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FEATURE: I LOVE MY CHURCH basic notes

THE BEST WEEKEND EVER!

I Love My Church Series
Do You Love the Church?
Ephesians 5:25-27

I want to begin this morning by reading to you from a book entitled, "Stop Dating the Church" written by Joshua Harris. This book is subtitled, "Fall in Love with the Family of God." This book begins with the following story, ...

Jack and Grace met through a mutual friend. From day one they seemed to be the perfect match.
Grace was everything Jack had always wanted. She was beautiful, outgoing, and caring--always there when Jack needed her. For the first five months they were inseparable. Jack could hardly think of anything but Grace. He didn’t need to look further, he told friends. "She’s the one."

Now almost three years have passed. Jack still enjoys the comfort and familiarity of being with Grace, but the spark is gone. Grace’s flaws seem more obvious. He’s not sure he finds her as attractive as he once did. And he’s beginning to resent all the time she wants to spend with him.

One night, when she asks if they can define the nature of their relationship, Jack blows up. "We’re together, aren’t we?" he asks angrily. "Why isn’t that enough for you?"

Obviously, Jack isn’t ready for commitment. And it’s unclear if he ever will be. ...

Have you ever been in a relationship like this? I’m writing this book because I believe God has something better for you. He wants you in a relationship defined by both passion and commitment. But before you can take hold of this wonderful plan, you need to know something about this couple. There are millions of Jacks walking around today. And Grace isn’t a girl. Grace is a church" (pp. 11-12).

For the next three weeks, I want us to think about our relationship with the church, and I want to begin this morning with a single question:  "Do You Love the Church?"

For some of you, this may seem like a strange question. This may be the first time that you have ever thought about this question in your life. You may have always seen the church as some activity that you do each Sunday morning. You may have always seen the church as a place to be involved. You may have always seen the church as a place, where there are many good activities in which you can participate. But, you may have never considered having a love relationship with the church.

For some of you, it’s like asking "Do you love your gas station or grocery store?" You drive up to the gas station and get out of your car. You fill up your car with gas. You clean the windshields. You pay what you owe, and then you go on your merry way, satisfied that your car will run for the next week or so.

Or you go to Homeland, take your list, get you some of what you need, and go home.
Chances are you would never say, “I love Homeland” or “I love the gas station”, and yet that is exactly the relationship that many have with the church.

Every week (or so), you come to church and fill up with some good worship experience and a good sermon. You confess your sins, and feel a sense of cleanness in your soul. You check out and pay what you owe when the offering plate comes by and go on your way, satisfied that you have been helped in your walk with Christ for the next week (or so). But, regarding a love for the church, there is none.

So this morning, I’m not asking you whether or not you are involved in the activities of the church or if you show up fairly consistently and pay your bill. I’m asking something much, much deeper than that. I’m asking "Do You Love the Church?"

Down through church history, there have been many who have loved the church. Timothy Dwight, grandson of Jonathon Edwards, wrote those great lyrics,

I love Thy Church, O God! Her walls before Thee stand,
Dear as the apple of Thine eye, and graven on Thy hand.

For her my tears shall fall; for her my prayers ascend;
To her my cares and toils be giv’n, till toils and cares shall end.

Beyond my highest joy, I prize her heav’nly ways,
Her sweet communion, solemn vows, her hymns of love and praise."
I would say that those are the words of a person in love with the church of Jesus Christ.

I read this week of one of the church reformers, who name was Menno Simons. His followers became known as the Mennonites. He labored long and hard through his years for the church. On his deathbed, he said that "nothing on earth was as precious to him as the church". Menno Simons loved the church.

I will say to you with all the emotion and feeling of my heart, “I love the church of Jesus Christ.” My heart as the pastor of Trinity Baptist Church is to see all of you come to love the church of Jesus Christ as well. This is the purpose of my message this morning. But I will also say to you that as much as I love the church, as much Menno Simons loved the church, as much as Timothy Dwight loved the church, there is none who loved the church as much as Jesus Christ!

Please open your Bibles to Ephesians 5. We are going to look at three verses, 25 through 27. These verses will be our focus for the next three weeks.  In these verses we find as clear an expression of the love that Jesus had for the church as is found anywhere in the Bible.

Now in the context of this passage, Paul is obviously speaking about husbands loving their wives. But, in communicating how a husband ought to love his wife, Paul describes the love that Jesus has for His church. The love of Christ for the church sets the standard for a man’s love for his wife.

Listen to what Paul records:

Ephesians 5:25-27

Zero in on verse 25.  What a simple phrase!  “Christ loved the church.”

Now, let me ask you, "If something is precious in the heart of Jesus, ought it not to be precious in your heart as well?" As believers in Christ, we are called to love the things that Jesus loves.

In verse 23, we read that Christ is the head of the church. This means that the church is to be subject to Christ in all things. This goes far beyond externals. It deals with the heart as well. It means that the church is to gladly submit to the Lord in all things. The only way to fulfill the true intention of this verse is to so love Jesus that His affections become your affections. You love what He loves.

Your life is gladly lived in subjection to Jesus, because you are doing what you love. To love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, soul, mind and strength means that you love Him. It means that you love everything about Him. It means that you love the things that He loves. It means that you seek "to be pleasing to Him" (2 Cor. 5:9).

There ought to be nothing that He loves that you don’t love. There ought to be nothing that He hates that you don’t hate. There ought to be nothing that He desires that you don’t desire. And there ought to be nothing that He wants you to do, that you aren’t willing to do. This is nothing more than seeking the will of God.


And here in verse 25, we have this  clear statement that tells us that Christ loves the church. What about you?  Do you love the church as well?

I guess there are a lot of reasons why people don’t love the church. For some, they simply haven’t been taught about the church, and thus, they think that it is not so important for their own lives.

For others, the church has never been the focal point of their own spiritual growth. Perhaps they were saved through some exciting campus ministry or through some nationwide Bible study program or through listening to some preacher on the radio. And the source that caused them to come to faith continues to nurture them in their own spiritual growth so there is no vital connection to the church.

For others, they may have had a bad experience in the church that has left a bad taste in their mouths. They used to love the church, but their experiences have turned their love sour. Somebody at the church said something and it hurt their feelings.  Or they may have been unfaithful to promises which they have made. People in the church may have been silent in times of great need. Some people in the church may have proved themselves to be hypocrites.

If that’s your situation, think about his.  Remember, we are told that Christ loved the church.  Question:  "What did the church look like when Christ loved it?" was the church filled with righteous, sinless people?



More to the point, what did you look like when Christ loved you?  You may not realize it, but you’re not that easy to love!

That leads to my first observation.  The love that Jesus has for the church is a love that

1. Sacrifices

verse 25

We read at the very end of verse 25 that Christ Jesus "gave Himself up for her." I trust that you know what this means. It means that Jesus sacrificed Himself for the church. It means that Jesus Christ came down from heaven to live among us, and to offer His perfect life in the place of our sinful lives.

He died for us. He died in our place. This wasn’t easy for Jesus to do. It cost Him greatly. It cost Him His life. He purchased the church with His own blood.

Why did Jesus go through such incredible sufferings?  Simple!  It’s because He loved the church! It’s not because the church was lovely in His sight. It’s not because the church was especially deserving of such a sacrifice. It's not because the church never hurt Him. Rather it is because of His love for the church!

If you want to see the love of God illustrated, read the Old Testament book of Hosea.  It tells the story of a prophet of God who was told to take a wife from the world, a harlot, a common prostitute.  Hosea did as he was told.  He took for his wife a women named Gomer.
After giving birth to three children, Gomer walked out on the marriage and the children and returned to a life of prostitution.

The LORD returned to Hosea and told her to continue to love her, so he went and purchased her from the auction block with a little bit of money and some grain.

What was the point of the sotry?  God was illustrating through the true-life experiences of Hosea His relationship with the nation of Israel.  Even though Israel had turned her back on God and acted like a whore with other gods.  Even though she was unfaithful to God, the LORD remained faithful to her.

And this is the kind of love that Jesus has for His church. The church isn’t made up of people who deserve for the LORD of the universe to come to earth and die for them. On the contrary, the church is made up of undeserving people, nothing more than common prostitutes who refuse to be unfaithful, who deserve to perish in their sins. And yet, the love that Jesus Christ has for the church compelled Him to come and to die in our place motivated by a love that sacrifices.

When you think of your own heart toward the church, do you know anything of sacrificial love? Are there things that you do among the church body that is a sacrifice for you? Or, is your commitment to the church one based on convenience? Are you involved in the church to the extent that it will help only you? Or, is your involvement in the church based upon a desire to be others-centered?
The root of sacrifice is being others-centered. Jesus offered Himself upon the cross for others. Sacrificial service has others as its focus. Are there things in your life that you willingly choose not to do, because in doing them, you would miss an opportunity to give to the people of the church? This is the sacrifice that I’m talking about.

Is this not what true love is about? It is about delighting in the object of your worship.

Perhaps it has to do with your time. To be sure, we are all busy.  But when you step back to look upon how you spend your time, is there any sacrifice of your time that you give to the people of the church? Or, is all of your time based upon what you want to do, and any church-related activity gets the leftover -- only what’s convenient!

Perhaps it has to do with your finances. If you would take out your checkbook and ask yourself, where does my money go, does it always go for yourself? Or, are there things that you sacrifice, so that you can give to the church? When you see someone in need, do you give to them or, do you spend on yourself alone?

The truth of the matter is for most of us, if we’d really be honest, we don’t know much about sacrifice do we?  If that’s true of you, I am going to offer some strange advice.  You might expect that I would say, “Get bust and start sacrificing!”  But that’s not what I’m going to say at all.



If you’re sitting there saying, “I guess I don’t sacrifice much for the church!" my counsel to you is fall in love with the church because when you love the church, you’ll sacrifice.

In fact, I'm not interested in seeing all of you sacrifice greatly for the church of Christ without a love for the church. The Scripture reminds us that God hates external sacrifices that are not motivated by love.

Psalm 51:16 says, "You do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it; You are not pleased with burnt offering." The next verses follows up with the true sacrifices that please God, "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise" (Ps. 51:17).

True sacrifices to God are the sacrifices of a heart that is rightly aligned with God's purposes. "Then," David continues, "You will delight in righteous sacrifices, in burnt offering and whole burnt offering. Then young bulls will be offered on Your altar" (Ps. 51:19).

It’s love for an object that will cause you to sacrifice greatly for it. What other than love will cause a mother to go through the pain of childbirth?  What is it that causes a parent to change thousands of diapers? To prepare thousands of meals? To clean up thousands of messes? To spend thousands of dollars for food, clothes, school, and other necessities? To consume thousands of hours in activities? It’s only love that will do such a thing. Parents who love their child will willing do this.

When you love someone or something, there is no sacrifice too great to satisfy that love!

Likewise, when you love the church, the sacrifices will willingly and eagerly come. You will have great joy in sacrificing in this way, because that’s what you want to do! Your sacrifices will be acceptable to God, being offered with proper motives and proper hearts of affection toward God!

Certainly, there will be times when you find the people in the church not to be lovable. But that doesn’t matter!  Just think abouit the way Jesus loves you!  It was His love for sinners that gave Him reason to die for the church.

Tthe next time that you are hurt by someone in the church, or witness someone being a hypocrite in church, or are disappointed by someone else’s actions, simply remember that Jesus loved the church when it was sinful and rebellious.  If we’re going to love like Jesus loves, then we must remember love sacrifices.

Then there is something else:

2. Love Purifies

verse 26

His loving us enough to die for us produced a purified church.  Our sins are cleansed by His blood!  Through faith in Jesus, we are sanctified, we are justified, we are cleansed, we are made righteous, we are forgiven, we are righteous in His sight.

Now we are told that this cleansing comes "by the washing of the water with the word".

There is all kinds of discussion about what this means.  Some say it’s baptism. There are some who say that this is the same as Titus 3:5, the "washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit."

I think it is a reminder that any cleansing we have it is made possible only through the blood of Jesus Christ.  That is accomplished through the forgiveness of sins and I am immersed into this brand new relationship with God.  That is pictured through water baptism as I am buried with Christ and raised to walk in a new way of living.

And what we hear Paul saying in this verse is that the one who loves will work to purify those he loves.
Have you ever had to clean up a child who had gotten in the mud or even worse has been sick?

Why will a parent do that?  It would be a whole lot easier to just make another one!  And yet it is your love for another that will seek to clean them.

That is exactly what Christ does for us.  He loves us enough to clean us up!  But how does that express itself in the church as we think about the interaction among the members of the church?

Obviously we cannot atone for the sins of others. Only Jesus Christ and His sacrifice is sufficient to atone for sins. However there is a way that we can act that can deal appropriately with the sins of others.

Think about this:  Suppose someone in the church sins against you.  How are you going to respond?

Look over at Ephesians 4:32

In other words, just as Christ has forgiven you and cleansed you and purified you through the gospel, so also are you to forgive others who wrong you. When you act this way, you demonstrate your love for the church.

Notice the connection in the next two verses

Ephesians 5:1-2

Remember, if you love Christ, you will love what He loves!  And it is our love for others that will seek to purify them. There are some other passages in the Scripture that speak to this issue.

Perhaps the clearest of all passages is 1 Corinthians 13.

Now a lot of those characteristics are really put to the test when someone sins against us. For instance,

Love is patient

Your patience is tested when someone is irritating you.

Have you ever heard the children’s song,

"I know a song that gets on everybody’s nerves, ...


You want to know something?  That song is a lot like some of you!  And if you’re saying, “I don’t know anybody like that”, it’s probably you that everyone else is thinking about!

But if you have someone like that in your life, is it not in that relationship that you can show love by patiently enduring their annoyances in the same way Christ patiently endures you?

I’m not telling you not to confront them and tell them that they are annoying. There is certainly a place for this. But, I’m encouraging you not to have a conditional love for those people, loving them only when they change their habits and behavior. Rather, when they continue to be annoying, be patient with them.

And with every characteristic of love given in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, we could look at them and show how they have a purifying effect upon the people of God. But, for the sake of time, let’s just look at one more.

Love does not take into account a wrong suffered.

I would say that this is where we can become most like Christ in our attitudes toward other people. Someone does a wrong against you; someone hurts you very badly; but love overlooks the offense and does not bring it to remembrance to hold it against another.



Proverbs 19:11 says, "A man’s discretion makes him slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook a transgression." This is the very thing that Jesus has done with us! He has "overlooked our transgression."

Now, of course, Jesus doesn't simply sweep the transgression under the rug. He paid for the sins that He overlooks. And when we overlook a transgression of another member of the church, we aren't simply sweeping it under the rug either. We are believing their sin to be atoned for in Christ, according to their confession of faith in Christ.

Think about how Paul illustrates this at the beginning of 1 Corinthians. If you know about the Corinthian church, you will remember they were a wicked, sinful, and proud people. They followed personalities, rather than following Christ.  They boasted about an immoral situation that existed in their church that was absolutely horrendous!

They were suing one another and were involved with  sexual sins.  They were unloving toward other people and abusing their spiritual gifts.  Some even were denying the resurrection.

And yet, knowing all of the sins of those in Corinth, listen to the way Paul greets them.

1 Cor. 1:4-8


What an amazing testimony that Paul gives of these sinful Corinthians! He gave thanks to God for them. In spite of all their sin, he spoke highly of the evidences of God's grace that was manifest in them and was also confident of the Lord's confirmation in that final day of them. Such language is purifying of the church, as it overlooks a transgression.

One final thing.  The love that Jesus has for the church is a love that

3. Cherishes

 verse 27

The picture that we have here in verse 27 is that of a bridegroom awaiting his wedding day. Jesus is the bridegroom. Jesus is anticipating the day when He will finally have a chance to join with His bride in marital bliss.

In Revelation 19:7, we read of "the marriage of the Lamb". It's the day in the future when Jesus will come with great rejoicing to claim His bride.

As we think of this parable, who is the bride? The church is the bride! As Jesus anticipates that day, what sort of attitude does He have for His bride, the church?

I have found it difficult to find a word that exactly depicts His perspective so I am using the one found here in verse 27. Jesus "cherishes" the church, realizing who she is. There will be a day when Jesus will marry the church. With perfect love and devotion, Jesus is consumed with protecting and caring for His bride until that final day.
Men, do you remember how you treated your fiancé in the weeks and months before your marriage? The best word that I can come up with to describe your attitude is that you "cherished" her. You thought about her all the time and did whatever you could do for her. Your mind was so consumed with the things that would take place in the near future, that all else was helpless. You just wanted to be with your future wife!

Think about this:  Since Jesus will someday marry the church, He has a similar anticipation about you and me.  He is waiting for the day when the church will be His.

And we are called to have a similar perspective. I believe that kind of attitude toward the church would change a whole lot of our behavior.

The church will someday be presented to the world as "Mrs. Jesus". As such you need to realize that the church is worthy of your honor. So think about the church. The church will someday be married to Jesus Christ.

Do you cherish the church as Jesus does? It is a sad testimony that the church is often known for its quarrels, bickering, and disunity. These descriptions of the church are far more familiar than that of love, unity, and harmony.

Sadly, this is the testimony of the church. When such things take place, they provide evidence that those in the church have forgotten who they are! They are the loved bride of Christ. When the Church is not loved, it brings dishonor to Christ.
Such behavior is unloving toward the church. The church is glorious in the sight of God.

Do you long to be with the church? When you love the church, nobody will be able to keep you from the people of the church. When she gathers, you will find ways to be there. When she scatters, you will find her! Do you love the church? If you do, you will sacrifice for the Church. If you do, you will purify the Church. If you do, you will cherish the Church.

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1 CHRONICLES 29:1-5
"I LOVE MY CHURCH"
by BO DUNFORD

A) Someone sent me a list some time ago entitled, "Satan’s Beatitudes!"
* They said if the devil were to write his beatitudes they would probably go something like this:
* Blessed are they who are too tired and busy to go to church on Sundays and Wednesdays,
for they are my best workers.
* Blessed are they who are bored with the minister’s mannerism and mistakes, for they get
nothing out of his sermon.
* Blessed is the church member who expects to be invited to his own church, for he is part of
the problem instead of the solution.
* Blessed are they who gossip, for they cause strife and divisions that please me.
* Blessed are they who are easily offended, for they soon get angry and quit.
* Blessed are they who do not give their tithes and offerings to carry on God’s work, for they
are my best workers.
* Blessed are they who profess to love God, but hates his brother, for he shall be with me forever.
* Blessed are the trouble-makers, for they shall be called the children of Satan.
* Blessed are the complainers, for I am all ears to them.

B) As I thought about that list, two things immediately hit me!
* Number one, I can honestly say that I have pastored every one of those types of church members!
* Number two, What the church desperately needs is more members who simply love their church!
* But not only love their church, but love their church the way God loves the church!

C) You see, God loves the church sacrificially!
* He gave His Son for it!
* God loves the church unconditionally ... When He’s pleased with it & when He’s not pleased ...
* God loves His church eternally!
* He will never, ever stop loving the church!
* There is a blessing that comes to every church member who really will love his church, and love
it in the right way, and love it for the right reason!
* I want to share with you my 3 beatitudes for a church member who truly loves his church the way
Jesus wants him to love it!

(1) BLESSED IS THE CHURCH MEMBER WHO GIVES HIS CHURCH HIS LOVING AFFECTION!
* The background of this story is fascinating!
* David had a desire to build a house for God!
* It was a legitimate desire, it was a noble desire, it was an honorable desire!
* But God, in His sovereign will and purpose, did not want David to build the house!
* He wanted David’s son, Solomon, to build the house!

A) Now, David was still the king of Israel!
* David could have got mad and pouted,
* He could have walked away from it and said, "I wont have anything to do with it."
* David could have said, "There’s nothing in this for me."
* You think about this!
* David was going to give to build a house of worship that would benefit someone else!
* David was going to give to build a house of worship that he would never attend!
* David was going to give to build a house of worship that he would not even live to see!
* Had David said, "What’s in it for me?" he wouldn’t have given one dime to see that house built!

B) But David’s heart was, "I want to invest in the work of God any way that I can!"
* "I am willing to build a house of worship even if I will never enter into it if it means God can
be glorified, the Word can be preached, and other people can be saved."
* Notice what he said in v.1, "The Temple is not for man, but for the Lord God."
* I want to say to our church, that whatever buildings we build and wherever we build them,
they are never to be monuments to the pastor or to any one individual!
* They are to be built for God, for His glory, for His kingdom, & for the preaching of His Word!

C) Now, I wish I had the time to go into detail of telling you exactly what David gave,
* Because in modern day terms, David gave over $20 billion!
* But it is not WHAT David gave that is so impressive, it is WHY David gave!
* Listen to v.3!
* David gave to God’s house because he loved God and he loved God’s house!

D) So, I want to ask you a question, in fact, I want to ask you a series of questions!
* Do you love God’s church?
* I’m not asking do you love me, or the Deacon, or teachers,
* I’m not asking you do you love the choir!
* I’m asking you do you love God’s church?
* Now, don’t answer too quickly, because I want to say to you gently, lovingly, but firmly;
* You have no right to say that you love God’s church if you are not giving to it and supporting
it financially with your tithes and offerings!
* I hate to report this to you, but one out of every two members of the average church, based on
what I just said, does not love his church at all!

E) You Can Give Without Loving, But You Cannot Love Without Giving!
* Now, we all know that Jesus loves the church, but how do we know that He loves it?
* Did He just say so? * Oh no!
* Eph.5:25 says, "Christ loved the church and gave himself ..."
* I want to tell you that if the Lord Jesus were a physical member of Faith FWB Church, He
would come, not just next Sunday, but every Sunday!
* And He would gladly give His tithes and offerings to help the work of God get done!
* Because if Jesus loved this church enough to give His life, you know He would love this church
enough to attend it faithfully and to give a tithe and an offering!

F) Let me ask you another question: If you do support this church financially, why do you?
* I want you to understand that God not only sees what you give, He sees why you give it!
* And even if you give, and give generously, if you give for the wrong motive or the wrong
reason, God writes zero over your account!
* Do you give to this church for any other reason than because you love Jesus & this church?
* If you give to this church just so you can get it off of your income tax ... wrong reason!
* If you give to this church only when you agree with everything that goes on ... wrong reason!
* If you give to this church only when things are going your way ... wrong reason!
* If you give for any other reason than your love for Jesus and this church ... wrong reason!

G) Now there are some people who say the moment things don’t go their way,
* Or they don’t agree with a decision, that they’re not going to give anymore!
* So let me just make something very plain to you!
* There is no excuse that God will accept from a church member not to support the church
financially that he is a member of or that he regularly attends!

H) When you withhold from the church, you withhold from Jesus!
* When you quit giving to the church, you quit giving to Jesus!
* When you refuse to help the church, you refuse to help the Lord Jesus!
* Where do I get that idea?
* Remember when Paul met Jesus on the Damascus Road, and He
asked Paul a very interesting question in Acts 9:4 "Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?"
* Paul was persecuting the church, and yet Jesus said, "You are persecuting Me."

I) Do you understand what Jesus is saying? He is saying .......
* Anything you do to hurt the church, hurts Me!
* When you don’t support your church, you’re not supporting Me!
* When you don’t give to your church, you’re not giving to Me!
* When you don’t love your church like you ought to, then you don’t love Me like you ought to!

J) I heard about a four year old boy that told his mother one time:
* "Mommy, when I grow up, I’m going to buy you a fur coat, diamond ring, & a Mercedes ..."
* One day his mother scolded him for a mistake he had made, and he pointed his finger at her
and said, "There goes the fur coat."

K) Well, that’s the way some people are in the church!
* The first time something goes wrong, the first time the pastor makes a decision they don’t agree
with, the first time the church goes in a direction they don’t like, they say, "There goes the tithe."
* Well, I just go back to what David said ... David gave only one reason for his giving to the church!
* He said, "Because I have set my affection to the house of my God ... I have given to the ......."
* Listen, no matter what you do, whether it is giving tithes & offerings, singing in the choir,
teaching, or just sitting on a pew on Sunday morning, Sunday night or Wednesday night,
* Do it because you love Jesus!

(2) BLESSED IS THE BELIEVER WHO GIVES HIS CHURCH HIS LOYAL ALLEGIANCE!
* There is a statement I want you to hear from Neh.10:39 "We will not forsake the house of our ..."

A) The word forsake means: neglect, to let go, or to let loose."
* It is a word that describes how a man, after 25 years of faithful marriage, would leave his wife
for a younger woman! * It literally means to forsake or desert!
* Now just as it is inexcusable for a man to forsake his wife, it is inexcusable for a Christian to
forsake his church! * I want to give you several ways you can forsake or neglect your church!

B) There are some people who neglect their church by just not coming!
* They just don’t show up ... They have filled the church with their absence!
* Even though we miss them, they don’t really miss us!
* A little boy was absent from school one day, and the next day when he came back, the teacher
said, "George, did you miss school yesterday?" * He said, "No ma’am, not a bit!"
* There are a lot of church members who have forsaken the church and don’t even miss it!

C) But, it’s also possible to come to church every Sunday and still neglect the church!
* There are some who come to church and basically just take up space!
* The only thing they do contribute is their presence ... They don’t give, work, serve, witness,
worship, some of them don’t even sing, they just come! * Now, don’t misunderstand me,
* I want you to come, I thank God that you come, I’m glad that you come!
* I’m simply saying that it is possible to come and still neglect the church!

D) Another way we can neglect our church is by just simply not caring at all!
* I’m afraid that there are too many in the church today that just don’t care!
* They don’t care if anybody gets saved, baptized, if they ever build a building, raise money for
the building fund, etc. * It just simply makes no difference to them!
* Our church is just like every other church, it is full of willing people!
* Some willing to work and the rest willing to let them!
* Sometimes when things go undone in our church, it’s because nobody’s willing to do it!

E) I read a story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody!
* There was an important job to be done, and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it.
* Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it.
* Somebody got angry about that because it was Everybody’s job.
* Everybody thought Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn’t do it.
* It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have
done. * Now, here’s my last question:
* Are you a part of the Everybody that is waiting on Somebody to do what Anybody can do,
but Nobody is doing it? * OR,
* Are you a Somebody who is doing what Everybody thought Anybody could do, but Nobody
would have done, if you weren’t doing it?

(3) BLESSED IS THE BELIEVER THAT GIVES HIS CHURCH HIS LASTING ATTENDANCE - HEB.10:25!
* Your church deserves your consistent, constant, continuous attendance!

A) So many people only come to church three times in their life!
* When they’re first born and they get dedicated or christened, when they get married, and when
they die! * In other words, they come to church 3 times:
* When they’re hatched, matched and dispatched!
* The first time you throw water on them, 2nd time you throw rice, the 3rd time you throw dirt!

B) I never cease to be amazed at the excuses that people give for not coming to church!
* Sometimes I think about writing a book on them! * Article: "Pastor Quits Sports"
* Here are the reasons why: Every time I went, they asked me for money.
* The people with whom I had to sit with weren’t friendly and didn’t speak to me.
* The seats were too hard and not very comfortable.
* I went to many games but the coach never came to visit me.
* The coach made a decision that I didn’t like.
* I found out that I was sitting with some hypocrites ... They didn’t come to see the ball-game,
they just came to see what everybody was wearing.
* Some games went into overtime and I had to wait in line at the restaurant.
* The band played some numbers that I’d never heard before.
* It seems like the games are always scheduled when I want to do something else.
* When I was growing up, my mom and dad used to force me to go to ball-games.
* I recently read a book on sports & now I feel that I know more than the coaches know anyhow.

C) Most used excuse is "Too many hypocrites ... I live just as good as your members do!"
* Yes, I know that there are hypocrites in the church, and yes, I know that there are people who
don’t go to church who live better lives than some people who do go to church!
* But don’t judge the barrel by a few bad apples!

CLOSE

A) I heard about a preacher who visited a farmer to invite him to church.
* The farmer said, "Well, I’m never coming to your church, Preacher."
* The preacher said, "Why not?" * The farmer said,
* "Because I know some of the members of your church & I live a lot better than they do."

B) Sometime later, the preacher bought a pig from the farmer.
* He said, "I want you to sell me the smallest, ugliest, sickliest pig that you’ve got."
* Well, the farmer, amazed, gave him exactly what he asked for.
* After he paid for it, he said to the farmer, "I’m going to take this sick, small, ugly pig to
everybody in the community and tell them that I bought it from you."
* The farmer said, "Now Preacher, that’s not fair, I’ve got a lot of hogs that are nicer and
bigger and fatter than that hog."
* The preacher said, "Buddy, if it’s fair for the church, it’s fair for the hogs!"

C) You should never let a hypocrite keep you away from the house of God!
* I’m like that old country fellow who said, "I’d rather chase a rabbit and not catch it, than
to chase a skunk and catch it!"
* I’d rather go to church with a few hypocrites on earth than to spend eternity with them in hell!
* There is never an excuse that God will accept for a professing Christian not to go to church!

D) I tell you this morning, I thank God for our church & I love my church!
* I love it enough to give it my loving affection, I love it enough to give it my loyal allegiance,
* And I love it enough to give it my lasting attendance!

E) How about you today? Do you really and honestly love your church?


- - - - - - - - - - - -
BELOW borrowed material
reviewed and revised for basic preaching guide
for HLM I LOVE MY CHURCH series 2015
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I LOVE MY CHURCH – SERMON OUTLINE – WEEK 1

I LOVE MY CHURCH INTRODUCTION

Projected Aim:
To introduce the concept that loving the church means LOVING THE PEOPLE.

Key Passage:
John 13:34-35
“ A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

This verse is a prelude of the church to come.
The church will start in Acts, but here we find Jesus meeting with His disciples, telling them how His followers should be known, what the reputation will be of this community He is creating.
They will be a people known for their love for one another.

Church people are meant to love one another.
It’s not optional, not an elective—it’s a command from Jesus.
We are to love one another.

But what does that mean?
What does it mean to love one another?
When we say we want to love the church as God intended it and us to be, what do we mean by “love”?

What do we mean when we say, “I love my church”?
What does it mean to love one another?
Does He want us to love one another like I loved my experience at the restaurant, or does He want me to love the church like I do my son?

With the restaurant I was experiencing something given to me, a place offering me something.
The restaurant fed me and provided a moment in which I could participate.
If the experience itself was excellent, I could rate it as so, give it a positive review on Yelp, and recommend it to others. If it was the opposite type of experience, I wouldn’t return and I’d tell others to avoid it.

With my son I was experiencing an important relationship.
My son is someone I am intrinsically connected with. My love for him isn’t based on what I’m receiving or experiencing but based on who he is and what is involved in our relationship.
Because I love him, I care for him, I play with him, we go through life together.
That journey might bring about some not so great experiences, but we work through those.
I don’t Yelp rate my son. I love him.

The church was never meant to be like a restaurant; it’s meant to be based on relationships.
This begins first and foremost in a relationship with Jesus, and through that we are connected to one another.

Jesus loves us and brought us into relationship with Himself (***share the Gospel***).
His death on the cross was an act of love for us. Earlier in John we are told it was because God loved us so much that He sent His son to die for us, that we might have real life. He intentionally loved us, served us.

In being brought into that relationship, we aren’t only brought into a relationship with Jesus but also into relationship with one another. Being in a relationship with Jesus means being part of the church, part of His kingdom, part of the family of faith.

Many people treat the church like a restaurant.
If the experience isn’t just to their liking, they’ll find somewhere else or not go at all.
This is beyond unfortunate. This sets up expectations for the church that it was never intended to fulfill.
Also, and we have to be honest here, this isn’t relationships-focused; this is self-focused.
This isn’t loving as Jesus loved. This loves as I see fit, am comfortable with, and for my own gain.
The church isn’t supposed to be like that.

You will experience a love for the church when you intentionally love the church.
You will have a deep sense of love for the church when you actively and intentionally practice love for the church. The opposite is also true: When you don’t intentionally love the church, then you will not experience a love for the church. We’ll love the church when it is about relationships, not when it is like a restaurant.

What does it look like to intentionally love the church?
To be in community with one another as God intended it to be?
Well, that’s what the rest of this series is about!
Let me give you an overview of what we’ll be looking at:

• Love by connecting. Being in community—in fellowship, in relationship—with each other is more than knowing people’s names and where they sit on a Sunday morning. We love one another when we stand alongside one another. Being connected with one another is ensuring no one stands alone.

• Love by serving. God has given each of His followers supernaturally empowered abilities to encourage and help one another and the community. Did you know you have superpowers? We’re going to talk about that.

• Love by giving. Yes, we’re going to talk about giving. But probably not in the way you’d expect. In fact, we won’t talk at all about tithing or percentages. We won’t even try any ill-planned guilt trips to get you to give more. We’ll simply talk about giving as an indicator of love.

• Love by sharing. The love that Jesus gives to us and that we can have for one another isn’t to be hoarded within the walls of the church. The love that we are to have for one another is also meant to show our community what the love of Jesus looks like. If we aren’t sharing the love of God with our words and deeds, then we aren’t truly loving. We’ll talk about this as well.

I invite you to stick with us for the next four weeks as we look at various ways that we can intentionally love the church as we see what it is God intended for the community of faith.

If you are with us today and don’t have a relationship with Jesus, I invite you to stick around as well.
Some of you have had some negative experiences with church in the past, and for that I am truly sorry.
I want you to know that’s not what God intended. But what did He intend?
Why not join us for a few weeks to learn about this, what the church is supposed to be like.

There are two things I want to challenge you with as we leave:

Let people know that you love your church.
We have these T-shirts available. OR even STICKERS.
***Hold one up or put it on right then.*** Envision these shirts as an easy conversation-starting tool.
Think about it like this: We see someone with a concert or sports team shirt on, and it becomes an instant opportunity for conversation. You see someone out and about with a concert T-shirt on of a band you like and you ask him or her what show they were at and how it was. Strangers you normally wouldn’t talk to you’ll strike up a conversation with because they’re wearing the jersey of your favorite team.
Just think of the conversations that could come out of you wearing this shirt. Don’t think about it; pray about it! Pray for God to give you opportunities to talk to people when they see you with this shirt on, that people would ask about it, inquire which church, wonder why you’d love a church. I really can’t wait to hear what conversations happen. Please e-mail me and let me know if you have one!

Get connected in an I Love My Church group.
We are forming groups that meet midweek to discuss further the topics we’ll be covering on Sunday.
I want to encourage and challenge you to get into one of these groups. Incredible growth, connections, and answers to questions can be found when a group of people come together in such a way.
***Give specifics on how people can get signed up for a group, giving all of the information they’ll need to participate.***

This is going to be an exciting journey—and I’m excited we’re able to go through this together.

***If you look at the close of week 2, you’ll see there is the suggestion to plan a special mixer/mingle time for after the message. If you are going to do this, it would be wise to let people know at the end of week 1 so they can prepare for it.***

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I LOVE MY CHURCH – SERMON OUTLINE – WEEK 2
COMMUNITY

Projected Aim:
Help people identify the important role community plays and the subtle ways we sabotage it.

Key Passage:
Hebrews 10:19-25

We are continuing our series I Love My Church and this concept is going to play a big part in what we’ll see today as one of God’s plans for the church: that we would live connected lives.
God wants us to live connected with Him and connected with one another.
God wants us to know true community.

Hebrews 10:19-25:
“Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.”
Before I unpack this, let’s go back to our fence. Let’s picture our lives as a yard. If a lot of us were honest, we’d admit that we like a good fence. What we are comfortable showing people and letting people know about us is our front lawn—and we try keeping a pristine front lawn. Nicely manicured. Beautiful grass. A nice welcome mat at the front door—for decorative purposes only. The front yard is what we show people.

1. Know that Jesus crashed the fence.
Before we even talk about the fence that we put between us and people, we have to realize the barrier that exists between God and us.

The first part of our Hebrews passage tells us:

“Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” (verses 19-22)

The author is talking about the fact that because of Jesus we now have a way to come back to God. ***Explain the Old Testament imagery here of the priests and the Holy of Holies, of the high priest only being able to enter in, and that Jesus is now our High Priest.***
***One thing you could do here is get a large sledgehammer and actually smash the fence on stage, speaking of Jesus obliterating the fence between God and us. Later in talking about community you could then take the fence pieces and say, “Even though God destroyed the fence between Him and us, we still attempt to build fences between ourselves and others.***

Because Jesus is our Great High Priest and has crashed the fence, the veil separating us from God, we are able to confidently draw near to Him. Crashing the fence is as easy as admitting we need Him—we can’t live life on our own—we’ll never make it into His presence with a fence separating us.
The Romans letter gives us more of the details behind our Hebrews passage:

• Romans 3:23—We all have a giant fence.
• Romans 6:23—Because of that fence, we’ll never get to God.
• Romans 5:8—God knew we’d have a big fence before we even had a yard!
• Romans 10:9-10—If we just admit we have a fence and we need it torn down, Jesus crashes the fence for us.
• Romans 10:13—He never denies a fence-crashing job … ever.

We’re born building fences—walls, structures designed to hide, protect, or confine who we really are—to keep us separated from God. We’re born into sin—our first fence—which keeps us from true community with Him. And it’s only when we admit our failing, realize and accept that Jesus on the cross has crashed the fence of sin, and only because of that can we have relationship with God, can we truly be in community with Him.

Have you ever drawn near to God?
Have you ever acknowledged what Jesus has done on the cross and allowed Him into your life—all of it, the front and back? ***Gospel presentation here.***

Realize that the barrier between you and Jesus has been crashed by Him on the cross.
Surrender your life to Him, drawing near to Him in relationship, close to Him in community.

2. Allow others into your yard.
We come to this building, and we sing songs and we play games with children, and sometimes we eat and we smile and say good morning … but we do it all from behind the fence.

You might be thinking, “But I thought you said Jesus broke down the fence?”
He did. For every single one of us Jesus has broken down the fence and made a way possible for us to be with God. How does that impact us as people … people meaning us plural, as a community?

Imagine all of mankind standing before a fence of sin and it just comes tumbling down when Jesus died on the cross. So when I draw near to God to become His follower, there’s not a fence anymore, and when you draw near to God to become His follower, there’s not a fence anymore … which means there’s no fence in existence in the community of God! There shouldn’t be … but what we do is we start taking wood and building up a fence between others and ourselves.
***If you broke apart the fence in the previous point, you can take the pieces and start mimicking building them back up. Maybe have some duct tape on hand.***

Even though Jesus has crashed our fence, we still want people to see only the pretty parts of our yard. We don’t want them to see our laundry—clean or dirty—hanging on the clothesline in the back. So we keep building those walls. We keep very careful tabs on what parts of our estate people are allowed to walk. We are so good at building fences.

Yet don’t forget what we said last week: If we are going to truly experience loving our church, then that means intentionally loving our church. That is not loving our building and that’s not loving our programs. If we intentionally love our church, that means loving each other. And loving each other is impossible to do from behind a fence.

So what do we do? With the fences all of us have erected, myself included, it’s hard to truly know how to love each other. Thank goodness Paul gives us the perfect prescription!

Do not forsake assembling together. It’s the passage preachers have used for years to guilt their congregants into coming to church every Sunday. But, in reality, the author was talking about something bigger. Sunday, yes, but also something more than Sunday. He’s talking about an every day assembling. He’s talking about life together. He’s talking about living in community.

Community means we don’t build fences. Community means we head below the surface. Community means authenticity—the sharing of ourselves with others—a deeper relationship than we can have sitting in our (pews, chairs, theater seats) in this large room while I or someone else speaks to you. Community means standing in someone’s yard and allowing them to stand in mine. Both of our dirty, stinky, unkempt yards with all the toys strewn everywhere and weeds not pulled and the shed that desperately needs repainting.

***Show a picture of Wilson, Tim’s neighbor on Home Improvement, looking over the fence.***
You may or may not remember the television show Home Improvement with Tim Allen. Tim’s family had a next-door neighbor named Wilson. Nearly the entire series, this is all we ever saw. (Show picture.) The Taylors lived next door to Wilson for years, yet they never saw his face. Sometimes it’s like that for church folks. We sit in the pews with people. We serve on committees together. We may even enjoy Bible study with one another, but we never see someone’s whole face. We only get a glimpse of them from behind our fences. James Doe is standing on the other side of this fence. Maybe we see his face. Maybe we don’t. It doesn’t matter at the end of the day; there’s still a fence between us. I can’t embrace him in a family tragedy. He can’t really see what’s happening over here when my wife and I are having a spat. This fence impedes our community. We have to get into the yard to fully know someone.

“Not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:25)

Whose yard are you in? Who are you allowing into your yard? Maybe this takes place for you through our (Sunday school, small groups, Bible study opportunities). Maybe you’re a part of one of our women’s groups, our student ministry, or possibly you’ve just allowed a few people to see past your fences—and it’s not any formalized ministry of our church. ***Use this as an opportunity to pitch your various community opportunities. It is suggested that you start with an easy win like people sticking around after to mingle and get to know one another. Make sure you are being sensitive to introverts also.***

If we are truly going to experience not only the church but also life as God intended it, then we can’t live behind a fence. To truly love your church, you have to love someone in your church. This doesn’t mean that everyone transforms into super social extroverts. What it means is that we don’t live in isolation.

Community is standing in someone’s yard. It means you stand in someone else’s yard, and you …

3. Enjoy the company.
Imagine being a kid going to a birthday party where the host didn’t plan anything. There might be a bag of plain potato chips on the table and some weak Kool-Aid, but that’s it. No games, no desserts, no face painting, no pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey, nothing. That would be one boring, dull party, wouldn’t it? You would leave that place thinking, “They didn’t even try.”

Hebrews says, “Let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds” (verse 24).

To “consider” is to contemplate, strategize. Think of it as planning for a successful birthday party. Living life in one another’s yards, without fences, is going to take not only intentionality but also strategy.

Community is finding ways to encourage one another to love and good deeds—beyond church programming and sermons. It’s seeing beyond the walls and fences that have been built and offering to help paint the shed or pull the weeds or babysit the kids. It’s bringing a meal in times of crisis. It’s having those “go-to” numbers in your cell phone when you break down at (name a popular intersection in your city). It’s knowing who to call when you want to go on a double date. It’s inviting someone over for dinner. It’s teaming up when we have a church service project and working alongside friends. It’s enjoying one another—and helping each other to enjoy serving Jesus in the time we have left to serve … according to Hebrews.

And the thing is, these things don’t happen automatically. They happen when we consider how to make them happen. Let me suggest some points of strategy for all of us as a church family:

• Have healthy expectations. An unhealthy expectation is that we’ll all know everyone, that every single person will be best friends with everyone in here. That’s not realistic. A healthy expectation is that I can build some great connections throughout the family, great friendships with some, and deep relationships with a few. These will all take time, but we have to have a healthy goal in mind.
• Realize baby steps are okay. Let’s be clear. Living without fences doesn’t mean that you are going to let every single person into the more personal parts of your life the first day you meet everyone. That’s not the goal in any sense. At first we’ll be hanging out in the front yard with people, then we’ll invite them into the living room, then for a meal in the back. It will take time and that’s okay. You won’t let everyone in, but you need to work toward letting someone in at some point.
• Take some ownership. Realize this is everyone’s job, not everyone else’s job. We all need to work at it. If you are sitting down waiting for everyone to come to you, then you are sitting in the wrong spot. On a scale between 1 and 10, with 1 being the lowest and 10 the highest, how much effort are you putting into connecting with others? What would you need to do to raise your number by one or two levels in the next few weeks?

As we leave this morning, love your church. Know Jesus has crashed the fence. Allow someone into your yard. Enjoy the company. Start considering how you can be connected with others for encouragement and growth.

Specific Application:
***It would be great to plan some type of special mingle time after this service: potluck, special coffee time, get special desserts for everyone, etc. Tell people the church is investing in their first step to being connected with others.***

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I LOVE MY CHURCH – SERMON OUTLINE – WEEK 3
SERVING


Projected Aim:
Help people identify the important role serving plays in communicating love.

Key Passages:
1 Corinthians 12:4-7; Romans 12:3-8

You Have Superpowers: Spiritual Gifts
First Corinthians 12 starts off letting us know that Paul, the author of the letter, is going to talk about spiritual gifts. In elaborating on them he says this:

“Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” (verses 4-7)

The part I want to zoom in on is the last part of verse 6: God works all things in all persons, meaning that God empowers gifts in His followers. We’ll spend a little bit more time on this first part.

God gives each and every one of His followers at least one, sometimes more than one, spiritual gift. A spiritual gift is a Holy Spirit–empowered ability that is given to serve others. It is a spiritual superpower, if you will, given for you to use in a specific context to help in a specific way.

Though not exhaustive, some of these possible gifts could be exhortation, giving, leadership, mercy, service, teaching, administration, discernment, faith, helps, knowledge, and wisdom.
***Depending on how much time you have, you could give a sentence or two definition of each. Also based on the time you have, add/subtract various ones from the list. One other idea is that you can provide a handout for everyone that gives a more exhaustive list of the gifts with definitions; then you can encourage people to reference it.***

There are two really important things to remember about spiritual gifts:

1. God is the one who picked yours. The passage tells us that God is the one who empowers us. Romans 12:6 says, “We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us.” It’s important to realize that we didn’t apply, request, campaign, petition, or do a kick-starter to get these gifts going. God, in His infinite wisdom, love, care, and power, knew exactly which gifts you needed and which gifts were best suited for you. So don’t waste time being jealous of someone else’s gift when you should be spending time developing your own. Just think, God blessed you and entrusted you with this specific ability to make a difference in your community and the world!
2. It is a Spirit-empowered gift. When you hear the list of possible gifts, you might be doing a proverbial scratching of the head. You might be stumped, thinking, “I’ve had some really good teachers in my life and some of them didn’t love God, didn’t even like Him. How can they be a good teacher if they weren’t given the gift of teaching?” Great question, if you were thinking that. The thing to realize is that there are a lot of really good teachers out there, some amazing, incredible teachers out there. But there’s a difference between great teaching and teaching empowered by the Spirit. One is exhibiting their natural ability (which is also God-given I might add) and the other is exhibiting an ability infused by the power of the Spirit of God to speak in such a way that surpasses the mere passing on of information and inspiration. One teaching with the spiritual gift of teaching does so while being led by the Spirit, guided by the Spirit, powered by the Spirit, supported by the Spirit, and sustained by the Spirit. That’s incredibly different. Think of it like this: When Mike Tyson, even in retirement, throws a punch, it is going to be powerful and it is going to hurt. Even more so if it was thrown during his prime. That’s his natural talent. When Superman throws a punch, it is going to hurt way more. There’s more than natural ability going on, there’s something supernatural happening. There were many great leaders throughout history, but someone leading with the gift of leadership is exhibiting something supernatural.

You have been given an amazing ability to be used by God! That is incredibly exciting. It might also be slightly confusing because the natural question is, “What are my gifts?” Here are three ways you can discover your gifting:

1. Experiment in serving. Get involved in the church somewhere. If you’re not sure where, then… ***Share the specific ways people can get involved in your church. I’d recommend that you have a specific person who people can contact about getting involved.***
Try out a ministry for a month or two. After that time ask yourself how it is going. Ask the leader how it is going. If you are both ecstatic about what you’ve been able to do, then what you’ve been doing might make clear what your gifting is. If one or both of you feel it is just not your area, then don’t be discouraged—move on to something else. The big thing is, where do you see results? Specifically, where do you see results of impacting people for Jesus? If you are gifted in a specific way, then it is going to bring people to Jesus, help people in their relationship with Jesus, show people Jesus, etc. Having given this suggestion, I don’t think it can be separated from the next two …

2. Ask others. Ask specific people whom you’ve spent time with, whom you trust, and whom you know love you the ways they see God using you in the church community. Specific questions you could ask them are:
• When you hear the different spiritual gifts, which one(s) come to mind when you think of me?
• What am I doing when you see Jesus in me or coming out of me?
• How is it that I make this community better?
Remember—this isn’t to give us a big head. This is to help us discover how God has gifted us. No one will know better than the people you are in community with and serving with.

3. Check your energy level. As you try different serving opportunities, ask yourself how you’re feeling. If you are tired, dreading going to the serving opportunity, or not feeling a lot of passion, then whatever you’re doing probably isn’t something you’re gifted in. (It may be a wrong context for your gift though, so be mindful of that. A “right gift, wrong setting” type of thing.) If you are ready to go, looking forward to the opportunity, feeling passion, then that is more than likely something that complements your gifting.

Whatever your gift(s) are, they were supernaturally given to you by God. They are something you are empowered by the Spirit to do, not for your own gain but for the benefit of others. You have a superpower in the church. But you’re not alone!

You Have a Superpower Team: The Church
The thing I love about the movie The Avengers is that it wasn’t about one person. The Avengers were a team, an ensemble, a group. They couldn’t meet the specific needs of earth alone; they needed one another. This is God’s plan for you and me as well. Listen to Romans 12:

“For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith. For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.” (verses 3-8)

This passage complements what we read in 1 Corinthians 12, that you and I need one another. Here’s the thing that might be hard to grasp, but we have to allow the Scriptures to guide us:
Your gift was not given to you for you! The Bible teaches that spiritual gifts were given to us but for others. What does 1 Corinthians 12:7 say but that your gifts and my gifts were given “for the common good”? Your gifts were given to you to help others, to serve others, to benefit others. They weren’t given for you and your enjoyment. Romans 12:4-5 is going to clarify that we purposely and specifically by design don’t all function the same way with our gifting. We have different giftings because we need one another. Romans 12:5 even takes it so far as to say that we are “members one of another,” meaning each member belongs to all the others. So your gifts aren’t yours; they’re mine. And my gifts aren’t really mine; they’re yours. Because God made the DNA of this church to be supernaturally infused with all of these gifts. ***Spread your arms wide in front of the crowd indicating you are talking about everyone.***

This should be a lesson in both humility and responsibility for us. Humility because the gift is not about us, but responsibility because God knew someone else would need our help, would need to experience God working through our gifts to minister to them.

Thor couldn’t save the world on his own; he needed the rest of the Avengers. It was the same for the rest of them. The truth of the matter is that God doesn’t need any of us, but He chooses to use us and invites us to be used by Him—but He does that by bringing us together, mobilizing us together, teaming us up together, using us together. Sure, there’s strength in numbers. But numbers brought together by the hand of God and empowered by God … that’s more than natural strength. That’s the type of power that can change a church for God, change a neighborhood for God, change a nation for God, change the world for the Gospel. You have been given superpowers. You are part of a superpower team. But remember … to just have power isn’t what makes a hero. There has to be action.

This Superpower Team Has a Community and a City in Need
This church needs you. This neighborhood needs you. This city/community needs you. Not because they need you, but because they need God. And God in His wisdom and plan has decided that He would empower us with the ability to serve one another and the world around us.

***Personalize this to your own context.***
We have a children’s ministry that needs people to model Jesus to them. We have a teen ministry that needs people to model Jesus to them, befriend them, and mentor them. Young adults, couples, ***give more examples in your place*** that need the gifts that God gave you to be in action and in motion. This city has ***give examples from your community*** that need the gifts that God gave you to be in action and in motion.
***Really speak vision and tangible action steps into your church during this time. This is the time to unpack a burden for your church and community, a burden for people discovering Jesus. Speak not just in generalities but give specific steps people can take.***

Can you imagine with me a little bit right now? Can you imagine what our church would be like if everyone was flowing in their gifting? Can you imagine what our community would be like, what this city would be like, if we all were serving in ways that utilized the gifts that God has given us? Think about it, imagine it … and let’s take it back to our initial question.

What do superheroes and Christmas presents have to do with a church? This is what I opened with. We talked a lot about superheroes, not a whole lot about Christmas. So let’s switch gears. Christmas presents. Who doesn’t like opening Christmas presents? I’ll tell you who—the Grinch! Grinches don’t like opening Christmas presents—everyone else does. If you’re not too excited about opening Christmas presents, well, maybe we’ll get a Grinch support group going on, but until then, imagine back to childhood when you did love it. Picture being six years old, coming down to the tree, and there was your present. Maybe that wasn’t your Christmas experience—well, imagine what it would be like to come down and see that big present waiting for you. Just waiting to be opened, just waiting to be discovered, just waiting to be enjoyed and used and played with. And then picture looking at it, shrugging your shoulders, saying “eh,” and then walking back upstairs … never opening the gift. There would be something super wrong with that, wouldn’t there be?! That’s the support group we’d need to start, the “Helping-People-Who-Ignore-Their-Christmas-Presents-To-Open-Them-And-Experience-The-Excitement-Of-Childhood Group!” When you’re given a gift, you open the gift! You don’t leave it sitting there!

What do superheroes and Christmas presents have to do with a church? If you are a follower of Jesus who is not utilizing the spiritual gifts that God has given you for the betterment of the church and community, then you are like a Christmas present that’s ignored and unopened. You are walking up to the gift that God has given you, shrugging your shoulders, saying “eh,” and then walking away. And that’s not how it is supposed to be!

Here’s my final question: Why did God give you to our church? Most of the time we ask what we can get out of church. Wrong question. Why did God give this community the gift of you? Was it because of your teaching, your leadership, your encouragement, your discernment, or whatever it is that makes you the super-powered you? Why did God give us the gift of you?

Don’t be an unopened gift. Discover the gifting God has empowered you with. Discover the ways you can passionately utilize those gifts. Be the gift that you are—serve this church and this community the way God made you to with the gifts He’s given you. Be a hero for Jesus. I can’t speak for you, but I know for myself … I want to be a hero for Jesus. I certainly don’t want to be a pig.

Specific Application:
It would be great to do a ministry fair at the end of your service today. Instruct each of your ministry leaders to prepare an information table that gives people everything they need to know about each ministry and how to get involved. Make it fun, almost carnival style. Let each ministry be represented and tell them to be creative in how they decorate and present (but to make it quality). Some good things to include at each table:

• Handouts that give job descriptions for a volunteer, the leader’s contact information, specific time expectations, etc.
• Sign-up clipboard at each table asking for name, e-mail, phone, and availability. Keep it simple for people at the table and follow up with them later.
• Pictures of the ministry.
• Possibly food, snacks at each table.

The big thing will be to communicate with your leaders the importance of follow-up within two to three days of people signing up. Tell them to contact each person by Wednesday and no later.

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I LOVE MY CHURCH – SERMON OUTLINE – WEEK 4
GIVING

Projected Aim:
Help people recognize that sacrificing and meeting needs are abundant expressions of love.

Key Passage:
Acts 4:32-35

“And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul; and not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own, but all things were common property to them. And with great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all. For there was not a needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales and lay them at the apostles’ feet, and they would be distributed to each as any had need.” (Acts 4:32-35)

When it comes to possessions, the first church knew how to help one another, to love one another.
I wonder how long it took before someone decided they needed to hang on to some of their stuff?
Have you ever been to the beach and seen someone feeding seagulls?
They’re ravenous and loud. The movie Finding Nemo captured them perfectly in a few scenes where an entire flock of seagulls call out one on top of the other, “Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine!” I wonder if sometimes that’s exactly what we sound like to God when we start talking about our money and our stuff.

1. Release your grip.
The passage in Acts says, “Not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own” (verse 32). The first church had a loose grip.

And in case we’re quick to say, “Well, they just didn’t have a lot so it was easy for them to have a looser grip,” remember Ananias and Sapphira—struck dead because they lied about how loose their grip was.

This is simply not the place to make excuses for being seagulls. Because the truth is, it’s not ours. It never was. It’s God’s—and we’re the bank. He invests with us and hopes to see a good return on His investment. And His measurement for that good return is how we love others with what we have.

Release your grip. It’s not yours. This is as hard a sermon for me to hear as it is for you. Trust me.

This is not a simple message of “Give to the church.” This is not the standard “giving” message folks like to grumble about—“Every time I go to church, they’re asking for money.” That’s not at all what this passage is teaching. It’s not at all what I am preaching. It would be easier to say, “Give it all to the church and we’ll be your clearinghouse—and of course, we’ll keep some for ‘administrative costs.’” But the truth is, the first church didn’t demonstrate their love by giving to the corporate entity called the church; they loved by sharing everything with one another, by giving to the personal entity called the church, the people. And though the apostles were helping with distribution, clearly they weren’t maintaining lawns and purchasing curriculum. And hear me say, there isn’t a thing in the world wrong with that—lawns and curriculum, I mean.

The fault comes when we fail to meet the needs of people because of lawns and curriculum.

So release your grip, and …

2. Tighten your belt.
Making room in our budgets to help people … that’s exactly what the first church was doing.

“For there was not a needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales and lay them at the apostles’ feet.” (Acts 4:34-35)

Make reference to the chest or trunk you brought in.

The first-century church wasn’t keeping hope chests. They were not storing up for a rainy day. They weren’t even hanging on to their personal property! They were liquidating, folks. They were getting rid of it all so they could demonstrate their love for their church.

No, in all honesty, I’m not proposing we all sell everything we have and move into the fellowship hall together! I’m simply suggesting that if our lifestyles—mine included—keep us from being generous with the people around us, it’s time to tighten our belts just as those in the early church were doing. Maybe I need a less expensive car or it’s time to drop cable/satellite television, or maybe I just need to live on some kind of budget so I can meet needs when they’re presented.

The single mom who’s riding the bus to work because her car is broken down. The family whose dad just lost his job and who might lose their home. The retiree who has to choose among his prescriptions because he can’t afford all of them. The promising college student who may have to drop out for lack of funds.

See … I’m not talking about the homeless folks on the street corner. We need to help them too—but the way we communicate love for our church is by making sure we aren’t neglecting the needs of one another. And here’s a hard statement to say: The only way we can do that is if we know what those needs are!

Don’t misunderstand—I’m not saying it’s your responsibility to tell us what those needs are. I’m saying it’s our responsibility to know one another deeply enough to recognize them. To look well past the fences each of us have erected and know each other.

And when we’re finally able to peer past the fence, we need to be ready to act on what we see … because we’ve tightened our belts.

And once we’ve loosened our grips and tightened our belts, then we have the opportunity to …

3. Give it all away.
Once the first church ditched its “mine, mine” mentality, no one ever had need. Needs were always met. So fervently met that this passage says:

“And with great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all. For there was not a needy person among them.” (Acts 4:33-34)

And what was the result of that generosity?

“Testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus”

People knew the truth of Jesus because the apostles and the first-century church were busy giving their money and possessions to one another! It wasn’t a service project. It wasn’t a homeless shelter. It wasn’t a missions program. It was one another! The testimony was present because they were loving one another!

This is just an awkward message, isn’t it? And frankly, an awkward passage. We’ve spent centuries trying to get beyond the four walls of the church—to impact the community, to become more than a “holy huddle” or “spiritual country club.” And now it feels like this passage is saying we got that wrong.

But that’s not what it’s saying at all. I think what it’s illustrating is simply this: In our passion and fervor to reach beyond our walls, we can never forget to also reach within them.

We have needs represented in this room right this second that none of us knows a thing about. Maybe you recognized your situation a few moments ago as I was illustrating. Maybe it’s another need. We must be loving our church—these people who are our church—enough to see those needs. And then, like the first church, we must be willing to sacrifice it all to meet those needs.

So, let’s do something courageous. Let’s do something crazy.

***Open the trunk if it isn’t already. Pull out your wallet or purse.***

I’m probably not selling my house or getting rid of my car today. But in my wallet right now is ______ dollars cash. It represents all I have right this minute.

What if we each did this? What if each of us gave just what we have in our wallets or purses right this moment? Maybe it represents our Starbucks run or a lunch after church. Maybe it’s just the change we have left over after our recent run to the grocery store. Whatever it is—it’s all we have in this moment, right? Just like the first church …

And what if we asked God to bless this offering we’re about to give and to use it to communicate love for His church—His people, not His building?

And then what if what ends up in this box was “distributed to each as any had need” (Acts 4:35)?

I’m just asking you to simply pray and see if this might be one time where you could part with everything to love someone who sits next to you every Sunday.

While this music plays, consider it—and give as God prompts you.

***Be the first to drop your cash into the trunk, but wait for just a short moment. You may want to consider notifying leadership ahead of time that this exercise is going to happen (a) so they aren’t surprised if this is not the norm for your church, and (b) so they might come prepared with their own offering.***

After a time, pray and thank God for sacrificial giving that communicates love. Then say:

Now this isn’t how we normally handle offerings here—and even in the first church I suspect they were a little more intentional about how they distributed …

Pick up the box and walk it to a place common to folks leaving the building.

But one of the ways we communicate love to one another is through generosity. Another way is through honesty. So if you have need, you have access to what is in this box. Take what you believe you need—and leave a written testimony in this journal of how God, through His church, has met your need today.

***Another alternative is that you might also want to consider having a specific person/family/need that you can communicate with people that they are giving to. Make sure to check with families first if you are going to use names, but you can also communicate specific needs without generalities. For example, “We have a specific family in our church who …” It would be good if people knew the immediate results this offering was going to be used for rather than it sounding general. Make sure to give a praise report the following week of how it was received.***

Now it’s possible the box will empty before the needs do. What then?

God wants us to be a people who share our needs as generously as we share our possessions. Write that need in the journal as well—confident that God wants to meet your need. Maybe you become vulnerable with your small group this week. Share your needs. Maybe you want someone to pray with you about God’s intervention on your behalf.

Understand me—this exercise is as much about making sure everyone’s needs are met as it is about making sure we’re willing to share those needs as we have them.

This is a hard one, folks—loosening our grip and giving. Loving our church is knocking down fences, picking up brooms, and giving it all …

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I LOVE MY CHURCH – SERMON OUTLINE – WEEK 5
SHARING

Projected Aim:
Help people see that loving the church impacts the community for the Gospel.

Key Passage:
Matthew 5:13-16

Here’s the question we have to consider in our series: How do people come to this new life with God?
How do people hear and discover, how do they experience the kingdom of God?
Let’s read Matthew 5:13-16:

“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”
God entrusts us to create the kingdom experience.
You are the salt of the earth. (Matthew 5:13)
Salt brings taste. It is a flavoring agent. It brings taste to bland food. It preserves. Someone gives you a plate of food really not up to snuff and what are the first words out of your mouth? “Can you please pass the salt?”

So don’t miss what Jesus is telling us in this metaphor. He is making it clear how necessary and important we are for the welfare of the world. Because we have experienced a transformation in our lives as we have come to the kingdom of heaven, now our presence is necessary as God’s means of influencing the world for good. Regardless of status or profession, the kingdom life that we possess is invaluable for the effect it will have in our daily circles of influence.

You are the light of the world. (Matthew 5:14)
In Jesus’ time they had small wicker oil lamps, which gave little light in the average home that had few windows; they were most effective when set on a lampstand. Even the smallest of lights lifted up can chase away darkness. Light removes the darkness. In the same way that Jesus’ life and message of salvation brought light to us (Matthew 4:15-16), His disciples are a living demonstration of the arrival of the kingdom of heaven.

So don’t miss this metaphor either: Light removes the darkness. We not only carry the light of the gospel of the kingdom of God, but we are that light. Because of the work of the Spirit in our lives, our transformation has produced kingdom light in us, affecting every aspect of our being, turning us into positive influencers in this sin-darkened world.

As salt and light, we bring the taste and atmosphere of Jesus’ kingdom to our world. If Food + Atmosphere = Experience, then the experience of the kingdom comes from His followers!

It amazes me to think of what God entrusts His church with! The Father trusted people to curate His creation, to manage and take care of it:

"Let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." (Genesis 1:26)

And now when He establishes His kingdom, Jesus entrusts us to curate His culture. We are to bring the taste, we are to bring the light, we are to bring the Jesus community/kingdom experience to our city so they can know God, find Him, repent, and find new life! Think about it like this: Don’t like how our city is? Ask yourself if you are salting it. Discouraged that our culture is so dark? Ask yourself if you are lighting it up. If the culture is bland and dark, then we need to get to salting and lighting.

When we intentionally love one another, when we intentionally use our gifting and live out the love of God toward one another and to the world outside these walls, we are salting the bland and bringing light to the darkness. Saying “I love my church” isn’t just about us, doesn’t just impact us; it’s about everyone outside these walls as well.

How do we bring the I Love My Church experience to our culture?

1. People will experience Jesus’ community when we live its values.
We can’t separate Matthew 5:2-12 from 5:13-16. The Beatitudes are not an intro, and then the salt and light part really begins the sermon. They are part of the same thought:
5:2-10—The Beatitudes—the values of the kingdom
5:11-12—The promise—promise of persecution and promise of reward
5:13-16—The charge, the call

The salt and light metaphors come out of the Beatitudes.
Jesus has brought the kingdom of God through regeneration and renewal by the Spirit. He transforms us. The Spirit produces in us poverty of spirit, mourning, meekness, righteousness, mercy, purity, and peace. These are the characteristics of Jesus’ disciples that allow God to establish His kingdom in His way. This is the kingdom life God puts in us and that we then demonstrate to the world. The Beatitudes are a character profile of a person who says, “I Love My Church.”

So seasoning and shining isn't only about the message we declare with our lips, it’s about how we go about our lives—lifestyle is the emphasis here. Being salt and light is about the message we declare with our actions, reactions, and everything in between. We can’t separate message from lifestyle—this is about who we are and how we are. The values in you as you live the kingdom bring flavor to a bland, rotting world. The values in you as you live the kingdom bring the light to a world of darkness. People will experience the kingdom when we live its values; this helps us realize how to be effective agents of salt and light. These show us how to love the church outside of the church.

2. We live the values of Jesus’ community in our daily ordinary.
There was a brilliant guy who almost OD’d on soy sauce recently. (http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/06/07/soy-sauce-overdose-sends-man-into-coma/)
A young man who drank a quart of soy sauce went into a coma and nearly died from an excess of salt in his body, according to a recent case report. The nineteen-year-old who drank the soy sauce after being dared by friends is the first person known to have deliberately overdosed on such a high amount of salt and survived with no lasting neurological problems.

I share this story because it applies directly to how we live. We are called to bring salt and light to our world so that they can experience the kingdom, not so that they can be blinded by the sun or OD on sodium. So the question we have to answer is: Are we seasoning and shining, or are we blinding and gagging?

Let me give you an example of blinding and gagging. ***Give your own story similar to this.***
In the summer I went to a street festival with our family. One of those where there are a lot of food vendors, games, music, and more food. It was packed. Literally wall-to-wall people covering about a mile of street. Scattered through the crowd were a few people who were carrying signs that said, “Repent of your sins and trust Jesus!” I started watching the crowd around the people with the signs, and I have to be honest—I saw no one praying, no one repenting, no one who looked moved or touched in their spirit. If anything, people were just making fun of them and laughing.

Is there truth to the message of the sign? Yes, absolutely! But just because it is correct doesn’t mean that it is effective. I’d argue that this is pouring a gallon of soy sauce down someone’s throat. No one walked away from those signs thinking, “I need Jesus.” And I’d be willing to put money on it … no one walked passed them thinking, “I want Jesus.”

Now let me give you an example of seasoning and shining: ***Give your own example.***
I’d like to read to you a portion of an e-mail from a young lady in our church. She shared this with me and gave me permission to share it with you:

Moving back to the city I was able to start back at my old job. Many of the servers/employees were surprised to see me. Nonetheless, I was able to get back to working. About a week ago, one of them, I could tell something was on her mind. In the midst of having a slow night, I asked her how her family was doing. She started to share her troubles about her daughter leaving and that she was afraid. I shared my testimony about how my mom and I didn't speak for two years, and how, throughout the past years, I found God and our relationship started to grow. She mentioned she wanted to go to church but hasn't gone yet. I encouraged her and said that God changed me and cares about our relationships. She got my number and we talk more at work and I am leaving the door open to share more.

Over the past two days: The servers lately have been cranky and gossiping, arguing with management during work. I won't gossip and I will respect management there regardless of how I think the place "should be run." They know I am a "faith-based" girl. However, the gossip became so bad that yesterday, during dinner rush, the manager had to call a meeting explaining how a customer overheard. I kept encouraging the management, telling them they were doing a good job, sharing with the employees that we "are a team," and building them up with words.

Also, that night, I was helping out in the kitchen, putting away dishes even though I didn't have to. One of the dishwashers said: "You are a good worker, Misha. I always see you helping out people and you don't have to." I said to him: "I am working for the Lord.” He smiled and said, "All the other servers come back here and complain, but I can tell you are believing that and acting on that." I said, "Have you ever heard this saying: ‘The joy of the Lord is my strength’?” He said, "No, where is that?" I told him it was in the Bible and that is why I am different and I did not used to be this way, sharing a little bit of my testimony. He said, "I am wanting to get back into my faith and I don't know how. I would like to know more (about the Gospel) as you told me." I said that after work, I wanted to share "the Gospel with you in a real way that is understandable, as it is life-changing." He was excited and said, "I am looking forward to talking more about the faith with you." That is how my night ended.

It’s really easy to carry a sign around in a crowd. It’s a lot more difficult to be Jesus in the ordinary and in the mundane. But it’s in the trivial day-to-day stuff, at the office, at school, at the gym, on the job that people need to experience Jesus when they experience us. It’s in the trivial day-to-day stuff that we need to be salting and lighting, not gagging and blinding.

Think about your daily routine. Think about your coworkers. Your classmates. Your neighbor. The person you carpool with. The people you run into while you go about your day. Know this—people will experience the kingdom from you in the normal, and in those moments the normal becomes extraordinary as people taste and see … from you … that the Lord is good.

3. Those who have truly experienced Jesus will help others experience Jesus.
“A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16)

I hope that if we’ve learned anything over these last few weeks, we’ve learned that loving the church isn’t about the building, it’s not about the programs. It’s about relationships—primarily our relationship with God but also our relationships with one another. But it doesn’t stop there. We also have to love those outside of these walls.

Think about the very first week when we read John 13:35, “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” Here’s the thing: How can all people observe us having a reputation of love if we are never around people?

You can’t season and shine when your ordinary is separate from the bland darkness.
Church, small groups, and the rest of our programs assist us to grow and become a stronger community of faith. We are strengthening our saltiness and brightness if you will. But if we never are interacting with people outside of our church, then we have failed. We are to live Jesus’ values while in connection with our world. What are ways that you can begin making connections with your neighborhood?

A question sometimes asked, one which really needs to be asked by all churches, is, “If our church ceased to exist, would the neighborhood mourn? Would they say, ‘No! You can’t go!’ Or, if we were to cease to exist, would the neighborhood even notice?” We must be a church that they would miss—not for our own sakes or our own reputations, but because they are experiencing Jesus when they experience us.

****This really needs to be personalized to the context of your church. Spend this section laying out examples of how people can get involved with their community with the church or on their own. Also speak about the need for building relationships and connections with people. Some examples of things people can do on their own apart from the church are joining a sports league, a book club, a local food shelter, etc. Give tangible, specific examples for the need to be a church reaching the community.***

It’s been said that Christians make horrible neighbors. Let that never be said of us.

***Close with tangible vision steps, summarizing the series.***

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