Christmas 2014

PJ SundayThe Best is Yet to Come!

It has always been God's planThose who have been Shown grace

Would give Grace To those in Disgrace

The blessing was Meant to be shared

What God has brought

- People in need of grace

To a church centered on God's great grace

To create a healing place

Yet…

Hurt people hurt people

Broken people Create more brokenness

And we're all at differentStages in our walk with Jesus

And our understanding ofWhat Jesus designed Community to look like

You can still be hurt here

You can still be hurt hereHopefully not systemically

And no one gets to Play the victim

Without being called on it

The goal:Healing and wholenessAs we carry a cross and

Encourage one anotherTo follow Jesus

Model and speakThe truth in love

Transparency, authenticityReal community

Genuine life together

I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love

live a life worthy of the calling you have received

The value of the giftDetermines the effort that willDeclares its worth

Be completely humble and gentle;

Be completely humble and gentle;be patient, bearing with one another in love

Humility, patience, labor

If I never walk in the "bearing with" part of the relationship

I miss the best of what GodWants to do in me and

Through me in Community

Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through

the bond of peace- Eph. 4:1-3

Love God, Love People

Each is dependent uponThe other

And who is my neighbor…?

"Love people" isn't alsoPeople who are hard to love

If you have time

It's ESPECIALLY people who areHard to love, else it's not love

For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have?

Do not even the tax collectors do the same?

And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?

You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father

is perfect- Matt. 5

In God's economyLove isn't real loveIf it's only for those who areEasy to love

It’s not love if we never made it past the ugly, the fallenness, the

evil and weak and selfish and unattractive. The different and

wrong-headed and repellent

We are called to walkLong enough Dwell deep enough

To see that in each other

And cover it with love, grace and prayer

And the person is affirmed, loved, valued

This is Gospel Community

If you can't be youIt's not God's church

If you aren't confronted withThe truth of what God wantsFor you, it's not real Community

Some will run OK…

Some will go from person-to-person within the church

Pray for them…they don’t yet understand that they’re running from The Gospel:

Jesus doesn’t meet us in our beauty and righteousness, but in our sin-soaked rebellion and

naked humiliation

And his word is… “I love you. Here’s the truth- you need help. I’m here to walk with you…”

That's The Gospel That’s what we model and live

God has brought people In need of grace

To a church centered on grace

To create a healing place

It's work:bearing with one another

Not in addition to the gospelBut it IS the gospel

Reconciliation, Peace, Grace

It has always been God's planThose who have been Shown grace

Would give Grace To those in Disgrace

The blessing was meantTo be shared

God has gifted us to impact:

- Hurt by church- De-churched- Unchurched(Or looking for a ministry)

Not called to:

"Just looking to feel good and get fed"

"Be like my last church…"

Not called to:

"Need the best for my kids (Bigger, better, more)"

Because that’s a lie. And we’re not in competition

Where we need to go: "We make disciples who change their world for Christ…preaching, community, worship, prayer…God is glorified and people become whole"

- Community Groups

- Leadership development

- Connecting gifts with ministry

- 3 Services(Because we're called and

It's needed)

Believing in a God who can do more than we ask or think

And putting him on the line

The best is yet to come

For you For us For the Kingdom

Reach, invite, bring

Don’t get discouraged The best is yet to come

What could God do with 120 people absolutely sold out to

Jesus and ready to Pray hard, Labor well and

Serve Jesus first?

We don’t yet knowLet’s find out The best is yet to come

Q and A

Special Christmas Offering