Setting Worthy Goals as a Church

  This message was preached at Word Of Grace Church on January 12th 2025 by Lasya. For the audio & video please click here.  For the worship please click here.

Setting worthy goals as a church

Last week, Colin encouraged us to set worthy goals from the passage of Philippians 1 which includes our personal goals – developing humility, growing in spiritual maturity, striving for holiness. Today we will look at some of the corporate goals that we need to set as the body of Christ. 

Why do we need to set corporate goals? 

When the New Testament refers to church, in 80% of the cases it is talking about a local church. We have this idea that the “church” is this abstract amalgamation of all believers from all times, but when Paul or Peter or Luke talk about the church, they are referring to the church in Ephesus, the church in Philippi, the church that meets in someone’s house… it is not either or, but it is focused on the local with a vision of the global and eternal. We are born on our own, but we are born into a family just as in the natural. This family that we are born into is the church. The church is not an organisation, it’s a spiritual body – it is the fellowship of the redeemed. Romans 12:5 “so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.”

We need the local church in order to obey Jesus. Both the great commandment (Matthew 22:37-39 “7 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”) and the great commission (Matthew 28:18-20 “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, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”) are rooted in a place. In fact, the promise is that when the holy spirit comes upon us, we will be witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth.  

You and I are here by design to meet the purposes of God in this place and time. So as we step into this new year, let’s look at what is the role of the this church in this place and how do we set ourselves up to obey God. 

Q. What are some of the new year’s resolutions you’ve ever set that have actually stuck? When you reflect on it, what is the difference between the resolutions that stick v. the ones that don’t? Illustrations of gym or eating healthy, etc. 

• Commitment 

• Custom 

• Compelling vision 

1. Commitment. 

Q. What is Jesus committed to? 

Matt 16:18 “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.

Q. What do we need to be committed to? 

Acts 2: 42- 45 – “And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers...And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.”

So there were some things that the believers were committed to (devoted to) – to the apostles teaching, to fellowship, to prayer, to giving- and they did all this in the context of a community.  

a. Apostle’s teaching – not just doing our bible reading in our personal devotion, but corporately. Do we come expecting God to speak to us through the word each Sunday, or do we go searching online for whoever the latest or most favourite preachers? 

b. fellowship – not just friendship but an intentional togetherness. Illustration – fellowship of the rings. It is coming together for a purpose - for mutual edification. Ephesians 4: 15-16 “speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and help together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work” 

c. prayer – most underused gift of the church is corporate prayer.

d. giving – tithes and offerings belong in the local church first. Giving is beyond this – it is giving of your time, resources, meeting the needs in the church. Many times, the needs are not monetary. Are we a generous community? 

2. Custom – our commitments need to turn into custom 

just saying we are committed to something is not enough. the road to hell is paved with good intentions

Jesus and the disciples had certain customs:

Luke 4: 16 “And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read.”

Luke 22:39 “And he came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him” (prayer) 

Acts 17: 1-2 “7 Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. 2 And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures,”

Acts 2: 46-47 “ 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people”

Q. What are some of our customs? 

Is attending church on a Sunday a custom, it is something that is non-negotiable? Is prayer a custom? Lets look at how to turn our commitments into customs. 

A commitment requires good intention, but a custom requires good planning. Illustrations - how can we make it to church on time/ be there for corporate prayer. 

3. Compelling vision:

Q. What is Jesus’ vision for the church? 

Ephesians 5: 25-27 “25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish”

Revelation 21: 2-4 “ 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place[a] of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people,[b] and God himself will be with them as their God.[c] 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.””

Q. What is our vision? 

Colin will tell us next week. 

But it has to do with being salt and light in this place. it has to do with loving God and loving our neighbours, it has to do with make disciples of the nations starting with NIBM, Undri, Pune and to the ends of the earth. In all this, we are the hands and feet of Christ. when God thinks about the darkness and evil that is prevalent in this area, his answer is, let me send word of grace church there. 

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 part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org. 

Jesus, the Cornerstone - Part 2

 This message was preached at Word Of Grace Church on September 15th 2024 by Lasya. For the audio & video please click here.  For the worship please click here.

JESUS, THE CORNERSTONE 

Part 2 

Last week we looked at Jesus, the cornerstone - what does it mean that Jesus is the cornerstone of the church? That our faith is built on the revelation of who he is. So we are doing a check of the foundation, making sure that we are building on the cornerstone. 

1. Believe that Jesus is who the Bible says he is - he is fully man, fully God - he has a dual nature and he is absolutely real. 

We believe the truth of the bible that Jesus is from God and is God, he became incarnate, he was born to a virgin who was overshadowed by the Holy Spirit having no imputed sin of Adam. Only one other man in the history of creation without a human father and that was Adam. The virgin birth of Jesus Christ is important because in Christ, God was creating a new humanity. Illustration of a glass of dirty water. 

2. Believe in Jesus’ death and resurrection

Salvation is simple. We simply receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior. We do not need to complicate that with 100s of doctrines. Imagine at the time you came to receive Jesus, if you have been preached about total depravity, perseverance of the saints, the doctrine of man and God… we are not saved by the cleverness of perfect theology, they are saved by the power of God. Peter’s speech at Pentecost v. the book of Romans. But the Bible is full of theology because it's meant for us to grow in our faith through it. If you’re here just looking in, not sure whether you really want to receive this Jesus or not, this is my message - God so loves YOU, that he sent his only son, that whoever believes in him will have eternal life. To the rest, we are here to remind ourselves of the life and work of Jesus - to study his word and build ourselves up in the most holy faith.  (Jude 1:20) 

1. The sufficiency of his sacrifice for our sin: Not just as a historical fact, but that he took our sin and shame on the cross. 1 Peter 2:24 “ He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.”  What makes Christianity different from other world religions is that we are not to pay for our sins. The fact is that we cannot. Romans 6:23 “The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Illustration of receiving a message about 30k in my account.

Some things that the cross has done for us- Not just understand it with the mind but your heart, will, emotions, body. 

1. Expiation of our sins - removes sin- “as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.” ‭‭Psalm‬ ‭103‬:‭12‬ 

2. Propitiation for our sin - removes the wrath of God Romans 5:9 ““Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.”

3. Reconciliation with God - removes enmity with God Romans 5:10 “for if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now, that we are reconciled….” Illustration of Tamilians and Malayalis

4. Justification - removes the guilt of sin. When a person commits an offence, not only is the offence punished, but the person becomes a criminal. Romans 3:28 “for we hold that one is justified by faith, apart from the works of the law”

5. sanctification (positionally) - removes defilement from sin. This is the result of grace. Romans 3:22 “the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe”

6. Transferred from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light - Col 1:13 ”He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son.” 

7. Redemption / release from our bondage to sin. ““We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. ‭‭Romans‬ ‭6‬:‭6‬ ‭

Now we see why the cross has become a symbol of the Christian faith. 1 Corinthians 1:23 - 24 - “or Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” 

Response - freely you have received, freely give. Illustration of an issue with a colleague. Forgiveness doesn't come naturally to us, but it’s that very nature we must put to death. It was not natural for Jesus to go to the cross - he was sorrowful to the point of sweating drops of blood, but we must, as Jesus did, yield our will to his way. 

2. The truth of his resurrection on the third day - 

Why is it important for us to believe that not only did Jesus die for us but that he rose on the 3rd day? 1 Corinthians 15:14 and 17 “14 And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain … 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins” The victory over death and sin and darkness is evidenced by the resurrection of Jesus. There were many who opposed Jesus and his followers, but what no one could do was produce his body. Michael Eaton “ the stone was not rolled away to let Jesus out, it was to let the witnesses in” 

Not only do we believe that Christ is resurrected but that we are raised with him. When we believe in Jesus we have a new birth. Col 2:12 “ having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.” 

Q. What is our state in Christ today? Rev 20:6 “Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.”

Response - Believe and be baptised. Baptism is the immediate expression of faith. There is no magic in the water, but there is power in the proclamation of faith in Jesus. We are baptised into Jesus. It is a symbol that is given to us of believing yourself as dying and being raised with Christ.

3. Believe he is building his church and is coming back again 

1. On this rock, I will build MY church - Whose is the church? Eph 4:11-12 - HE GAVE the apostles…  for the building up the body of Christ. illustration of an architect and masons, etc. Each of us have been “given” by Jesus for building the church. We are compelled by the love of Christ.(2 Cor 5:14) Illustration of Karen travelling across the world to build up the church… Colin and Navaz… 

1. Jesus is not building parachurch organisations - the local church is the hope of the world. Church is the instrument through which he has decided to reveal His manifold wisdom (Eph 3:10). Illustration about the building move being from God. 

2. He is not building churches that are neatly segregated by race, gender, age… we will not have a white church and a brown church, youth church or elderly church, we are building Christ’s church and Christ is not divided - we are one man in Christ. Gal 3:28 “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

3. There are no spare parts in the body of Christ. If you’re struggling to find your place, be honest and come talk to one of us. We believe in body ministry. That we are a priesthood and no one is exempt from having to get our hands dirty building up the church of Christ. 

Response - Get caught up in what Jesus is doing on the earth and in the church

2. Jesus’ return - Rev 22:12 “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done.” What are we supposed to do in the waiting? the parable of the 10 virgins. Oil can only be bought by developing intimacy with Jesus. It’s our relational currency. The gifts of God are irrevocable, but the anointing flows from intimacy. let us not be found lacking oil when he returns. Let us strive to hear him say well done, good and faithful servant.

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 part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org.   

Are You Walking With The Body?

 

This message was preached by Manesh P via zoom at Word Of Grace Church on  January 31st,2021. for the audio please click here.  TO listen to the worship please click here

Are you walking with the Body?

The bible calls us sheep and Jesus is our good shepherd. Sheep are meant to be in their flock. When a sheep walks away they put themselves in danger just as we do when we step outside the community of believers.

We are part of the body of Christ and we are supposed to walk with the body of Christ. Fellowship with a community of believers is not just chit chat or worship on Sunday morning. It is to develop a deep intimate relationship with one another.

WHY FELLOWSHIP?

1.      We are born again into Christ’s family.

God could have referred to Himself as the Master or CEO, but He calls Himself Father. God is love and he was eternally in a loving relationship in the trinity. Similarly, he expects us to be in a loving relationship with one another. If you have put your faith in Jesus, you are a part of God’s family. Families live together in unity. Psalm 133:1 “Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!”

2.      We have a kingdom purpose together

Eph 4:15-16 “Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.”

When we are held together that is when we grow. As each member does its part we will be able to accomplish all that God has to accomplish. 

John Maxwell says you can go faster by yourself, but you can go further together.

We are in a season of crossover. From one era to the next. They can be challenging, stormy, etc. and there is a danger of not getting to the other side if we don’t handle it well. This was Navaz’s word for this year. God wants his whole body together to move into this new era.

1 Corinthians 12:26 “If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honoured, all rejoice together.”

So how many of you are on board for this crossover? It is not a coincidence that you are here.

3.      We need one another

1 Peter 4:10 “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace:”

None of us has all the gifts. It’s to serve one another – not only to with spiritual gifts but acts of service. It’s not just you and God, it is You and God in community. 

Thank God we don’t have all the gifts. Because if we have all the gifts we will fall into pride. Romans 12:4-6 “For as in one body we have many members,[e] and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith”

4.      Fellowship is modelled in the Bible:

Jesus had 12 disciples and they went everywhere with Him. The early church also devoted themselves to fellowship Acts 2:42- ” And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.”

 

How can we have a biblical fellowship with our community?

1.      Receive love from God

1 John 4:19  - “We love because he first loved us.”

We cannot give what we do not have. So be dependent on his love. When we have a revelation of His great love, we will have a great well of love to draw from.

1 John 1:7 “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.”

Eph 3: 17 “so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love,”

2.      Give love to others

1 John 3: 18 “Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth”

Practical acts of love are more than words. We know real love as Jesus gave up his life for us. The early church also gave themselves to each other. Every day they continued to meet together and had everything in common. Acts 2:44-46 “And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts”

Can you give time to fellowship? Take time to attend the GYM meetings, Living Room meetings, fasting and prayer meetings, men’s meeting, etc. You can meet with each other over meals. You can give your attention – when someone is rejoicing, rejoice with them. When they are weeping weep with them.

3.      Be watchful

Be watchful of that which breaks fellowship. The enemy comes to kill, steal and destroy. Fellowship is precious and that is why the devil wants to steal it. Pride, selfish ambition, unforgiveness and mismanagement of conflict can steal fellowship.

Romans 12:16 “Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.”

Be watchful of those wandering away from fellowship. When we walk away from the community, we put ourselves in danger. As a loving community go after the one who is wandering.

We are not made for easy, we are made for victory. Conflicts will come when we go deeper in relationships, but genuine love never fails.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 “4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

Let’s pray.

 

  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.