The Importance of Belonging to a Church

April 18-19, 2009
Series: What Does it Mean to be "An Extraordinary Follower of Christ?"
Speaker: Brian T. Anderson

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  1. Introduction
    1. “Transforming ordinary people into extraordinary Followers of Christ.”
  2. What Does It Mean to be “An Extraordinary Follower of Christ?”
    1. Commitment to Christ
      1. Received Christ as Lord and Savior (Born Again)
      2. Water baptized
      3. Worshipper of God
      4. Obedience to Christ and His Word
    2. Commitment to His Church
      1. Membership (Newcomer’s class)
      2. Consistent attendance
      3. Small group participation
      4. Giving of Finances
      5. Serving
    3. Commitment to His Cause
      1. Sharing your faith
      2. Being an inviter
      3. Leading and discipling others
      4. Ministering to others
      5. Ministering to the poor
      6. Local and global outreach
  3. The Importance of Belonging to a Church
    1. I Tim. 3:15 (NAS) But in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.
    2. Eph. 2:19 (NLT) So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family.
  4. How Will Belonging to a Local Church Help Equip Me For Life?
    1. A local church helps me focus on God .
      1. Matt. 22:37-38 (NLT) 37Jesus replied, “‘You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’38This is the first and greatest commandment.”
    2. A local church helps me face life’s problems .
      1. Gal. 6:2 (NAS) Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.
    3. A local church will strengthen my faith .
      1. Heb. 6:1a (NAS) Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity.
    4. A local church will help me find my ministry .
      1. Eph. 2:10 (NAS) For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
    5. A local church helps me fulfill my life’s mission .
      1. Matt. 28:18-20 (NAS) 18And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
      2. Rom. 10:13-14 (NLT) 13For “Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved.”14But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?
      3. Our next Newcomer’s Class is May17th from 9:45am – 12:30pm.
  5. Conclusion

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