Message: Why Antioch Exists and Where God is Leading Us
Text: Ephesians 4:11-12
Introduction
God gives to the church pastors to equip the church for the ministry. My job is not just to preach, teach, and counsel. My job is to equip you with what you need to do the work of the ministry. Because of this, it is vital that everyone in our church know why our church exists and what God has called us to do.
Who we are
We are a diverse gathering of broken people who are being transformed by Jesus. We are not a monolithic group (white, middle class, etc.) We are broken people; we have problems! However, we have not gathered to commiserate together. We have gathered to follow Jesus and let Him change us. The Christian life is one of change (repentance.) We are in a constant state of changing to be more like Jesus.
What we do
We seek to glorify God by helping all people follow Jesus. We exist to show how great God is. The primary way we do this is through people. We want all people to glorify God with us. How do they glorify God? By becoming more like Jesus. We are not after numbers; we are after people. We want to help everyone follow Jesus.
Where we are going
We desire to be a conduit of God’s grace to Alachua County, the surrounding areas, and the world. We cannot change people; only the Spirit of God can do that. However, we are the vessels in which He resides and through whom He works. We want to be used by God to see the Gospel ever expand from where we live until the whole world knows Jesus.
What we are striving to be
As we follow Jesus, we are constantly changing more and more into His image. However, there are certain values that can never change:
Character – Being in private who Jesus has called us to be
Connection – Becoming an integral part of the church community
Creed – Keeping our focus on the Gospel
How we plan to do it
Jesus Builds His Church
Jesus is the One Who builds His church. Our job is to be faithful to Him. Faithfulness is success.
Strong Families Make a Strong Church
You cannot have a strong church with families that are falling apart.
Focus on the Men
You cannot have strong families with weak men.
Long Term Multiplication
We are seeking long-term progress not short-term gain.
Kingdom First
We must cooperate with other believers to see the Kingdom move forward. It is about the Kingdom, not Antioch or individual people.
Application:
Is this a vision that you can get behind? Do you want a church like that to exist in our community? To have such a church requires manpower, spiritual power, and resources. If you desire such a church, you need to:
– Join
– Pray
– Give
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