Christmas 2014 PJ Sunday The Best is Yet to Come!

It has always been God's plan Those 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 different Stages in our walk with Jesus And our understanding of What Jesus designed Community to look like

You can still be hurt here

You can still be hurt here Hopefully not systemically And no one gets to Play the victim Without being called on it

The goal: Healing and wholeness As we carry a cross and Encourage one another To follow Jesus

Model and speak The truth in love Transparency, authenticity Real 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 gift Determines the effort that will Declares 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 God Wants 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 upon The other And who is my neighbor…?

"Love people" isn't also People who are hard to love If you have time It's ESPECIALLY people who are Hard 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 economy Love isn't real love If it's only for those who are Easy 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 walk Long 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 you It's not God's church If you aren't confronted with The truth of what God wants For 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 gospel But it IS the gospel Reconciliation, Peace, Grace

It has always been God's plan Those who have been Shown grace Would give Grace To those in Disgrace

The blessing was meant To 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 know Let’s find out The best is yet to come

Q and A

Special Christmas Offering