Invitation: Community, Involvement, and Surrender to Christ

So those three scriptures, the Lord deposited in my spirit, and there's a common denominator in each one of those scriptures that I really felt the voice of the Holy Spirit calling us to as a church. And that is this theme, and I've prepared a little graphic, I'll ask the team to put it on the screens behind me, of invitation. Invitation. Three pillars that the Holy Spirit planted in my spirit. Invitation to community. We are not meant to follow Jesus alone. [00:46:35] (44 seconds)  #FollowJesusTogether

Three pillars that the Holy Spirit planted in my spirit. Invitation to community. We are not meant to follow Jesus alone. That's right. We aren't. This is the open door. Serving through community. Our heart is that we would be a church that is approachable, a church that is warm, and a church that is present in our community. [00:47:06] (35 seconds)  #ServeThroughCommunity

This is the open door. Serving through community. Our heart is that we would be a church that is approachable, a church that is warm, and a church that is present in our community. I often ask myself, would our community miss us if we cease to exist? And I believe the answer to that question is yes. I do. I believe that that is the heart of God that we are seen in the community. But not just seen, but that through people seeing, they don't see the church. They see Jesus. They see Jesus. [00:47:21] (50 seconds)  #LetThemSeeJesus

Christianity is not a spectator sport. I'm gonna frame it a little differently. Buckle up. You're not supposed to just come and sit as though you're going to watch a hockey game or a concert. You see, the invitation to involvement is actually causing us and calling us to move people, to move you and I from attendance to contribution. Calling out gifts, not just filling holes. In other words, ownership over consumerism. [00:48:42] (58 seconds)  #NoMoreSpectators

``I'm gonna frame it a little differently. Buckle up. You're not supposed to just come and sit as though you're going to watch a hockey game or a concert. You see, the invitation to involvement is actually causing us and calling us to move people, to move you and I from attendance to contribution. Calling out gifts, not just filling holes. [00:48:51] (40 seconds)  #AttendToContribute

We live in a society, in a world that is all about me. I mean, not about me, you know, like David, but we live in this culture that it's self. Me. Me. Me. Me. Me. Me. Gather. Gather. Gather. Gather. Gather. But actually, the word of God calls us to a different kind of life. Invites us into this life of of receiving as well as giving. We're not to be consumers of this gospel. We are to be pouring out this gospel. [00:49:40] (48 seconds)  #PourOutTheGospel

Not information, but transformation. We live in a culture that is filled with information. I read a statistic recently that indicated that we are in what is called the information age, where there is literally everything you need to know available at your fingertips. And then you add in chat GPT, and you've got not only Google, but you have this world of so called knowledge. And well, knowledge is important, and I love knowledge. I am a student of God's word. I'm a student in school. I love to learn, and I love knowledge. But information is nothing without transformation. [00:51:25] (55 seconds)  #TransformNotInform

But I wanna end with with one comment. And the invitation, especially in our fellowship here, where we're blessed with such a wonderful community, we really are. There is nothing there is nothing that is stopping you that is stopping you from answering the call to serve God with your gifts, with your talents, with your abilities. There is no red tape. There is nothing that is stopping you. Wait for it. But you. The call is open, friends. If you're not serving, it's not because the invitation hasn't been given. [00:54:21] (55 seconds)  #AnswerTheCall