God is not just calling us to go to church but also to be his church in a watching world.
Sermon Title: CHURCH MATTERS
Sermon Text: EPHESIANS 1:22-23 (NIV)
Sermon Series: EPHESIANS: GOD’S PLAN FOR GOD’S PEOPLE
By: PTR NESTOR SY
Sermon Notes:
EPHESIANS 1:22-23 NIV
22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.
Mindshift #1
FROM SELF-CENTERED TO GOD-CENTERED
We think of the Church as a MOVIE THEATER.
“We tend to think of church as a kind of a theater; we sit in the audience, attentively watching the actor on stage who draws every eye to himself. If sufficiently entertained, we show our gratitude with applause and cheers.”
Søren Kierkegaard
In church, we are not the audience. God is.
Is Christ your Audience of One?
Mindshift #2
FROM CONSUMER TO FAMILY
Every “one another” command shows that the church isn’t merely about programs or meetings, but about a shared life.
We think of the Church as a DEPARTMENT STORE.
“Fellowship is a uniquely Christian relational experience. It is participating together in the life and truth made possible by the Holy Spirit through our union with Christ. Fellowship is sharing something in common at the deepest level of human relationships – our experience of God himself.”
Are you building roots into the family of God in the local church?
“There are two things you cannot do alone. One is be married and the other is be a Christian.”
Paul Tournier
Mindshift #3
FROM TAKER TO GIVER.
We think of the Church as a RESTAURANT.
God’s people are not only called out by God to worship and to be part of a family, we were sent out by God to serve.
Are you using your time, talent, and treasure for God in the church or are you withholding it?
“If the church is central to God’s purpose as seen in both history and the gospel, it must surely also be central to our lives.”
John Stott
What does passion for the church look like in your life?
1 CORINTHIANS 15:58 NIV
58 Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
God is not just calling us to go to church but also to be his church in a watching world.