want any form of public ministry, you have to serve and become a servant. Those who wash the feet of the saints have the privilege of leading them. We are talking about sacrificial serving. We are here to serve the body of Christ and be servants. This is a value that is held in high esteem by Jesus and by us. If you want to progress in your spiritual life, serve. We all have a role and a function in Word of Grace. You can’t be part of a body if you don’t have a function. It would not serve any purpose. 

  4. Mission: Jesus came to earth and after dying on the cross and resurrecting, he says in John “Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you."”‭‭John‬ ‭20‬:‭21‬ ‭ESV‬‬. Our mission is to proclaim the gospel. “Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence, earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” ‭‭Revelation‬ ‭20‬:‭11‬-‭15‬ ‭ESV‬‬. This is the reality of our future without Jesus. The moment you trust Jesus you know your name is written in the book of life. The second death is forever and there is no escape. If anyone here has not put their faith in Jesus, today is the day of salvation. Our mission is to share the gospel with love and gentleness. That is what we are called to do till the end of time. 


We have looked at 8 discipleship milestones. As we mature, we can do these at a much deeper level. As a new Christian, you would’ve spent 5 mins with the word. As you mature, you want to spend 30 mins etc. we grow in our depth and capacity of doing them.


 Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit-filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English-speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that has people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service.  Word of Grace is a part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org.  

Tuesday, January 24, 2023

Get Committed Part 3

 

This message was preached at Word Of Grace Church on January 22nd 2023  by Colin D'Cruz. For the audio & video please click here. To listen to the worship please click here.

GET COMMITTED - PART 3


When you join a company, you don’t just start working. You have an orientation on where you fit in in the company. We are the body of Christ on earth and we need each one to fit in and find out what your role is. 


We come here each Sunday and we need to ask ourselves why do we exist as a church? 

Worshipping God is a great reason, but there is more. What are we called to do? 

And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭28‬:‭18‬-‭20‬ ‭ESV‬‬


“And he said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men."”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭4‬:‭19‬ ‭ESV‬‬


Jesus has all authority in heaven and earth and he gives us one command - to make disciples, baptize and teach them to obey. 


“And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock, I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭16‬:‭17‬-‭19‬ ‭ESV‬‬


“and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.”

‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭2‬:‭2‬ ‭ESV‬‬


This is called 4G discipleship. 4 generations of people are called to follow Jesus here. One day Jesus is coming back. And he gave us some parables on what it’s going to be like when he comes back. 


“"For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master's money. Now after a long time, the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, 'Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.' His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.' And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, 'Master, you delivered to me two talents; here, I have made two talents more.' His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.' He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, 'Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.' But his master answered him, 'You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming, I should have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'”


‭‭Matthew‬ ‭25‬:‭14‬-‭30‬ ‭Speaks of the parable of talents. Jesus is telling us what the kingdom of heaven is like. One day he will return, but he is also going to take an account of what He has given us. One major command is to make disciples. He will ask us where are your disciples? Our mission is to unashamed to obey Jesus’ great commission. It is also to help all of you make disciples. We want to see at least 4 generations being discipled. 


In the Bible, we see these patterns of discipleship. Jesus had his 12 disciples. Paul had Timothy. In my own life, I had someone disciple me and invest in me to grow. 


Discipleship means that you have someone in your life who has gone before you and can help you put the word of God into practice. It is not teaching, it is training. Our lives must reflect what we are training on. Disciple means learner-apprentice. Illustration of a carpenter’s apprentice. A carpenter always comes along with a helper. The helper will only sharpen the tools This is God’s plan for discipleship and he wants us to do this until he returns. 


What do we need to be a disciple? 

  1. Humility 

  2. Submission 

  3. Teachability 

  4. Time 

  5. Relationship 

  6. Accountability 

When these things are in place, your spiritual growth will skyrocket. Famous football players who today get millions paid, all had coaches to help them do what they didn’t want to do. That is the value of a discipler. 


When you are discipled, a few things that happen:

  1. Obedience to Christ 

  2. Spiritual Maturity 

    1. The practice of the spiritual disciplines

    2. Grasp biblical and theological truths

    3. Lifestyle and character to be more like Christ - healthy relationships 

    4. Fruit of the spirit 

  3. Others centeredness 

  4. Freedom from habitual sin 

  5. Family life in order 

  6. Stable emotional life 

  7. Engage in the church and in the world 


God can work in mysterious ways. There is power in the name of Jesus. But his primary way of working is through people like you and me where we preach and give him the gospel call. 


5 Stages of the discipleship journey: 


  1. Seekers - we all start off as seekers. No one is born a Christian. A seeker is an unbeliever who doesn't believe in Jesus as their saviour as yet. They might have heard about him but they have not crossed the line of faith as yet. As a seeker you can now your knee to him today or when he returns. But then you will pay for your sins separated from God. He offers us salvation now. Don’t wait because you don’t know what will happen tomorrow. “And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." And after that, no one dared to ask him any more questions.” ‭‭Mark‬ ‭12‬:‭34‬ ‭ESV‬‬


There are 4 stages for Christians

I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for his name's sake. I am writing to you, Father, because you know him who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I write to you, children because you know the Father.

‭‭1 John‬ ‭2‬:‭12‬-‭13‬ ‭ESV‬‬


  1. Infant - “But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. ‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭3‬:‭1‬ ‭ESV‬‬. This is someone who has either just come to faith but has not grown spiritually. 

    1. They are ignorant / don’t have much knowledge about the Bible. “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food,”‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭5‬:‭12‬ ‭ESV‬‬. An infant doesn’t know good and evil. They do not know what is right and what is wrong. No one is born mature. 

    2. What infants need is to be part of a family. They need spiritual milk - they need to know the basic truths of the Bible. Unless this happens they will not grow up. Infants make noise and mess up and others need to clean them up. 



  1. Children - they can do some things for themselves. They may have a quiet time, and they can help out and serve a bit. However, children are still rebellious and self-focused. 


  1. Young Adults - can manage themselves. They can serve in a greater way. They can be sacrificial. They can be very God-focused and learn to start focusing on others. As yet they cannot handle too much responsibility and do not have a 360-degree view of church life.


  1. Parents - parents reproduce. The Bible uses this language. “For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel.” ‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭4‬:‭15‬ ‭ESV‬‬. They can care for others and take responsibility in the house of God. There is a sense of ownership and clear purpose and belonging. They know the buck stops with them. God's church increases as men and women give birth to new Christians. Parents bring up their children in the ways of the Lord and help them to grow. 


In order to go through these stages we need to be discipled, and committed to a church family that will help us grow. 


Ask yourself - Where am I in these stages? Where do I want to go? 

Our goal is to help you become a disciple and obey Jesus in disciplining others as well. 


   Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit-filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English-speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that has people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service.  Word of Grace is a part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org.  


Get Committed Part 4

This message was preached at Word Of Grace Church on January 22nd 2023  by Colin D'Cruz. For the audio & video please click here. To listen to the worship please click here.







GET COMMITTED - PART 4 

5 Stages of Christian life:

  1. Born again 

  2. Baptism 

  3. Baptism in the Holy Spirit

The blueprint/milestones of Christian life: 

  1. Personal worship: We are called into a relationship with Jesus. In monopoly, we have a card called get out of jail card. Some people treat Jesus like that. But salvation is more than that. It is about having a relationship with Jesus and living for him by serving him. Mark 1:35 - Jesus set the example. But it says very early in the morning when it was still dark, went to a solitary place where he prayed. This time is when we are spending time with the Holy Spirit. Whatever your situation is don’t give up praying. We never outgrow that. 

  2. Public worship: meeting together. When you become a child of God, you also get brothers and sisters, “When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus,” ‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭5‬:‭4‬ ‭ESV‬‬ “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭10‬:‭24‬-‭25‬ ‭ESV‬‬. We need to meet to fellowship, partner and share lives together.  Not neglecting to meet together means you are in the habit of coming to a meeting. If you’re unwell don’t come. But don’t make a habit of making excuses to not come. Today over ⅓ rd of the church is not there on a Sunday morning. God has called us for a purpose. To make disciples. That requires commitment. “When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus,”‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭5‬:‭4‬ ‭ESV‬‬. There is power when we come together. 

  3. Heart worship: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭21‬ ‭ESV‬‬. Jesus is very clear about your giving. When you put your money into the church your heart will follow. When people are not interested in the things of God, it’s because their treasure is not there. Bring your tithes to the local church. If these things are missing your growth will be stuck. As we obey these things there is a blessing. 

  4. Small groups: “And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts,” ‭‭Acts‬ ‭2‬:‭46‬ ‭ESV‬‬. Everyone needs to be a part of a small group. We have something called “GYM” - God You and Me. Invest in relationships. Jesus called his disciples to be with him. That is what the gyms are. 

( to be continued)



 Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit-filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English-speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that has people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service.  Word of Grace is a part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org.