Embracing Community: Service, Faith, and Growth

Devotional

Day 1: Embracing Your Unique Role in Community

Each member of the church has a unique role to play in serving the community. Whether it's through organizing events or participating in outreach programs, every contribution is valuable and helps fulfill the church's mission. By welcoming Aaron as the new Fellowship Director, the congregation is encouraged to support her by engaging in various church activities like Wednesday night meals, funeral events, and potlucks. This call to action emphasizes that each role, no matter how small, contributes to the greater mission of the church. It is a reminder that community and service are intertwined, and everyone has a part to play in building a supportive and thriving church environment. [00:00]

1 Corinthians 12:18-20 (ESV): "But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body."

Reflection: What specific role can you take on this week to support your church community, and how can you encourage others to find their place in service as well?

Day 2: Reaching Across Cultures with the Gospel

Our mission field is diverse and multicultural. By supporting missionaries like Toma and Modesta, who are planting a church in Laurel, Maryland, the church extends its reach and impact, sharing the gospel with different communities and cultures. Their mission to reach the African community in the DC area serves as a reminder of the diverse and multicultural nature of the church's mission field. Praying for their success and for the gospel to be well-received in their community highlights the importance of embracing diversity and working together to spread the message of Christ across cultural boundaries. [17:01]

Acts 13:47 (ESV): "For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, 'I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.'"

Reflection: How can you personally support or engage with a mission that reaches a different culture or community than your own this week?

Day 3: The Transformative Power of the Lord's Supper

The Lord's Supper is a sacred act that serves as a reminder of Christ's sacrifice and a call to examine our hearts. It fosters unity and reconciliation within the church, reminding us of the grace and forgiveness we have received. This act of remembrance is not just a ritual but a powerful reminder of the profound significance of Christ's sacrifice. By partaking in a worthy manner, believers are encouraged to foster unity and reconciliation within the body of Christ, ensuring that their hearts are aligned with the grace and forgiveness they have received. [46:56]

1 Corinthians 11:28-29 (ESV): "Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself."

Reflection: Before your next participation in the Lord's Supper, what steps can you take to ensure your heart is prepared and aligned with the spirit of unity and reconciliation?

Day 4: Living a Life Reflective of Christ's Character

Our faith should actively influence our work and deeds. It's not about earning God's favor but living a life that reflects Christ's character, driven by a desire to please God. The passage from 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 challenges believers to live out their faith actively, allowing it to influence their work and deeds. This emphasis on living a life that reflects the character of Christ encourages believers to be driven by a desire to please God rather than mere duty, ensuring that their actions are aligned with their faith. [53:01]

Colossians 3:17 (ESV): "And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."

Reflection: Identify one area of your life where your actions may not fully reflect Christ's character. What practical steps can you take this week to align that area with your faith?

Day 5: Committing to Spiritual Growth and Community

Joining the church and participating in its activities is a step towards spiritual growth. It's never too late to commit, and there are always opportunities to serve and grow within the community. Celebrating the addition of new members to the church family reinforces the idea that commitment to the church community is a continuous journey. Encouraging those who have not yet taken steps like baptism or membership to do so highlights the ongoing opportunities for spiritual growth and service within the church, reminding everyone that it's never too late to become an integral part of the community. [01:13:54]

Hebrews 10:24-25 (ESV): "And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near."

Reflection: What is one step you can take this week to deepen your commitment to your church community, whether through service, participation, or personal spiritual growth?

Sermon Summary

In today's gathering, we focused on the importance of community, service, and spiritual growth. We began by welcoming Aaron as our new Fellowship Director, encouraging everyone to support her in her role by participating in various church activities like Wednesday night meals, funeral events, and potlucks. This is a call to action for everyone to find their place in serving the community, emphasizing that each role, no matter how small, contributes to the greater mission of the church.

We also highlighted the significance of our missionary work, particularly focusing on Toma and Modesta, who are planting a church in Laurel, Maryland. Their mission is to reach the African community in the DC area, a reminder of the diverse and multicultural nature of our mission field. We prayed for their success and for the gospel to be well-received in their community.

The sermon then transitioned into a reflection on the Lord's Supper, reminding us of the profound significance of Christ's sacrifice. We were encouraged to examine our hearts and ensure we partake in a worthy manner, fostering unity and reconciliation within the body of Christ. This act of remembrance is not just a ritual but a powerful reminder of the grace and forgiveness we have received.

We delved into 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12, where Paul prays for the church to be worthy of their calling, empowered by faith, and glorified in Christ. This passage challenges us to live out our faith actively, allowing it to influence our work and deeds. The emphasis is on living a life that reflects the character of Christ, driven by a desire to please God rather than mere duty.

Finally, we celebrated the addition of new members to our church family, reinforcing the idea that it's never too late to commit and become an integral part of the community. We concluded with a call to action, encouraging those who have not yet taken steps like baptism or membership to do so, and reminding everyone of the ongoing opportunities to serve and grow within the church.

Key Takeaways

1. Community and Service: Each member of the church has a unique role to play in serving the community. Whether it's through organizing events or participating in outreach programs, every contribution is valuable and helps fulfill the church's mission. [00:00]
2. Missionary Work: Our mission field is diverse and multicultural. By supporting missionaries like Toma and Modesta, we extend our reach and impact, sharing the gospel with different communities and cultures. [17:01]
3. The Lord's Supper: This sacred act is a reminder of Christ's sacrifice and a call to examine our hearts. It fosters unity and reconciliation within the church, reminding us of the grace and forgiveness we have received. [46:56]
4. Living by Faith: Our faith should actively influence our work and deeds. It's not about earning God's favor but living a life that reflects Christ's character, driven by a desire to please God. [53:01]
5. Commitment and Growth: Joining the church and participating in its activities is a step towards spiritual growth. It's never too late to commit, and there are always opportunities to serve and grow within the community. [01:13:54]
** [73:54]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:30] - Introduction of Aaron as Fellowship Director
[03:00] - Quilts of Valor Ceremony
[05:00] - Grand Prix and Library Announcement
[07:30] - Missionary Focus: Toma and Modesta
[10:00] - Prayer for Missionaries
[12:00] - Scripture Reading and Offertory
[15:00] - Reflection on the Lord's Supper
[20:00] - Sermon Introduction
[25:00] - Worthy of the Calling
[30:00] - Power to Live by Faith
[35:00] - Glorification and Grace
[40:00] - Call to Commitment
[45:00] - New Members Introduction
[50:00] - Closing Blessing

Sermon Clips

So Aaron has volunteered, and she's prayed over it. She's gone through some meetings with me and Nikki, and wants to be our Fellowship Director now. So she's going to, yeah, have us here for Aaron, yeah. And all you other people can go, yes. Yeah, however, she does need a team. So here's what we've got. We already have some people to do this. If you have anything to do with Wednesday night meals, if you have anything to do with funeral events, when we have the funerals, if you help with the potlucks and all that kind of stuff, deacons, wives, especially, if you can be there, you need to be there. [00:13:39]

We send out missionaries around the world again through the cooperative program through the southern baptist convention so we are affiliated with the sbc and you can i'm not even going to try to but uh to my and modesta and i'm not going to try to pronounce that last name all right our missionaries that are around the world they actually listen they're in laurel maryland planting a church amen by the way yeah that's getting close to dc they need jesus big time up there amen so they ask that we pray for them um that they will be fruitful to disciple and make opportunities as they plant this church that god has placed them in the house of lord say amen. [00:22:00]

Thank you Ken speaking of that we come to the table now where God freely gave to us I want you to think as we come to this table that we are here to do this in remembrance of Christ we're also to do this we are to take this in a worthy manner the scripture tells us in 1st Corinthians that if we don't that the judgment's not going to happen when we say the words of God are upon us pretty profound but also the blessings of this table come for those of us that are reconciled in the Christ Jesus and we reconcile with our brothers and sisters in Christ. [00:45:38]

Listen, whatever we struggle with in this earth is pale in comparison to the glory that awaits us in Christ Jesus. That's scripture, by the way, pale in comparison. And there's all, if I look through this room, there's all kinds of sufferings. Some people are hurting, emotionally. Some are physically hurting. Some have lost things in their lives that are extremely important to them. And there's grief in here. There's pain in here. There's hurt in here. We all struggle in life. Amen. [00:57:38]

We will never get away from those afflictions, but the glory that awaits us is what we should focus towards to help us get us through those moments to say, this is not permanent. And so that is what Paul's trying to tell them and say, in view of all these things, listen to what I'm about to tell you now. And there's four things he tells them. One, they're going to be worthy of their calling. He tells them that in here, there's going to be a power from God. [00:58:14]

Now, Paul says, I'm praying constantly for you, this church in Thessalonica. In view of all these things, I'm always praying for you. I love that we have purposeful prayer. Everybody can go to it if you want to at 930 to 950. They pray over me. They pray for the church. They pray for you as you're coming in here. They pray for all you people that come in late. I'm not looking at anybody, right? We're praying for the children's ministry. We're praying for everything that's going on that God will be glorified today. [00:59:30]

So our, our motivation is not to do good works to earn God's favor. We'll talk about grace at the end of the sermon, but our job should be because I'm faithful to the Lord. I want to be more like the Lord. I want to serve the Lord. I want to do, do good deeds. I want to be a good neighbor like state farmers there. Amen. Y 'all knew that was coming. You knew it. I set you up for that. We get to do the good deeds and be that good neighbor and love one another. That's what we should do. [01:05:37]

So I want to encourage you today that you need to have an active faith and that active faith should produce good works and that active faith should influence how you work. Make sure that you do those two things. Faith should lead to practical, active services and behaviors and how we engage the world around us. So I encourage you in that area. Be faithful to those things. [01:08:02]

Listen, this is a bizarre, the way the Greek is written here is very bizarre. It doesn't translate into English very easily. If you look at that text, it says, and Jesus will be glorified by you and you by him. You by him. Who else is glorified besides Jesus? Us. Now I know we're quick to say, whoa, to God be the glory. Paul is writing here, because you belong to Jesus, you too will be glorified. [01:09:51]

Grace is a gift that's given to you. It's undeserved. It's unmerited. You can't do anything to receive it, to accept it, to be a part of it. God did the work. Amen. But you receive it. There's this connection with the work of Christ and then you coming to receive Jesus and his grace flows through you and you're saved. At some point in your life, some of you somehow made a choice to receive Jesus. [01:11:22]

May God be glorified like Paul is writing here through the calling that he's called you to. May God be glorified also through how you live by faith, and may you experience the grace of the Lord. Jesus Christ. May we always know we're on the winning team. May we be encouraged by Paul's words here, that in view of all these things, God's got us. [01:13:54]

I want you to know today, if you have not experienced Jesus Christ, you can. If you've never bowed a knee to him and confessed him as your Lord and Savior, you can. I know some of you are still running from me for baptism. Why are you waiting for that? I can outrun you still. And I have endurance to continue to ask and pester. Receive. So what are you waiting on? Free baptism, people, what are you waiting on? Membership. [01:14:23]

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