The Power of The Church
THREE CHALLENGES OF A LARGE CHURCH
— TRUE COMMUNITY
— TRUE ACCOUNTABILITY
— TRUE PURITY
“You can focus on building a BIG CHURCH or you can focus on building a STRONG CHURCH.”
| BELIEVER | DISCIPLE |
| Believes in Jesus as Savior, but lives to please SELF | Believes in Jesus as Lord and lives to please GOD |
| Serves God based on convenience | Serves God based on CONVICTION |
| Goes to church to hear what God’s Word says | Goes to church to DO what God’s Word says. |
| Is accountable only to themselves | Is accountable to EVERYONE |
| Seeks the benefits of God | Seeks the WILL of God |
| Sits in church | Serves in church |
| Thinks money and possessions are theirs to control | Thinks money and possessions are God’s to control |
| Lives a life of COMPROMISE with sin | Lives a life that pursues FREEDOM |
| Thinks church is something they do | Thinks church is something they do every day! |
LUKE 14:25-34 NLT
“A large crowd was following Jesus. He turned around and said to them, ‘IF you want to be MY DISCIPLE, you must, by comparison, hate everyone else —your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you CANNOT BE MY DISCIPLE. And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple.
But don’t begin until you COUNT THE COST. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it? Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you. They would say, ‘There’s the person who started that building and couldn’t afford to finish it!’
Or what king would go to war against another king without first sitting down with his counselors to discuss whether his army of 10,000 could defeat the 20,000 soldiers marching against him? And if he can’t, he will send a delegation to discuss terms of peace while the enemy is still far away. So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own.
Salt is good for seasoning. But if it loses its flavor, how do you make it salty again? Flavorless salt is good neither for the soil nor for the manure pile. It is thrown away. Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.”
FIVE LEVELS OF COMMITMENT
- COMMUNITY: Those who are churched
- CROWD: People who attend periodically
- CONGREGATION: People who attend regularly
- COMMITTED: People who join/ tithe—serve—and part of a small group
- CORE: People who are committed and living out the call of God on their life
HEBREWS 10:24-25 NLT
“Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect OUR MEETING TOGETHER, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.”
The BIG HINGE POINT: COMMITMENT TO MEMBERSHIP
EPHESIANS 4:16 TPT
“For his ‘body’ has been formed in his image and is closely joined together and constantly connected as one.”
COMMITMENT TO MEMBERSHIP
- CONNECTS YOU TO A SPIRITUAL FAMILY
1 CORINTHIANS 12:25-27 NKJ
“…that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.”
COMMITMENT TO MEMBERSHIP
2. BRINGS YOU UNDER SPIRITUAL ACCOUNTABILITY AND COVERING
HEBREWS 13:17 AMPC
“Obey your spiritual leaders and submit to them [continually recognizing their authority over you], for they are constantly keeping watch over your souls and guarding your spiritual welfare, as men who will have to render an account [of their trust]. [Do your part to] let them do this with gladness and not with sighing and groaning, for that would not be profitable to you [either].”
COMMITMENT TO MEMBERSHIP
3. INCREASES YOUR POWER THROUGH PARTNERSHIP
EPHESIANS 4:16 TPT
For His “body” has been formed in his image and is closely joined together and constantly connected as one. And every member has been given divine gifts to contribute to the growth of all; and as these gifts operate effectively throughout the whole body, we are built up and made perfect in love.”
COMMITMENT TO MEMBERSHIP
4. CHALLENGES YOU TO THINK MORE DEEPLY ABOUT YOUR LIFE.
EPHESIANS 4:14 NLT
“Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth.”
COMMITMENT TO MEMBERSHIP
5. PRODUCES ENDURANCE IN OUR LIVES
PSALM 92:12-14 NIV
“The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; PLANTED IN THE HOUSE OF THE LORD, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green.”
