What Church Is

The Church Is Us

The Series:

Church is…. US
Church is…. ACTIVE
Church is…. UNITED
Church is…. EQUIPPED

At every significant moment in history, the church has always had an opportunity to stand and be counted or lie low and go unnoticed.

Church Is Not…

The Church is not a social club.
The Church is not a place.
The Church is not a group meeting you have to attend.
The Church is not a drive through spiritual pick me up.
The Church is not an organization.
The Church is not religious tradition/roles and hoops to jump through.
The Church is not a self help program.
The Church is not a quick hand out to pay rent when you are short.
The Church is not a place of entertainment.
The Church is not a money collection agency.
The Church is not the building.

The Church Is…

The Church is a movement of people following a loving God and helping each other walk out their God-given purpose.
The Church is the surge of people following and being Christ together.

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, proclaiming, “The Lord is upright; he is my Rock…”

—Psalm 92:12-15

We are not there yet!

Palms and Cedars

CEDAR: Durable wood used to make beams, columns, and roof structures. It is an attractive wood with a pleasant aroma.

PALM: A branch that is a symbol of triumph and victory.

Both Evergreens: Thriving, producing life year-round, and flourishing.

Our Call

Called to be Cedars – Reliable, Effective, Strong in Christ’s Character (Focused on who?)

Called to be Palms – Refreshing, rest, victorious, triumphant.
(Focused on what?)

What Will It Take To Accomplish This?

1. Stay The Course (Roots)

If you are planted here – we need to press through difficulty to make sure our roots are deep.

They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought…

—Jeremiah 17:8a

2. Help Others (Fruit)

With roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.

—Jeremiah 17:8b

Fruit is not just for you.

Discover the thrill of being used by God!

3. Invite Others (Shade)

My people will again live under my shade. They will flourish like grain and blossom like grapevines. They will be as fragrant as the wines of Lebanon.

—Hosea 14:7

You are invited to invite others!
You don’t have to be unknown

You are ready to invite others it is how we move people to a place where they can discover Jesus.

It does not matter who you are, what you believe, or what you have done. “Church is a place where you can belong.

Church is a movement of people following a loving God and helping each other walk out their God-given purpose.

4. Room For All (Space)

Church is for everyone!

Isaac’s servants also dug in the Gerar Valley and discovered a well of fresh water.But then the shepherds from Gerar came and claimed the spring. “This is our water,” they said, and they argued over it with Isaac’s herdsmen. So Isaac named the well Esek (which means “argument”).Isaac’s men then dug another well, but again there was a dispute over it. So Isaac named it Sitnah (which means “hostility”).Abandoning that one, Isaac moved on and dug another well. This time there was no dispute over it, so Isaac named the place Rehoboth (which means “open space”), for he said, “At last the Lord has created enough space for us to prosper in this land.”

—Genesis 26:19-22

Church is for everyone to encounter Jesus and be changed by Him. and Him alone! We don’t decide who gets exposed we don’t decide how Jesus will change them. We keep pointing people to Jesus.

We can not welcome people in if our front door is narrow and our back door is wide.

Judgement narrows our porch, and offense broadens our yard.

We have to make it easy to arrive, engage, stick around, belong, find purpose, and get involved.

5. Operate with Purpose (Multiply)

You are invaluable!
One of the biggest lies: “If I am not there, It won’t matter.

The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ…

—1 Corinthians 12:12

You are an invaluable part of the Body of Christ! You have a PURPOSE!

When you discover your God-given purpose, you will finf that purpose will always involve helping others find theirs.

Purpose as a collective becomes powerful in changing the world!