Embracing Our Call: Alive in 25

Devotional

Day 1: Embracing Sacrifice for Divine Purpose

Saying "yes" to God's call often involves sacrifice, but it is essential for fulfilling our divine purpose. Embracing this call leads to personal and communal transformation, as we bring the light of Christ into our spheres of influence. When we choose to follow God's unique calling for our lives, we may encounter challenges and costs. However, these sacrifices are necessary steps in our spiritual journey, allowing us to grow and mature in our faith. By embracing these challenges, we not only transform ourselves but also contribute to the transformation of our communities and the world. [46:04]

"For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." (Matthew 16:25, ESV)

Reflection: What is one specific area in your life where you feel God is calling you to make a sacrifice? How can you take a step towards embracing this sacrifice today?

Day 2: Living as Full-Time Ministers

The church is the hope of the world, and each of us is in full-time ministry, regardless of our profession. We are tasked with transforming the world with the good news of Jesus, bringing the kingdom of God into every area of our lives. This means that our daily actions, whether at work, home, or in our communities, are opportunities to reflect Christ's love and truth. By recognizing our role as ministers in every aspect of life, we can intentionally seek to make a positive impact and share the hope we have in Christ with those around us. [51:28]

"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light." (1 Peter 2:9, ESV)

Reflection: In what specific ways can you bring the kingdom of God into your workplace or home today? How can you intentionally reflect Christ's love in your interactions?

Day 3: Understanding the Five-Fold Ministry

The five-fold ministry—apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers—plays a crucial role in equipping the saints for ministry. Each role has a unique function that contributes to the growth and maturity of the church. Apostles govern, prophets guide, evangelists gather, pastors guard, and teachers ground us in the Word of God. Together, these roles create a strong, unified body that can effectively minister to the world. Understanding these roles helps us appreciate the diverse gifts within the church and encourages us to support and learn from one another. [56:41]

"And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ." (Ephesians 4:11-12, ESV)

Reflection: Which of the five-fold ministry roles do you feel most drawn to or resonate with? How can you develop this aspect of your calling to better serve your community?

Day 4: Discovering and Developing Unique Gifts

Discovering and developing our unique gifts is vital for personal and communal growth. Understanding our identity in Christ and our specific callings allows us to contribute effectively to the body of Christ. As we explore our spiritual gifts, we can find ways to serve that align with our passions and strengths. This journey of discovery not only enriches our own spiritual lives but also strengthens the church as a whole, as each member plays a vital role in its mission. [01:01:13]

"Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching." (Romans 12:6-7, ESV)

Reflection: What is one spiritual gift you believe God has given you? How can you begin to develop and use this gift to serve others in your church or community?

Day 5: Growing in Maturity and Truth

Maturity in Christ involves speaking the truth in love and growing in our relationship with God. As we become mature believers, we are better equipped to minister to the world and fulfill our divine purpose. This growth requires us to be intentional in our spiritual practices, such as prayer, study of the Word, and fellowship with other believers. By committing to this journey of maturity, we can more effectively share the love and truth of Christ with those around us, impacting our communities and the world. [01:05:06]

"Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ." (Ephesians 4:15, ESV)

Reflection: What is one area of your spiritual life where you feel called to grow in maturity? What practical steps can you take this week to pursue this growth?

Sermon Summary

In today's gathering, we embarked on a journey of vision and activation, focusing on the theme of "Alive in 25." This vision is about mobilizing and activating our gifts and callings as we approach the year 2025. We are called to say "yes" to the unique callings God has placed on our lives, understanding that each of us has been gifted in specific ways to serve the church and the world. This journey is not just about individual growth but about coming together as a community to advance the kingdom of God.

Reflecting on my personal journey, I shared how saying "yes" to God's call often comes with a cost, but it is a necessary step in fulfilling our divine purpose. We are reminded that the church is the hope of the world, and each of us plays a crucial role in bringing the light of Christ into our spheres of influence. Whether in the marketplace or at home, we are all in full-time ministry, tasked with transforming the world with the good news of Jesus.

We explored the concept of the five-fold ministry—apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers—each playing a vital role in equipping the saints for the work of ministry. These roles are not just titles but functions that help us grow into the fullness of Christ. The apostle governs, the prophet guides, the evangelist gathers, the pastor guards, and the teacher grounds us in the Word of God. Together, these roles create a strong, unified body that can effectively minister to the world.

As we move forward, we are encouraged to discover and develop our unique gifts. This involves understanding our identity in Christ and how we can contribute to the body of Christ. We are called to be mature believers, speaking the truth in love and growing in our relationship with God. This journey of activation is about becoming who God designed us to be, both individually and collectively.

Key Takeaways

1. Saying "yes" to God's call often involves sacrifice, but it is essential for fulfilling our divine purpose. Embracing this call leads to personal and communal transformation, as we bring the light of Christ into our spheres of influence. [46:04]
2. The church is the hope of the world, and each of us is in full-time ministry, regardless of our profession. We are tasked with transforming the world with the good news of Jesus, bringing the kingdom of God into every area of our lives. [51:28]
3. The five-fold ministry—apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers—plays a crucial role in equipping the saints for ministry. Each role has a unique function that contributes to the growth and maturity of the church. [56:41]
4. Discovering and developing our unique gifts is vital for personal and communal growth. Understanding our identity in Christ and our specific callings allows us to contribute effectively to the body of Christ. [61:13]
5. Maturity in Christ involves speaking the truth in love and growing in our relationship with God. As we become mature believers, we are better equipped to minister to the world and fulfill our divine purpose. [65:06]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:30] - Introduction and Humor
[02:00] - Vision Sunday Overview
[04:30] - Personal Journey and Sacrifice
[07:00] - The Call to Say Yes
[09:30] - The Church as the Hope of the World
[12:00] - The Five-Fold Ministry Explained
[15:00] - Discovering and Developing Gifts
[18:00] - Maturity in Christ
[21:00] - Activation and Mobilization
[24:00] - The Role of Unity in the Church
[27:00] - Practical Steps for Growth
[30:00] - Closing Prayer and Worship
[32:00] - Invitation to Say Yes to Jesus

Sermon Clips

"As we believe, 2025 is all about activation, mobilization and giving our yes. I was actually on the floor before because I was so touched by God. And both Catherine and I had to give our yeses, he to go to Holland and me to go here. Still, as you're worshiping, I remember me standing on the side of the river. And I said, Lord, I know I'm called to the nations, but it's so hard to leave and stuff like that. But I knew I had to go. And so I left and broke my brother's heart, broke my family's heart, my mother's heart, my father's heart. And they're okay now. And they love what we do here. And they love, and my mother was here the other day. But it was a cost to saying yes to Jesus. There's a cost to following a call. And today, I hope on this journey that we all be able to say yes. Doesn't mean you have to go back to or somewhere else. It does mean that you have to say yes to the calling that God has given you." [00:42:38] (52 seconds)

"And the gifting that God has given you. Because we all have been gifted. And we'll talk about it here today. And when we start doing that, honestly, when we start doing that, you'll see it in the scripture in a moment. Then you'll see revival will come. Because you will become revival. Because you will start to run in your lane the way you have God wired you to run. And you'll be so amazing. You'll be so happy. You'll be so empowered. Because it's the gifting. It's the talents that you're walking into. And so that's what we would love to see over the next couple of weeks mobilized. Last year, God said to me, I don't want any spectators in my church. I don't want any spectators. I want people to participate, to contribute, to partake, to be involved, and to be activated in our church. To advance the kingdom of God. To take some ground. To go into the promised land that God has for each one of us individually. But also a promised land in our city and in Christchurch." [00:43:30] (52 seconds)

"Our mission is transforming the world with the good news of Jesus. Why don't we say it together? Transforming the world with the good news of Jesus. See, the church is the hope of the world. You and I are the hope of the world. There is no other hope. Jesus has appointed us, commissioned us to go into the world. And what we do and who we are, what we do together, but also what you do in your own area and sphere of influence, wherever you are in the workplace, whatever you are, a lawyer, a business person, whatever you are, a homemaker, whatever you are, you bring the kingdom of God, you bring the fragrance of Jesus Christ. And it's so important because it's of eternal value. It's of eternal value. We've got people saved here every week." [00:45:49] (43 seconds)

"It's the activation, if you like. It's the walking out of who you are, right? So it's really powerful in this way. So there's an activation of identity, and we talk a lot in this church about identity, who we are as a son, as a daughter. It's very important with our inheritances and all this kind of stuff. We need to know that. But there's also an activation of our destiny, an activation of our mission, an activation of who we are and who we together are becoming. Is anybody alive here? That's so good. So I love the book of Ephesians. Anybody love Ephesians? One of my favorite books in the Bible. We taught in this church, gone through the whole thing a while back now, but it's been absolutely amazing. I love Ephesians. We're going to park in Ephesians for a little bit over the next few weeks. Is that all right with you? In particular, in chapter 4." [00:50:26] (54 seconds)

"Because if you understand Ephesians, the first part, it's amazing what we become in Christ, the gift of grace, the salvation. Just a joy to be a son of God, a daughter of God, to be part of the family of God. It's such a joy. And then as we go towards Ephesians 4, it starts activating. Paul starts talking about, okay, now we start to walk in truth. We've got to walk in unity. We've got to walk in peace. We've got to walk together. And then you go later on in Ephesians, and you end up, of course, at the end, even with the armor of God. How do you fight? You know, by standing. You know, to fight the spiritual good fight of faith. There's an activation. There's a warfare. There's a thing that we do as people of God, you know, in this way. So there's a trajectory. Trajectory. Everybody say trajectory." [00:51:28] (47 seconds)

"There we should no longer be children tossed to and fro and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men and cunning craftiness and deceitful plotting. But speaking the truth in love may grow up in all things unto into him who is the head, Christ, from whom the whole body joined and knit together by what every joint supplies. Everybody say every joint supplies. That all of us are joints. According to the effective working by which every part does it share. Everybody say every part. Amen. So this is the scripture, the foundational scripture for the next couple of weeks. So this is God's vision for this community. Through Paul, this vision of this beautiful faith community, unity of the faith. That's his goal. The knowledge of the Son of God, maturity and growing into the fullness of Christ." [00:54:58] (72 seconds)

"So, when we grow up in Christ and become mature, it says, then, then we will no longer be tossed fro and tore by around by every wind of false doctrine and all these things, because Jesus does not want us deceived. And you'll see today with the teaching and some of the things I'm talking about. As we have 13 ministry and everybody's functioning in their gifting, you'll find how protective this is towards each other and how we are accountable to each other, which is really, really powerful. I love this in the passion translation, verse 14. Then all our, then all our immaturity will end. And all the pastor said, yeah, amen. No, not too much. You won't have a job, so maybe not. All the counselors say, yeah, amen, but then you have no job anymore." [00:57:36] (53 seconds)

"No, mature, fullness, done, whole, awesome. And all the counselors, all the pastors, we all help people into this fullness, right? Into maturity, right? So good. It's our job and we love doing it. Amen. Anyway, and we will not easily be shaken by trouble nor let me astray by novel teaching or by false doctrines or of deceivers who teach clever lies. But instead, we will remain strong and always sincere in our love as we express the truth. All our direction and ministries will flow from Christ and lead us deeper into him, the anointed head of his body, the church. What a great vision, right? What a great vision for the church that we become this beautiful company of people." [00:58:10] (51 seconds)

"That all our direction and all our ministry flows from Jesus. He is the head of the body and everything flows down from him. And I love this. And lead us into deeper intimacy with him. Deeper into him, which means deeper. Well, we've had the whole journey of intimacy, the secret place. How wonderful that he's leading us into deeper and deeper into intimacy with him. Amen. He's always pulling us. Yes, there's stuff to do and we get stuff to do. Even today, we'll get activated, right? But it's always out of deeper with him. Amen. Wow. Then you can see what happens then after that. When you do that, verse 16, for his body, you and I, has been formed in his image and is closely joined together and constantly connected as one." [00:59:59] (59 seconds)

"And every member has been given divine gifts. Everybody say divine gifts. Tell your neighbor, you've got some divine gifts. Tell your other neighbor, you also have some divine gifts. And these gifts it says to contribute to the growth of all. Wow. Wow. And as these gifts operate effectively throughout the whole body, we are built up and made perfect in love. Don't you love this? So we are constantly connected as one. Well, that speaks to me about life groups. Guys, if you're not in a life group, make sure you talk to Pastor Josiah or Sam in the life group. It's important that we are connected together. Yes, we're connected on a Sunday, but it's quite superficial in some ways, right? So it's good that you are connected. All of us are connected in a small group and do life together. Be accountable, encourage one another, do life together. Very, very important. Constantly connected." [01:00:00] (64 seconds)

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