Christ: The Center of My Church February 12, 2012 Christ: The Center of My Church

Jesus Christ at the Center Last week we talked about Jesus being the center of our lives. Our lives and our church are intimately interconnected. To fulfill God’s purpose for us, Jesus needs to be the center of both. If Jesus is at the center of our lives or our church…the evidence will be growth.

Jesus Christ at the Center Let’s take a look at how this plays out in our personal and congregation lives. The Muddlers and Newlers A story in the style of Dr. Seuss

In the place where we live there are two kinds of people and both can be found inside buildings with steeples.

sit ‘neath steeples each week but while the Muddlers muddle, The two kinds of people sit ‘neath steeples each week but while the Muddlers muddle, the Newlers seek.

They seek to be different when they go out from within. A whole new experience of life to begin.

do not think quite the same they certainly don’t want The Muddlers, it seems do not think quite the same they certainly don’t want their lives to be changed.

with no challenge or surprise All that they want is to muddle on through with no challenge or surprise in all that they do.

But challenge and surprise are needed to grow, and the Newlers rejoice for in challenge they know;

the power they need to accomplish the task, is already waiting… all they need is to ask.

For the One in the buildings with steeples they meet will give them the power the change to complete.

what the One wants from them they seek a new challenge And when they become what the One wants from them they seek a new challenge to grow once again.

The Muddlers think they have grown quite enough they have had all the training in just the right stuff.

sent His Son to the earth They know that the One sent His Son to the earth and believing in Him they have a new birth.

When from the buildings with steeples they go they do not want challenge, they know what they know.

new learning means change… To learn something new would be scary at least new learning means change… and change is a beast!

They want all their lives to stay just the same no challenge receiving, no change in their game.

They don’t want to learn to be all they can be because the work of becoming is stressful you see.

But the Newlers don’t feel it is stressful at all changing they find can be quite a ball.

wants for them to become Is really quite awesome it is even fun. To become what the One wants for them to become Is really quite awesome it is even fun.

for us all great and small do you hear His voice The One wants the best for us all great and small do you hear His voice will you answer the call?

and if you fall backward To become is a journey you can daily begin and if you fall backward you can start again.

comes straight from the One The power to travel comes straight from the One Who gives us the Spirit Who gave us His Son.

With the One, Son and Spirit, The journey is joyful but the end is the best With the One, Son and Spirit, we enter our rest.

with two kinds of people and meet every week If you live in the land with two kinds of people and meet every week in the buildings with steeples

A Newler is what I pray you will be A life of becoming…is joyful indeed.

2 Peter 1:3-8 vs 3 HIS DIVINE POWER has GIVEN US everything we need for LIFE AND GODLINESS through our knowledge of him who called us by HIS OWN GLORY AND GOODNESS. His Power His Provision His Purpose His Person

2 Peter 1:3-8 Vs 4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious PROMISES, so that through them you may PARTICIPATE in the DIVINE NATURE and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. Promise Participation

2 Peter 1:3-8 Vs 5-7 For this very reason, make every effort to ADD TO YOUR FAITH GOODNESS; and to goodness, KNOWLEDGE; and to knowledge , SELF-CONTROL; and to self-control, PERSEVERANCE; and to perseverance, GODLINESS; and to godliness, BROTHERLY KINDNESS; and to brotherly kindness, LOVE.

2 Peter 1:3-8 These are the participation in the Divine Nature. What do these look like in real life? Goodness: Acting rightly Knowledge: Intimate knowledge of God Self-Control: Be perfect=Be Complete Perseverance: The way to defeat the devil Godliness: Demonstrating God’s Character Brotherly Kindness: Consider others above yourself Love: The result of it all!

2 Peter 1:3-8 v8 For if you possess these qualities in INCREASING MEASURE, they will keep you from being INEFFECTIVE and UNPRODUCTIVE in your knowledge of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Increasing measure. Always a next step. What effect and what product? Personally Congregationally

Jesus Christ at the Center Personally: A life that is beyond compare. Filled with a quality and vitality we can not even imagine. Congregationally: Impacting others lives now and for all eternity. Counted as sheep and not goats of Matthew 25 Be spoken of as the Church of Philadelphia and not Laodicea of Revelation 3 Bringing glory to God until Jesus returns.