Committed to Church, Growth & Doing your Part!
SCRIPTURE
Ephesians 4:16
From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows, and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
The Body of Christ: Committed to Church
The bible uses the word church in two different ways. First, it’s used to refer to every Christian who has ever lived throughout history. This is called the historical, universal church. The second way church is used is to refer to a local group, a specific place. For example, LIFE, a church that meets in Melbourne. In this context, church is used in a local context.
The bible uses the universal term only 4 times, which means that every other time you see the word church in your Bible, it’s used to refer to a specific group of believers, like our church today.
Once you become a Christian, you automatically become part of the historical, universal church of God. It happened immediately the moment you gave your life to Christ. You’re in!
But you don’t become a part of a local church until you make deliberate commitment. Like the decision to stop dating and commit to one person in marriage, you’re called to find your church and make it a long-term commitment.
YOUR SPIRITUAL GROWTH IS DEPENDANT ON HAVING A CHURCH FAMILY.
Psalm 92:13 ‘Those who are planted in the house of the Lord, will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age’.
- To flourish, people need to be in the right environment. What things in your environment are helping you grow, and what things might need to change?
- How would you describe your value on church? Do, you see church as a priority or an add on? If Gods best for you is being planted & committed in church, what needs to change to make that happen?
Growth: There’s always room to grow!
Whether you’ve just become a Christian, or have been journeying with God for 40 years, there’s always room to grow & there’s a genuine excitement that comes with knowing that God has more for us.
We don’t have to wait for God to give us a signal to pursue spiritual growth. He wants us all to grow. In fact, it’s a biblical mandate:
Ephesians 4:11-16
So, Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors & teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ
As we go about doing the work that God has calls us each to be a part of, we naturally grow. We grow closer to him. We grow to trust him more. We grow stronger in our faith and our surrender to him – even when life is painful, and we can’t tell what he is up to. Our growth has no end point in this earthly life – there’s always more to learn, to discover, to enjoy.
Healthy spiritual growth keeps us focused on the mission God has given us. We’re part of a body. Bodies are living organisms that grow. If one part doesn’t grow, the rest can’t function well. When we get stuck and stop growing, others miss out on what we have to offer. They can’t be who they are called to be without you. We’re all growing together!
Growth does require an intentional process. Otherwise, we get so consumed by the daily grind, the urgent to do lists, or the distractions that come our way, that we never make time for significant spiritual growth. Healthy, consistent growth requires a plan.
4 TIPS TO GROW
- Set aside time to grow.
- Determine your specific area of growth.
- Find resources in this area of growth.
- Apply what you begin learning.
Having a growth plan should challenge you, and it may feel too hard at times before you notice any change. Remember though, you have been called and graced to reach the full potential and purpose God has for you!
- Consider the four steps to grow, take time to consider them and commit to pursuing one of those steps this week. People are most successful in reaching goals when they are shared with others. Who can you share your growth goal with?
- Gods desire for us is to reach our full God purpose Eph 4:11-16, with knowledge, unity of faith & maturity. Would you consider yourself to be growing & pursuing growth in these areas?
Doing your Part: When we grow, we naturally have desire to make a difference.
John 15:8 Jesus said, “This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples’.
Knowing that you’re living out your God calling & potential and that you’re making a difference in other people’s lives changes your focus. You begin living your life beyond yourself fand your own comfort and convivence. You are part of Gods plan. You can make a difference. That’s why you are here! If you want to grow, make a commitment to serve. When we serve, it takes the focus off ourselves and puts it towards making life better for others.
Philippians 2:3-4 “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking at your own interests but each to the interest of others”.
When we make it our goal to value others, we’re not just doing it for the person; we’re doing it for God. We’re not only meeting people’s needs and blessing them, but we’re also showing our love for God. Serving others is serving God!
- Do you know what your part is to serve others in church? If so, take a step toward acting on that this week. See below links to ways you can get involved at Life.
Call to Action!
Want to grow in your faith and make a commitment to church, growth and serving?
See below some links to help guide you in the right direction!
Link for church: https://lifeau.org
Link for connection: https://lifeau.org/groups/
Link for growth: https://lifeau.org/course/
Link for serving: https://lifeau.org/nextsteps/
Coming up at Life
Ps Tony Rainbow speaking this Sunday at Life
Men & Women’s Prayer meeting
- Men – 6am Tuesday at LIFE
- Women – 6.30am Wedesday at LIFE or online
Empower Weekend: lifeau.org/empower
Sundays Message
Listen to Sunday’s message on the Importance of Church here:
https://churchonline.lifeau.org
RESOURCE REF: NIV Bible, What’s Next? Chris Hodges church resource, Life Message: Planted & Purposed