Jul 2, 2017 - It is very obvious that there was an atmosphere of enthusiasm and excitement in this early church. God wan
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Five Wishes For Connection Point Church
Five Wishes for Connection Point Church
Brandon: I readjusted this layout to better fit the formatting needed when I print. If you will just keep all your text within the blue margin lines on this page, I shouldn’t have any more issues ☺. Thanks! Dr. Brandon Park | July 2, 2017
The purpose of Connection Point Church: We will point people to a connection with: The purpose of Connection Point Church: We will point people to a connection with: • ____________ ____________ ____________ ____________ • _______ _________________ _______ _________________ • God’s ______________ for our lives. God’s ______________ for our lives.
The Church initially started as a _________________, not an __________________. The Greek word The Church initially started as a _________________, not an __________________. The Greek word for “church” is ekklesia, which means “gathering” or “assembly.” It originally launched as a movement for “church” is ekklesia, ekklesia which means “gathering” or “assembly.” It originally launched as a movement ekklesia, around one simple idea with a simple mission and with a simple focus. around one simple idea with a simple mission and with a simple focus.
We must look to the _____________ by also looking to the ___________. When the church was born 2,000 years ago, there were 3,000 people converted to Christ in a single day. What did the early 2,000 years ago, there were 3,000 people converted to Christ in a single day. What did the early church look like? We find this description in Acts 2:42-27. Just as a parent has wishes and dreams for church look like? We find this description in Acts 2:42 27. Just as a parent has wishes and dreams for their children, I have wishes and dreams for this church. If I knew that you would carry out only five things that I would wish for you, this would be my list.
1. I wish that every person in this church would do life together in a _____________ ____________.
Acts 2:42 says that they were “continually devoting themselves to…fellowship.” Growing churches love, and loving churches grow. The Greek word for fellowship is the word koinonia, which means being as committed to __________ ______________ as we are to Jesus Christ. The word koinonia means communion, distribution, or partnership. It essentially means sharing the life of Jesus Christ with each other. The church is not just a _____________ gathering; it is a ___________________ gathering. In the first church, they took care of each other. They genuinely loved each other and treated each other like family. The church is God’s New Testament solution to an Old Testament principle: “It is not good for man to be alone.” Ten times in the first five chapters of Acts it says, “they were ______________.” He uses phrases like, “they were of one accord … one heart … one purpose … one spirit ... all united in thought.” God can overlook a lack of facilities, a lack of programs, a lack of leadership. But one thing He will not overlook is disharmony in the church. Jesus said, “Upon this Rock, I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” No church can ever be destroyed by ______________ forces; it can only deteriorate from _______________. So how is fellowship to be done? Vs. 44-46, “And day by day attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people." The early church had a two-fold structure: in the large group (the temple) and in the small group (from house to house). In the first structure (temple), the preacher/apostle had something to say. In the second structure (small group), that conveys that YOU have something to say and to share. Every Christian is like a battery, and when we join with other believers, we corporately increase the church’s output! The more you fellowship with God, the more you will want to fellowship with God’s people. And the more you fellowship with God’s people, the more you will want to fellowship with God. QUESTION TO PONDER: Are you ___________ yourself to fellowship or are you a ___________________ here?
2. I wish that every person in this church would spend time in _______ __________ every day.
Vs. 42 says, “And they devoted themselves to the apostles teaching.” We read our Bible so that God can talk to us; we spend time in prayer so that we can talk to Him. When we are full of God’s Word, we automatically know how to Biblically handle every situation that comes our way. People develop an _________________ for what you feed them. Dr. Michael Vlatch said, “There is a crisis of Biblical knowledge in the American church.”
The early believers devoted themselves to doctrine – not opinions or thoughts, or self-help poppsychology – but doctrine. This church that was learning was growing. The word “doctrine” simply means instruction, teaching, or truth. The early church engaged the mind. They did not avoid doctrine, they put it at the top of their list.
3. I wish that every person would experience the joy of ________________ those inside and outside the church.
"And day by day attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people" (vv. 4647). I would wish that every one of you would find a place to serve in this church. When we get to Heaven, we’re going to be busy serving the Lord. And this life is just a dress rehearsal, so you had better learn how to do it now. It is very obvious that there was an atmosphere of enthusiasm and excitement in this early church. God wants worship to be a festival not a funeral. He wants us to celebrate not commiserate. They served the Lord and they served one another out of a heart of worship. How can you tell when Christ is at the center of your life? When Jesus is at the center of your life, you start _________________, but when Jesus is NOT the center of your life, you start ________________. One of the best ways to overcome depression and to keep from becoming consumed with your own issues is to serve the needs of others around you.
4. I wish that every person in this church would experience the blessing of _______________ _________________.
The first church was famous for generosity. Acts 2:44-45, “All the believers shared everything with each other. They would sell their land and the things they owned and then give the money to anyone who needed it.” Notice they didn’t just give money. They gave everything! They invested their time, talents, and treasures in what really mattered. This shows they had control of their finances so that when a need arose, they not only could meet it, they got excited about meeting it. Most people can’t do that today. Why? We’ve spent ourselves out of control. Material things aren’t bad. But God says that the things that will last are people and His Word. So whenever possible, we ought to invest in those things. QUESTION: What kind of church would my church ______ if every member gave just like ______? A Christian statesman about a hundred years ago said it this way, “There’s only one life, ’twill soon be past. Only what’s done for Christ will last.” The church is where our time, talents, and treasure get _____________________ for eternity. In Mark 10, Jesus said this, “I assure you that everyone who has sacrificed anything for My sake and for the good news will receive in return a hundred times over.” You make a living by what you ________, but you make a life by what you _____________.
5. I wish that every person in this church had the same passion for the lost as Jesus did and would become a _____________________.
We are told in v. 41, "so those who received his word were baptized." Then in vs. 47, “And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.” In Luke 15, Jesus told three parables about a lost sheep, a lost coin, and a lost son. The point of these parables was to convey that God wants those of us who do come to church to be a lot more concerned about how we can reach those who don’t come to church than we are about ourselves. st The reason the early church grew exponentially in the 1 Century is because every believer was also a disciple-maker. This church must be filled with many “Connection Pointers” – people who leave on Sunday and begin on Monday to take God-given opportunities to point people to a connection with Jesus. That's why we read in verse 47, "And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved." Every day people were coming to Christ. Connection Point Church exists primarily for those _______ _______ _______ _________ ______!
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Five Wishes For Connection Point Church
Five Wishes for Connection Point Church
Brandon: I readjusted this layout to better fit the formatting needed when I print. If you will just keep all your text within the blue margin lines on this page, I shouldn’t have any more issues ☺. Thanks! Dr. Brandon Park | July 2, 2017
The purpose of Connection Point Church: We will point people to a connection with: The purpose of Connection Point Church: We will point people to a connection with: • ____________ ____________ ____________ ____________ Jesus Christ One another • _______ _________________ _______ _________________ mission • God’s ______________ for our lives. God’s ______________ for our lives.
movement institution The Church initially started as a _________________, not an __________________. The Greek word The Church initially started as a _________________, not an __________________. The Greek word for “church” is ekklesia, which means “gathering” or “assembly.” It originally launched as a movement for “church” is ekklesia, ekklesia which means “gathering” or “assembly.” It originally launched as a movement ekklesia, around one simple idea with a simple mission and with a simple focus. around one simple idea with a simple mission and with a simple focus.
past future We must look to the _____________ by also looking to the ___________. When the church was born 2,000 years ago, there were 3,000 people converted to Christ in a single day. What did the early 2,000 years ago, there were 3,000 people converted to Christ in a single day. What did the early church look like? We find this description in Acts 2:42-27. Just as a parent has wishes and dreams for church look like? We find this description in Acts 2:42 27. Just as a parent has wishes and dreams for their children, I have wishes and dreams for this church. If I knew that you would carry out only five things that I would wish for you, this would be my list.
1. I wish that every person in this church would do life together in a small group _____________ ____________.
Acts 2:42 says that they were “continually devoting themselves to…fellowship.” Growing churches love, and loving churches grow. The Greek word for fellowship is the word koinonia, which means being as committed to one another __________ ______________ as we are to Jesus Christ. The word koinonia means communion, distribution, or partnership. It essentially means sharing the life of Jesus Christ with each other. social spiritual The church is not just a _____________ gathering; it is a ___________________ gathering. In the first church, they took care of each other. They genuinely loved each other and treated each other like family. The church is God’s New Testament solution to an Old Testament principle: “It is not good for man to be alone.” unified Ten times in the first five chapters of Acts it says, “they were ______________.” He uses phrases like, “they were of one accord … one heart … one purpose … one spirit ... all united in thought.” God can overlook a lack of facilities, a lack of programs, a lack of leadership. But one thing He will not overlook is disharmony in the church. Jesus said, “Upon this Rock, I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” outside No church can ever be destroyed by ______________ forces; it can only deteriorate from within _______________. So how is fellowship to be done? Vs. 44-46, “And day by day attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people." The early church had a two-fold structure: in the large group (the temple) and in the small group (from house to house). In the first structure (temple), the preacher/apostle had something to say. In the second structure (small group), that conveys that YOU have something to say and to share. Every Christian is like a battery, and when we join with other believers, we corporately increase the church’s output! The more you fellowship with God, the more you will want to fellowship with God’s people. And the more you fellowship with God’s people, the more you will want to fellowship with God. devoting QUESTION TO PONDER: Are you ___________ yourself to fellowship or are you a spectator ___________________ here?
God's 2. I wish that every person in this church would spend time in _______ Word __________ every day.
Vs. 42 says, “And they devoted themselves to the apostles teaching.” We read our Bible so that God can talk to us; we spend time in prayer so that we can talk to Him. When we are full of God’s Word, we automatically know how to Biblically handle every situation that comes our way. People develop appetite an _________________ for what you feed them. Dr. Michael Vlatch said, “There is a crisis of Biblical knowledge in the American church.”
The early believers devoted themselves to doctrine – not opinions or thoughts, or self-help poppsychology – but doctrine. This church that was learning was growing. The word “doctrine” simply means instruction, teaching, or truth. The early church engaged the mind. They did not avoid doctrine, they put it at the top of their list.
3. I wish that every person would experience the joy of ________________ serving those inside and outside the church.
"And day by day attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people" (vv. 4647). I would wish that every one of you would find a place to serve in this church. When we get to Heaven, we’re going to be busy serving the Lord. And this life is just a dress rehearsal, so you had better learn how to do it now. It is very obvious that there was an atmosphere of enthusiasm and excitement in this early church. God wants worship to be a festival not a funeral. He wants us to celebrate not commiserate. They served the Lord and they served one another out of a heart of worship. How can you tell when Christ is at the center of your life? When Jesus is at the center of your life, worshipping you start _________________, but when Jesus is NOT the center of your life, you start worrying ________________. One of the best ways to overcome depression and to keep from becoming consumed with your own issues is to serve the needs of others around you.
4. I wish that every person in this church would experience the blessing of giving generously _______________ _________________.
The first church was famous for generosity. Acts 2:44-45, “All the believers shared everything with each other. They would sell their land and the things they owned and then give the money to anyone who needed it.” Notice they didn’t just give money. They gave everything! They invested their time, talents, and treasures in what really mattered. This shows they had control of their finances so that when a need arose, they not only could meet it, they got excited about meeting it. Most people can’t do that today. Why? We’ve spent ourselves out of control. Material things aren’t bad. But God says that the things that will last are people and His Word. So whenever possible, we ought to invest in those things. be me QUESTION: What kind of church would my church ______ if every member gave just like ______? A Christian statesman about a hundred years ago said it this way, “There’s only one life, ’twill soon be past. Only what’s done for Christ will last.” invested The church is where our time, talents, and treasure get _____________________ for eternity. In Mark 10, Jesus said this, “I assure you that everyone who has sacrificed anything for My sake and for the good news will receive in return a hundred times over.” get give You make a living by what you ________, but you make a life by what you _____________.
5. I wish that every person in this church had the same passion for the disciple-maker lost as Jesus did and would become a _____________________.
We are told in v. 41, "so those who received his word were baptized." Then in vs. 47, “And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.” In Luke 15, Jesus told three parables about a lost sheep, a lost coin, and a lost son. The point of these parables was to convey that God wants those of us who do come to church to be a lot more concerned about how we can reach those who don’t come to church than we are about ourselves. st The reason the early church grew exponentially in the 1 Century is because every believer was also a disciple-maker. This church must be filled with many “Connection Pointers” – people who leave on Sunday and begin on Monday to take God-given opportunities to point people to a connection with Jesus. That's why we read in verse 47, "And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved." Every day people were coming to Christ. who are not here yet Connection Point Church exists primarily for those _______ _______ _______ _________ ______!
