Embracing Renewal: A Call to Transformative Discipleship
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Sermon Summary
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Sermon Clips
"We are living in and through a cultural moment. It's a kairos moment, a crisis that is playing out at multiple levels globally, nationally in every city, town and village in our land. It's something that's impacting the church locally and nationally. And last but certainly not least, it's impacting us at a very personal level." [00:00:59]
"We need to listen especially carefully and learn to recognize the voice of God. It was Jesus himself as the good shepherd who said in John 10, my sheep will know my voice. And so as I've been reading and praying over these last few months, drawing from a number of sources, I'm beginning to feel convinced that God is speaking and I'm hearing his voice in this liminal space that we live in." [00:03:43]
"COVID -19 moment was just the first of these waves this is what they said sifting the church God is refining us sifting and heating the church to purify it this is about shaping good leaders who will care for God's people and an end to false religion and idolatry in our culture will we identify so much of our cultural norms as what they truly are idols things that replace and dull our dependence on God." [00:04:45]
"The church is becoming less platform -centric and less Sunday -centric. And as we go into the future, there are going to be more small gatherings than larger gatherings. And this will give us a context and an opportunity to grow and release more leaders. And then I've been reading and watching videos reading blogs, and I see a number of leaders encouraging us to step into this once -in -a -lifetime moment." [00:06:03]
"You know, it was the great dream of the Reformation that the church would be released to be who she was meant to be. Part of this releasing was the intention of the priesthood of the church to be who she was meant to be. We see it in Scripture when Peter paints this picture in his first letter in chapter 2, verse 9, where he says we are all a royal priesthood." [00:06:44]
"Here at HBC Chester, over the last seven years, we've completely reshaped our church around this phrase, living Jesus -shaped lives. It's put discipleship right at the heart of who we are and we express it like this. Be with Jesus, become like Jesus, and do what Jesus did. And we've recognized that our discipleship needs to include a radical re -entering into the life, teachings, and ministry of Jesus." [00:08:35]
"Another aspect of this invitation, highlighted by the events of these past 12 months of 2020, have been the need for churches to move their focus to everyday ministry and not just Sunday ministry. And I hope that as we gradually move into 2021 and we begin those in -person gatherings, but we also recognize the shift to online gatherings, that we as church leaders will recognize that our focus will have to shift more permanently from buildings to people's homes." [00:09:16]
"It's my hope that church leaders begin to see themselves more as equipers, as enablers, helping people bring their faith more deeply into their homes, into their neighbourhoods and workplaces. And when it comes to discipleship and mission, every day is more important than Sunday. As I reflect on our journey here at HBC Chester, what we focused on is how we can better raise up and release missional disciples." [00:13:10]
"So this up in out rhythm is a key discipleship tool. And when we engage in the process and practices of spiritual formation, they help us to become like Jesus. We need to be with Jesus, that up relationship. We seek to become and live like Jesus. That's our in relationship. And we do what Jesus did. That's our out." [00:14:51]
"Mark has a number of principles that challenge me to be hungry and hopeful for renewal. He says this, renewal follows periods of crisis change and transition. We are in this crisis. It has multiple changes. There's multiple expressions. There's significant acceleration of transition. As I said earlier, it's a liminal space. It's an off -balance creative moment. It's a descriptive and devastating moment." [00:20:07]
"And so I'm praying that out of this season, that a renewal and awakening will come. There will be an awakening of God's people by and through God's Spirit, so that we will establish God's kingdom, bringing healing, wholeness, and freedom to thousands of men, women, girls, and boys. So as we begin 2021, I recognize that we carry brokenness, and we carry sadness." [00:20:48]
"And my hope is that we will have a different kind of church and a different kind of leadership that will emerge out of this moment. A people of God who vividly reflect Jesus with faith for a church to be unleashed and to be the church that Jesus intended it to be. So as I close, let me ask these three questions. Why not here? Why not now? Why not us?" [00:21:31]
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"We need to listen especially carefully and learn to recognize the voice of God. It was Jesus himself as the good shepherd who said in John 10, my sheep will know my voice. And so as I've been reading and praying over these last few months, drawing from a number of sources, I'm beginning to feel convinced that God is speaking and I'm hearing his voice in this liminal space that we live in." [00:03:43]
"COVID -19 moment was just the first of these waves this is what they said sifting the church God is refining us sifting and heating the church to purify it this is about shaping good leaders who will care for God's people and an end to false religion and idolatry in our culture will we identify so much of our cultural norms as what they truly are idols things that replace and dull our dependence on God." [00:04:45]
"The church is becoming less platform -centric and less Sunday -centric. And as we go into the future, there are going to be more small gatherings than larger gatherings. And this will give us a context and an opportunity to grow and release more leaders. And then I've been reading and watching videos reading blogs, and I see a number of leaders encouraging us to step into this once -in -a -lifetime moment." [00:06:03]
"You know, it was the great dream of the Reformation that the church would be released to be who she was meant to be. Part of this releasing was the intention of the priesthood of the church to be who she was meant to be. We see it in Scripture when Peter paints this picture in his first letter in chapter 2, verse 9, where he says we are all a royal priesthood." [00:06:44]
"Here at HBC Chester, over the last seven years, we've completely reshaped our church around this phrase, living Jesus -shaped lives. It's put discipleship right at the heart of who we are and we express it like this. Be with Jesus, become like Jesus, and do what Jesus did. And we've recognized that our discipleship needs to include a radical re -entering into the life, teachings, and ministry of Jesus." [00:08:35]
"Another aspect of this invitation, highlighted by the events of these past 12 months of 2020, have been the need for churches to move their focus to everyday ministry and not just Sunday ministry. And I hope that as we gradually move into 2021 and we begin those in -person gatherings, but we also recognize the shift to online gatherings, that we as church leaders will recognize that our focus will have to shift more permanently from buildings to people's homes." [00:09:16]
"It's my hope that church leaders begin to see themselves more as equipers, as enablers, helping people bring their faith more deeply into their homes, into their neighbourhoods and workplaces. And when it comes to discipleship and mission, every day is more important than Sunday. As I reflect on our journey here at HBC Chester, what we focused on is how we can better raise up and release missional disciples." [00:13:10]
"So this up in out rhythm is a key discipleship tool. And when we engage in the process and practices of spiritual formation, they help us to become like Jesus. We need to be with Jesus, that up relationship. We seek to become and live like Jesus. That's our in relationship. And we do what Jesus did. That's our out." [00:14:51]
"Mark has a number of principles that challenge me to be hungry and hopeful for renewal. He says this, renewal follows periods of crisis change and transition. We are in this crisis. It has multiple changes. There's multiple expressions. There's significant acceleration of transition. As I said earlier, it's a liminal space. It's an off -balance creative moment. It's a descriptive and devastating moment." [00:20:07]
"And so I'm praying that out of this season, that a renewal and awakening will come. There will be an awakening of God's people by and through God's Spirit, so that we will establish God's kingdom, bringing healing, wholeness, and freedom to thousands of men, women, girls, and boys. So as we begin 2021, I recognize that we carry brokenness, and we carry sadness." [00:20:48]
"And my hope is that we will have a different kind of church and a different kind of leadership that will emerge out of this moment. A people of God who vividly reflect Jesus with faith for a church to be unleashed and to be the church that Jesus intended it to be. So as I close, let me ask these three questions. Why not here? Why not now? Why not us?" [00:21:31]
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